Consolidated Kansas

[Hawkeye95]

Okay, did some more painting where I added new wood. Started on the roof-- put a piece of fascia under the over hang, so the OSB won't be unprotected in the elements. I thought about just painting it and I just couldn't do it. I used our angle grinder... BTW, my DH told me we didn't have one! So I said I wanted one for Mothers Day. (what a gift, hu?) Anyway, then he suddenly remembered we DID have an angle grinder but told me not to use it. I found it today and figured out how to put the blade on (all without telling him). Now I understand why he didn't want me using it. I burned myself on it, AND I accidentally nearly cut off the tip of my finger! I was holding it all wrong. I haven't told my DH yet that I used it. My finger is fine-- other than the 3rd degree burn I got, but it's small, just got a couple of white bubbles on it. Ouch. I also discovered that it shoots out sparks!! I'm a little afraid to use it again, but at least I got the ends of some screws knocked off. I ran out of the tin to put around the roof, so I'll have to get more tomorrow. Ah well. This is where I stopped. I'm done for today and my finger hurts (okay, it's throbbing like a son of B!!). Besides, I have to take my oldest to piano lessons.

Oh yeah-- the hole in the nest box-- I WILL be filling that in. I started to work on it (got the right board for it) ...and then decided I'll do it tomorrow. I was anxious to get the stuff grinded off and the roof started and I got a lot more painting done- plus the fascia board you see under the over hang. That will need to be caulked and re-painted. Seems like I should be done by now, but I'm sort of guilty of not even starting on it until like a bit after noon.

A bit of a procrastinator, I am.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Okay, this is Seymore's egg from yesterday-- we cooked it up just now for a snack before we leave for Piano. I think I don't know what I'm seeing, because I'm just too inexperienced. So.... fertile or not??? Keep in mind it was SUPER difficult to get this picture and it not bounce back the light too badly. Which is why I boxed in the 'spot' so you wouldn't be trying to figure out what I was taking a picture of. I think this looks like a regular spot??? Since I've never paid too much attention to eggs before, I do see the whiter ring around it-- but it's not a "ring", ring, right? Just a whiter ring around it-- that's normal?

 

[HEChicken]

The coop is looking great but wow, what a story. When I was in high school, I heard my mom call my name one night, and figured she was calling me for dinner. I was studying so lacadaisically called back "I'm comin'" and kept reading. A few minutes later she called again and this time there was something in her voice that made me run to see what was up. I found her slumped in the kitchen, a kitchen towel around her hand. She calmly said she had cut her finger off but had found the cut off part and needed me to take her to the ER. She had been using one of those hand-held blender things that you put in the saucepan to whiz things up while they cook. Once she was done, she went to rinse it under the sink and while rinsing, went to remove the blade, forgetting she hadn't turned it off yet. Yowza. The only problem was, I wasn't driving yet but she had called me because my dad is notoriously squeamish (when I was 7 I lost a tooth and went to him saying "Hey look Dad, I lost a tooth" and he fainted) and she needed me to get her cleaned up so there was no sign of blood before we let Dad know he had to drive her to the ER. She had microsurgery and wound up with pretty much full use of the finger again which was good because she is a flutist and that was a key finger to her ability to play.

Anyway, I'm glad this did NOT happen to you today - it wouldn't have been a fun way to spend your day. Hope your burn heals fast - they can be pretty painful but usually don't seem to last long.

On the egg...I would say "not fertile". So Seymore gave up being broody hu?

Ivy - I meant to say congrats on the buckling and I'm glad the little doeling is doing so much better. Thanks for the advice re the "gift" from my Marans girl. She didn't lay at all today but I guess after the way she's been going at it, I can forgive her that

What a gorgeous day it is/was today. I got my silkies outside for the first time. I got them from Renee on Friday and decided it would be prudent to quarantine since one of them had a little gunk in one eye. I've never brought in birds older than day-old chicks before so this is new for me, and the only place I can safely quarantine them is in my old rat cage in the basement. They've seemed pretty happy there and with the rain and storms this weekend it was a good place for them, but with the gorgeous weather today, I didn't like the idea of them languising in my basement, so I put them on my front lawn under an old guinea pig run I made for DD years ago. It is about 2x4 and just a basic 1x2 frame surrounded by chicken wire, but it alllowed the guinea pig to nibble on the grass on nice days while containing her, and since then it has done the same for chicks. Its a very temporary enclosure but I was glad to have it to let the silkies have some outside time in a place they don't have access to the rest of the flock, and where I can see them from the window. They have really enjoyed it and I'm glad they'll be able to do the same all week.

