Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

Got the incubator set, stable and 4 eggs in for a test. I am sure I will be back for TONS of questions, first off is it day 3 I candle? And then after that hoe often do I do it?

I would not candle before day 5. The first time I incubated I candled on day 10 and that was it. Now I usually candle day 7, day 14 and day 18 as they are going into lockdown.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

I would not candle before day 5. The first time I incubated I candled on day 10 and that was it. Now I usually candle day 7, day 14 and day 18 as they are going into lockdown.

Thank you. So I keep temp between 99 and 101 during incubation and what changes when it is lockdown? What other things shouls I do at lock down or during the incubation? When I candle, do it quick and one at a time?

 

[Trish44]

HEChicken, I haven't introduced any new birds for quite awhile either. It must just be the weather & we all know it's going to get worse rather than better first. My concern with the birds who are sick right now is all of the congestion they seem to have. If it was just sneezing I wouldn't worry so much. I gave up on the guy on the Poultry Swap who said he needed to sell his hens, he never responded to either of us who asked him about them & I sent him a PM telling him that if he can't respond to anyone I'm deleting his ad tomorrow. I'm so aggravated at him, why would you put an ad like that on & then not respond to anyone's questions? I have sent him several PMs, It's been days since he put it on & nothing.

maidenwolf, I'm with HEChicken, I don't candle until day 7, then about the same intervals that she said. I candle one more time when I'm putting the eggs into lockdown to verify viability if I can.

 

[HEChicken]

Thank you. So I keep temp between 99 and 101 during incubation and what changes when it is lockdown? What other things shouls I do at lock down or during the incubation? When I candle, do it quick and one at a time?

Keep temp the same. If it drops a degree at this point its not the end of the world since the chicks are starting to be able to regulate body temperature a little. Some people deliberately drop a degree at lockdown but I never have, and have had good hatches so I'm not going to change anything. The only things that change in lockdown are that you stop turning and you increase humidity.

HEChicken, I haven't introduced any new birds for quite awhile either. It must just be the weather & we all know it's going to get worse rather than better first. My concern with the birds who are sick right now is all of the congestion they seem to have. If it was just sneezing I wouldn't worry so much. I gave up on the guy on the Poultry Swap who said he needed to sell his hens, he never responded to either of us who asked him about them & I sent him a PM telling him that if he can't respond to anyone I'm deleting his ad tomorrow. I'm so aggravated at him, why would you put an ad like that on & then not respond to anyone's questions? I have sent him several PMs, It's been days since he put it on & nothing.

maidenwolf, I'm with HEChicken, I don't candle until day 7, then about the same intervals that she said. I candle one more time when I'm putting the eggs into lockdown to verify viability if I can.

That is really aggravating about that guy on FB. I was looking forward to having you visit....

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Keep temp the same. If it drops a degree at this point its not the end of the world since the chicks are starting to be able to regulate body temperature a little. Some people deliberately drop a degree at lockdown but I never have, and have had good hatches so I'm not going to change anything. The only things that change in lockdown are that you stop turning and you increase humidity.

That is really aggravating about that guy on FB. I was looking forward to having you visit....

Ok great thank you so much

 

[JosieChick]

Thank heavens someone went and got them. I bet they will be happy to have freedom from those tiny tanks and be chickens!

Josie, yes that was a sad thing about the hens in the aquarium & I heard they went to a new home today. There were actually a couple of people who said they would go get them if they didn't find a home today, so one way or the other they were getting out of there.

Oh & Danz, what I was wondering is how you knew how much corn oil to use volume-wise with the essential oils. You wouldn't want to dilute it too much, but I just don't know ratio of corn oil to essential oils. Or maidenwolf if you have the exact measurements of things worked out & wouldn't mind sharing it that would be great. You can find all the essential oils on eBay. I have not compared prices anywhere else as of yet.

I think we are going to get a few more estimates on the horse run in and may end up buying a kit and doing it ourselves because I just can't see paying that kind of money unless we were going to live here for the rest of our lives! Good idea on the posts. Can you tell me what kind of posts you use to build your outdoor runs? Are they round pressure treated? I want to be sure my goobies have super secure runs, I stress so badly about them being in these short pens with no hotwire. I am ever thankful to the giant barking polar bear out there for keeping goose attacking predators at bay. Any time the geese make a peep she comes running!

