Minnesota!

[bantiesrule]

Trying to remember it all..

Lala he is fertile, I had a nearly developed chick in one egg and a starter in the other. I will break these tomorrow night, I know they will have nearly or fully developed chicks.

I have ordered 4 more thermometers, so I can have two in each incubator. I am also going to get the fan kit for the hatcher. I have found the variation in temperature unacceptable. (variation within different areas in the incubator)

I am not going to do much more for Bert, except make him comfortable. My DW and I have decided it is nearly the end for him, he started breathing hard and sounds like he has pneumonia. Tonight his whole body is "shaking" for lack of a better turn. We are hoping for a miracle, but are realistic too. The sad part is his foot looked better tonight. The swelling was down a tad and the redness was gone, but then his comb was not the bright red it normally is either. I will miss him, I tired CX's are just hard to keep alive for a long time. He was a cool bird.

Guineas are Guineas, that is all you can say about them, they are entertaining , aggressive and eat ticks...

BogtownChick, maybe you should try a Guinea Creamette hybrid.

My chickens ate so much pumpkin last fall they will be wormless for years. I am actually planting pumpkins for them this spring. If I plant enough my grandkids will ge jack-o-laterns, if the shed door stays closed. I have Cayenne pepper, I got 20 pounds from Amazon for the birds. I am not adverse to using drugs if need be in the CL's as I have no intention of eating them or their eggs. The others I want to keep it out of because they are food and pets at the same time.

Caerbhael Chickens are not democratic, do not believe in equal rights, or justice. If you pass out and fall down cutting your arm so it bleeds on the way down in the chicken pen they will eat you in a matter of minutes. Leaving bones, unless they can get the marrow out of them, in which case you would simply disappear. They are all mini-T-rex's.

Hey Ralphie, so sorry about Bert.

I don't remember exactly what it said or where I read it but I think there was something about not hatching eggs after using a wormer. Sometimes the chicks will be deformed or very sickly? Does anyone else have this bit of info and/or can confirm or repute it?

 

[Rhetts]

Ralphie-I am sorry to hear Bert was not doing well last night. I hope things can turn around for him.

I have some turkey questions for you or anyone who knows. The hen was going across the road into the woods to (I assume) lay eggs. I do know she was laying because one day I needed the turkeys contained for delivery trucks coming and going so I put them in the fenced area with the geese. I found an egg on the ground. Any way, she would go nearly everyday and be gone for quite some time. She has not gone over there in at least 3 days. Obviously, by now the eggs have frozen if they were not eaten by something. Is she done laying for the season now? The turkeys completely free range. I was trying to think up a way to contain them and try to make a nest or something (how do they nest?) to encourage her to lay. BIL would love to incubate eggs but I have no means right now to do this. I would rather her brood them instead of incubating them but I can't do both obviously. I would appreciate some thoughts or suggestions on the matter.

 

[duluthralphie]

Hey Ralphie, so sorry about Bert.

I don't remember exactly what it said or where I read it but I think there was something about not hatching eggs after using a wormer. Sometimes the chicks will be deformed or very sickly? Does anyone else have this bit of info and/or can confirm or repute it?

I wondered about that. I am sure it is better not too. I am not sure they have mites or worms. I actually doubt it. I am just grasping at straws to get more eggs from them and someone on the CL thread said worms will slow or halt egg production. I will try the cayenne pepper and ACV first. If that does not work, I will try some witchcraft method that AmercianKraut will teach me, before deworming.

Ralphie-I am sorry to hear Bert was not doing well last night. I hope things can turn around for him.

I have some turkey questions for you or anyone who knows. The hen was going across the road into the woods to (I assume) lay eggs. I do know she was laying because one day I needed the turkeys contained for delivery trucks coming and going so I put them in the fenced area with the geese. I found an egg on the ground. Any way, she would go nearly everyday and be gone for quite some time. She has not gone over there in at least 3 days. Obviously, by now the eggs have frozen if they were not eaten by something. Is she done laying for the season now? The turkeys completely free range. I was trying to think up a way to contain them and try to make a nest or something (how do they nest?) to encourage her to lay. BIL would love to incubate eggs but I have no means right now to do this. I would rather her brood them instead of incubating them but I can't do both obviously. I would appreciate some thoughts or suggestions on the matter.

Thanks for the kind thoughts (all of you on Bert). I know you probably get tired of hearing about Bert, but heck he is one of my best friends) I think I might have caused him to accidently aspirate some liquid. I was giving him his antibiotic in an eye dropper and he started fighting me when he was getting better. This morning he is not wheezing or gurgling, so he is either better, or this is the death rally and he will soon be gone.

