She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[AmyLynn2374]

Oh, you know I love ya!

Just no need to apologize for offering your opinion, lol... yep, severe allergies here, so think that's what started this...

I believe ambient humidity plays a huge part in the incubation process, especially when using styros... I incubated all last winter and added water each time, had great hatch rates... spring came and my hatch rates plummeted severely, so I tried dry... hatch rates jumped back up, lol... our ambient humidity here is at least equal to if not higher than our temps at all times...

gachooks being in Georgia, I think has similar humidity thus my suggestions...

You being in drier climate, I would not suggest going full dry... usually I either look at where a person is, or ask what their ambient humidity is before making suggestions on humidity levels in bator...

thanks for the well wishes... I hate sinus issues...

When I did the Easter Hatch A Long of course it was still winter here and still using the pellet stove. I had to have a wet sponge to keep the humidty at the 30% that I like. During spring/summer I can go w/o any water at all in the bator and keep right around that 30%.

 

[meganhundley]

I was always told as a kid "because I said so" every time I asked why and I hated that! I have said it once or twice but for the most part, I always try to give a explanation because that drove me nuts as a kid!
Yes, I had good luck with charcoal/carbon moisture control stuff that I found at the dollar store. I can't post a pic if you like.

I'm so guilty of that!! For the most part my son does what he's told without question... but my daughter refuses to do anything the first 10 times I tell her to and asks why several times, my reason is always "because I'm your mother and I said so!" But really it's because it's something I really don't want to do or am too lazy to do at the moment, lol. I'm terrible.

 

[meganhundley]

Ok, so when I went to get my "3 month old" silkies, they turned out to be almost grown, they are atleast 5 months, but anyway, while I was there she gave me a silkie egg, she would've Given me more but her hen went broody and this was just an extra. Anyway, the egg has some dried yolk and dirty stuff on it. How should I clean it and do y'all think it'll be ok to hatch?

 

[Cockatrice6420]

I'm so guilty of that!! For the most part my son does what he's told without question... but my daughter refuses to do anything the first 10 times I tell her to and asks why several times, my reason is always "because I'm your mother and I said so!" But really it's because it's something I really don't want to do or am too lazy to do at the moment, lol. I'm terrible.

Nah, not terrible. They have to experiment with adult monotony so they can get good at it later. It's their right of passage to pick up some of the slack from tired mom that's been doing it all for them for so long. If they're almost as big as an adult, then they should be able to do nearly adult jobs. Or so I tell mine when I don't want to do something.

 

[meganhundley]

Nah, not terrible. They have to experiment with adult monotony so they can get good at it later. It's their right of passage to pick up some of the slack from tired mom that's been doing it all for them for so long. If they're almost as big as an adult, then they should be able to do nearly adult jobs. Or so I tell mine when I don't want to do something.

Mainly it's just feeding the dogs or folding the clothes that I have them do. Or if 1 of my chicken feeders is empty I'll have her do it. It's mainly chore type jobs that they should have to do anyway. The only chore they really have is dishes.

 

[WalnutHill]

Ok, so when I went to get my "3 month old" silkies, they turned out to be almost grown, they are atleast 5 months, but anyway, while I was there she gave me a silkie egg, she would've Given me more but her hen went broody and this was just an extra. Anyway, the egg has some dried yolk and dirty stuff on it. How should I clean it and do y'all think it'll be ok to hatch?

I use the edge of a credit card to scrape off what will come off, and ignore the rest. As long as the contamination is on the outside of the shell and does not pass through, then no harm is done...hens can make a heck of a mess in a nest and still hatch chicks.

