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

[kwhites634]

Oh yeah, that too, lol

I thought so

 

[RubyNala97]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



LADY GREY LAID HER FIRST EGG!!!!

Awesome!! Love the color too! That is a duck egg, right? Didn't know they laid that color!

Thank you.  Some rested for 24 the others for 12.  Went into the bator yesterday and confused now about when to start turning.  The last batch (my first) I let rest and started turning day 1 in bator.  I didn't know anything then about detached or saddle air bags.  I definitely had some saddle shapes thinking back on it.  But, now that I know about detached air cells, etc. I want to do the best I can for them.

They are shipped, right? I would leave them un-turned in the bator for 48 hours then do a gentle candle. Those that look good, start gently tilting. Those that are still loose, give another 24 hours.

Some say it's a sign of a long, cold winter.

It SNOWED here today!!!

Candled real quick a minute ago, most have drawn down a good bit, others are starting to. And... I lost 2 more This is so frustrating.

Oh no!! So how many are still good, 9??

Maybe we aren't supposed to, but I've found nothing that stops the itch of poison ivy like turning the bleach bottle up, flat against the effected area to prevent making a big mess,

My son had poison sumac really bad and I tried this stuff called zanfel, it's expensive but really works!!!

Here is more:

Q: How is sex determined in chickens and what does it mean?

A: In birds, the sex of the embryo is determined by the egg, not the sperm (as it is in humans). Avian sex differentiation is not determined by XY chromosomes like it is in humans and most mammals (or even the XO system used by some insects). In those systems the sex is determined by the sperm, by what the male contributes to the offspring. By contrast, birds have a ZW system of sex determination (shared with butterflies, moths, fish and reptiles). In that system, sex is determined by the female within her ova, and the sex of offspring is not affected at all by the sperm which the male contributes

Interesting! I wonder how this ties in with the round vs oval egg shape and gender?

 

[Ren2014]

Here is more:

Q: How is sex determined in chickens and what does it mean?

A: In birds, the sex of the embryo is determined by the egg, not the sperm (as it is in humans). Avian sex differentiation is not determined by XY chromosomes like it is in humans and most mammals (or even the XO system used by some insects). In those systems the sex is determined by the sperm, by what the male contributes to the offspring. By contrast, birds have a ZW system of sex determination (shared with butterflies, moths, fish and reptiles). In that system, sex is determined by the female within her ova, and the sex of offspring is not affected at all by the sperm which the male contributes

So very fascinating!

Thank you, I really tried to do everything right this time so I could get a good hatch since my first hatch didn't go so well and I didn't want to let myself down again and further damage my incubating confidence but I have a tendency to jump the gun and do things without thinking them over first, like when I washed the eggs

But if this hatch flops and I lose most or all of the chicks I have some cheap local CLEAN eggs (a dozen EE and a dozen CCLB) lined up for whenever I want them. I'm thinking of waiting til spring, I just don't know if I can put the bator away, lol.

Are you on your second incubating now? What day? I seem to remember you saying the other day but can't find that post. I'm on my second go of it. First run... 16 and only 3 were fertile. 2 hatched and one DIS. Second go...39 including the one I waxed last night.

I realize that temps, other than extreme heat, have no effect on egg production
Never knew a chicken could even live 10 years, let alone still produce eggs once in a while. I've always heard that they were pretty much "laid out" after about 3 years

I thought 3 yrs was it also.

Just looked it up... I really don't like that bug, lol. I thought stink bugs were ugly and gross but that thing has the stink bugs beat!

Both give me the heebie jeebies, lol.

We need to figure out a way to breed a chicken that will lay a ratio of 8:1. 8 hens for every 1 roo, lol

RIGHT ON!

They are shipped, right? I would leave them un-turned in the bator for 48 hours then do a gentle candle. Those that look good, start gently tilting. Those that are still loose, give another 24 hours.
It SNOWED here today!!!

Yes, shipped. I candled the one I waxed last night and it definitely has a detached air cell

I have them in an egg turner but haven't turned it on yet. I'm not able to turn them myself due to work.

 

[kwhites634]

So very fascinating!

Are you on your second incubating now? What day? I seem to remember you saying the other day but can't find that post. I'm on my second go of it. First run... 16 and only 3 were fertile. 2 hatched and one DIS. Second go...39 including the one I waxed last night.

