January 2017 Hatch-a-long

[EggSighted4Life]

So, a couple of years ago, when I said I would never again complain about rain in California - well, I may have been stretching the truth a bit.

I think Meredith's expression says it for all of us, as she and the rest of her flock bunch up under the eaves of the house to keep dry.

Yep. We've gotten enough rain for this year!

But now it could stop.

I'm a little farther north and west... in Crescent City. We love it here though, makes the rain worth it. But this year has been wet and a couple of real cold snaps.

Thinking about setting eggs today as test hatch before my breeders are ready. The bator seems to be maintaining the temp well. My digital therm/hygrometer says 100 degrees and 51% humidity. But my little therm laying on top of that one that is on the floor says about 102. I am thinking about shooting for a dry hatch. The humidity in my house is 65%.

Now I'm kinda scared about the shrink wrapping effect you can cause.

Because I know exactly what being described. When we are steaming our pot stickers, the skin is all filled with steam but when you take the lid off the skins suck down tight to the filling.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Yep. We've gotten enough rain for this year!

But now it could stop.

I'm a little farther north and west... in Crescent City. We love it here though, makes the rain worth it. But this year has been wet and a couple of real cold snaps.

Thinking about setting eggs today as test hatch before my breeders are ready. The bator seems to be maintaining the temp well. My digital therm/hygrometer says 100 degrees and 51% humidity. But my little therm laying on top of that one that is on the floor says about 102. I am thinking about shooting for a dry hatch. The humidity in my house is 65%.

Now I'm kinda scared about the shrink wrapping effect you can cause.

Because I know exactly what being described. When we are steaming our pot stickers, the skin is all filled with steam but when you take the lid off the skins suck down tight to the filling.

We have thought about moving to California but every time we watch the news its either fires or flooding!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

We have thought about moving to California but every time we watch the news its either fires or flooding!

It's all about location, location, location.

We really don't flood where I am. The ground was made to support the rain load. We don't have much problem with fires here usually. But boy So Cal catches fire often during what we refer to as fire season.

And of course you don't want to be in crime ridden areas *cough* (Redding)

It is very pretty there to though.

This town did suffer a Tsunami in 1964. I don't live in the Tsunami zone. And we get like 60 ish inches of rain but very mild temperatures all year long. But I used to live in the rockin' quakes of the south land/desert. Hate the politics of Ca. Love the climate on the coast!!

 

[SunHwaKwon]

It's all about location, location, location.

We really don't flood where I am. The ground was made to support the rain load. We don't have much problem with fires here usually. But boy So Cal catches fire often during what we refer to as fire season.

And of course you don't want to be in crime ridden areas *cough* (Redding)

It is very pretty there to though.

This town did suffer a Tsunami in 1964. I don't live in the Tsunami zone. And we get like 60 ish inches of rain but very mild temperatures all year long. But I used to live in the rockin' quakes of the south land/desert. Hate the politics of Ca. Love the climate on the coast!!

Those "mild temps" are what draws me to it. The politics is what makes my husband dig in his heels! He talks about going back down to the Gulf Coast and I am sweating profusely just thinking about it.

 

[Jessimom]

So, a couple of years ago, when I said I would never again complain about rain in California - well, I may have been stretching the truth a bit.

I think Meredith's expression says it for all of us, as she and the rest of her flock bunch up under the eaves of the house to keep dry.

So, a couple of years ago, when I said I would never again complain about rain in California - well, I may have been stretching the truth a bit.

I think Meredith's expression says it for all of us, as she and the rest of her flock bunch up under the eaves of the house to keep dry.

It's all about location, location, location.

We really don't flood where I am. The ground was made to support the rain load. We don't have much problem with fires here usually. But boy So Cal catches fire often during what we refer to as fire season.

And of course you don't want to be in crime ridden areas *cough* (Redding)

It is very pretty there to though.

This town did suffer a Tsunami in 1964. I don't live in the Tsunami zone. And we get like 60 ish inches of rain but very mild temperatures all year long. But I used to live in the rockin' quakes of the south land/desert. Hate the politics of Ca. Love the climate on the coast!!

I am QUITE a bit south of all the northern CA folks. Our ground is pure clay and there really is no water drainage ability to it. It's just slimy. Our coops are all dry, but the runs are only partially covered, and they are nasty. We really haven't been able to clean out the runs because it's just too goopy. When it finally drys, I"m going to get a truckload of sand to rototill into the runs.

Just curious, we just had to cut down a beautiful 100 year old pine tree. Because of all this rain, it was starting to lean. They left the wood chips from that tree. Any suggestions on what I can use those wood chips on - I can't imagine I can use them in the runs, can I? The pile of wood chips were actually steaming this morning.

Thanks!

