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

[Melissa Rose]

Was able to finally candle last night and the Post Guy was even more brutal and vicious than I first thought

Out of the 141 eggs I set I had to pull 62 that were cracked or not even incubating

There are a great # more that will probably not be any good but I left them for now. That makes my count go from 141 to 79 right now

Happy Day All I have got to get my okra and tomatoes and peppers in the ground

 

[rarely bored]

Good morning all! (Good night Kathy

)
SCG sorry about your hen. At least it was fairly quick. I had a pullet last year that just wasted away over a few days. She wasn't hurt, she didn't have anything contagious just sat there puffed up (I kept her separated from the flock so that they wouldn't pick on her) and eventually passed away. I don't know what was wrong with her.

Sitting here trying to get motivated. Tomorrow is supposed to be super windy here so I have got to be motivated today. Feel like I have a hangover and I haven't had anything to drink in months probably. I am hoping it is just my body trying to catch up from the lack of sleep and not me coming down with anything. One more week and DH will be home

Alright have to go take a shower, maybe that will wake me up a bit and get me going.

You are getting into mold season... that knocks me out pretty bad. Hopefully it is your body catching up, since mold toxicity issues are a life long type thing.

In fact I'm making two loaves right now. I think I got some sticky flour and water under my enter key because it's not longer working!

Yes, cooking and electronics do not work well together. Using the kindle for a biscuit recipe was not the brightest thing I've done.

Woot! It's friday! oh shoot, suppose to do a car wash tomorrow... and it might rain.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Happy Day All I have got to get my okra and tomatoes and peppers in the ground

I am sooo jealous.

I planted my garden last Saturday, the cold weather crops at least.

Twice this week this was the scene in the morning:


I have to keep telling myself I LIVE IN MAINE. I LIVE IN MAINE.

PS The enter key is now working. Perhaps the chocolate milk I spilled under the keyboard a few months ago helped me out with the flour/water.

 

[rarely bored]

Was able to finally candle last night and the Post Guy was even more brutal and vicious than I first thought

Out of the 141 eggs I set I had to pull 62 that were cracked or not even incubating

There are a great # more that will probably not be any good but I left them for now. That makes my count go from 141 to 79 right now

Happy Day All I have got to get my okra and tomatoes and peppers in the ground

Sorry about the eggs!

Tomatoes! Peppers!! All ready??? I'm just celebrating one pepper seed sprouting... Tomatoes have been sprouted for a week, but I'm not ready to put them out in the cold harsh ground, just yet.

 

[NotAFarm]

Quote:

You may be talking about me.......I took some eggs that had been incubated, one was pipped and put them under a broody hen. There were 6 eggs, three hatched, one was a quitter around day 10/12, a dark shell so I couldn't see that until the eggtopsy, one full term with yolk absorbed but couldn't break a very hard shell, the chick was very large and filled the shell completely and I had a hard time cracking the shell for the eggtopsy, the last was a developed chick that never pipped internally and didn't absorb the yolk.

I've done this before with my Icelandic eggs....collect a week or ten days worth and start them in the incubator. When a hen goes broody, and I know she is serious (doesn't spend much time off the nest, growls when anyone is around the nest, growls when anyone approaches her when she getting a drink, eating and doing her business, is puffed up when off the nest and flattened out like a pancake when she is on it). I move her and her nest of "practice" eggs (golf balls which I have given her while determining if she's serious) to a separate broody nest, moving only at night so she can settle on the new nest without seeing she is in a different place. I try to have the broody nest somewhere secluded and dark. I have, rarely, left a hen where she is, but it depends where the nest is and where she is in the pecking order and if it's the "favorite" nest or one used exclusively by her. If she is still serious, then she gets eggs. Once she is in the broody nest and you think she's going to get eggs, go in at night around the same time you plan to exchange her "practice" eggs with real ones and slowly reach under her. It will get her used to you moving your hand under her without bothering/taking her eggs (you can also do this before she even makes it to the broody nest stage). I take the incubated eggs out and place them in a basket that has a warm towel in it and cover them with another towel. I use a very small light as to not disturb her, slowly place two warm eggs and remove two golf balls at a time (I have a size large hand so maybe two eggs maybe tricky of someone with small hands, adjust to fit yours). Each hen is different and some will break the brood if moved, none of mine have but I've read of others. I've never had one that was serious not raise the chicks, even if they've only had them a day or so.
I don't always wait so late to move the eggs from the incubator...I'll let a hen sit on them as soon as I know she'll stick with it.
I moved eggs last year that I know had pipped interally, I could hear peeps but no external pips were visible, and gave them to a hen who hatched 11 of the 12 I gave her.

Disclaimer...........I'm just telling you my experience......not a professional anything.......just love my flock....this is how I do it........your experience may vary.

I love flowers! And speaking of that....got to get back outside and finish some garden clean-up!!

 

[Melissa Rose]

Quote:
You know it is not going to be a really good hatch when the boxes come in looking like this

I actually have an Anaheim pepper that I left out in the garden in a pot and it did not freeze

I did not cover it or protect it at all

Last summer was brutally dry and hot with 110 for days so this spring is moist and wet and I hope the summer stays below the tripple digits

 

[Melissa Rose]

Quote:

You are a brave soul

Me and the shell babies could not take it

 

[greeneacre]

SCG-- Sorry about your Black Betty.

My Ninja kitty was at it again last night. She didn't break Plexiglas on the bator, but she was very much protecting the house. The road I live on ( three country houses away) has a small "grill" that serves alcohol and their Karaoke night was last night and they must have done it outside because the vocal on the PA was quite loud. Ninja didn't like it and was on her window perch growling at the noise outside HER house. She kept her spot until they were done.

 

[Jessshan8]

Question?
Where do you post the pics of the incubators? I looked at the list of contests on page 1 and clicked on the incubator link and no entries. confused here, please help.

 

[Spangled]

Finally made time to candle last night, only had to throw out 7 bad ones, which would leave me with 41 if my slippery hands hadn't dropped one that was developed,

I seriously cried when it happened!

Oh, dear. So sorry.

Playing around with visio in preparation for my certification. Barn chores spaghetti diagram before the Polaris.

This is cool. And the other diagram, too. But they're making me sorta dizzy and tired just looking at 'em. Ya know? Maybe I should go have some Nyquil or cigarettes to help me feel better. Or maybe I just need some glasses. Or maybe I'm just hungry for spaghetti.

So what is this "visio" of which you speak? Can I get my own? Or a reasonable facsimile? Or is it not for the uncertified huddled masses?

So at 430 I kicked broody Black Betty off her nest. She seemed fine. She ate and laid down in the shavings for a bit. Had a colossal broody poo. She's been broody less than a week. And she's a great broody.

At 645 I went out to put the chickens to bed. I'm missing a chicken. Black Betty isn't in her nest.

I find her under the coop, she looks like shes laying on dirt thinking it's her eggs. So I pick up a 2x4 to push her with it and try to convince her to go back to bed. She acts really weird and stiff and pretty much rolls in a 180. I am able to run around the coop and pick her up. She's stiff and weak, can't stand, can't keep her head up.

She's dying. I know it.

She's on my lap right now, I brought her into the house where it's warm (cause she was cold) so she can die somewhat comfortably.

What could have possibly happened in the slightly more than 2 hours since I threw her off the nest?

Oh, no. Oh, no. I am still way behind and not caught up on this thread, so I'm sure you've updated on her condition. I hope she suddenly gets better. I had a rooster suddenly get better when I brought him in the house and gave him water with non-iron laced Poly-Vi-Sol. I'm hoping she's already up and wam a lam-ming again.