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

[Wickedchicken6]

Today's day 21 & no pips or peeping yet. (Yes, it's a crazy time to hatch, but I had a very stubborn little broody.) Eggs were left for long periods on some pretty cold days, but when candled, they were showing good development. There's not much to do but wait it out & see what happens.

Meanwhile...... The joys of being a kid:

DH brought home a stack of left over wrapping paper from an office move. The kids quickly put it to good use with all sorts of fun posters & crafts.


Also, on Sat night we went to our town's Christmas season kick off. They have a night parade, lighting of the Christmas tree, free cookies & hot cocoa, visits with Santa, pet the reindeer, and all sorts of music. DD was playing in her school's chime choir.

Those are fantastic pics!! I absolutely LOVE the hat!

My son used to make different hats out of paper too! Of course now that he's almost graduated he doesn't understand what he was doing making the hats. I want to show him your pics! As much as we say we're not going to, we grow up and forget what it's like to do something just for the fun of it.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Lost a cockerel (9 months) today. He came out of the coop yesterday lethargic and with a pale comb. He was picking at his legband which I discovered was below his spur and had dug into the top of his foot a bit.
That's all I could see wrong with him but he had no fight in him.
30+ other birds in the building were fine. I was about to leave of Tgiving at the in-laws' house.
I put him in a cage with food and water. When I got home he was a bit more lively and I rigged better accommodations for him on the back porch out of the reach of raccoons.
This morning he hadn't touched his food and he died just a little after noon.
I'm on my way to get a box and freezer packs to ship him to the vet school for necropsy and lab work.

I got a preliminary report today talking to the pathologist. He still has a lot more work to do but the only thing he has seen is lots of crystals which would mean over mineralization.
With all my flocks having a variety of ages, I was mixing layer with grower/all flock. At 50:50, that would give about 2.5% calcium but I didn't do that continuously. The kidneys had some swelling but were still symmetrical. Severe kidney damage from excess calcium produce asymmetrical segments. I hope the rest of the tests will yield conclusive results.

 

[BantyChooks]

I got a preliminary report today talking to the pathologist. He still has a lot more work to do but the only thing he has seen is lots of crystals which would mean over mineralization.
With all my flocks having a variety of ages, I was mixing layer with grower/all flock. At 50:50, that would give about 2.5% calcium but I didn't do that continuously. The kidneys had some swelling but were still symmetrical. Severe kidney damage from excess calcium produce asymmetrical segments. I hope the rest of the tests will yield conclusive results.

Interesting. Thanks for the update.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Lucky. A new feed store moved in here a few years back and the chicken market has been completely shot since then. I used to be able to sell my birds in hours.

Can't even give mine away now... I've quit listing since it never works.

Good luck finding them homes

The trick is having obscure breeds the feed stores don't carry, like your nice Chanteclers.

I have a medieval medical device I use on those birds without a lot of thought and it works nearly 100% of the time..

View attachment 1195980

No Prescription is needed and it Cures PITAISM in one treatment..

That's for cutting PVC, no?

 

[BantyChooks]

The trick is having obscure breeds the feed stores don't carry, like your nice Chanteclers.

The jury is still out on whether or not they will sell. I doubt it but I can always hope. Next year I should have some to sell.

I have tried to sell good quality Svarthonas before for a low price. I didn't get any replies.

That's for cutting PVC, no?

Yes. I've used similar, it works well.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Coop progress! Hard to see but trim is up, as is the drip edge on one side, tar paper all the way up on one, and partway up on the other. One side has shingles up too.
View attachment 1196025

Looks very nice.

Where will your ventilation be?

 

[BantyChooks]

Looks very nice.

Where will your ventilation be?

There's quite a bit under the roof line. Let me get a picture. I am also installing one large window and several smaller ones. I am leaving the north wall solid due to how freezing it gets in winter.

 

[BantyChooks]

I put up 7 more rows of shingles today, actually. Had to sit there with a hair dryer to get them to bend over the edge. I had the shingles in the house but they went stiff wicked fast... sigh.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The jury is still out on whether or not they will sell. I doubt it but I can always hope. Next year I should have some to sell.

I have tried to sell good quality Svarthonas before for a low price. I didn't get any replies.


Yes. I've used similar, it works well.

In that case, you'll have to educate customers about the advantages of the breed. It is worth the extra effort.

 

[BantyChooks]

@ChickenCanoe
The white stuff on the floor is glue. The other wall has identical ventilation.