INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! w/Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs No problem!

[kwhites634]

Thank you Mike. Im glad she is ok. I know she is very busy. Bless her heart. Guess I have chicks to wash. LOL

Just make sure the water coming out of the tap is warm so they don't get chilled.

 

[Math]

Happy Birthday Flocktastic!!!

 

[mlm Mike]

Quote: Good point! Thank you.

 

[lozerface79]

@Sally Sunshine
So i was going to put a brace on my babys foot today, but when i woke up, he was walking on it perfectly fine even though the foot looked messed up. Do i still need to worry?

 

[h2oratt]

:/
We scored this from a dumpster at Costco last year. It was taken apart so we have to assemble it. I need to split my hens up so I want to use it. I have had it sitting in our side area away from my chickens. If I spray it and scrub it do you think it would be safe? Worried about mites or lice.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Thanks; quite insightful. Too bad you're so far out there in the hinterlands; I wouldn't mind taking one of your classes.
Yes, I'm happy, overall, with my girls' production. Even in cold weather, they do pretty well. They came to a screeching halt during this past hard molt, but from what I read here, they certainly weren't all alone.

As far as being verbose, have you read some of my "novels", 'specially when I get wound up on something I'm passionate about or know something about?

Have you ever seen some of Ridgerunner's posts? They are very good but he takes about 200 lines to answer what I did in 3. His are much more helpful though because they're so comprehensive. I have a buddy that's a poultry judge in northern MO that writes a book every time he comments.

Hinterlands?

I'm in the heart of America in a big Metro area that spans 2 states. i.e. regular air service.

Cold has very little impact on egg production unless it is in the -20 F range or lower.
Egg production is a function of increasing vs. decreasing day length. The same happens all over the world whether it is a warm or cold climate.
I always try to have birds coming into production by August so I don't have to buy eggs.
A brief rundown of the science that affects reproduction in most animals.
Light exposure to the retina is first relayed to the nucleus of the hypothalamus, which is an area of the brain that coordinates biological clock signals. Fibers from there descend to the spinal cord and then project to the superior cervical ganglia, from which neurons ascend back to the pineal gland. The pineal gland translates signals from the nervous system into a hormonal signal.
The pineal gland produces serotonin and subsequently, melatonin. That's the hormone that affects the gonads for sperm production and ovulation in females. An increase in melatonin causes the gonads to become inactive. As photoperiod in relation to day vs. night is the most important clue for animals to determine season. As light lengthens, the gonads are rejuvenated. The duration of melatonin secretion each day is directly proportional to the length of the night because of the pineal gland's ability to measure daylength. Besides reproduction, it also affects sleep timing and blood pressure
So as the light period increases in relation to the dark period, it stimulates reproduction and - voila, EGGS.

I wanna take @ChickenCanoe class..


Guess I gotta settle for what we get here on BYC from you

I have 2 classes coming up in April and another at Gateway Greening in May. More college classes in summer.
I'll probably be presenting again on the subject of Starting Right in Heritage Poultry or some similar topic at the Midwest Heritage Poultry Conference this summer.
I also have classes on winterizing and trapping predators.
My April classes are on the second page of the Master Naturalist program under the heading Ecology.
http://www.stlcc.edu/Document_Library/Cont_Ed/CE-Spring-2014-Master-Naturalist.pdf

Backyard Chickens for the Beginner
Have you thought about keeping chickens in your city or suburban backyard? There’s a lot to find out about before you get started. Learn about local ordinances and where to find more information for the area where you live. You’ll also hear about the benefits of keeping chickens, appropriate housing and feeding, and different ways of keeping your chickens healthy and happy. Instructor has years of personal and professional experience and is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable healthy-chicken farmer.

Beyond the Coop: Advanced Topics for Experienced Backyard Chicken-Keepers
This class is for individuals who have been keeping chickens for a while and are looking for more in-depth information on the following topics: diseases, parasites and treatments; chicken anatomy and egg development; incubation and broody hatching; culling and processing; breed characteristics, showing, and judging for standards of perfection, supporting heritage breeds; and changing ordinances. Bring your questions to class! This is an intermediate level class and will not include introductory information covered in previous class: Backyard Chickens for the Beginner.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

@Sally Sunshine
So i was going to put a brace on my babys foot today, but when i woke up, he was walking on it perfectly fine even though the foot looked messed up. Do i still need to worry?

If the foot is a normal shape, don't worry. If it is curled or has other deformities straighten it out and tape as soon as possible.

We scored this from a dumpster at Costco last year. It was taken apart so we have to assemble it. I need to split my hens up so I want to use it. I have had it sitting in our side area away from my chickens. If I spray it and scrub it do you think it would be safe? Worried about mites or lice.

If it hasn't had chickens in it, I wouldn't worry except for a cursory cleaning.

I love having multiple options for chicken housing.

 

[h2oratt]

If the foot is a normal shape, don't worry. If it is curled or has other deformities straighten it out and tape as soon as possible.

If it hasn't had chickens in it, I wouldn't worry except for a cursory cleaning.

I love having multiple options for chicken housing.

No it is a little dirty. It had chickens in it. It must have been a return.

 

[flocktastic]

Happy Birthday Flocktastic!!!

Thank you!!!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

@h2oratt
It won't hurt to give it a mild chlorine bath. Just make sure it is clean of dust and debris first. An old poultry vet told me you can't wash a turd.