Mahonri's 3rd Annual, BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[AK Michelle]

Officially joining the Easter hatch along. I was forced threatened browbeat invited by LareePQG.

Now I just need my Silkies to PLEASE lay some fertile eggs.

YAY!!! Belle's here

 

[gamamachik]

Pic not showing...said image is broken...I know she is beautiful though ....Congrats on her arrival

 

[mlm Mike]

Got some eggies lined up, they will be shipped a few days before the set date!

That's great!

 

[AK Michelle]

they are her eggs. this was the first time i did a dry hatch with turkey eggs. I do pretty good with the water tray full at all times but I want to see if I could increase my hatch using the dry hatch and I do very well in keeping the poults alive. the only time i lost any was if the hen steps on one.

I'm definately NOT an eggspert but my turkey numbers are up. I hatched 50% last year, other peoples eggs that I got locally, The shipped batch I got 1 out of like 2 dozen eggs (I think). Anyway, I hatched 9 turkeys last year, 6 of them were the blue slates I still have. 5 girls and a boy, getting 2 or 3 eggs a day now. Set 5 eggs in January, got 4 fuzzy little poopers out of it. So far, everyone is healthy and happy. I did almost lose 2, one hatched on Monday and the other on Wednesday (I set an egg a day when I was collecting.) So, Monday's baby was in the incubator, just finished drying, and I pulled it out with it's sibling who had hatched the night before. I put them both in the brooder which was 95* or so and went inside. When I checked on him the next morning he was laying in the corner of the brooder, away from the light, cold and limp, I really though he was dead. I carried him with me while I peeked in the bator and he twitched a little. I cupped my other hand around him to see if he would warm up at all. He moved a foot. I didn't want to take a chance of throwing out a perfectly good life so I slipped him back in the bator. After work I found him cruising around in the bator, chirping up a storm. I moved him back to the brooder and he's been great ever since. Wednesday's baby was the same, I moved it to the brooder with the others in the morning, DH checked after work and it was on it's back, moving very little, not even trying to get up, he slipped him back in the bator and the next morning he was right as rain. So, from now on we leave all newly hatched chicks in the bator a minimum of 24 hours period. No exceptions.

I should note that the only turkey that didn't survive the year was very deliberately sent to Camp Kenmore

The hatchery chicks I got the year before was a dismal failure. A group of us ordered together, 27 poults, 9 arrived alive, of those I got 3, 2 dropped dead for no apparent reason are different times, the 3 survived till butcher day but was NOT very well filled out.

I'll stick with my home grown birds

 

[AK Michelle]

S/he was a shrink wrapped chick that I had to "birth" from the egg. It's warmed but probably won't fluff up for 24 to 48 hours or so cause of the nasty glue like stuff from the membrane.

I always have a small dish of warm water ready so I can bathe them to get the goo off, Crispy chicks just look so uncomfortable.

 

[AK Michelle]

Finally! I'm all caught up and most of you are already fast asleep, except Mahonri, I'm sure if he's not up now he will be soon

I will likely set some more turkey eggs with the Icelandics for the hatch-a-long. we only have 4 babies, we have room to winter over 10 or 12. DH thinks we should have a few more, it works out better when we can hatch our own eggs. With the barn setup we can keep them inside, warm and well lit, and they start laying well before spring.

 

[Spangled]

Sorry, NotAFarm, I was trying to be funny.

But we all know how "funny" often doesn't translate in postings. I thought for sure you would just reply with something like, Well if it makes you woozy when you stare at it, then, of course, stop staring at it!

Have a good night. Or morning, if you're reading this tomorrow. I'm looking forward to your happy daily countdown announcement.

 

[AK Michelle]

It's true what they say, Things just grow bigger in Alaska.




This is Alessandro our Maremma. He keeps our pasture safe from unwanted "visitors".






at 9 weeks old at 7 months old


Must be all the clean mountain air

 

[Mahonri]

Finally! I'm all caught up and most of you are already fast asleep, except Mahonri, I'm sure if he's not up now he will be soon

You know me too well. The KING of Insomnia.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Goodnight Dar.......