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

[scflock]

Today is lockdown. So I will not touch them!!

I hate that for you. Hindsight is a pain, but I probably would have chanced the power coming back on rather than moving them. You'd think Amy could save her "work" until at least day 22

I knew we were all locking down tonight, and I was going to say that will give you a good chance to candle them all. Hoping the best for you. I'm curious to see how my candling looks. I haven't candled at all since setting the eggs. Haven't tracked air cells or anything. Just set them, made sure humidity stayed at 30%, and

 

[Ravynscroft]

I hate that for you. Hindsight is a pain, but I probably would have chanced the power coming back on rather than moving them. You'd think Amy could save her "work" until at least day 22

I knew we were all locking down tonight, and I was going to say that will give you a good chance to candle them all. Hoping the best for you. I'm curious to see how my candling looks. I haven't candled at all since setting the eggs. Haven't tracked air cells or anything. Just set them, made sure humidity stayed at 30%, and

2nd batch of BCM's, right?

 

[scflock]

GA: about your rearranging vowels

that made me laugh.

I was adding consonants

I just had an odd encounter with my turkey. Went outside and she was in the back corner of my yard, acting strangly. Head was white as ash, neck was all red. Tail feathers were kinda fanned out. As I walked closer to her, I heard a deer blow and looked beyond the wood line to see 2 deer take off. I'm wondering if there was a wild turkey out there also and she was in a sexual mode?? Does that sound normal for a turkey hen? She's 22 weeks old.

You know how the girls get around Wild Turkey...

what's the blue rig?

Mrs. Flock's 60mph mulch hauler

Sure, you say this after I've spent a week reading and I'm 5500 posts in...

That's ok, I've learned a lot reading and will keep reading.

1/3 of the way in and you hate me already

Temp stability??? What's that???? LOL

I can't wait to have a garden that big. That's about the space my coops take up, and my garden is half the size.

You should have seen it before I got the chickens. I lost my mind when I bought the tractor

I think he's inspired me to plant a winter garden for the chooks as soon as I can get up and going again! Think I'll skip the tiller and go for the lasagna method this time.

You really should. I haven't read Lazy's lasagna method, but I can imagine. Kale is super easy, just go to the feed and seed, buy way more seed than you need, then scatter it out over the ground. I have a couple of patches for our personal use, then a huge patch for the chooks. With our mild winters it will grow straight through the winter, and the chickens love it. I plant enough to where I can dig up entire plants and set them in the pens. Gives them something to peck at all winter

 

[RubyNala97]

Oh, that far along? They should be fine then... don't worry...

 x2.  Time flies!  

thank you guys so much!!! Gives me hope!

I hate that for you. Hindsight is a pain, but I probably would have chanced the power coming back on rather than moving them. You'd think Amy could save her "work" until at least day 22

I knew we were all locking down tonight, and I was going to say that will give you a good chance to candle them all. Hoping the best for you. I'm curious to see how my candling looks. I haven't candled at all since setting the eggs. Haven't tracked air cells or anything. Just set them, made sure humidity stayed at 30%, and

This has been a nightmare batch for me. I'll candle tonight to see who's still alive. So it will actually be more interesting to do this candle and see what damage has been done. Hindsight is a....it's nuts, I'll just say. I'm really hoping the lower humidity has done the trick for you!! I'm hoping you get an amazing hatch. And lots more big bottomed chicks!!

 

[scflock]

2nd batch of BCM's, right?

Yes. Only had 8 make it out of the first batch, so hoping for much better results this time. Already collecting for the next, and hopefully final, set this year

 

[scflock]

thank you guys so much!!! Gives me hope!
This has been a nightmare batch for me. I'll candle tonight to see who's still alive. So it will actually be more interesting to do this candle and see what damage has been done. Hindsight is a....it's nuts, I'll just say. I'm really hoping the lower humidity has done the trick for you!! I'm hoping you get an amazing hatch. And lots more big bottomed chicks!!

I'll figure out how many make lockdown tonight, then we'll know the 75% goal for Queenie's parade

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I hate that for you. Hindsight is a pain, but I probably would have chanced the power coming back on rather than moving them. You'd think Amy could save her "work" until at least day 22

I knew we were all locking down tonight, and I was going to say that will give you a good chance to candle them all. Hoping the best for you. I'm curious to see how my candling looks. I haven't candled at all since setting the eggs. Haven't tracked air cells or anything. Just set them, made sure humidity stayed at 30%, and

OK, 1) I agree, I'd have waited it out. 2)

and 3) I am so curious how many are going into lockdown!!!!

