Recent content by Sparky74

  1. Sparky74

    Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

    At the risk of revealing my ignorance, are there issues with setting eggs this time of year? I’m in Grafton, NSW, so we’re experiencing high heat and humidity. Will this effect fertility and/or hatch rate? Am I enter to wait until March or to just go for it? Thanks.
  2. Sparky74

    Southern Hemisphere Hatch-a-long

    I’m a bit ahead of the game! I purchased a dozen "rainbow eggs". 9 hatched late last week. I’m in Grafton, NSW.
  3. Sparky74

    Brooding Without Heat

    I thought I should report back. It’s 6am Saturday morning here in the Eastern part of Australia. The 9th chick hatched at 11pm Thursday. There’s still 3 eggs in the incubator but I don’t really hold out any hope for them. Thursday night 8 chicks overnighted in a plastic tub in the warm garage...
  4. Sparky74

    Brooding Without Heat

    All 8 chicks seemed happy and comfortable this morning having spent the night in the plastic tub in the (warm) garage without a heat lamp, heat pad, or hot water bottle. As we were going to bed we noticed another egg was starting to zip so we waited and watched number 9 come into the world. She...
  5. Sparky74

    Brooding Without Heat

    Thanks for all the suggestions. My wife, who is not an animal person, suggested bringing them inside but I was loath to do so. Then I walked into the garage and discovered it was warmer than the house. This is probably because that’s where the incubator is. So all 8 chicks are now in a plastic...
  6. Sparky74

    Brooding Without Heat

    I’m now thinking that maybe I just pop them back into the incubator when I go to bed tonight. Not that I particularly like opening it while there are still eggs in there. But if I slip them in quickly and try to maintain temperature and humidity hopefully it won't impact the remaining eggs too much.
  7. Sparky74

    Brooding Without Heat

    I live in Australia, currently in Grafton, NSW, and we enjoy a relatively mild climate. No snow in this part of Australia and you could probably count on one hand the number of mornings that we get a frost in Winter. I usually brood chicks without a heat lamp or pad. I use a wool hen...
  8. Sparky74

    A very soggy hatchalong

    I’m following with interest. A lot of excepted wisdom and "fact" doesn’t necessarily play out in real life. And it’s only through experimentation (either our own or that of others) can our collective knowledge grow.
  9. Sparky74

    New to hatching eggs

    I know you’ve asked about hatching but I’m going to address the next step, brooding. My top tip is to not brood them in the house! Chicks produce an incredible amount of dander/fine dust that gets EVERYWHERE. I live in a mild climate so set up my predator-proof brooder on the veranda. If it’s...
  10. Sparky74

    Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

    G'day! I haven’t logged into this site for years! We received a work transfer in 2020 so I rehomed my chooks before we left Cowra, NSW, and upon arrival in Grafton, NSW (at the height of the pandemic and restrictions, mind you) I decided that our new yard was too small for chooks. Fast forward...
  11. Sparky74

    Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

    :welcome:wee
  12. Sparky74

    Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

    Sure, however this treatment is recommended by multiple sources. I’m going to quote from The Chicken Chick's Guide to Backyard Chickens by Kathy Shea Mormino. “Dr Michael Darre, poultry professor and Department of Agriculture Extension Service specialist at the University of Connecticut...
  13. Sparky74

    Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

    OK, I managed to find the very informative video I watched about using petrol (or "gasoline") to treat Scaly Leg Mite: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/leg-mites-on-fosters.1216830/page-2#post-19432065 Here are another couple of links that talk about it...
  14. Sparky74

    Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

    I dipped all their legs in petrol this morning and then applied Ungvita (vitamin A ointment from the chemist). The beauty of this treatment is that apparently you only have to do it for 3 days and only twice with the petrol as it kills the eggs as well as the adult mites. 22 legs is a lot to treat!
  15. Sparky74

    Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

    It seems that the best treatment is to dip their legs in petrol (!) and then apply A & D ointment, reapply the ointment on day 2, and repeat the whole process on day 3.
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