Hatching Eggs / Paypal CHAT Thread

[Sahwithchicks]

Ok I have been going back and forth for a week now. Help please sportsman or dickey? I want one but despite reading all the posts on them I still am undecided. Those of you with experience with both please chime in here. This is a huge purchase for me and I don't want to mess it up.

I have been looking into this too. It will be a long time before I can afford it, but I told my husband any income I make from the chickens that doesn't go towards food or new breeders is going to be saved for a good incubator.
I also wondered for those who have a cabinet, do you use the built in hatchets or do you still hatch separately? I was looking at the Dickey that has two hatchers and two egg trays. I wasn't sure that I really wanted to hatch in a nice expensive incubator. Maybe I would use the genesis that I use for incubating now as my hatcher. I use a still air right now for a hatcher and I think I would get better results upgrading to a better hatcher. I do like my genesis a lot. It is so easy and I always have good development... But it is a pain to clean.
Those who just incubate in a cabinet, how often do you clean it? If you hatch an incubate in the same, how do you regulate the humidity for a staggered hatch? I guess that wouldn't be possible. Maybe I will just buy another genesis. It would prevent me from incubating more than 42 eggs at a time, but maybe that is a good thing.

 

[SewChaos]

Yeah- feed him in the garage. My LGD doesn't like being in the house, but he's trained that the garage and barns are okay. He also goes to the vet fine. It's all about exposure when they're young. Yours is still young, so work on it now!

And if you want him to be an LGD, you do not want him to have a dog playmate. You want him bonded to whatever livestock you are training him to guard. And if you bring home a shelter dog and put it in with your livestock and your LGD, I don't think anything good would happen. Your LGD will learn things you do not want him to learn, the shelter dog *could* kill your stock depending on why it ended up in the shelter, its prey drive level, etc.

Feed him in the garage! Brilliant!

I'm not thinking about adding a dog anytime soon (like years from now), but I know now's the time to change his behavior. So far he's doing well with my poultry, I'm working on teaching him that my kids are above him in the "pack". He totally gets that I'm the alpha, but teaching him to listen to my kids is proving more difficult. Also, I'm trying to figure out how to get him to bark when cars pull up. He barks at wildlife when they get to close to his fence, but not cars or people.

Eventually, I'd like to be able to be to foster rescue LGDs. I tried to adopt one when I decided I wanted a LGD, but the rescue groups won't even look at your application if you don't have experience with the breed. Which I totally understand, but it's frustrating to hear about all these huge working breed dogs that need loving homes, and not be allowed to help. Same with the local shelters. In my area, they equate "farm dog" to living in a 6x8 kennel full time. Which is NOT what it means AT ALL.

 

[RoyalT]

Yeah, feed him in the garage and car, go into the vet's office and hand treats to all the staff and have them help make him love the office Basically, treat him like a rescue dog- he's not, but he needs the exposure in happy ways like a rescue dog does.

Okay well most LGD breed rescues will not be good LGDs because they were likely turned into pets, and then the owners realized "Crap, this is a giant dog who isn't happy being left alone in my house all day while I work, and he ate my couch!" So if you take in a rescue from NASRN or another LGD rescue, make sure they were WORKING LGDs. They're rare, but they do come through the rescues.

 

[SewChaos]

Yeah, feed him in the garage and car, go into the vet's office and hand treats to all the staff and have them help make him love the office Basically, treat him like a rescue dog- he's not, but he needs the exposure in happy ways like a rescue dog does.

Okay well most LGD breed rescues will not be good LGDs because they were likely turned into pets, and then the owners realized "Crap, this is a giant dog who isn't happy being left alone in my house all day while I work, and he ate my couch!" So if you take in a rescue from NASRN or another LGD rescue, make sure they were WORKING LGDs. They're rare, but they do come through the rescues.

Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking about taking him for short drives in the van, to get used to the car, with lots of praise and treats. I've heard that the working LGDs are rare in rescues, but it also seems like fosters for the working ones (to keep working and not turn into pets) are rare too. Especially west of the Rockies.

 

[RoyalT]

Yeah, I'm west of the Divide, too- Check Eastern WA. That's where I got Dierks.

Word to the wise- train him to jump into the van ASAP. Dierks doesn't jump. At all. And he weighs 145 >.<

 

[SewChaos]

My Mr has been wanting to do a road trip from here (Oregon) to Kansas City to visit friends. I'm quickly warming up to the idea, when I realize how many eggs and chicks I could come home with. (not that I'm gonna tell him that!)

Sure, we can do that, just let me plan the route!

 

[SewChaos]

Yeah, I'm west of the Divide, too- Check Eastern WA. That's where I got Dierks.

Word to the wise- train him to jump into the van ASAP. Dierks doesn't jump. At all. And he weighs 145 >.<

Right now he's at that akward phase where he trips over his own paws if he does anything other than walk, and he's already 50lbs. I will make it a priority!

 

[RoyalT]

Haha! Yeah there ya go Just let him plan the "to" route and you plan the route home to pick up goodies

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

Yeah, I'm west of the Divide, too- Check Eastern WA. That's where I got Dierks.


Word to the wise- train him to jump into the van ASAP. Dierks doesn't jump. At all. And he weighs 145 >.<

Yeah. Reilly has bad knees so needs help to get in, and he's 170. Levi is currently about 45 pounds at 12 weeks, and I'm thanking my stars he loves to ride and is trying his best to get those big feet of his to get him in there. At least his front end is getting there!

Save his favorite foods and only use them for car treats, and vet treats. He'll learn to love rides to the vet!

 

[SewChaos]

Haha! Yeah there ya go Just let him plan the "to" route and you plan the route home to pick up goodies

I'll need to find a car converter plug in for my eco brooder....hmm....