Illinois...

[BReeder!]

Nah, I'll just stick to my flashlight with carbboard and duct tape. Too pricey for my budget just to look into an egg. But its cool for sure.

Update on my hatch. 11 fuzzies have successfully hatched. I moved most of them to the brooder and switched the rest of the eggs to the big inky and converted the little one to a chick dryer since they seem to fluff up better. Two chicks zipped, but died.one really huge one zipped at the bottom and likely drowned. It was a HUGE chick from one of my older hens. I just removed another one that was halfway zipped when i noticed it wasnt moving. It was like someone has poured gorilla glue in the egg. It was so sticky. Its wing was stuck to the egg shell. The humidity was up pretty good and ive been a good girl not opening it up, so not sure what happened there. Since i did a quick move, i grabbed the unpipped ones. 5 seem to have perished as there is no movement. So that makes 8 that are gone. 5 more are pipped and currently zipping. Pictures once everyone is out.

Humidity too high possibly? I know some people are not fans of raising humidity much because it can drown the chicks inside the eggs they claim.

 

[BReeder!]

We finally found a name for our cornish cross hatched from an egg from @Molpet. We are calling her "Duck". This is because she thinks she is a duck. She was bruised with three ducks and starts right be the door of the duck house inside our coop. She's managed to get into the duck house a few times too.

With that, I am hoping of for a while. Happy Easter, everybody!

 

[homeschoolin momma]

Humidity too high possibly? I know some people are not fans of raising humidity much because it can drown the chicks inside the eggs they claim.

Running about 65%, so not excessive. I think the big chicks problem was it just pipped at the wrong end and had trouble zipping due to the egg carton and then compounded by the fluid in the egg, well, led to its demise. But its such a shame when they come so far and then don't make it. Especially when they are that big! I'm hoping the current one that is zipping makes it. It has stalled in its zipping, but is still breathing and cheeping. I'm checking on it like every 5 min........

 

[homeschoolin momma]

Found this in sweet Blizzards feet tonight.

Poor baby. She normally sleeps.on the roost. Shes in first and find her favorite spot. But the past few nights shes been sleeping under the roosts. So i picked her up and thought maybe i should check. I wish i had before pictures. These suckers were stuck directly in the bottom of the pad like traditional bumble foot, but rather in the webbing folds between the toes. It wasnt too hard to get out, but it clearly hurt. If a chicken could cry, I'm pretty sure that's the sound it was. It came out really quick and easy and i consoled and rubbed her neck and cheeks until she was calm. She promptly hopped down and scouted out a spot.....on the roost!

I wish chickens would show a little more pain before it gets so bad. It makes it so hard to know when something is wrong. Makes me feel like a bad chicken parent!

Hatch update:
Last chick is pipped and has a nice hole. Ive been keeping a close eye since i lost the two that died zipping. I'll eggtospy the other 5 remaining ones tomorrow. Grand total once this one comes will be 16.

 

[Faraday40]

Found this in sweet Blizzards feet tonight.
View attachment 2087044
Poor baby. She normally sleeps.on the roost. Shes in first and find her favorite spot. But the past few nights shes been sleeping under the roosts. So i picked her up and thought maybe i should check. I wish i had before pictures. These suckers were stuck directly in the bottom of the pad like traditional bumble foot, but rather in the webbing folds between the toes. It wasnt too hard to get out, but it clearly hurt. If a chicken could cry, I'm pretty sure that's the sound it was. It came out really quick and easy and i consoled and rubbed her neck and cheeks until she was calm. She promptly hopped down and scouted out a spot.....on the roost!

I wish chickens would show a little more pain before it gets so bad. It makes it so hard to know when something is wrong. Makes me feel like a bad chicken parent!

Hatch update:
Last chick is pipped and has a nice hole. Ive been keeping a close eye since i lost the two that died zipping. I'll eggtospy the other 5 remaining ones tomorrow. Grand total once this one comes will be 16.

Glad dear Blizzard is doing well again. Because orps are so heavy, they can easily get foot problems. Part of it could just be the shape of her foot, the pressure from her weight, and the muddy conditions of spring. Precious used to always get the same thing - a mud clump stuck between the toes. When it was bad it would look like a bump from the top of foot. Most of the time a little press would pop it out. My Leghorns & Spitz are always digging in the mud but never get it which is why I think its related to weight.

 

[Faraday40]

Happy Easter everyone! It was certainly very different this year.

We colored eggs yesterday and did an Easter eggs hunt outside today.

We did Easter baskets with whatever candy we had around and watched church online. Called our parents instead of getting together.

I usually make homemade hot cross buns for all the neighbors but decided it wouldn't be a good idea to bake and pass it around to other households. I made cards instead.

I didn't want to skip all the baking, so I made a batch of sugar cookies. DS & I decorated them. (I'm sure you can tell the ones he did. LOL) I made 3D bunnies. I also made a rooster & hen.

 

[WhyDoILikeChickens]

Happy Easter everyone! It was certainly very different this year.

We colored eggs yesterday and did an Easter eggs hunt outside today.
View attachment 2087094
We did Easter baskets with whatever candy we had around and watched church online. Called our parents instead of getting together.

I usually make homemade hot cross buns for all the neighbors but decided it wouldn't be a good idea to bake and pass it around to other households. I made cards instead.

I didn't want to skip all the baking, so I made a batch of sugar cookies. DS & I decorated them. (I'm sure you can tell the ones he did. LOL) I made 3D bunnies. I also made a rooster & hen.
View attachment 2087087
View attachment 2087086

One of those cookies looked like plants vs. zombies. DD and I played many hours

 

[WhyDoILikeChickens]

And happy Easter everyone.
Anyone grow apple from seed? I got some seeds from pink lady apples to sprout. Though I read they dont breed true so not sure how it will work out. after 5+ years my dwarf honey crisp trees are worthless and getting chopped.

 

[cavemanrich]

And happy Easter everyone.
Anyone grow apple from seed? I got some seeds from pink lady apples to sprout. Though I read they dont breed true so not sure how it will work out. after 5+ years my dwarf honey crisp trees are worthless and getting chopped.

That is true, none of the seed trees (maybe 1 in 100 will be good, and need to wait many years before finding out) All apple trees sold at nurseries are grafted.
You still can plant seeds and get flowering trees, if that is all you want,,,,,,,, flowers, and non-useful/desired fruit.

 

[cavemanrich]

Same principle of grafting is used for most varieties of roses. The root-stock is a hardy variety. The grafting, and whatever grows above the bud-union is your desired rose. If you let suckers sprout, and grow from below the bud union, ,,,,,,,,, rose bush goes back to wild. I had that happen quite a few times. Had a nice rose growing, and flowering. Then all of a sudden rose turned into a climbing rose, and grew prolifically. For 2 years, I let it go,,,,,,, and it grew like 7734 but did not produce a single flower. I finally dug it out