Yep that was for labor and materials. My building is 24 feet long but was supposed to be 48 feet long. And it is 8'wide and 8' tall. I don't know if you'd want to go much taller for horses. That adds a little cost. I only wanted 8 feet but most of the estimates were for 10' to 12'. The 8 foot estimates were the same as wider buildings. I guess the framing would have been about the same. The poles are set at 8 foot centers. We made our own poles by sandwiching treated 2 X4"s together with a nail gun rather than buying round posts or 4" X 4's. They were set 3 foot down in concrete. I got the idea by looking at QSI's buildings. They seem to be the most popular builders around this area. Anyway that is what they use to make all their metal pole type buildings and garages. It actually makes a stronger pole and reduces twisting like regular poles could do. Then all the other boards were treated lumber as well.
If you squared off and marked exact places for the poles and your in laws put them in you would have half of the battle done. We used decking boards and just temporarily screwed them in place to line up the posts before we poured the concrete. That way everything stayed square.
If I were you I'd get a few other estimates. There is a lot of finish work you can do yourselves (or your in-laws) once you have the basic structure. We still need to finish trim on ours but it is working fine as is. I am getting ready to run water lines and faucets to each of the pens. I bought the pieces to do it and plan to slant it so it will drain. I am installing it with a hose hookup so I can just hook up the garden hose and have running water to each of the pens. It will save me a lot of hose dragging and carrying buckets.

I had only gotten a hold of this one guy. I did get a few more names and numbers the day I came down to meet him but it is kind of hard to find people and know if they are reliable. We had heard good things about the barn guys out in Andover but they are two months behind on projects right now and I would really like to find someone who is available a bit sooner than that! I was shocked at the estimate we got. I wish I could say I almost cried but my really emotional pregnant self really did cry. I think we can get some stuff built and make it decent. I just want to be there to be sure corners aren't cut. I trust my DH one hundred percent but his mom can be difficult to work with and sometimes when you are helping someone else build something they are going to use on a daily basis you just have to grit your teeth and do it the way they like not the way you think it should be done. That is the biggest hiccup with her. I am going to divert them to painting the nursery and laundry room this week and next and then re visit buildings for critters.

Josie I'm sorry to hear about your building frustrations. Wow - even without knowing the exact amount, I am shocked at the estimate you got. Have you tried getting estimates from multiple contractors? I like Lizzie's idea of buying the kit. I bought a 10x10 shed kit from Menards at our old house and was able to put it up largely by myself. There were just a couple of times where the next step required two people but it wasn't strenuous and my then 12yo (or so) DS was able to hold the other end until I got the stability screws in. I imagine a larger building like a shelter might require two people for more of the steps but if your in-laws are eager to help and your DH is available, I bet with you supervising you'll be able to do a really good job.

Danz....do I say congrats or condolences on Cloud's pregnancy? I know you were really wanting to wait and with these large breed dogs they are better off being older so I kind of feel like condolences are in order. I will be hoping it all goes smoothly for her....

Trish, several of my birds are sneezing too. Since I haven't introduced any new birds since I got the silkies from Hawkeye back on Oct 1st, so they either picked it up from wild birds or it is the weather. Its has been 2-3 weeks since I heard the first sneeze and still only a handful of birds are doing it, so I really suspect it is the weather. I was dosing mine with VetRx and it seemed to temporarily ease the congestion but honestly, I gave up even doing that because they are eating, drinking and acting pretty perky and don't seem distressed by the occasional sniffle so I'm hoping it will just work itself through. Most of the birds affected are cockerels we were ultimately planning to grow out and process anyway, so I figured if they get worse we would just do it earlier than planned.

Speaking of silkies, Hawkeye, I am so proud of one of these girls! She has learned to navigate the chicken pop door!!! I actually am really impressed because I installed it high to allow for DLM, and then because it is so high, I have a series of pavers creating a set of steps up to the door for the ducks. The chickens can all jump from the ground to the door (its about 15" off the ground) but the ducks needed the steps and the silkie that does NOT have the cross-beak, has learned how to use the same steps the ducks use. Actually, they both exit the coop in the morning, but so far only the one has learned how to go back in at night. The other still hunkers down inside the chunnel and I have to manually put her in each night. Hopefully one day she will also learn how to get back in.

Don't do it quickly! You might drop an egg.

