Michigan

[chickflick]

Hi everyone! Did you miss me?? Yeah, right! lol
Went camping for the week end. Went to Tawas City. Love the town. Cute shops, not the t-shirt, after t-shirt kind of place. Wouldn't recommend the camp ground, but we had a blast. Been having fun camping this summer. Have gone to Frankenmuth, Holland, Traverse City and Tawas. In a couple of weeks, we go to Caseville for their Cheeseburger fest. Great times.
Nova, did Mr Fluffers get hurt in that hawk attack that happened last week? How's he doing?
Welcome to the newbies. Hope all you are doing well...

 

[RBahmer]

Hi everyone! Did you miss me?? Yeah, right! lol
Went camping for the week end. Went to Tawas City. Love the town. Cute shops, not the t-shirt, after t-shirt kind of place. Wouldn't recommend the camp ground, but we had a blast. Been having fun camping this summer. Have gone to Frankenmuth, Holland, Traverse City and Tawas. In a couple of weeks, we go to Caseville for their Cheeseburger fest. Great times.
Nova, did Mr Fluffers get hurt in that hawk attack that happened last week? How's he doing?
Welcome to the newbies. Hope all you are doing well...

I just LOVE Tawas. As much as I hate the cold it sure wouldn't take much to talk me into moving there. Just a beautiful place.

 

[BobBry]

I have a question, or several. -Robin and Sam, I read that the fertalized egg does not begin cell division untill it has been brought to the proper humidity and temp by the broody hen. One should place fake eggs under the broody at night acouple days before the real ones are placed, in order to give them, (hens) an opportunity to acclimate to the nest location (if hen is moved from the place she selected). Since my girls are in the same nest box in the laying nests, I figgure they must be separated and moved. Is a view prohibiting wall required or will wire do? (plywood or chicken wire division)? Must I hurry really fast to get the run modified to meet the requirements of brooding Sitting and the first days of raising chicks? More questions are sure to follow as lights flash in our brains. I asked robin and Sam cause I got the eggs from them, but anyother folks are encouraged to respond to this mish mash.

 

[NovaAman]

Nah chick, it was a juvie coon attack. Yes , he is getting better. I had him in the bathroom just so I could get the drench down him, and to give him extra yumyum treats and gurt to help with probiotics..
the other girls will snatch it from him, and he lets them, so separate feeding.

I want to go camping...

 

[BobBry]

and Olive,

If, as I have read, a sitting hen knows when to return to her eggs if she takes a break to eat, drink or eliminate, what is the determining factor(s)? Does she factor in things such as ambient temp, atmospheric pressure, humidity, specific heat of egg mass and the like? If so where the hell did the expression bird brain come from to apply to intellectually challenged people? Seriously, though, how?


I know lots of you can read the smallprint, but I have trouble with it. Futhermore, I almost have to be able to read what I peck cause I can't remember what I wrote half the time.

 

[NovaAman]

Bob, Mark the eggs... I like to put the day I expect them to hatch on them. I put it on an end, not the side, of the egg. Place the eggs under hen. Candle eggs after a week, chuck any that are not developing. Check the eggs again a week later, chuck any that quit. A day or so before hatching, staple up a chicken wire wall if you don't have a broody coop. You have 20 days, you could build a simple broody coop with some cheap ply, 2x2s and chicken wire. Or convert an old dog coop. I will move my broody, nest box and all into the broody area. Of course, I use plastic tubs with lids turned upside down with a hole in the side for nest boxes... I pic up the box with the broody still in it, but her in the broody coop at nightfall. If I have to many broodies,I partition. Watch your hens while brooding. Make sure they get off the nest once a day. Give them higher protein treats to keep their weight up. I will actually place treats right in front of them in the nest, they eat it. Leila so far is the only one I have had that I had to force her to go eat. She was that darn dedicated.

when the chicks hatch, remove shells asap. The biggest problem will be if you don't have your broodies isolated before the chicks hatch and another hen snatches a fresh hatched chick. I had that happen 2 times! I also change the nest box bedding about day 18. This give clean bedding for the chicks, and enough time for mom to compact it down. I use shavings. I like straw too, but I don't keep what I don't use.

The hens will know what to do. Just, set them, mark the date on the calendar. Take fresh laid eggs out of the nest boxes. Don't worry, they'll figure out soon enough that you aren't an enemy... But when those chicks hatch, you will be an enemy, and she will let you know it. Check the chicks quick and put them back quick.

 

[Stacykins]

Power company failure.

Since my internet relies on a hotspot (kinda like a cell phone, but it gives internet access) and I have a laptop, I was able to check for information on the current power outage on the power company website. I also reported details with their online system. The estimated time 'til power is restored? 1:45pm. Keep in mind that it was 2:30pm when the website told that to me. I guess they were a tad overconfident! Or capable of time travel. Though if they can travel through time, apparently they were not successful in restoring power by 1:45, or else I would have not needed to report the outage because the power would be back on!

 

[chickflick]

Glad Mr F is getting better. Poor guy. What we do for our pets!!
I love taking the grand kids camping. They have so much fun. When we went to Traverse, I just took the older grand kids so we wouldn't have to worry about the little ones and catering to their needs. Had so much fun biking everywhere and just doing what I wanted when I wanted. Caseville is definately for everyone! They have a parade that's like mardi gras, throwing candy and stuff from the floats. The campers decorate their campers with flamingos and lights and tiki bars. It's like Christmas.

 

[RBahmer]

I have a question, or several. -Robin and Sam, I read that the fertalized egg does not begin cell division untill it has been brought to the proper humidity and temp by the broody hen. One should place fake eggs under the broody at night acouple days before the real ones are placed, in order to give them, (hens) an opportunity to acclimate to the nest location (if hen is moved from the place she selected). Since my girls are in the same nest box in the laying nests, I figgure they must be separated and moved. Is a view prohibiting wall required or will wire do? (plywood or chicken wire division)? Must I hurry really fast to get the run modified to meet the requirements of brooding Sitting and the first days of raising chicks? More questions are sure to follow as lights flash in our brains. I asked robin and Sam cause I got the eggs from them, but anyother folks are encouraged to respond to this mish mash.

Bob - Sorry I can't help you much with this as I don't normally let a broody sit. I have only a couple of times. I usually just incubate eggs. Candling is a good idea like Nova said but with those eggs you will have a real difficult time doing this as they are so dark. I have tried many times with the Marans eggs with no luck at candeling. Maybe Sam or some other knowledgable person on here can help with this. Sorry

 

[NovaAman]

I used a full size mag lite. I have some eggs that are real dark from the chooks I got from Avalon. I usually just use a little LED maglite, But Opa rigged a great little thing that makes the light beam more directly for looking in those eggs, I didn't use that, but along the same concept cuz the idea was just great!