I'll figure out how many make lockdown tonight, then we'll know the 75% goal for Queenie's parade

WooHoo!!! Come on parade time!

 

[FridayYet]

Just for the record, I knew Ruby was going into lockdown or I would never have mentioned moving the eggs!

I've also had a power pole taken out by a drunk driver and "a couple hours" ended up being 9 or 10. (Both times, same pole, same curve!)

Hoping for the best for everyone's hatches!

 

[lazy gardener]

Interesting thoughts about the wild birds and Turkeys.
That's super cool about your lasagna! I've been reading a good bit about it and think it's the way to go for us. We just bought a huge tiller last year, but it's so BIG and sq ft, no till gardening just makes more sense to me until we have enough land to require a real tractor, like Mr. Bigflock up there--even then. . .

We are currently working on a plan to start a breeding program. I think we are going to choose the same layout Carroll Abbott(The Chick Innkeeper) uses for our breeding runs. Maximum security, covered runs, measuring about 5'x25' each with about 5 runs to start with and three sided coops at each end for laying and winter shelter.

Then we are going to run new fencing around about a half acre of grass and 1 1/2 acres of woods for our free-ranging layers, which will be Rhodebars, Australorps and mixes. I'm excited. I can't wait for fall! Nothing like working in that kid of weather!

Also thinking about building a few tractors to grow out meat birds. They go for 30 bucks a processed bird around here. Hoping we can grow out around 50 every few months and help with the income a bit.

I have a beautiful TroyBilt. But... it only gets used on the rare occasion that I'm working up some nasty ground. I much prefer using my garden fork, and just opening up the planting rows or lightly forking (SC, my spelling is just fine here!) the beds before broadcasting seeds. Oh, but the fun things I could do with a nice big tractor with a blade and a bucket!!! I like your idea for property management with pred. proof runs, and fencing some acreage to give safer free range opportunity. You might want to look into electronet.

My power just went out and it's going to be several hours till it comes back on due to a car knocking the pole down. Should I move my eggs and incubator to my grandmas house about 2-3 miles away?? Please help!!

The risk of moving the eggs and damaging the embryos is higher than the risk of letting them cool. Blanket them and sit it out.

I'm so stressed out!! I had the incubator lid off last night and I was candling. I was almost on the last egg and the power went out! I don't have a generator or any backup. So I called my electric company and they told me their was an auto accident that knocked down a pole and that it would be out for several hours. So I panicked. I wrapped each egg, loosely in a paper towel and put them in a styro carton. And drove them and the incubator to my grandma's house that lives only a couple miles away. Of course the power came back on a few hours later. If I would have waited it out, it would have been out all night. Now I have to go back to her house and pick them up. This hatch was just never meant to be! I'm getting a small generator before spring hatches! Is there any hope left for these guys? I drove with them on my lap, very slow...

Ruby, I feel your stress re: power outages. My experience has been that I live in a very rural area, and my electricity comes to me after every body else on the grid has used it. (A bit of Brit humor there). So, we often lose power, and often for lengthy periods of time. (13 days once). When incubating, when the power goes out, I just wrap the bator in a bunch of blankets and hope for the best. I did get a convertor that would run the bator in a pinch (hooked up to a battery or car cig lighter, and would use that if faced with an extended outage. But... with your chicklets being so close to hatch, they are generating plenty of their own heat. There are some neat articles in the learning center about temperature changes, lapses of incubation in relation to embryo age that will help you to guide your decision process in future hatches. BTW, I've lost power repeatedly on more than one hatch, and the hatches were just fine, not even delayed. PP mentioning the stress of moving embryos with their fragile membranes bears merit, and I tend to agree with that position. On the other side of the coin, are the teachers who transport their bators home for tending, and then back to school every weekend, and they have acceptable hatches. Would their rates be higher if they didn't transport? Who knows. Point is, the little egglets are pretty tough, and often forgiving of less than ideal circumstances.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Yes. Only had 8 make it out of the first batch, so hoping for much better results this time. Already collecting for the next, and hopefully final, set this year

Sweet... I have a batch of Lav/Splits in (oops, gotta look to see what day I'm on) and will be doing another batch of shipped eggs in next couple days... thinking to make it my last this season... :/

Just for the record, I knew Ruby was going into lockdown or I would never have mentioned moving the eggs!

I've also had a power pole taken out by a drunk driver and "a couple hours" ended up being 9 or 10. (Both times, same pole, same curve!)

Hoping for the best for everyone's hatches!

I thought she had just passed day 14 at least, that's why I said move them... last time our power was out I had a staggered hatch, one set was a week in the other was in lockdown... those poor lockdown chicks had a reall, really hard time and almost didn't make it...