***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[NanaKat]

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

That is great news...for Muesky and her special students.

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?

How old are the Am eggs you received? What kind of incubator are you using?
This just a suggestion. You have to make the choice...it is a risk. If you are using a styrofoam incubator and If the eggs are less than 8 days on Friday, you can place the eggs in your egg turner on the counter for your trip. When you get home, move the turner into your incubator. Allow your Dorking eggs to rest 1/2 day and then add them to the incubator. All will go into lockdown together.
You might try something similar with other incubators....

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

Eggs get pretty dirty under a setting hen...broken eggs and hen poop. The bloom is not permanent protection.....
The bloom on your eggs will be washed off when you clean the eggs to remove the dried yolk.
I spray eggs with Oxine diluted in water (tsp to a quart) to help protect them during hatching.
If you were going to take the eggs from the hen to incubate, then wrap each egg with a warm dampened paper towel to soften the yolk and set the eggs in a warmed towel. Gently wipe off the soften yolk. Spray your eggs with Oxine solution or a mild bleach solution. Allow them to air dry and place in the incubator.

 

[Kyzmette]

Just an FYI... the Skiatook TSC has blue Cochin chicks. I assume they're large fowl, since you can always get Cochins in the mixed bantam tub.

 

[ashtree]

Does anyone raise Egyptian Fauyomis? I'm interested in hatching eggs and have had poor luck with shipped eggs recently.

 

[DBerryhill]

@NanaKat I love the idea of using the turner. The eggs were placed in the mail on Monday. I would hope they were freshly collected but.... Well not everyone is as nice as me. The lady that sent them packed them very carefully and was very prompt. I can tell they are from multiple hens due to varied colors. I have a genesis hovabator- styrofoam type. I'm toying with the idea of starting them in the morning. When their lockdown comes remove the turner sleeves from two rows and place them in a carton for lockdown.
When they hatch- it should be lockdown for the others....remove hatched chicks...final candle on dorking... Then lockdown again? It would be simpler to start all together. It's just tempting to start them tomorrow since I know I will be in the bator just prior to lockdown anyway. ---editing to add- it's not so much that I stand to loose a good sum of money on these eggs... But more that these are THE puffy cheeked "elsa" chickens my daughter has her heart set on. I just really don't want to disappoint her.

 

[NanaKat]

DBerryhill....hope they all hatch so she is a happy little girl!

Today was supposed to be hominy making day....but we got distracted by a delivery from Carl Jarvis. We bought a half pig from some pigs he got from an FFA project to be butchered. We are making head cheese today using Roger's mothers recipe. Nobody wanted the heads...so we got 9 heads Today we are processing 5 of them. I've pulled a few other recipes off the internet and will try one or two to see which one we like best. Mother says"We never wasted anything on a pig except the squeal".

Too cold this morning to work in the garden...so it is nice to be inside....although my kitchen looked like a scene from a horror movie as I repacked the heads for the freezer and prepped the ones for cooking. Now the pressure cookers are cooling for the next step....

Oh the country life!

 

[kassward]

I am looking to by a used incubator. I really want to try hatching some eggs. Anyone have one they would like to sale or know of one?

 

[lonnyandrinda]

I am looking to by a used incubator. I really want to try hatching some eggs. Anyone have one they would like to sale or know of one?

When you come to get your Cream Legbars (check your PMs) I have a styrofoam one you could borrow while you are looking for one. There are usually a few at the Coweta auction, which is the 3rd Friday of each month at the Wagoner Co fairgrounds.

 

[kassward]

When you come to get your Cream Legbars (check your PMs) I have a styrofoam one you could borrow while you are looking for one.  There are usually a few at the Coweta auction, which is the 3rd Friday of each month at the Wagoner Co fairgrounds.

Thank you. I don't have any eggs yet but that won't be a problem. I've been finding them everywhere and just had to pass until I had the bator. I'll call you tomorrow

 

[NanaKat]

Making head cheese has to be a labor of love and necessity!
Of course, I don't think the women of old were processing 4 at a time... I was still pulling meat off the bone at 10:30 pm.

...ended up with almost 7 pounds of meat. plus 1.5 pounds of tongue meat. Didn't save the brains...

.
The tongues have now been sliced and are in the slow cooker to finish cooking with a little onion, celery, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper.
Roger's Mother likes her head cheese made with sage, crushed red pepper, cracked black pepper and salt. So I have reduced 1/2 the 4 gallons of broth for her recipe.
The other 1/2 I'm making into a recipe I found using onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, bell peppers, bay leaves, crushed red peppers, salt and pepper corns in the broth as it condenses. Straining that out and then adding fine chopped red bell pepper, green onions, cracked black pepper and carrots to the meat to reheat and then gel.
These will make nice lunchmeat loaves to serve on sandwiches or with crackers.

I still have a thawed head to pressure cook before making the trip to his Mom's with all the prepped ingredients. I'm canning the broth in 1/2 gallon jars, the meat is in the fridge, the tongue willl be packaged for the trip along with spices.

 

[BetsyOK]

You inspire us all--but we can't come close to what you accomplish!