BYC Café

[DobieLover]

Good morning Cafe.
Coffee is made.
It's been a bit blowy here overnight. Quite a few trees down. It's rained some as well.
I guess Autumn is here. Can't say I'll be sorry to lose the heat.

Sorry to hear some trees came down. Does this mean you will be cutting them up?
We are having our (hopefully) last too warm day here today then we get more normal weather for late summer.

 

[DobieLover]

Good morning, Café.
Thanks for the coffee, Shad. I think I'll take an extra cup with me so I don't run out like I did yesterday. Got a fresh pot brewing.
Everyone have a wonderful day.

 

[N F C]

Morning Cafe

Shad, did the fallen trees cause any damage? Thanks for the coffee!

Dobie, fill a thermos, hope you have a better day than yesterday.

 

[Shadrach]

Sorry to hear some trees came down. Does this mean you will be cutting them up?
We are having our (hopefully) last too warm day here today then we get more normal weather for late summer.

I will, but not any time soon. Most that have fallen are pine trees and they aren't much good for fire wood. There is unfortunately one old cork oak tree that is partially uprooted. I would like to winch it upright and pack the roots back in but it's not something I can do on my own.

 

[Shadrach]

Morning Cafe

Shad, did the fallen trees cause any damage? Thanks for the coffee!

Dobie, fill a thermos, hope you have a better day than yesterday.

Sure they've done damage, but not to anything human built.

 

[Shadrach]

Mel sat on 6 eggs, two of which were hard boiled.
The nest itself is far from ideal and I have plans to rectify this. The problem is the same as always with hard bases; the hen can't make the hollow so the eggs get spread about instead of being packed in a tight group.
Yes this is important. The embryos and the hen all communicate with each other. Noone seems quite sure at what stage of development this starts but the point of it partly is to ensure the eggs hatch together. The hen knows at what stage the eggs are and alters the heat/humidity/position to try to modify hatch timing.
For the eggs to communicate with each other they need to be in close proximity, preferably touching. This is one vital piece of knowledge that gets ignored by those who incubate. It does according to research have a major impact on hatch rate.
So, the nest becomes the single most important factor when broody hatching.
Anyway, Mel cracked all four eggs. One chick didn't make it. Mel did try to assist by picking off pieces of shell.
The darkest chick has a problem with it's left eye. The eyelid isn't opening. It gets around fine, finds food and navigates so we'll see how things develop.

 

[N F C]

Congrats on the new chicks Shad! Mel sounds like a good mother.

 

[sourland]

Good morning, Café.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Mel sat on 6 eggs, two of which were hard boiled.
The nest itself is far from ideal and I have plans to rectify this. The problem is the same as always with hard bases; the hen can't make the hollow so the eggs get spread about instead of being packed in a tight group.
Yes this is important. The embryos and the hen all communicate with each other. Noone seems quite sure at what stage of development this starts but the point of it partly is to ensure the eggs hatch together. The hen knows at what stage the eggs are and alters the heat/humidity/position to try to modify hatch timing.
For the eggs to communicate with each other they need to be in close proximity, preferably touching. This is one vital piece of knowledge that gets ignored by those who incubate. It does according to research have a major impact on hatch rate.
So, the nest becomes the single most important factor when broody hatching.
Anyway, Mel cracked all four eggs. One chick didn't make it. Mel did try to assist by picking off pieces of shell.
The darkest chick has a problem with it's left eye. The eyelid isn't opening. It gets around fine, finds food and navigates so we'll see how things develop.

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Did you put a warm wash cloth on the eye lid? Sometimes that will do the trick.

 

[CapricornFarm]

And good morning everyone. FIL's birthday and he is not well. Lots of health issues.