I have now mixed his antibiotics in his drinking water, beings he is drinking on his own again. His foot looked so much better last night it would be a shame if he died now. He is on his own today as I am in the greater Metro area (Shakopee) having anxiety attacks from all the people around here, and doing Grandpa DayCare again.

My wife has arranged her patients so she has a short break to stop home and look in on Bert.


Rhetts, The turkey eggs could be okay even if they did get a light frost. If you know the direction she heads you can try to follow, which will most likely prove futile. Or after she has been gone from the yard for 10 minutes sneak out and see if you can find her. When you see her, search within 20 ft of the spot, They seem to think if they act normal you will not look close to them.


I took eggs until mid July from Ethel last year. I think I got about 80 eggs from her. She then tried to hatch two batches that I know of where the nests where taken by predators. Finally, she hatched 5 poults on September 10th. I found her nest and she had 7 eggs that did not hatch, but all were full term. Sept 10th was a cold rainy day, we got over 2 inches of rain and her nest was in a depression/hollow. It appeared the poults pipped and then drowned in the shells. So you have lots of time to get her eggs.

I have 14 eggs of Ethels in the incubator from her 3 weeks in the pen. She is on her own now, I know the general direction she goes, but have not found the nest. It will be under a little tuft of tall grass or under a log or in a deadfall (the branches). They cover the eggs everytime they leave so look closely.

I have to go now, a diaper needs checking and I need Benadryl, I think I am getting hives from being around this many houses and people!

 

[holm25]

OK I have a question!! How cold is to cold for a broody with chicks?? Can they go outside in 27 degree weather??

 

[duluthralphie]

I have no idea, but mine has been out in the cold for the last 22 days. I am going to let her out of her "cage" in a day or two. I know eggs that are chillier may hatch late. so she will stay with them a few more days. She has been pretty good about staying on the eggs, but when I fed her yesterday I thought they felt cold. She is a very young poult so I have not got much faith in her.


I hope to get a few boxes made so I can force a couple to go broody. I would really like to use broodys instead of the incubator.

 

[nordicacres]

Ralphie, you could talk about Bert all day and I would happily read along! I love reading everyone's updates even though I don't always comment on them

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I'm doubtful the CL's have lice and mites and worms as well. I did checks on them when I first got them plus Triplell had done all of that herself too after she got them back from her 4-Hers last summer/fall. For lice and mites you just spread the fluff feathers around the vent and look at the base of the feather shaft for white crusty eggs. You may even see a mite and louse scamper out of the lite. They are easy to see. As for worms I cannot tell that other than if I seen one come out on the poo board and so far none of them. But then I never have seen worms excreted from my birds. But they've obviously had them.

There is definitely a 1/2 life of wormers that should be watched. I wouldn't attempt hatching eggs from them if you worm for at least a month to be safe. Probably only need two weeks for it to disipate but for baby chicks I'd wait the month. Feathers are affected worming too close to a molt so I would imagine fragile chick embryos would most likely be affected.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Also wanted to let you know Ralphie that I'm sorry Bert is going downhill.

He has surely been the source of lovely stories here on this thread. And I think we all can say we feel like we know him and we're thankful for his stories and daily soap opera shenanigans.

AmericanKraut do you have an up-to-date photo of CLBs settling into your place?

i've noticed the bashful creamette is now hanging out with the rest of the flock. her comb is significantly brighter right now than our little friendly one. So hopefully...some rare blue gems will be found in the nest box not so rarely.

And nooooooo on the frankensteinish idea of guinea/Crested Cream baby ideas.

 

[Drea07]

Really, really mad at my big dumb dog (seriously he's just not that bright, just a big meat head (lab)) right now. Went downstairs last night to tell the teenager it is dinner time. Noticed the basement door was left open, (later realized the toddler opened it.) it's supposed to be closed at all times to keep the dog out of the basement and keep my three year old and baby upstairs. Only to find the dog STANDING in the brooder box for my new duckies, he had killed one and had the other 9 pinned under the hardware cloth that was the cover.

Luckily the hardware cloth came down over the duckies, so he could not get to the other 9! Poor babies were so terrified, they were all trembling. Inspected each one and found they were all going to be okay.

The one ducky he did get was my only black runner! I'm soooo mad at the dog right now! He didn't bother the 5 week old chickens and ducks, just the 1 week duckies.

Think I may line the coops in vacuum cleaners just to keep the big dummy in line. Apparently vacuum cleaners are the big bad boogy monster that eats up dogs.

 

[duluthralphie]

Quote:
Sorry about your duck.. My labs are scared of the vacuum cleaner and the air compressor. Neither one has to be running if they see it they hide.....