EDUCATIONAL INCUBATION & HATCHING CHAT THREAD, w/ Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs

[Fire Ant Farm]

Night all, I'm beat....

I'm heading out as well. Goodnight!

 

[Wickedchicken6]

You are correct, any tree can be hugged if you take a hunk our of it with a Jonsered....

I've been know to hug a few trees with the bucket and grapple on our front wheel assist chore tractor.

My husband calls people who don't hunt bunny huggers lol.

I guess I'd fall under that, I don't hunt. Does trapping count? I don't actually hug any of my bunnies.

 

[Leave a LightOn]

I use those Fortex pans (the plastic ones, not the rubber ones) and they use it as another water source and a foot bath. When it gets really hot (you can judge what "really hot" means for your chickens) I will sometimes put some ice in the pan in the morning so it stays cooler through the day.

You can also freeze water in gallon jugs and have them available on the floor of the coop - they will learn to snuggle up next to one if they are too hot. That's a very common thing many do. (People do that with rabbits, too.)







Exactly - all about adaptation (as well as predisposition - I've heard Chanteclers would drop dead at our temps...). As with us humans - it's early in the season, they may do better as they get more used to it this summer. The older ones may not be able to adapt as well, so you can have those options available for them.

Keeping chickens alive in the heat is one of the primary things I focused on before I even got chickens. That's why I have the breeds I do and not others. I also don't go overboard with the cooling stuff, because I want to know if they have a hard time - if so they are culled (or at least not used as breeders). I use misters, but ONLY when it's consistently over 95F. I turn them off under 95. I want my birds well adapted to my climate.

I've been watching the S&G broiler NNs like a hawk, and am going to keep the boys as long as I can before culling (except some obvious ones - e.g., cross beak that's picked on). I want to see EXACTLY how well they do in the summer. If any begin to suffer at a temp that I judge to be too low, I'll cull, and keep the ones who are most active and seem to do well. (I have a top contender now, but as anything can happen, I still will evaluate the others.)

Also, Banti, when they get hot (and drink lots), their poop gets really loose/watery, and if you don't realize that, you might think they are sick or have worms.

- Ant Farm

May I ask why you buy the plastic rather than rubber Fortex pans?
I've been buying the rubber, thinking they were good?
Sorry about the splintery trees. Your story reminds me of a time a group of us were mountain biking in a local park. My eldest brother was the fastest and he pulled slightly off trail to wait for us. Reaching out to grab a tree to lean against as he slowed to a stop, the tree grabbed back. It was a Honey Locust.

There are thornless varieties. This was not one of them. He had mostly stopped cussing when we pulled up.

 

[BantyChooks]

May I ask why you buy the plastic rather than rubber Fortex pans?
I've been buying the rubber, thinking they were good?
Sorry about the splintery trees. Your story reminds me of a time a group of us were mountain biking in a local park. My eldest brother was the fastest and he pulled slightly off trail to wait for us. Reaching out to grab a tree to lean against as he slowed to a stop, the tree grabbed back. It was a Honey Locust.
View attachment 1040937 View attachment 1040938 View attachment 1040939
There are thornless varieties. This was not one of them. He had mostly stopped cussing when we pulled up.

Now that thing makes my spiked tree look sissy.

 

[kwhites634]

Can we not argue about the video please? Just a request.

What a day - nothing specifically remarkable, just very very full day at work, then very very full with chores when I got home. Was horrified to discover that the S&G pullets went through three gallons of water in 24 hours (they might have spilled some, though), and were almost dry this evening - scary around here in summer. Really gotta get that auto watering thing worked out ASAP. Their coop will be first.

Only had enough energy to put together a caprese salad (and that was mostly because I had a huge tomato that was super ripe and going to start going bad soon). But tomorrow I get to have Red Lobster clam chowder with kajira!!!!

Looks like the water dunking for broody Trinity worked - she's off the nest now. I dunked Switch this evening to see if I can get her off as well. But meanwhile, I now have a NEW broody - Lissa (Cream Legbar). She did this last year as well. The Three Witches are her daughters (incubator/brooder raised), but no way am I letter her sit on and hatch eggs in her coop with another hen with ocular Mareks present, and I don't want any more CLs anyway. I can't grab her as easily in that coop, so no water dunk tonight, but I'll see if I can get her tomorrow (without Dumbledore trying to kill me). Last year she was SUPER tough to break - I had her sitting tight on frozen water bottles.

And I have a splinter in my left thumb that I can't get out that hurts. There. I think I've done my part to keep the conversation going on the thread.

- Ant Farm

Sorry to report that your efforts were lost on me; I'd gone to bed.

 

[Peacechick713]

Today is the earliest hatch date for my broody hens eggs!

 

[Pensmaster]

Sorry to report that your efforts were lost on me; I'd gone to bed.

I'm not sure what happened to me. It's like the whole conversation after the hens adapting either didn't come through BYC and my iPad or when I was preparing for the 100 yards plus dirt to be delivered I completely spaced it. Just did a read back I don't remember seeing any of that.

Today is the earliest hatch date for my broody hens eggs!

I think mine start next weekend

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

May I ask why you buy the plastic rather than rubber Fortex pans?
I've been buying the rubber, thinking they were good?
Sorry about the splintery trees. Your story reminds me of a time a group of us were mountain biking in a local park. My eldest brother was the fastest and he pulled slightly off trail to wait for us. Reaching out to grab a tree to lean against as he slowed to a stop, the tree grabbed back. It was a Honey Locust.
View attachment 1040937 View attachment 1040938 View attachment 1040939
There are thornless varieties. This was not one of them. He had mostly stopped cussing when we pulled up.

Yeah, that's exactly the sort of thing I have in my back yard. I'll have to get photos... That's another reason I don't ever wear shorts...

I use the plastic ones for water, because the rubber ones smell funny to me, esp. when they get hot, and in the heat, I thought they would leach into the water and make it smell funny as well. Just my preference. I DO use the rubber ones for things like treats, soaked cat food (which I give them when molting), etc.

(EDIT TO ADD: The plastic ones are less tippable as well.)

Today is the earliest hatch date for my broody hens eggs!

Having breakfast, and then I need to weigh the S&G boys this AM before work/letting them out (well, weigh and more importantly, switch their leg bands, which have gotten too tight). Anticipating it will suck a bit since they are kinda big. (I do it in a bucket with a hanging scale.)

- Ant Farm

 

[BantyChooks]

Good luck, Kristin

 

[BantyChooks]

I swear I keep hearing pipping coming from the incubator. It's empty.