***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[DBerryhill]

Glad to hear everyone is ok. Question for you experienced hatchers out there. I received my ordered Ameracauna eggs yesterday. They are resting and I hope some air cells return. :/ I am driving to pick up dorking hatching eggs in Arkansas Saturday with the intent to set them on Sunday. I am concerned about the window of opportunity on these am eggs. If I let them rest 2 days and then stick them in the bator that would mean I start them Friday before I head off and they would be two days ahead of my dorkings. I don't want to stagger them... But I don't want to loose any chance of hatching the am eggs either. Ugh. I wish I had another bator. What would yall do?

 

[BetsyOK]

NPIP stands for National Poultry Improvement Plan, and flock certification is required if you show your birds and if you sell birds or eggs over state lines. When your flock becomes NPIP Certified you pledge to only add eggs or birds from other NPIP certified stock, unless you have those birds tested before you add them to your flock. The Dept. of Ag. will send out certified employees to test your birds annually and swab their throats to test for Avian Influenza. The cost through the Ag. Dept. is only $5 for the paperwork. My flock has been certified for quite a number of years, and I first had them tested for my peace of mind. I only sold a few birds locally at that time, but I sell more now and do show some. The first year, your entire flock must be tested, and a drop of blood is drawn for each for the test. After 5 years, 1/2 your flock is tested, and after 10, 1/4.

You can go through their classes to become a certified tester, which means you get the paperwork, can order the supplies from the Ag. Dept. and can then test yours and other people's birds. You can charge a per bird fee for testing others' birds, and many of the Shows have testers on hand to test any birds that don't have documented flock certification. I was a tester for several years, more or less as a backup, but also so I could test birds NOT from certified flocks, if I ever acquired any--only did this once.

 

[BetsyOK]

Those hail stones look to be about the size of most of ours, but we also had quite a few that were golf ball sized and a fair amount that were about tennis ball sized; maybe bigger--we didn't go out during that storm to pick them up. They really made loud noise when they hit, and getting hit by one would have hurt!

 

[miohippus]

I went out to make sure all of the baby goats were in the run in sheds I was so sacred one of them would be hurt. Otherwise I would have been out there

 

[kassward]

NPIP stands for National Poultry Improvement Plan, and flock certification is required if you show your birds and if you sell birds or eggs over state lines.  When your flock becomes NPIP Certified you pledge to only add eggs or birds from other NPIP certified stock, unless you have those birds tested before you add them to your flock.  The Dept. of Ag. will send out certified employees to test your birds annually and swab their throats to test for Avian Influenza.  The cost through the Ag. Dept.  is only $5 for the paperwork.  My flock has been certified for quite a number of years, and I first had them tested for my peace of mind.  I only sold a few birds locally at that time, but I sell more now and do show some.  The first year, your entire flock must be tested, and a drop of blood is drawn for each for the test.  After 5 years, 1/2 your flock is tested, and after 10, 1/4. 

You can go through their classes to become a certified tester, which means you get the paperwork, can order the supplies from the Ag. Dept. and can then test yours and other people's birds.  You can charge a per bird fee for testing others' birds, and many of the Shows have testers on hand to test any birds that don't have documented flock certification.  I was a tester for several years, more or less as a backup, but also so I could test birds NOT from certified flocks, if I ever acquired any--only did this once. 

Very good info thanks.

 

[mjgigax]

Just heard from Muesky - her classroom had very little damage!

 

[artsyrobin]

Just heard from Muesky - her classroom had very little damage!

YES!!!!

 

[BetsyOK]

Wonderful! Looks as if the school itself sustained quite a bit of damage.

 

[greenbeetle]

I have a LF Cochin hen sitting on a dozen eggs since Monday, she was just off the nest so took a look and two of the eggs had busted (she is a huge girl), my question is there is yolk all over the other eggs, is this going to damage the other eggs, should I try to wash them off,..not sure what to do at this point. I was going to take her eggs this weekend and put in the incubator and give her some more eggs or chicks that just hatched out. What is your opinion, should I just toss the remaining soiled eggs. Thanks

 

[Chickenfan4life]

The talk of the school was the tornado/storm! Some of my own classmates were driving when the tornado started forming, they said, and had to take shelter in a hotel!