Michigan

[taprock]

Candled tonight. ...Started with 32...down to 11 after taking out yolkers and quitters......frustrating.....hope to get a few. Not to sure what I can do different..temp is at 99 humidity is at 45%... I'm using a LG with a auto turner and fan kit. A mixed bag from my hens and shipped eggs. Any suggestions?

I started with 42 took out 16 after the first 10 days and 2 more at lockdown. I ended up with 12, but since all of them were shipped eggs I'm going to call it good. I had 3 die in the shell this time. They pipped then it looked like too much liquid in the egg and it hardened up and stuck them right where they were. I know it's the eggs not the incubator because I tested 5 of our eggs and all 5 hatched.

 

[snowflake]

sitting here posting watching the sparrows go through my run fence to get feedthink I will start puttig the bird net around the run. little buggers seem to be going more after spill on the ground, but know it wont stay that way.....course I will spend all that time bird netting the fence and they will fly in the door that I leave open so the hens can come and go

Angie if you had that fine sawdust I think you could be right it could be the problem,,, the fine stuff is like a powder and it could plug them up,

Blasted guineas decided to drive me nuts tonight and fly into trees to roost at dusk. I managed to call 2 of them down and get them into the coop, but Mr and Mrs Duck kept squirting out and I had to chase them back in while the other 3 guineas finally flew back down and ran around squawking. Finally, they are all back in! I think as punishment they don't get to free range tomorrow. After all it's supposed to drop to 19 the next 2 nights and I don't want the idiots in the trees for that!

my daughter had some escape last year and get in a tree then we had an ice storm and their feet froze to the tree. tried to jump down in the AM and lost a foot,
hobbled around for some time with 1 foot,

DH bought a bunch of seeds from Johnny's last year, but due to lack of time decided to wait to use them this year. He commandeered one of the salad drawers in our fridge and put them there. He surrounded the packets with dry uncooked rice to help keep them dry until he's ready to use them.

hadn't heard of the rice before, good idea,,,, I work with a guy says they are good for 3-5yrs if kept cold


Opa do you keep your chicks outside? I have mine in a tractor pushed up by the house, covered most air vents to keep the heat in did fine last night but I am a bit concerned about the cold temps. I have 2 heat lamp in there as the first day I had trouble getting the temp up, only had the 250 on last night. can turn another 250 on ore a 150 don't want them to freeze but don't really want them inside either

 

[snowflake]

mom2
had sweet beagle at one time we had piano movers come in and he tried to take their leg off,

I would trust the dogs instinct, they often have good vibes especially if they are normally friendly

 

[sarah92480]

Cute dog Mom2!!

my daughter had some escape last year and get in a tree then we had an ice storm and their feet froze to the tree. tried to jump down in the AM and lost a foot,
hobbled around for some time with 1 foot,

OMG that is terrible!! I think I would be traumatized by this.

 

[Elliemae 77]

Good morning Opa,

Not sure if my hen wad fertile at the time. Not a problem with my rooster, my other hens eggs have live chicks, he just seems to ...um...prefer her over the other hen I guess. All my eggs were less than 10 days old. Broke all of them open to see. Most of the shipped eggs had started growing, but quit some early, some had more developed embryos, some had what I wasn't sure was a blood ring or just poor vein development. This is only my second time incubating eggs so a little unsure.....Trying to research and gain as much knowledge as I can.
Thank-you for the encouragement. I'll keep trying. Just hope it goes right soon...hatching eggs are expensive.

 

[Chickmate]

mom2
had sweet beagle at one time we had piano movers come in and he tried to take their leg off,

I would trust the dogs instinct, they often have good vibes especially if they are normally friendly

I agree Mom, keep an eye on those guys. I trust my dog's instincts with people 100%. As you know, they hear, smell, see and feel things we can't. My big mastiff was friendly with almost everyone but one day when I was having my front porch built they had to call in an extra helper who hadn't been there before. Otis took one look at him and started a low throaty growl and would not take his eyes off the guy. I don't know why he reacted that way, but I trusted him and asked the builder not to have him come back. Not only did I not trust the guy, but I didn't want to keep Big O in the house and I didn't want a law suit if he got bit. The other guys all loved Otis and he spent the day laying in the shade watching them work or walking around getting pats and compliments from them. Your guy looks scarey so they probably won't try to come in your yard, but I always worried about someone throwing poision or antifreeze in the yard to get rid of the dog. Some people are just evil and dogs can sense it.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Elliemae,

Check out this link for great hatching tips and tricks with shipped eggs..

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...crets-from-the-mahonri-2012-easter-hatchathon


Yep, snowflake and Chickmate, living in this drug-ridden low income neighborhood and Little Detroit on the corner- where they give you dirty looks if you happen to stop at the stop sign and look that direction (for cars coming) while they are at one of the many many cars that stop there...I trust my dog above all. He loves everyone but he has the scariest growl and bark. Usually, he will sound like a scary guard dog but once I am talking or if the person starts talking to him, he is a giant wiggle. Not so with these two men that hung by their house- and didnt come to the fence... so, its okay for them to fear him. Looking back, I believe the woman came to talk at fence as a distraction from whatever they were doing.

I found two dead chicks- my four weekers. My fault and I feel bad. I got a little lax at making sure they were locked up tight. You know, a few days of them staying close to the coop- and the big hens out free ranging..and I got lax. Whatever got them- got them through their back and left their bodies by the fence in back and beside the garage/fence.

I kind of blame my golden retreiver. He is good when we are out there, but very interested in the tennis balls "rolling around". The only plus is it was two little cockerels.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

taprock, wow i can't believe you got them all to sit still, and managed to not get poop in the picture

chickmate, i had the same thing happen, only it was with coons..... not even sure if they hibernated this year, so i am on guard already......
also at our local auction people carry the birds this way all the time. I was shocked at how they were so rough trying to yank the birds out of the cage, and it always took them a minute, the whole while the birds were literally screaming help! help! Eyes popped and jaws dropped when i went to my cage and calmly grabbed my bird out by the body, pressing the wings so she didn't flap, tucked her head under my arm, and walked out. no cage, no fuss. Most of those fools didn't even know there WAS an easier way. Never met a bird that didn't calm down when i tucked it under my arm. Even if you are going to eat them, why treat them badly? Because of this, the only way out around here is the long walk. I'd rather they died in peace at my house than in fear at another's.

Opa, great minds think alike! I made cake last night, guess i'd better get busy on the frosting, hmm? Does sound good right now.

For those of you with incubation questions and for trying to figure out chick deaths, i really do recommend "the chicken health handbook" by gail damarow. There are chapters on them, and there is a chart for chick deaths, with reasons for dying at what age. It is a good starting point for figuring out what's going on. Haven't had a question about chickens yet that this book didn't address. Even tells you how to do autopsies....I borrow a copy from my library, so that may be an option for some of you?

 

[1muttsfan]

LG incubators are famous (well, notorious) for producing poor hatches. There is a thread dedicated to helping those with LG's improve their hatches. Some of them apparently have temp swings and hot spots that are very difficult to work with.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Mom, she may just be a good person in a bad place, like you. Can't help it sometimes.