I would take the eggs out of your bator and close the bator back up. Eggs take a really long time to seriously cool off so you shouldn't have to hurry to candle. Besides broody hens get off their nest at least once a day to eat, drink and take a potty break. I have had hens leave their nests for 15-20 minutes twice a day and still had chicks hatch right on time. With goose eggs it is actually recommended that the eggs be removed, misted and cooled for 20 minutes each day after a certain point in development. It is believed to make the goslings stronger. I usually candle at day 7 (before that it takes a trained eye to really see development but on day 7 there is significant veining and a dark spot) day 14 and day 18 right before lockdown. I pull eggs on day 14 usually because they are getting dark if they have developed and are very clear if they haven't. Fun, I LOVE hatching!!

Thank you. So I keep temp between 99 and 101 during incubation and what changes when it is lockdown? What other things shouls I do at lock down or during the incubation? When I candle, do it quick and one at a time?

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Thank you Josie great info.

 

[chicken danz]

Thanks Danz, I was thinking you probably wanted more camphor in there than the other ingredients. That sounds doable, I think I will order the ingredients & then I will have them on hand. That little 2 oz bottle I had is almost gone. I looked at some other web sites & I think it is cheaper to get them on eBay. I will have to look around for bottles to store it in.

This is where I ordered the oils. They had the best prices I could find anywhere and had all of what I needed.
www.supplementwarehouse.com
I would store the mix in a dark colored bottle that won't let light in and then store it in a dark cabinet in the house. That is why I used a peroxide bottle. It was perfect.

Got the incubator set, stable and 4 eggs in for a test. I am sure I will be back for TONS of questions, first off is it day 3 I candle? And then after that hoe often do I do it?

I personally never candle until I am ready for lockdown. ... unless I am desperate for room. I've also candled at day 10 and thought there was nothing but when I broke the egg there was some development. I would wait until about day 14 because by that time it should be much more evident. But that is just me. One of the other reasons I wait is that I am a klutz and have dropped more than one egg while checking them. My theory is the more you candle them the more chance you take to introduce bacteria. Always be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before and after candling eggs.

Danz....do I say congrats or condolences on Cloud's pregnancy? I know you were really wanting to wait and with these large breed dogs they are better off being older so I kind of feel like condolences are in order. I will be hoping it all goes smoothly for her....
Right now I am thinking condolences. I am not prepared for this and I really am worried about Cloud's well being....not to mention the puppies. I tend to be a bit of a worry wart. And although Cloud isn't as near and dear to my heart as my sweet Marshmallow is, I would never forgive myself if something happened to her. I will always think I could have done something more to prevent this. If I get the dog house done, the puppies arrive and do okay, and Cloud does okay I will be okay with it. My fears are why I didn't really know whether to mention it or not. I really don't think I can deal with more heartbreak right now.

Thank you. So I keep temp between 99 and 101 during incubation and what changes when it is lockdown? What other things should I do at lock down or during the incubation? When I candle, do it quick and one at a time?

Try to keep the temp as dead on to 99.5 as you can. At lockdown do whatever you can to crank that humidity up. One thing you might do if you are usig the cake pan and flower pot pieces for humidity is to keep the level in the pan lower but don't let it dry out. Then when you get ready to hatch raise the water level up higher and throw a clean rag or small towel in it. Even let one edge lead off outside the pan so it wicks out more water. More surface means more humidity.

I think we are going to get a few more estimates on the horse run in and may end up buying a kit and doing it ourselves because I just can't see paying that kind of money unless we were going to live here for the rest of our lives! Good idea on the posts. Can you tell me what kind of posts you use to build your outdoor runs? Are they round pressure treated? I want to be sure my goobies have super secure runs, I stress so badly about them being in these short pens with no hotwire. I am ever thankful to the giant barking polar bear out there for keeping goose attacking predators at bay. Any time the geese make a peep she comes running!
I use the same things for my pens. In the past I used pressure treated 4X 4's but we are so happy with the way the sandwiched 2X 4s are working, we are now using them for the pens as well. We do cement those in as well. I think you could get buy with just your corner posts cemented but I want my pens to be impermeable to a predator. Then we use 5/4 treated decking boards for the tops and bottoms.
We've only gotten a hold of this one guy. I did get a few more names and numbers the day I came down to meet him but it is kind of hard to find people and know if they are reliable. We had heard good things about the barn guys out in Andover but they are two months behind on projects right now and I would really like to find someone who is available a bit sooner than that! I was shocked at the estimate we got. I wish I could say I almost cried but my really emotional pregnant self really did cry. I think we can get some stuff built and make it decent. I just want to be there to be sure corners aren't cut. I trust my DH one hundred percent but his mom can be difficult to work with and sometimes when you are helping someone else build something they are going to use on a daily basis you just have to grit your teeth and do it the way they like not the way you think it should be done. That is the biggest hiccup with her. I am going to divert them to painting the nursery and laundry room this week and next and then re visit buildings for critters.
I would have cried too and I don't have an excuse. Get some more estimates. There is a huge difference in what people want to do this stuff. And unfortunately the good companies are usually booked up, but not as much this time of year. I was getting quotes as far as 4 months ahead in the spring!
Don't do it quickly! You might drop an egg.

