Illinois...

[cavemanrich]

Get a BETA. They are hardy and trouble free.
I used to keep a large tank with native fish, and a turtle. That stage passed for me now. Children all grew up and moved on. I kept sunfish, bluegill, and catfish. No need for heaters in tank. Did have a nice filtration system. Still have the tanks. PM me for more info. Gratis.

 

[BReeder!]

@BReeder!
x2 on waiting for the fan before adding eggs. The change in air flow will cause a change in temp / humidity. It's best to have it set up 100% so you don't have to scramble after the fact. (Some wild swings could occur during set up) Also make sure to set the eggs on a day you'll be around to monitor & adjust settings as needed. I put my fan blowing upward. I also added a tiny scrap of screen across the bottom to prevent accidental decapitation. (Never had an issue but better to be safe.) I've seen people aim the fan down but then suspended a piece of metal or cardboard to deflect the air currents to the side.

My lav orps & Spc sussex have a pinkish hue to their eggs. You'll probably be able to identify a new layer by her comb color. They change from pink to red. (Also can check the vent.)

No bunnies here yet. During this cold weather, I'm enjoying those empty cages - not having to clean or feed anything extra! The chickens are still locked up in the coop - and thankfully, no pecking - so the winter number must be OK. (i even have those 2 temporary turkeys in there!)

Speaking of pets: Eight years ago DH got a doz feeder fish as a gag gift, and the running joke was that they'll only live a few days to a month. As expected 11 died within 3 weeks, but the last one lived 4 years!!! We simply named it "fish" because it was only a temp pet. DS kept talking about how he remembered "Fish" and wanted to have a pet fish again. Santa gave him a robotic fish last Christmas, but it didn't satisfy his fish desire. So, Grandpa gave DS a fish tank. Once it's set up, DS will get to go & pick out a couple fish. I've only had goldfish, so does anyone have a suggestion for an easy care beginner fish? It's a small 3 gal tank, so preferable something cool that won't grow & need a bigger tank.

I am a fish nerd. I have a 200 gal saltware tank and a 30 gal freshwater tank. We used to have a 180 gal freshwater. I would suggest a betta for a 3 gal. they do not require much and are beautiful fish. You cannot get anything too active, because there's not much room. you could also do a guppy or two. avoid getting male and female guppies, platies, or mollies (they are the livebearers who reproduce like crazy!). 3 neon tetras or cardinalfish would work. Aside from those, most other fish need more tank space and filtration than a 3 gal will offer.

Back to birds
I am waiting for sure at this point to start incubation. The fan comes tomorrow, and I am all for letting the eggs settle after shipping. The fan comes with a metal grate to place over it. Depending on the size of the gaps I may fasten a piece of mesh to it.
As for the chicken egg, I am nearly certain it is one of the orps. I don't exactly feel like going out with a flashlight (it's dark now) to check combs and vents. I will take a look tomorrow though. We have 3 out of 7 hens laying now though, which I think is shocking considering I am not supplementing light. I guess the weather not being terrible has convinced them to lay eggs.

 

[Faraday40]

Happy Happy Birthday @chickendreams24

 

[BReeder!]

The eggs are in the incubator. The fan is installed and working great. I was shocked to see that the controller automatically recognized the fan. I saw a sensor appear on the display after I connected the fan. Here we go!

 

[chickendreams24]

@Faraday40 thank you so much!!!

 

[BReeder!]

The girls are enjoying the snow today. I keep meaning to get pics of them to post for you, and I finally did. The Orps were hardest to photograph because they keep moving away, yet I unwittingly snapped more pics of them and didn't get any up close shots of the original 5.

My lovely Orps. @Faraday40 these are the two I got from you.

The initial flock. The Orps still go off on their own. These 5 were the originals. Left to right: Cuckoo Marans (A-hole [pronounced: Ay-hol-ay]), 2 Light Brahmas (unnamed because they can be difficult to distinguish), Gold Laced Wyandotte (Goldie), Speckled Sussex (Bear).

Another pic of the Orps. You can really see the colors here. They are truly beautiful. Lavender and Blue Laced.

Orp butts!

 

[Faraday40]

@BReeder!
I think your new egg layer is most likely one of the orig 5. Their combs look more red.

The orps are looking good, and the lav will probably start laying before the laced. She's getting close. The laced gal is so pretty!!! It's nice to see that they're BFFs.




.... and good luck on those quail eggs. Did the orig eggs ever arrive?

 

[Faraday40]

My chicks turned 4 weeks old yesterday. I gave the male serama & the silkiexserama mix to a friend, so I have 3 chicks remaining. So far, I see more female traits than male traits and am optimistic that all 3 may be female.

Please click to enlarge the pics & let me know your gender guesses.

Blue English Orpington (Definitely in the ugly awkward stage) Kind of "leggy" like a male, but comb & wattles look female to me.


serama: "Chipmunk"
Comb is pale & small like a female. Wattles look rather red (male?) but are not dropping (female?)


serama: "White"
It's feathering in tan with bits of white & misty gray. Pale small comb & no wattles dropping = female. However like the other serama, those wattles look pinkish to me. It's my fav, so that's often a sign that's it's male. LOL

 

[BReeder!]

@BReeder!
I think your new egg layer is most likely one of the orig 5. Their combs look more red.

The orps are looking good, and the lav will probably start laying before the laced. She's getting close. The laced gal is so pretty!!! It's nice to see that they're BFFs.




.... and good luck on those quail eggs. Did the orig eggs ever arrive?

The Orps are definitely best friends. They go everywhere together. They even sleep together. They started sleeping in a nesting box again, which I do not like, but it is amusing to see them snuggled together in the box.

As for the original quail egg shipment, it is still out there apparently. There's no updates on the tracking information since 12/19. They shipped on 12/14. I don't want them to arrive at this point - they will just be rotten eggs.

 

[Faraday40]

The Orps are definitely best friends. They go everywhere together. They even sleep together. They started sleeping in a nesting box again, which I do not like, but it is amusing to see them snuggled together in the box.

As for the original quail egg shipment, it is still out there apparently. There's no updates on the tracking information since 12/19. They shipped on 12/14. I don't want them to arrive at this point - they will just be rotten eggs.

Can you imagine the package of rotting eggs being delivered to the wrong address?
Poor Unfortunate Recipient: "Oh boy! Someone sent me a Christmas present!" and after opening it........ "Ugh! However did I end up on the naughty list?!"