 

[rossfam06]

Superman would look a bit happier than that, irl, I think? Final count is 9/12 So, 75% Full on blue this time(unless you count 2 candles and marking the air cells at lockdown as red/purple). 2/2 BA's, and 7/10 Rhodebars(3 girls and 4 boys). We ran lower and moister this time. Last time we ran high and dry. We also candled a lot more. So, now I guess we'll have to collect more Rhodebar eggs and run a high/dry hatch to see if it was the method used or the stock that lowered our hatch rate. Drat, and hubbs thought he was hiding the bator from me until the HRIR get here. We are in love, though! I can't think of a better use for our master bath right now. Now the eggtopsy: Is this a drowned chick? It pipped internally, but quit after a day or so. We had one malpositioned chick that quit after its external pip. I stayed blue in that case b/c I read that genetic issues can cause that at times. The 3rd chick that made it to lockdown never pipped internally and the membrane was white and dry(no pics). Is that shrink-wrapped? @sideWing , I didn't get to taking pics today, try again tomorrow. @meganhundley , How's it going? @E1 else,

Not all malpositioned chicks is genetics. Mine piped at pointy end and I waited.....then he started zipping the length if the shell..so I tapped into the air cell to watch the vessels until all blood and yolk was absorbed then I helped him out. And he is just fine. No deformities.

Guano crazy! Here, it's guano crazy! lol.....lol

Awesomesauce!

Best thing to do is go to bed. Seriously, I am a born meddler. Now that I have good incubators I set my eggs at midnight so that they hatch before I wake up. That helps me keep meddling to a minimum.

X2

As this is my 5000th post, I gotta dedicate it... So I dedicate this post to... SC!!! Everyone, meet SC the BCM...

He earned the name since every time I looked in the bator he was sitting in the corner screaming his head off...

Yes!!!!

Excess liquid in with the chick?? Inbreeding is entirely different from linebreeding... inbreeding is constantly breeding brother to sister, breeding from same hatches of same flock... linebreeding is, for example, breeding the daughters back to the father, then the next group of daughters back to same roo...

What is your opinion on doing this?? I am just curious. I might do this if it's okay. Lol!!

Sheesh, guys, I'm gone for nearly 3 days, and I'm only behind 700-some posts (granted, nearly 800 by the time I caught up)? Did someone steal your internet? Took my older daughter with me to the women's retreat with our old church Thursday--thought I'd share a pic

Looks like you guys are having fun!!

Ooh, and heart attack potatoes. Thin sliced, seasoned, and layered with sour cream and cheddar cheese..... I want Thanks Giving! Oh, pecan pie.....

Yummmmm!!!! No diet during the holidays in my opinion.

Yes

....forgot what I was going to say to this. Oh I remember now.....how are you going to tell which ones are from Davis lines once they are all dried out??

I have a pen full of silkies that just spits chicks out every few weeks

 

[WalnutHill]

I sold six more of my "surplus" birds today. Some of the cockerels and all of the undetermined are gone now (I kept the ones I thought were likely pullets). Only a couple of roos and cockerels left, along with the bantams.

 

[meganhundley]

I use the edge of a credit card to scrape off what will come off, and ignore the rest.  As long as the contamination is on the outside of the shell and does not pass through, then no harm is done...hens can make a heck of a mess in a nest and still hatch chicks.

K, I think I got most of it off while I was messing with it on the ride home. I'll probably let it sit til these Welsummers do what they're going to do. I don't really want to run the bator for 1 egg but I don't want to waste it either. I wonder if it would be ok to let it sit til I get the Icelandic eggs next weekend? I'm not really sure when it was laid, I'm assuming it was laid today cause she just noticed it while I was there this morning.

 

[WalnutHill]

What is your opinion on doing this?? I am just curious. I might do this if it's okay. Lol!!

Around 1997, there were only 7 Narragansett turkeys known to exist in breeding flocks. If not for line breeding, Narragansetts would be extinct today because the genetics can be diluted to zero in two generations of outcrossing.

Narragansetts were once a very popular breed of large size, with 33 pound toms. My toms come from Porter stock, and I've never seen a 33 lb Narragansett tom. Hens are small too. But I am selectively breeding, keeping my larger good young hens, and breeding back to their dad, who is the best tom in the flock from the 2nd year prior. I am six years into breeding and finally have hens over 14 pounds and toms over 20, so I am making progress. It's taking a long time because I am not bringing in Bronze blood to do this...just slowly and selectively working with two sets of Narri genes.