 

[ChooksChick]

Karen, you MUST get an EcoGlow...it eliminates all of the hazards with the bulbs and costs a tiny fraction to run...like 1/20th.

There's also a brand called the Sweeter Heater.

Ivy, so sorry about the does. I thought I had a bad day. Which I did, but not as bad as yours.

I would be naming today A Series of Unfortunate Events, if Lemony Snicket hadn't already used that title for a book! So here's my tale of woe: I went out to check the birds late this afternoon and found a dead Speckled Sussex. My heart just sank. Last evening my DS dropped a small board in the light box, striking the heatlamp bulb and it exploded all over the place. We cleaned out tons of wood chips and did our very best to make sure we didn't miss any broken pieces of glass. Truthfully, I thought it was a long shot because when that thing shattered it blew into a million pieces and their brooder is 25' x 25'.

While mourning over the SSX and watching the other birds, worried if any of the others were about to expire, one of the Easter Eggers grabbed a Red Star's foot and gave it a hard yank. The Red Star squaked and I jumped to its rescue. The Easter Egger who did it made their get-away and I didn't even take note of who the offender was since I was so focused on scooping up the poor RS to check its bleeding toe. That rotten EE had pulled the nail part of the toe completely off and stripped about 1/4" of the skin off. OUCH! I quickly wrapped the poor bird in a paper towel and took it in the house to clean up. While tending to it's injury I noticed a loss of feathers under its wings and around its bum: lice or mites! Crapadocious!

Anyway, I got the toe taken care of and scared up a cat carrier to put him in so as to give the toe a chance to heal without further damage. I treated him for mites/lice, whatever, and then, heavy sigh, realized I only had 99 + birds to go! The newbie gets an education!

So, the kids and I got to work and we had a nice system going and we were pretty proud that we were managing the project without much whining, I'm talking about me, not the kids!

Okay, TMI but so we were moving right along treating the bantams and then moved them to a large dog carrier so that we can get rid of their cardboard box and any resident nasties. I was holding the heat lamp and deciding where to position it when another disaster struck. In the childrens' zeal to get the bantams to move to the front of the kennel (one of those huge plastic jobs) they tapped the back of the box and when that didn't work, one of them gave it a nudge: right into the heat lamp I was holding and it blew!

I calmly said as I checked my temper "well, I didn't see that coming" and as it turned out, the DS who had nudged the box into the second heatlamp bulb was the same poor soul who broke the first one the night before. I was so glad I hadn't exploded with the bulb. He didn't say a word but his poor little face said it all. He had been heartbroken when we found the expired SSX earlier. Naturally, he is one of my most soft-hearted kids and I thought he was going to burst into tears again. So I hastened to reassure him that this was a learning experience for us all, blah, blah, blah, so he blinked back his tears and we went to work, AGAIN, attempting to rid the premises of tiny glass shards. Poor kid and what a nightmare!

SO, then we were a heatlamp bulb down and I had to move all the bantams back into my craftroom, which is insulated, heated and quite cozy enough (75F) for a group of fourteen 4 week old birds huddled together in a dog kennel. THEN I discovered a heat lamp I didn't even know I had (a donation from DH, no doubt) so all of that work was quite unnecessary, still the kids weren't whining, but by then I was ready for some cheese and apple to go with mine.

I'm so immature.

