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

[ChooksChick]

Good morning One and All and Everybody Else.

Well, I went to Brinsea.com -- you know, the ones who've supplied a Mini Advance incubator as a prize for Mahonri's 3rd Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long and Marathon Posting Party -- and drooled over their incubators, et al, again. I just have to say that when I started using my budget-priced Brinsea ECO 20 for the first time, it was like the clouds had parted and the sun came out and a double rainbow appeared and the birds started cheeping. Frankly, I think my Brinsea incubator is revolutionary. I could finally sleep through the night during hatching season and still get good hatch rates ... even with my French Black Copper Marans eggs.

Let's see if I can get caught up ...

Java Girl 2 ... Yay! that your dad is home. Have fun with your black and black&stripey chickens. Why not 2 golden chickens, too?

SCG ... Sorry about your little tyrant. A loss is a loss ... but the extra room in the coop will be fun to fill, as you mentioned.

Taz/Tonya ... MIL ... oh dear. Sorry.

Wolfie: Did you get a smaller cast? You surely deserve a bre ... no not a break. A mini-vacation from your wrist. I hope you managed to find someone who could move some of your chickens around for you.

Necessary hatching equipment for Mahonri: Skivees, camera, internet.

Where's our Irish hatcher that used to post every day?

kathyinmo: glad your cough is getting a little better. Fingers crossed you continue improving. My cough got worse yesterday after cleaning the dusty chicken house.

Who am I forgetting? Lots of people.

ChesnutRidge: You posted something cool ... can't remember what ... oh, the chicken trivia page. Thanks. The photo of dawn on the Midwest, too. (I think that was you.)

Razadia: Guineas? Hope I spelled that properly. That will be fun! I have been wanting guineas for years, but it just hasn't worked out. Looking forward to pics of your new little games.

Oh, a big welcome to all the new joiners. And to others thinking about joining the hatch: What's to think about?

You'll have plenty of time to build a new coop during the 3 weeks of incubation!

There's still plenty of time to find some hatching eggs locally or have some shipped.

Okay. Caught up. Well except it looks like 10+ more posts have been made since I started this post!

Well done!! By the time I'm done reading, I've already commented on all of it in my head and forgotten what I wanted to say. You have done a smashing job of keeping track!

Good Monday morning everyone!

Oooh, Razadia, guineas! I want guineas. . . I just wonder if they would survive the local wildlife. Only one way to find out I suppose.

Wolftracks, glad to hear you got a new and smaller cast. Don't get carried away and hurt it again - you don't want to start over I'm sure.

SCG, way to find the silver lining!


5" of snow this morning. The chickens will be spending the day in their coops I suppose. Not because I won't let them out though. When it snows, after I open the door they all run to go outside and then slam on the brakes in horror. Some can't stop in time and almost kill themselves trying not to actually touch the snow while they scramble to get back in the coop. Then they all just stand in the doorway looking out. Such weenies!

Guineas tend to want to sleep in the trees unless you keep them in a coop and run until point-of-lay. If you can do that, they can then range and will come home every night- thus keeping away from owls and raccoons at night. It's what's worked best around here. They don't seem to be a risk for hawk predation, somehow, despite the Lavenders and Pieds being a bright target...I don't know if it's their shape, their screechiness, or what.

Thanks, you two!

Can anyone else share their methods to sterilize the inside of a bator in preparation for the next hatch?

Do the wafers go bad, eventuallly? How long do they last? What is the first sign that it needs replacing (I mean, before it quits completely?) If it falls off of it's dial post (mine did) are there any specific details that you have to see to when putting it back together?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

I soak and scrub the bottoms with a scrub brush and soap, then rinse with bleach-water. I use a damp scrub brush on the top if need be, but wipe it to rinse. I then spray it down with bleach water or Nixit or Oxine (whatever I have) and let it dry in the sun for a few hours. If the controls get damp due to my misting, they dry adequately prior to my next use. The sun will help to sterilize, and air-drying whatever I misted is an important part of the process.

DON'T leave it to air dry where your chickens can get at it. They'll eat the styrofoam faster than cob corn...no joke!

 

[AK Michelle]

Quote:

Silly question here. I had to set my guinea eggs last night. They came yesterday so I really had no choice. I will be setting eggs on the 17th for the hatch along but it will look like I've got a whole lot more than what is really in the hatch. Is this ok? This is my first hatchalong so I really don't want to mess up. If the income tax comes in I'll be getting a new incubator so it won't matter, but I don't know if that's going to happen. Just want to make sure I don't need to remove myself from the contests.

