Michigan

[SillyChicken]

Nigellas -

Glad you're seeing some activity with the eggs!

 

[SillyChicken]

So do you have a pervasive sulphur smell and fires raging around your property Mom 2em? Pentagram crop "circles" mysteriously appearing?

What, are you saying.... the power of chick compels her?

 

[chickflick]

Newbies!

Glad to see a few of the missing back!! Nice to see you again.
Think I have 6 broodies now!! Why? Wish they would figure out, no rooster, no babies.

My silkie is sitting on her eggs like a good mama. Due date is the first of May.
Gotta go and do my chores, it's suppose to rain this afternoon. Have a great day!

 

[EeyoreD]

What, are you saying.... the power of chick compels her?

I was thinking more along the lines of the Keymaster/Gatekeeper:

Think I have 6 broodies now!! Why? Wish they would figure out, no rooster, no babies.

Maybe they're trying to make you sous vide eggs for breakfast?

 

[SillyChicken]

I was thinking more along the lines of the Keymaster/Gatekeeper:

oh geeze...

Sooooooooooo..................anyone got plans for the weekend?

Aside from the brood box, I have a few roosters that I have to get rid of... they're exuberance is making a mess of my hens... so I considered just skinning them rather than de-feathering... is that a time saver? I have a few people on the hunting forum that was interested in the feathers. Has anyone ever prepared a chicken hide to dry it? I was thinking just salting it would be fine, but if anyone has had experience with this I'm all ears!

 

[EeyoreD]

I couldn't resist, sorry. (it's a PG movie!)

As for weekend plans:

I need to get going on building the hoop coop for the chickens. Have the cattle panels, need to get the wood and stuff.

Also I need to pick up entirely too many fowl from Olive... dang her. (I'm lying about the dang it, I'm getting more and more excited about them by the minute as she can attest to given the numerous PMs I'm sending her)

And as a result of the Olive Math I need to fence off the garden.

I've heard about the skinning of the chickens (and I admit I've yet to cull/kill/clean/etc any poultry) but I can't help but thinking that the skin of a chicken is the best part. Even if you're not going to roast it, I would mourn losing the opportunity to make schmaltz and gribenes out of it.

 

[Opa]

Since this morning's discussion seems to center on candling I thought I'd share what I have found to be the least expensive, safest, and most effective candling light I have found. One difficulty is finding a light that is bright enough. Incandescent light generates too much heat and the new LED light don't have that problem. The best I have found is a Redline brand from ACE hardware for $19. I then added a piece of foam pipe insulation to create a soft cushion seal so that all of the light is directed into the egg.








Dark eggs like Welsummers are difficult to candle. Yet as this picture shows the egg is illuminated perfectly.



A word of caution. You want to handle the eggs as gently as possible, especially on the 17th or 18th day. I candle and move them from the turner back to the incubator at the same time.

 

[Elliemae 77]

Since this morning's discussion seems to center on candling I thought I'd share what I have found to be the least expensive, safest, and most effective candling light I have found. One difficulty is finding a light that is bright enough. Incandescent light generates too much heat and the new LED light don't have that problem. The best I have found is a Redline brand from ACE hardware for $19. I then added a piece of foam pipe insulation to create a soft cushion seal so that all of the light is directed into the egg. Dark eggs like Welsummers are difficult to candle. Yet as this picture shows the egg is illuminated perfectly. [COLOR=FF0000]A word of caution. [/COLOR] [COLOR=000000]You want to handle the eggs as gently as possible, espec[/COLOR]ially on the 17th or 18th day. I candle and move them from the turner back to the incubator at the same time.

OH, that's cool! I'm gonna try it!

 

[NovaAman]

I use this little LED light... Works just great. One of the pocket sizes that you can get off the gotta get it rack while you are checking out at the gas station... LOL

I was going to comment on something that I read several pages ago... Now I do not remember what it was. Oh well. I should have quoted... Guess it wasn't as important as I thought, otherwise I would have remembered. BUT dang! I posted my last comment this morning about 6:45... And 5 hours later, over 50 posts to catch up on. I am going to chalk it up to the crap shoot weather we are having. YAH! I really didn't feel like doing anything in the yard today anyway.

Silkie baby number 2 is still not out. She has a good hole going on... but still not out. Chirping away... SO, not worried shes going to be stuck in and need help.. Yet. I have sterile tweezers on stand by in case. The bit of colouring i can see, leads me to believe that she has more grey than her sibling... See how I keep saying SHE? I am hoping to not have Mom disordered chicks. MAKE! LoL

Gotta get my money off to school, and then head down to here chicky chicky!

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Welcome to all the new members! And glad to see some of the returning old members

EMAW, what part of Germany are you in? I spent a year in Mannheim/Vernheim, many many years ago.

Someone was asking about the metal waterers the other day. If you add stuff to the water like ACV or vitamins, it may make the metal corrode and rust.

Silly Chicken, sorry I missed your birthday, I was having issues with posting again. I hope you had a great one!

Weekend plans... finish the baby quilts before the babies graduate from high school