I would take the eggs out of your bator and close the bator back up. Eggs take a really long time to seriously cool off so you shouldn't have to hurry to candle. Besides broody hens get off their nest at least once a day to eat, drink and take a potty break. I have had hens leave their nests for 15-20 minutes twice a day and still had chicks hatch right on time. With goose eggs it is actually recommended that the eggs be removed, misted and cooled for 20 minutes each day after a certain point in development. It is believed to make the goslings stronger. I usually candle at day 7 (before that it takes a trained eye to really see development but on day 7 there is significant veining and a dark spot) day 14 and day 18 right before lockdown. I pull eggs on day 14 usually because they are getting dark if they have developed and are very clear if they haven't. Fun, I LOVE hatching!!

 

[mommahen10]

I'm still turning eggs by hand and we keep meaning to build a tray for that. My son is going to build a little tray to fit, just haven't taken the time yet to do it. The tray will be like a ladder kinda, it'll have little boards making a square almost the size of the incubator minus a few inches on one end, there will be dowels going across just far enough apart to fit the eggs. When I put the eggs inbetween the dowels, all I will have to do is push the tray to one end of the incubator and it'll roll the eggs. I'll push it the other direction to turn them back over. This could be made to fit any incubator. We've about got another small incubator ready to go, the temps were stable when I went to bed last night so I'll see how they did last night. We started with a thermostat in it from a water heater and I was getting a temp range of about 5 degrees. We have removed the thermostat and are working with bulbs of different watts and changing venting to see if we can balance out heat output to heat loss for more stable temps with less fluctuation. We will see, I need this today so if it isn't good this morning the thermostat will have to go back in and go with the 5 degree temp range. We also have a computer fan in it, which I don't have a fan in my incubator. The fan my ds hooked up to a cell phone charger, he said it's 5 volts, I didn't know they got that low. We have a little tub that is in my closet full of misc. cords, usually cords that we don't know what they go to. I mark everything when we get it now so I'm still don't understand where all these cords come from. Anyway, he took the cord out of there. It's funny Danz that you meantioned taking off the cords of old things. My kids take off cords to everything, they each have their own little copper pile and when we go to the metal recycle they all have to turn in their own.

Danz, can you do anything for the rooster with a broken toe? Yay for more eggs, I'm betting you'll get an awesome hatch. A couple of days ago we opened one pen and the door opens up and it always catches on the fence and stays for me while I get them food. I left it open thinking if the chicks flew out into the other pen and got along with the others they could stay out there combining them would just make more room, right? Well, one of my EEs flew from the outside onto the edge of that pen and the door slammed down on her. I'm so glad my dh was outside and heard the commotion or she would have been trapped longer. The door fell onto her body, it's not extremely heavy, it's like a wooden screen door with a small wooden frame and lots of screen but still. She laid on the ground and didn't move and we put her into a small cage to rest and see how she did. She tried to get up and walk but one foot won't hold her weight. She has swelling right where the toes connect to her foot so I'm assuming that's what's hurt even though they said the door hit her in the middle. I don't know what to do for her other than to provide a safe place for her to rest.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a more sensitive thermostat? The one I bought keeps it within a 5 degree range. Maidenwolf, also talking about thermostats if you use one adjust your thermostat up or down according to the temp in the incubating area and don't pay attention to the temps on the thermostat. That was confusing for me at first. I'm using a thermometer/hygrometer from Orscheln's. It reads 2 temps and one humidity, it was $21. I got the smallest one, but not small enough to set it on top of the eggs. I put the unit inside of the incubator and the sensor in another spot inside of the incubator. I hatched my first chicks in a tub with a desk lamp with nothing else, no thermometer, no hygrometer, no humidity source it was just something the kids and I did on a whim we knew NOTHING about what we were doing other than to keep them warm. They hatched and had foot problems, then we put them in with the chickens way too early and they died. GRRR, but anyway you can hatch without all the fancy stuff and I'm sure there are variations in natural hatching too.

