Kentucky people

[Mojo Chick'n]

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I'm lucky mine is older and gets his own lazy butt out of bed - so I can sleep an extra couple of hours before I have to do chores

Goodnight

-

meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

Try the paper towel wick thing, it works pretty good for me. But before I put the fan in mine, it would very rarely go over 50%, and they hatched out fine. I think without the fan, it just makes the hygrometer not read right. I put less water in mine now than I did then, and it's usually too high!

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

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I added a paper towel on top of the sponge. The sponges are those natural ones - so lots of holes in them. The paper towel might hold a steadier supply of water.

I borrowed Sam's art sponges (un-used) and I told him he could have them back when I'm done

.

I am thinking that next time I might put a paper towel in the bottom - under the cage thingy, and get that whole thing wet, so it has more surface area, but the wet can't touch the eggs. Too late to do that with this batch, I'd hate to handle the eggs much more than I have.

Can I spray the eggs with a water bottle? or shouldn't they get wet?

ETA - I'm using distilled water from our water distiller.

ETA again - humidity is at 55% now, temp 101

meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

I wouldn't worry about it. Just put another paper towel in there and it should work. Do you have both the plugs out? You could put one back in, and it shouldn't hurt the chicks. It would help keep the humidity steady too.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

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Oh, I forgot to add, I did put one back in. I figured once they actually start to pip I can take it back out again if I need to.

meri

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Ok, so something new with Rudy (no nothing bad, just cute...).

Rudy met hubby yesterday for probably the first time - hubby doesn't normally go into the coops. Bruce was helping me hang the tarps, and Rudy was supervising... He wasn't sure he liked Bruce, though. I think he saw him as a rival, so instead of the usual flogging rooster thing, he simply came over and stood on Bruce's foot and stretched up as tall as he could get and gave him the stink eye. It was SO funny.

Bruce laughed, which probably didn't endear him to Rudy. Then Rudy tried to get between me and Bruce -- I think he was protecting "his hen" (me) tee hee.

Well, if Bruce can have a chicken "girlfriend" who follows him everywhere, I guess I can have a chicken "boyfriend".

Oh, I posted a pic of my hatchery sign on the hatching thread. I am seriously thinking of putting it on the sewing room door - I think that's just funny.

No new sickies yet today. Still watching them all closely, though.

I guess the real test to see if they are carriers will be when I integrate my new chickies into the flock - and see if any of them get sick out of the blue. If they don't, I can be pretty sure I am clean out there, if they do get sick, then I'm boned. I'll keep ya all informed on that front.

I need to figure out what to do with the bachelors, because once the babies outgrow the playpen, I still want to put them into that bottom cell. Hoss I can probably put into either the banty coop (not my first option) or back in with the cochins - which will totaly tick off Rudy, and I don't want them to fight. The spitz boys, well... no idea what to do with them. I could let them free range and sleep in the barn (it is cozier in there than you would think.) but I'd never catch them again to get rid of two of them, and I don't want them messing with George and his girls.

The ideal thing to do would be to put the banties down into a cell, and use the main coop as the brooder coop - but that is where the sickness is/was and I don't want to take that chance. Maybe if I put them in with the spitzs and disinfected the entire main coop, waited a month, then put the babies in there? Heck, I don't know. I'm still trying to figure out if any of the banty's are carriers, and I don't want to infect the lower coop. My only other option would be to cull all the banties in that coop, and then disinfect and wait a month. But I don't really want to kill them all, either. Especially the japs - I was planning to breed them for hatching eggs.

I'll probably figure out something else to do with the boys, so I don't have to put the banties in with my healthy chickens. So far I have no sickies at all down in the lower coop (even though that is where Rudy and Diva are - makes me wonder if it was them or not - I'm beginning to wonder what this is and where it REALLY came from - it doesn't appear to be them).

::::sigh:::: I'm tired of pondering on it.

I've read and re-read different accounts of this or that disease - and if it is IB (which I've suspected all along) I've read the birds are A) carriers for life B) carriers for a month C) carriers for maybe a year, then clean. Makes me wonder where they get their information from.... None of them seem to be able to agree.

Well, gonna read some on here....

meri

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

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I've been searching the net. I have a couple of saved pages that don't agree on the carrier period for IB - and a couple other pages I don't think I saved also had differing opinions.

Mercks says one thing, "the Poultry Site" says another, some university site says something else.

meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

That's crazy!

I have a cute story to tell. I don't know if you remember my little white roo from the red pyle group? Well he has taken a liking to my little splash hen that has the 3 chicks. Everyday he is hanging around her and her chicks, helping keep them warm and everything! This morning I went outside to feed, and he was sitting by her tractor, just waiting for her to come out! So cute! He has 'adopted' her family! It is so sweet!

 

[cthrash1]

Meri - Okay, I have one of the heat lamps but need to buy a bulb today and a 50lb bag of Dumor chick starter an extra waterer and feeder and I can still bring one of the brooder bins if you think we'll need it...I have a large one and a small one. The youngest chick will be 2 wks old on Sunday and is the Serama and the other two will be 3 wks on Friday(Jap) and Saturday(BR). Do you want me to bring any electrolytes or any of that Tylan in case you get another sickie(hoping not)? It'll knock it out quickly if someone does get sick. Am I forgetting anything?

If you want to after we get the babies settled we can both go visit with Shelley...It'll get you away from your bator for a little bit...

Cindy

ETA: Oh yeah...Do you need pine shavings?

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

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, ok, I bought an extra lamp today, too, and I have two bulbs already (spares) Bring along your lamp, and that way I can set up two cages if I need to. I have electrolytes, and yeah, bring me a cage, just in case I need one. I probably won't but it won't hurt anyway.

Go ahead and bring the tylan, too, just in case. If I don't need it, I'll just give it back when I give back everything else.

What time were you going to come over? It turns out that hubby bought a new tractor today

, so they're gonna be delivering that tomorrow, and Jon wants me to take him to town in the morning (but that is flexible, and I can leave a check with hubby to give them when they drop the tractor off) so I am free anytime, just need to know what time so I don't take Jon to town and not be here.

I figured I'd try just using towel or paper towel for now. I don't have pine shavings, but can get those, if need be.

I grabbed a big box today, have yet to see what I am gonna do with it, but in case I need an extra for little tinies, I have a box, instead of a cage for them. Or I may cut it up to put around the sides of the cage, to keep in heat and "stuff".

Hmmm... let me go and check size on the box, and configuration, and I'll let ya know if I actually need that other cage.

be back....
meri