 

[orrpeople]

Hah - thankfully we live where theres no public transportation - pretty much zero crime out here. But, I have done some work for our local Rescue Mission and would not want to homestead in that neck of the forest! I am also not politically in love with CA (State of Jefferson anyone?) But, I love the weather, yes, even the heat of summer - and the mountains, and the lakes, and the waterfalls, and the awesome trail systems - that are so close they feel like part of my back yard! Also, the only poultry restriction where I live is 50 birds per acre max - on a three acre parcel, that's, well, a recipe for getting busy with this incubating thing!!

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Hah - thankfully we live where theres no public transportation - pretty much zero crime out here. But, I have done some work for our local Rescue Mission and would not want to homestead in that neck of the forest! I am also not politically in love with CA (State of Jefferson anyone?) But, I love the weather, yes, even the heat of summer - and the mountains, and the lakes, and the waterfalls, and the awesome trail systems - that are so close they feel like part of my back yard! Also, the only poultry restriction where I live is 50 birds per acre max - on a three acre parcel, that's, well, a recipe for getting busy with this incubating thing!!

That sounds like heaven. The down side is that he's active duty Coast Guard so we'd be near the coast, and I can't imagine the job market (for me) is all that great somewhere like Eureka

I am QUITE a bit south of all the northern CA folks. Our ground is pure clay and there really is no water drainage ability to it. It's just slimy. Our coops are all dry, but the runs are only partially covered, and they are nasty. We really haven't been able to clean out the runs because it's just too goopy. When it finally drys, I"m going to get a truckload of sand to rototill into the runs.

Just curious, we just had to cut down a beautiful 100 year old pine tree. Because of all this rain, it was starting to lean. They left the wood chips from that tree. Any suggestions on what I can use those wood chips on - I can't imagine I can use them in the runs, can I? The pile of wood chips were actually steaming this morning.

Thanks!

I would definitely put them in the run, especially if you need help with drainage, or in the coop if you happen to deep litter.

 

[orrpeople]

I am QUITE a bit south of all the northern CA folks.  Our ground is pure clay and there really is no water drainage ability to it.  It's just slimy.  Our coops are all dry, but the runs are only partially covered, and they are nasty.  We really haven't been able to clean out the runs because it's just too goopy.  When it finally drys, I"m going to get a truckload of sand to rototill into the runs.  

Just curious, we just had to cut down a beautiful 100 year old pine tree.  Because of all this rain, it was starting to lean.  They left the wood chips from that tree.  Any suggestions on what I can use those wood chips on - I can't imagine I can use them in the runs, can I?  The pile of wood chips were actually steaming this morning.  

Thanks!

So funny! We had to take out a gigantic pine yesterday as well. The grey pines don't do well with rain soaked ground - not a deep enough tap root to support them. At any rate, I am going to try the chips in the runs, once the pitch dries a bit - it's pine, which should be fine. I might mix it with some hay if it seems to coarse, but they are a lot smaller pieces than i thought they'd be, so they will probably work. We also had three rotted oak trees taken out that were threatening to crash on our garage. The jury's out on what to do with those. The tree service put them in a separate pile - so thoughtful!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Be wary of using chips in your run. 1 guy on here lost most of his flock to aspergillius using chips that had been in a pile steaming and such. Had to be the perfect storm, but it happens. So if you are gonna use them make sure they are prepped right.

Eureka is actually very crime ridden. Can't remember exactly, but it's right up there with Oakland.

I didn't mind the heat of the valley (118 anyone?). But my Hubby couldn't stand it, made him cranky. My AC bill the last summer before we moved was over $600 for 3 months in a row and like $350 the following month. Aside from the heat the air quality was too bad to open the windows. On those days they said jogging 1 mile would be equal to smoking a pack of cigarettes. And not too long before we moved out of Bakersfield the air registered worse than China's for a day.

You couldn't drag me to the gulf coast, too humid.

Hubby made the sacrifice and got a job in Redding and we moved to CC and he commuted home on weekend for 2 years until he just got a job local the past couple months. It was hard but the payoff was huge!

Never mind the chicken math I got away with!

 

[orrpeople]

Be wary of using chips in your run. 1 guy on here lost most of his flock to aspergillius using chips that had been in a pile steaming and such. Had to be the perfect storm, but it happens. So if you are gonna use them make sure they are prepped right.

Eureka is actually very crime ridden. Can't remember exactly, but it's right up there with Oakland.

I didn't mind the heat of the valley (118 anyone?). But my Hubby couldn't stand it, made him cranky. My AC bill the last summer before we moved was over $600 for 3 months in a row and like $350 the following month. Aside from the heat the air quality was too bad to open the windows. On those days they said jogging 1 mile would be equal to smoking a pack of cigarettes. And not too long before we moved out of Bakersfield the air registered worse than China's for a day. 

You couldn't drag me to the gulf coast, too humid.

Hubby made the sacrifice and got a job in Redding and we moved to CC and he commuted home on weekend for 2 years until he just got a job local the past couple months. It was hard but the payoff was huge!    Never mind the chicken math I got away with! 

A gal we know with chickens had a fungus problem using hay. Probably the same principles at work in both - keep it clean.