I thought 3 yrs was it also.

Both give me the heebie jeebies, lol.

RIGHT ON!

Yes, shipped. I candled the one I waxed last night and it definitely has a detached air cell

I have them in an egg turner but haven't turned it on yet. I'm not able to turn them myself due to work.

Someone needs to develop a turner that rotates while it tilts; then we'd have all the bases covered. 'Course, that'd probably run the price of turners so high nobody could afford one.

 

[ronott1]

Interesting! I wonder how this ties in with the round vs oval egg shape and gender?

It is the main reason why it would not work--The little bitty ovum cannot change the shape of an egg--the gender is determined before the shell is formed.

The shell is formed in an organ towards the end of the canal and the shape of the organ determines the shape of the egg.

Hens usually lay the same shaped egg every time. Age and illness may change that but it will have nothing to do with the gender of the ovum.

 

[ronott1]

Hi I cant tell what breed these are help

You have Easter Eggers!

 

[ronott1]

I know that one but what are the other ones

They can all be EEs, since EEs lay a rainbow of egg colors.

The brown egg looks like it could be a wellsummer or barnveldner egg--it could be from a Marans.

Figuring out a breed requires a bit more, like pictures of the hens and their eggs.

 

[lazy gardener]

How about when you attach a water hose to the spicket or a nozzle to the hose.... gees, I always say in my head, 'righty tighty, lefty loosy' but I still try both ways, lol.

Yep. I especially can't wrap my head around which way to turn the screwdriver to back out a screw. Wanna mess me up real bad? Give me a nut and bolt to work on!

So, I'm playing around with humidity now, while the eggs are resting and so can't get messed up

Totally dry gives me around 30%. One well filled gives me around 40%. Both filled gives me around 50%. Each time I put more water in, I give it 4-5 hours before I checked the humidity, so I don't think I'm checking too soon. Do you think if I bought a sponge and cut it to stick out of the wells, that that would bring it up enough for lock down?

I love sponges for humidity. Give me a sponge, some aquarium tubing and a syringe, and I'm a happy camper. I even screw a sponge to the wall of my styrobator when it's so full of eggs that there's no room for extra humidity material!

I still hold my hands up to see which 1 makes an 'L' to figure out which 1 is my left

I feel for the writing callous on my right hand.

The shouldn't be any bateria in the water, I guess, it's unfiltered well water. I do have very hard water though so there's lots of calcium in it, will that be an issue? What do I look for with yolk sac infection?

Calcium shouldn't be an issue. Oomphalitis: swelling abdomen, lethargy.

Specialist: Someone who learns more & more about less & less, 'til they finally know everything there is to know about nothing.

Generalist: Someone who learns less and less about more and more till they know nothing about everything.

How long is this mega-molt likely to last, if it IS molt?

I've kept chickens for several years, so have gone through my share of molts, but never one like this. Normally, I get 5-6 eggs a day from 6 hens, oldest hen getting some age on her. She went broody in June, so I was down an egg/day. no biggie. Then the molt started in September & egg production spiraled downward to where I'd get only 1 or 2 a day. About 10 days ago, I actually got 6 eggs again; figured the molt was finally over. I haven't seen an egg now for 5-6 days straight. I've never seen a molt where every hen in the flock shuts down completely.

These birds, like all the others I've ever kept, are on a steady diet of free-choice layer crumbles, plus kitchen waste (veggies, egg shells, etc.). I don't turn them out to forage every day, but frequently, and they always have access to an exercise yard off the run. The run itself is in the shade of a large Maple, and is covered with a tarp, but the exercise yard gets full sun.

I've been seeing on here where several flocks are molting hard for longer than normal, so I keep telling myself that there's nothing to be concerned about, but I'm rapidly getting to the point where I'm not so sure anymore.

Any insights?

Ken

Increase their protein. Switch to multi-flock.

STOP THAT!!! El ninyo is going to stick around and mke it a dryer warmer winter....that's what they said and they better be right, lol!

Mine are just a year but I have a feeling they don't plan on returning to laying until spring. Out of my 8 oringinal layers I am doing good if I get 3 eggs. Some days I get none.