I'm sorry about the dog house Danz, I hope it gets done quickly. It doesn't make sense to me to build the box first, maybe it's just the way his brain works. Maybe it's eaiser for him to see what he needs to do to support it after the shape is made. I agree, it would have to be easier to get done without that on yet. Sometimes my dh will build the oddly shapped wall backwards like that but not put it on yet. He doesn't like to measure so much and he certainly doesn't enjoy angles.

UGH, the school shooting hit me really hard, I didn't even know that anything happened in Topeka, that's terrible. We don't have TV or cable so I don't get the news just what comes up on yahoo news.

HEChicken, if the temps don't fluctuate in the house much it seems logical that you should be able to balance the amount of heat being generated to the amount of heat lost. I started with a thermostat on the one we just put together but took it off because of a 5 degree temp range wich probably isn't that bad. I like the dimmer idea because I'm just going from bulb to bulb trying to find the size that generates the perfect amount of heat to keep it balanced. Then trying to fine tune even more by adjusting the amount of venting too. The dimmer could adjust the amount of heat ever so slightly, that's a great idea.

Congrats on the puppies Danz, I can tell you're very worried. I understand the urgency of this dog house. I understand your worry and teens do sometimes have a harder time delivering but sometimes they don't. I'm just going to hope and pray that her body was ready enough to conceive and that it's also ready enough to deliver these pups safely and perfectly.

Trish! Living in 10 gallon aquariums???? That's crazy! I wonder how they'll adjust to better conditions.

I dilute essential oils a lot. Like about an oz of carrier oil and only a few drops of essential oil. Some dilute way more than that, the only essential oil I've ever used straight is tea tree. I never dilute essential oil in alcohol because it'll separate. The essential oils are pricey but they last a really long time too. I'd like to see the wipe solution recipe, my dd was asking about that just the other day. I've never had essential oils go rancid.

That's my typical candling schedule too HEChicken, not for any particular reason but it just worked out that way.

 

[mommahen10]

Can anyone help me with my Christmas list?

We don't have TV or anything so my kids don't see the toy ads. My youngest is 4 and he likes to look at racecars on youtube. In doing this, he's learned who Lightning McQueen is. Anyway, there are these Color Changer cars on there and he sits there and watches this guy dip the car in cold water then hot water to make the car change colors. He is always coming to the kitchen and asking me for 2 bowls of water and sits at my feet and dips his HotWheels which don't turn colors. It's so pitiful. He keeps doing it expecting something to work somehow. Anyway, I looked up these cars. I guess they are outdated and no longer available. I found a few on ToysRUs website but you can't order them online, it says to check local stores for availability. I found 2 sets at ToysRUS, and they were marked down half off and I got those. I didn't really want to buy sets, we don't have a lot of extra room if you can imagine. He'd enjoy just the cars. So, if anyone can check their local stores for me, I expect the cars to be under $5 each and I can pay through PayPal right away.

Here are what they look like...
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-701-1&va=Cars+Color+Changers

They only have them at ToysRUs, exclusive to ToysRUS. I checked Walmart, Target, Kmart anyway but it says right on them only available at ToysRUs. Ebay and Amazon have them but they are marked way up even compared to normal pricing and what is left at the stores are marked down.

The next thing I'm looking for is a Carhartt style(doesn't have to be Carhartt) coat for my 13 yo. Does anyone have one that their dh's grew out of? He needs a medium. They're about $90, OUCH! I can pay but not that much and my ds won't mind used.

We are making a little kitchen set for my 6yo dd out of an old cabinet, I'm looking for a very small non-working faucet to finish that.

My 9yo wants a picnic basket, does anyone have just the basket laying around? I can fill it. I so wish I would have bought that one I saw at the flea market.

I'm still stumped for ideas for my 11yo dd. Anyone have any good ideas?

Again, I can pay through PayPal asap if anyone can help me finish up PM me please. Thanks so much.