There are no silly questions here. You will fit right in, everyone who declares how many eggs they will set any earlier than the 17th will have to have Laree update their number. It's just a natural course of events, more eggs happen

I suggest you search for tetris egg stacking, there's pictures, just in case your new bator doesn't get here in time you can learn all about stacking in the incubator you have, that way there will be no egg left unhatched

 

[AK Michelle]

MAN YOU GUYS ARE NO HELP TO PICK OUT ONE BREED!!!!!!!!!!

ENABLES ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU ALL JUST WANT TO SEE ME HAVE MORE BREEDS OF CHICKENS!!!!!

AND MY MOM IS NO HELP ETHER, LORD KNOW IF I SAY ONE THING ABOUT GETTING POULTRY IN TO THE CAR SHE GO'S AND SAYS WELL WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!!!!!!

Forgive me, but I'm failing to see the problem here...

 

[SChunn]

Quote:

There are no silly questions here. You will fit right in, everyone who declares how many eggs they will set any earlier than the 17th will have to have Laree update their number. It's just a natural course of events, more eggs happen

I suggest you search for tetris egg stacking, there's pictures, just in case your new bator doesn't get here in time you can learn all about stacking in the incubator you have, that way there will be no egg left unhatched

Thanks. I soooo didn't need to see the stacking method!! I'm sure my hubby will thank you later..lol. I'm a newly diagnosed hatch-a-holic. He enables me by not saying much. Just shakes his head and makes plans for new coops.

 

[AK Michelle]

Thanks. I soooo didn't need to see the stacking method!! I'm sure my hubby will thank you later..lol. I'm a newly diagnosed hatch-a-holic. He enables me by not saying much. Just shakes his head and makes plans for new coops.

Awww, what a great guy, hang on to that one

 

[debs_flock]

I might be mean but that means there's one more spot in the coop for another hatchling.

In 4-H, I'd always say you could tell the new kids from the long term kids by their response to a dead rabbit.

New kid - "My bunny died"

Older kid - "An empty cage!"

Deb

 

[Spangled]

Guineas tend to want to sleep in the trees unless you keep them in a coop and run until point-of-lay. If you can do that, they can then range and will come home every night- thus keeping away from owls and raccoons at night.

Wow, great tip. Don't forget to include it in that book you must be writing on life with the fowls. You write the book. Put your smiley face on the back. I buy it. Then I don't have to try to remember that little tidbit of excellent info on Guineas.

 

[debs_flock]

I have Australorps and they are big, gentle birds. Both of the BA Roos I've owned have been docile and nice. The hens lay HUGE XL-Jumbo eggs. Cute black & yellow chicks too!

I have (had) a pair of HQ australorps. The hen is docile to the point of you barely notice she is there, but friendly and lays well. The rooster, after two lessons in "Who's the boss" went after me a third time. He no longer lives here as of the next day. He was gorgeous and a BIG boy (close to 10 pounds), but no point in having to constantly look over your shoulder when entering a pen to fill feeders, etc. He was very good with the ladies, if not a little too attentive. Many times I watched him make sure everyone had gone in for the night. If there were stragglers, he'd come out onto the ramp and "yell" at them. If they didn't follow him in, he'd come back out, grab them by the neck and give them a shake. Everyone ran into the house and I could close the door. He never ate treats, just called the ladies. If it weren't for the jumping people, he'd still be in charge of the egg flock.



Deb

 

[LarryPQ]

Just call her the super-busy-ubber-creative-super-friendly-comletely-helpful-sorta-brilliant-a-little-nutso-crazy-chicken-lady

Bwahahahaha, I used to think her name LaREE.Now I have to call her Chicken Larry because I have a very dear friend who is an older gentleman named Larry and sometimes when I say Larry did .... My family looks at me like I'm crazy if I don't clarify which one I'm talking about.

Of course sometimes it's fun to let them guess

I like it that I am talked about in Alaska. Good Stuff.

 

[SparkyCrows]

*awesome*

In 4-H, I'd always say you could tell the new kids from the long term kids by their response to a dead rabbit.

New kid - "My bunny died"

Older kid - "An empty cage!"

Deb