July Hatch-a-Long (including 4th of July hatch-a-long)

[AgnesGray]

My first guinea fowl ever just hatched while I was out!!!

 

[ShrekDawg]

You can freeze them to kill them then thaw them out then dehydrate them in the oven or a dehydrator

http://www.sialis.org/raisingmealworms.htm

That is a great article!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Mine prefer the dry ones when I put them in their feed. They eat their feed then they will eat the worms. My bearded dragon also likes dried mealworms.

Mine must be picky lol

 

[FortCluck]

Mine must be picky lol

Just like you... maybe put chipotle mayo on them

 

[ShrekDawg]

Just like you... maybe put chipotle mayo on them

I cant breathe!!!

 

[AgnesGray]

I want to build one of those, too. I plan to cover it with a big tarp we were using for other purposes. It got pretty beat up, but it will do for now. I think we'll have plenty for two layers. Would you mind posting a few more pics if you have them? I'd really appreciate seeing more of what you've done.

So, here it is so far! I'm calling it the roo coup since they all gurgle and complain when I go out to see them that they are separated from the ladies. They're probably plotting a takeover, but haven't figured out how to break out yet. Haha

We found most of the roofing and the chicken wire in our barn left by previous owner. It's probably cost us less than $200 including $50 for the wheels. I will definitely be building more. Hopefully with hardware cloth! We're relying heavily on the electric fence for now.

 

[CindyinSD]

My understand is that it's (one of the few) items made here in the U.S. The issue is that during the Covid crisis, the steel mills were shut down and that has created a back-log of all things steel being out of stock. Hardware cloth is not on the top of the manufacturing priority list.

Glad it's made here, at least. There will be HWC again... unless some idiot manages to blow up the factory.

 

[CindyinSD]

you guys are killin me!!! She is still on the nest! I actually meant to mark the eggs yesterday while she was off but then I got so distracted by her so should I just not mark or move her now??? I was thinking of just blocking off the nest box and letting her out once or twice a day? The boxes are pretty huge so it wouldn’t really be cramped or anything. I also have a dog crate I thought about using but it might be a bit big for my coop. I could use the coop/pen the current chicks are in too but I would need to move them first ha I think I’ll leave her be for now I don’t want to risk harassing her too much in the early days and having her abandon the eggs. But I will mark them and/or block the nest off tonight so she doesn’t get any more.

Just wait 'til she gets off, then mark them. Or you might gently reach under her at night, pull them one by one, and mark them. If she was alone, you could simply mark your calendar, but with others in with her... I swear, she might hop off for five minutes...? Some hen will jump in there, pop out an egg, then another will. By the time she's had a bite, a & a sip there'll be half a dozen new eggs in there.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Just wait 'til she gets off, then mark them. Or you might gently reach under her at night, pull them one by one, and mark them. If she was alone, you could simply mark your calendar, but with others in with her... I swear, she might hop off for five minutes...? Some hen will jump in there, pop out an egg, then another will. By the time she's had a bite, a & a sip there'll be half a dozen new eggs in there.

I’m dead!!! I’ll mark them tonight. It’s been raining/storming all day. Hopefully there aren’t too many new eggs under there lol

 

[CindyinSD]

Is there a thread here about raising & drying mealworms? If not, would you mind sharing your knowlege with us? I know it's something I would love to learn about. Anything I can do to not buy from China, I'm all for it!

I bought a bunch from NJ--live ones--before the China plague thing blew up. DH insisted I refuse shipment, as they arrived just after the whole thing became a big deal. The guy was gonna refund me, but the post office in NJ lost them. It was too much of a mess to hassle with. So I sent back $35 worth of mealworms and just had to eat it.

There are places you can order live mealworms from in the US, maybe near you. You ARE better off to order a lot, though. They take a while to go through their life cycle so It could be several months before you have extras to feed your birds. The more you start out with, the sooner you'll be able to supplement your birds' diet. They need to be shipped in mild weather. Too hot or too cold will kill them.

Look on Youtube. There are a lot of videos ranging from useless to excellent. I like the ones by "Space Coast Mealworms." I think wheat mids from the feed store/co-op/silo (aka bran) will likely be your most economical substrate.