I thought it was supposed to be warmer and wetter??? I'll take your choice.

I had read that first years have a higher tendency to lay through winter. I was wondering how accurate that was. My second coop have only been laying for 2-3 months and I was hoping that a majority of them would continue. At least enough to supply us with eggs so we don't have t buy from the store.

Ok, so I've read tons of stuff on lighting and layers. I know there are many people that use artificial lights in the coops at winter to keep some layers laying. My sister does this with at least one coop. I've also read the opposing view point that hens need this natural downtime. It's a healthier process to let them molt and go through the non laying phase that winter brings. I, personally do not have coops with electricity and will not be running electricity out there to light the coop. (Unless we end up with cold so bad they need the warmth.) But I am curious as to other's opinions and what they do during the shortened day time period.

I weighed both sides of the lighting = get eggs, don't light = don't get eggs dilemma. The first year, with 5 girls, I did not light. I had one girl (EE) who faithfully gave me 3 eggs/week. No one else contributed. I increased flock size to 17 (including one roo) the following winter, and decided I did not want to feed that many free loaders, so gave them light. Got pretty good production all winter. I've decided that if I'm feeding chickens, I want to get eggs. So, I will provide light, and hatch a few (or perhaps more than a few) replacements every year. Our winters are long and gloomy. So, without light, my flock would stop laying in mid Oct. and I'd not see an other egg until mid to late Feb. My birds are not pets, though I get lots of enjoyment out of them. When their production is done, they will go to the freezer. So, for me, it's a no brainer to give light. I understand, and to a point agree with the idea that taking a winter laying break is more natural for the life cycle of the hen. IMO, there is no right or wrong decision in this debate. It depends on your goals. One place that I differ is in my decision to provide all of my light supplementation at the end of the day, rather than in the morning, like "they say" to do. It gets dark here at 4:30 PM, so... to get 14 hours of light, I'd need my light to go on at 2:30 AM. No auto pop door here! I'm not getting out of bed to go let the flock out at 2:30! Nor am I going to go out to feed them at 2:30! Nor, do I want Jack to greet the day at 2:30! They took a few nights to figure out when the light went out! No problems with bed time after the first few nights!

Be careful with it!

I like teknu for poison oak. I have not needed to use it in a lot of years though.

I wash with straight ammonia at first sign of Poison Ivy. After that, I treated with Tea Tree Oil. It didn't work as well as I expected it to. Added natural Aloe to the TTO, and the rash dried up and itch went away within 48 hours.

 

[Pyxis]

You know, I'm beginning to think I'm just not allergic to poison ivy. I live on seven acres out in a forest, have since I was a kid, and I was always playing in the woods in shorts. Never once have I had it and I know it grows around here.


Just put six cemani eggs in the bator! I'm not sure if they'll be fertile since their darn rooster kept jumping the pen, but I kept tossing him back in and have now fixed the problem so he can't get out, so fingers crossed.

 

[RubyNala97]

Since we are talking about light. I give my guys a "night-light" (I know they are extremely babied), it's a low-watt, pink light. Would this be considered enough light to effect the laying process? Just curious.

So very fascinating!

Are you on your second incubating now?  What day?  I seem to remember you saying the other day but can't find that post.  I'm on my second go of it.  First run... 16 and only 3 were fertile.  2 hatched and one DIS.  Second go...39 including the one I waxed last night.

I thought 3 yrs was it also.

Both give me the heebie jeebies, lol. 

RIGHT ON! 

Yes, shipped.  I candled the one I waxed last night and it definitely has a detached air cell   I have them in an egg turner but haven't turned it on yet.  I'm not able to turn them myself due to work.

I've gone 5 days without touching eggs that had loose cells and had a 60% hatch rate. I've never gotten a detached air cell to grow, though.

You know, I'm beginning to think I'm just not allergic to poison ivy. I live on seven acres out in a forest, have since I was a kid, and I was always playing in the woods in shorts. Never once have I had it and I know it grows around here.


Just put six cemani eggs in the bator! I'm not sure if they'll be fertile since their darn rooster kept jumping the pen, but I kept tossing him back in and have now fixed the problem so he can't get out, so fingers crossed.

Good luck!! keep us posted on development in a few days!