California - Northern

[Miss Molly]

My Marans just started to lay.  I've had three pullet eggs so far.

There are 4 Campine eggs, 1 light brown from someone in my egg flock, 2 BC Marans and an EE egg.

Deb

Beautiful Eggs. Love the Maran egg. Mine should start laying any day, can't wait.

Molly

 

[MonsterClucker]

Hey Ron! I'm glad to hear the house is fine! I think we might be I'm the clear. Hopefully its not so Smokey here tomorrow.

Hey any of you incubating pros out there... This is my first hatch and one of the chicks came out of the shell about a hour ago, there looks like there is a umbilical cord attached somewhere maybe the vent.Is that normal? And it also looks like he already pooped. Is that normal?
There's other chicks pipping, so I don't want to open the bator. So what am I supposed to do? Just leave it be?
Out of 14 eggs there's 5 pipping so I'm already at %30 hatch rate if they all live.
It's pretty exciting lol

 

[Happy Chooks]

Hey Ron! I'm glad to hear the house is fine! I think we might be I'm the clear. Hopefully its not so Smokey here tomorrow.

Hey any of you incubating pros out there... This is my first hatch and one of the chicks came out of the shell about a hour ago, there looks like there is a umbilical cord attached somewhere maybe the vent.Is that normal? And it also looks like he already pooped. Is that normal?
There's other chicks pipping, so I don't want to open the bator. So what am I supposed to do? Just leave it be?
Out of 14 eggs there's 5 pipping so I'm already at %30 hatch rate if they all live.
It's pretty exciting lol

Yep, all normal. Where the umbilical attaches (below the vent) will dry up. First poop is green. Keep your hands outta the bator! They are fine!

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

She does, doesn't she? And her temperament is sweet and docile. I think it exactly fits her look. I also got a white male in the same hatch. He's a bit of a rowdy. I'll take a picture of him and post it. He has the bright red comb/wattles and the small start of a crest.

My normal colored CL are just getting beautiful, but I'm very taken with the white. And I'm not normally a big fan of plain white birds, maybe the crest gives them something extra. I plan to keep the whites and breed them separate from the normals. They have only recently been showing up as sports around the country. Most everyone basically started with the same sets of genes, so they're evenly spread around. The CL's are a new import to the country.

Deb

Whenever I see crested breeds like Polish, I think they're going to the Kentucky Derby, or a formal occasion.

I wanted White Crested Black Polish once... but ran out of coops quickly in that era.

 

[ronott1]

Quote:

Keeping out of the bator, is why I went on a trip the day they hatched. Never open the lid when you have a pip. Leave them in for a couple of extra days too.

Usually the hatch is over a day after the first one hatches. I am so happy that the Dorking EE I gave you is fertile!

Ron

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

Keeping out of the bator, is why I went on a trip the day they hatched. Never open the lid when you have a pip. Leave them in for a couple of extra days too.

Usually the hatch is over a day after the first one hatches. I am so happy that the Dorking EE I gave you is fertile!

Ron

Just moving that emoticon below.

Yep! Don't open the bator when they are pipping and zipping. The membrane and the air cell could dry out if the lid is open long enough.

And they will be fine in the bator for a few days because they have full tummies' of yolk in them. If you've ever raised chicks with a broody hen, the broody won't get up until all are done hatching.

 

[debs_flock]

Quote:
Whenever I see crested breeds like Polish, I think they're going to the Kentucky Derby, or a formal occasion.

I wanted White Crested Black Polish once... but ran out of coops quickly in that era.

I just keep getting DH to build another. I'm currently at 23 pens.

Although, 7 of those are just pens with shelter and no coop. We had our first predator attack on Sunday night. It found it's way into Camp Kenmore and killed two cockerels that I was planning to put in the freezer. Even though the pen was fully enclosed, it doesn't take them much space to squeeze in. The pen has been further reinforced at the corner that was 7 feet up and I ordered a trap from Amazon yesterday. If the darn things would make their kill and leave, without killing multiple birds and just eat the heads!

The one they did try to take off with, they couldn't get it out of the pen, just managed to pull one wing through the wire and gave up.

Deb

 

[HighNDryFarm]

Reading the ticker across Good Morning America this morning I see Ron's mom's town mentioned. The fire really took off last night, another 3000 acres! Are there any other members effected by the fires. This fire was covered on GMA this morning.....I remember sitting here amidst the fires in 2008 and seeing it covered on all the major news stations and thinking, wow, this is really bad if the National news is covering our little town!

I'm anxious for an update from my son-in-law to find out the firefighters view. I know it's discouraging when they spend all day building a line and the fire doesn't hold.

I continue to pray for all those poor people, the firefighters, police and volunteers who are willing to risk their own lives to save us and our stuff!

Since we're all animal lovers, I might recommend an organization, North Valley Animal Disaster Group for donations. They came and picked up our horses, housed them, fed them and cared for them for 2 weeks at no cost to us or the hundreds of animals they housed. They had spray paint numbers on their hips when we went to pick them up...but I digress....you never want to need these people but when you do you'll be glad they're there. Their website is www.NVADG.org and you can make donations there. I'm sure they're on the Ponderosa fire. I believe I saw that horses were running loose.

My prayers continue for Ron's family and everyone in this area and those protecting them.

 

[MonsterClucker]

Thanks everybody! Definitely will keep my hands out of the bator. Yep when I woke up this morning the umbilical cord was gone. 2 more chicks are hatched! I wonder how many will hatch? All had developed from what I candled on day 18.

@ bigdaddysmom yea we are about 17 miles from there. Anderson is the next town er next to shingletown. It's not nearly as Smokey today as it was yesterday. So I'm hoping the fire isn't gonna danger our area.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I just keep getting DH to build another. I'm currently at 23 pens.

Although, 7 of those are just pens with shelter and no coop. We had our first predator attack on Sunday night. It found it's way into Camp Kenmore and killed two cockerels that I was planning to put in the freezer. Even though the pen was fully enclosed, it doesn't take them much space to squeeze in. The pen has been further reinforced at the corner that was 7 feet up and I ordered a trap from Amazon yesterday. If the darn things would make their kill and leave, without killing multiple birds and just eat the heads!

The one they did try to take off with, they couldn't get it out of the pen, just managed to pull one wing through the wire and gave up.

Deb

What do you think it was that got in? Raccoons and grey fox are the biggest worry where we are, but I think they are too lazy to work very hard getting into the coop. Far too well fed by all the neighbors who leave food out for their cats!

Something has been raiding the veggie garden, though.

Took all of the kincho melons, some cucumbers, and now has been destroying whole plants just to get the green beans. Not sure what it is. Doesn't leave a trace. Tempted to put out a live trap, but do NOT want to catch a skunk!