Finally, we got the rest of the birds treated and I was talking about tomorrow I'll have to finish getting rid of the wood shavings and treat their light box and the chipboard on the walls, when someone said "OH NO"! I snapped "OH NO, WHAT?" DD said the heat lamp bulb (in the light box) is just hanging there! It had been bumped (by some eager soul catching birds for delousing?) and gone unreported!!!! I gave the speech about much better to admit to an honest mistake than to put the birds at further risk, etc., etc., but no confessor stepped forward to claim the deed and I let it go at that. The heatlamp bulb had broken at the base, no explosion this time but I had to ask DH to help get the remainder of the bulb out of the socket. Then we retrieved the lone remaining heatlamp bulb from my craft room and replaced the broken one with fear and trepidation. So, I did need to move the bantams to the craft room, I just didn't need to when I actually moved them.

How does one go from zero broken heatlamp bulbs to 3 in one 24 hour period? What are the odds of that?

I guess it was just a series of unfortunate events and thank goodness I discovered I had lice/mites among the chicks, because I hadn't a clue. That's it, I'm going to bed. I've got lots of work to do tomorrow! Plus, I'm buying stock in that heatlamp bulb company.

Hope everyone's family members are hanging in there and/or improving!
Welcome to the new members of Consolidated Kansas
My suggestions for doggie names: Sophie, Olivia (Livie), Maggie, Bryna, Janie, Taylor, Sesi, Shasta
Tweety: Only got to watch one duck vid, but so cute!

Goodnight all!

 

[ChooksChick]

Okay, everyone, I didn't make it through all of the catch-up there was to do, but I'll make it back later. I have a gross of eggs to ship and I'm behind on my chores, so I'll just say enjoy the afternoon and I'll pop back in after dark!!

 

[chicken danz]

All my plans for the day were turned upside down. I had to make a run into town for a meeting with a social worker. They have determined my Mom can't function at home any longer and my Dad can't continue to care for her because it is wearing him down and he isn't at all healthy either. It was a very tearful afternoon. My Mom and Dad's 65th anniversary is Thursday. My dad doesn't qualify for the rest home to be able to get medicaid to help pay for it. And my Mom isn't well enough to be admitted into an assisted living facility. And they can't afford either one. My parents don't want to be apart and the both feel like they spent their whole lives to be faced with a 24 hour decision that will ultimately separate them. They both just want to live their lives at home. It is impossible to get 24 hour care and if they could, it would eat every cent of their income.
I cried all afternoon because I feel their pain just as much as they feel their own. I ended up calling the preacher and he came by and talked to Mom and myself after everyone else left. I wish I could just go and stay there with them but it's not really possible. I have to take care of things at home. Now I'm feeling guilty for having all these animals to care for. The doctor is wanting to release her tomorrow if her lungs are clearer, and that means they need to make some decisions by then. It's a sad thing. I so hope I die quickly when I do, and don't linger on when I can no longer function by myself.
I told them they could come live with me but they don't want to be around my cats and stuff. So I feel bad, but I can't just turn out the cats who have been here with me for 15 years. It would be like getting rid of my kids. Not that I choose my animals over my parents, but I just couldn't do that. I'm not sure I could handle doing 24 hour care either. I'm afraid it would tax my relationships and make me feel too tied down. If only they had lots of money they might be able to work something out. I would be in the same spot they are or worse if I am faced with that sort of thing. Life certainly isn't fair.
Thanks for letting me vent. Nope it's not chicken stuff, but I feel at least some of you care.
I know some of my kids would say, See, we told you those chickens tie you down too much so you don't have time for family or anything. Maybe they're right. Oh crap!
Loralee, I've done the same with a grinder. I have learned to always wear glasses and long sleeves when I'm using a grinder. And to watch where the heck I put my fingers. I never lock it on and only use it while I'm pushing the button manually. I figure as clumsy as I am if I shut it down by letting go of the switch it will only make it to the bone before it stops rotating.
Just recently I turned my head away from the table saw to look behind me and the blade caught my finger. Luckily I jerked it out really quickly and it hit the fingernail, cut through it and bruised the heck out of my finger. I was lucky. Both my Dad and my brother are missing fingers because of letting their guard down.

 

[HEChicken]

Danz, I'm so sorry - that does sound like an awful day. 65 years is an amazing lifetime together - I can understand why they don't want to be separated. I think you've mentioned having siblings in the past. Is it possible you and your siblings could make up a schedule where you spend morning to evening helping your dad take care of your mom on a rotating basis, rather than having to move in with them or have them move in with you? If you could help him out on days he might be able to get by at night, if she sleeps a lot at night, and squeak by for a little while longer that way? If you only have one sibling you'd both get worn out in no time but if you have more sibling than that and only have to take a turn 2-3 times a week maybe it could work?

