IA here

[harleyjo]

Well I am in lockdown.... fingers crossed. I am going into it with 14, of those I really question 3 of them. What humidity am I shooting for now? I have been dry incubating to this point. I put paper towels on the floor of the incubator, some water in the channels and then I put a moist sponge in there. I just checked and I am up to 71% humidity in there now.

Also wanted to ask if it is possible that all the new 5 week olds running around the coop the last few days would have been enough to make a BSL go broody. She slept in the nest box last night and she is still in there this morning. Just wondering?

 

[pbjmaker]

I feel your humidity is plenty high. It will only go higher as they start to hatch.

I don't know what it is about the chickens and broody but I now have 4 broodies. One of them still has Easter chicks by her side. They just come to visit mom and sleep next to her at night, but the rest of they day they are on their own. They leave for the auction on the 19th.

I stopped at the feed store today and he had some day old chicks that someone had dropped off. There was one black silkie, so I got it to be a buddy for my lone chick. My lone chick is eerily quiet and just observes everything. This new guy is quite the peeper though. He told me off the whole way home.

 

[harleyjo]

Quote:
What should my humidity be? I can always take out a plug to get it to drop a little. Do you go to Stuart or Osceola? I keep thinking I want to try a Silkie, there is just something about those chickens I like.

 

[pbjmaker]

I've gone to both but I prefer Osceola. I now have a splash silkie (my uber broody) a black and two whites. They are pretty comical.

I think your humidity is fine where it's at. All my surviving chicks - the EE and 3 pheasants hatched on their own at 41%. I was really worried that they would be too dry but they were fine. I usually try for 65-70% humidity.

 

[harleyjo]

I am assuming that as the temp comes up from adding the moisture and it heats up in there some of the this humidity will drop a little bit. I pulled out one of the red plugs as the humidity is up to 75%. Hopefully it will start to come down just a little.

 

[pbjmaker]

Oh Samantha...

You still looking?

http://desmoines.craigslist.org/grd/2420301652.html

 

[sammileah]

Pick some up Thursday from her. Thanks for thinking of me

 

[pbjmaker]

Quote:
No problem! Glad to be of service

 

[kathyinmo]

harleyjo....
Where are you from in SW Iowa? I am from Missouri Valley. Life long there, until we moved here where we bought our retirement home.

Are you being affected by the flooding that is coming?

 

[pbjmaker]

Quote:
Any sign of peepers yet? Was thinking about you today!

Well our 8 year old cat has developed a severe death wish. We have had chickens for 4 years and she has never hurt them, I have seen her let baby chicks lay on her - in fact they were yesterday. Well out of the blue yesterday evening she killed 2 of the 3 pheasants that hatched and the EE chick.

I had the screen off the brooder and for some reason she went on a killing spree. Now I have one pheasant chick with the one silkie chick I bought as a friend for the EE

They are learning to speak the same language and are snuggling each other.