 

[tazcat70]

So much going on for everyone! I am reading everything, but my brain is on overload. So blessings to you all!

Danz, I am so sorry that your parents have to make that decision so quickly. They should be able to have time to try and figure something out.

Incubating is as individual as each person. It is not an exact science. You have to figure out what works best for you. In the summer when we are more humid here, I fill the tub, let it dry out for a few days and then fill it back up. In the winter since it is dryer I keep water in the tub. I have trouble getting the humidity up really high in the sportsman. I think the highest I ever got it was about 50%. I honestly don't monitor it anymore. I don't watch my temps constantly either. I look at them and if they are between 98 and 101, I don't worry about it. Since starting to use the "new" hatcher, I have been seeing some "belly buttons." I think it is running a little cooler than it should so I have been slowly moving it up.

 

[HEChicken]

I hatch all my eggs in a separate hatcher except my black copper marans. They seem to require a lower humidity to hatch, so I leave them in the incubator at the bottom and hatch them at 40%

Hmmm...I'm curious about this. BCM's look just like other chickens but seem to have a lot of special requirements. I remember Renee saying quite some time ago that while she feeds most of her flock oyster shell, she will only give BCM's (or maybe it was Marans in general) egg shell because she's found that oyster shell affects egg shell color, making them lighter than if they have egg shell as a supplement. Now you're saying that in your experience they have different humidity requirements too. Interesting.

What are the issues they have with higher humidity? The BCM hatch I did was shipped eggs. I was sent 11 eggs. I kept humidity at 35-40 throughout incubation and upped it to 65-70 for hatch. If I recall correctly ALL eggs started to develop, which is pretty good with shipped eggs. I think I had an early quitter at around 10 days and another at around 16 days. The rest made it to lock down but only 1 hatched, and I had to help her out. She had been pipped for 24 hours with no progress when I decided to check on her so took her in the steamed up bathroom and wrapped her in a wet paper towel, then chipped away at the shell until she was able to do the rest herself. She was completely shrink wrapped and I couldn't figure out why since my humidity had been so good the whole time. Could the humidity have been too high do you think? (Although from everything I've read about shrink wrap that doesn't make sense either.)

 

[Ivywoods]

Hmmm...I'm curious about this. BCM's look just like other chickens but seem to have a lot of special requirements. I remember Renee saying quite some time ago that while she feeds most of her flock oyster shell, she will only give BCM's (or maybe it was Marans in general) egg shell because she's found that oyster shell affects egg shell color, making them lighter than if they have egg shell as a supplement. Now you're saying that in your experience they have different humidity requirements too. Interesting.

What are the issues they have with higher humidity? The BCM hatch I did was shipped eggs. I was sent 11 eggs. I kept humidity at 35-40 throughout incubation and upped it to 65-70 for hatch. If I recall correctly ALL eggs started to develop, which is pretty good with shipped eggs. I think I had an early quitter at around 10 days and another at around 16 days. The rest made it to lock down but only 1 hatched, and I had to help her out. She had been pipped for 24 hours with no progress when I decided to check on her so took her in the steamed up bathroom and wrapped her in a wet paper towel, then chipped away at the shell until she was able to do the rest herself. She was completely shrink wrapped and I couldn't figure out why since my humidity had been so good the whole time. Could the humidity have been too high do you think? (Although from everything I've read about shrink wrap that doesn't make sense either.)

I really don't know the answers to all of this. I've had a lot of the same thing happen that you mention here... developing and not hatching, shrink wrap even at higher humidity and who knows what else. A lot of my chicks seem to hatch like popcorn, but the BCM's have been my toughest. It's really hard to tell what is going on inside the eggs because they are so dark it is very difficult to candle them and get a good idea. I wish I knew the perfect formula. I'd use it! For now, the 40% humidity seems to be giving me the best results, but I still have some that don't make it out of the shell.

Danz-I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry.