South Carolina

[RedBugPoultry]

I have tried catching up on the thread today. You guys/gals have been so busy that it has been hard to do. I am amazed with all the new comer--Welcome!

We have been very busy this last week working on our never ending porch--I need to post pictures--wish it was a structure for chickens we were putting all this effort in, but it will be nice to have a porch this summer. I thought it would never get done and there is still some to do, such as the metal roofing, rails, and step, but the biggest part is done and I can stand on my porch and watch it rain--and not get wet!

Besides that, the one peacock is still alive--but I am force feeding him twice to 3 time a day. Depending on my schedule for the day and my daughter. I really do not think it will go well for him but I must at least try. We have a pretty good system and he seems to look forward to my showing up to feed him. I still have no idea what has put him in this state. If he dies I might try to figure it out by a postmortem exam. At least I could determine if it is Blackhead, worms, or Cocci. I feel it must be one of those 3 but we have wormed him and treated him for cocci. His dropping do not look like blackhead but then I am not an expert....

On another note-- Mary, I am really enjoying your creamed honey! I admit I am eating it more than DH but that is his loss. Now I want bees! DH and his father use to raise them and his father still has some bee boxes stored somewhere so maybe at some point we will get some.

Well, I candled my Australorp eggs today--out of 40 eggs 5 candled clear and 1 had a blood ring. Not too bad for eggs from Iowa. I am excited to see what the hatch will bring. They are due to hatch on Friday.

Amy, my first batch of Marans eggs are due to hatch on Saturday! I did not bother candling them as my light just does not work well with dark eggs. So we will see Saturday, Sunday, or Monday what we get. I need to get another tub set up in the brooder shed for these guys and the Australorps. Pretty exciting! I have one tub in there now with EE's in it and a few OEGB's.

Patsy, did I miss what happened with the second hatch of Dorkings? I did not see anything but I am not sure when they were due. So far my babies are doing very well and eating up a storm--which I like to see. I can still not tell if the one is a male or not. They are all still looking about the same.

So people were talking about the eggs in their incubators how about the chicks in their brooders--did I miss that somewhere?

 

[gvilledh]

That's the way it was with my DH .... his grandfather used to incubate eggs in a 5 gallon bucket - Paw Paw P even caponized some of his roosters.
My DD has always been around chickens- other than the few years we did not have any. She is 23 - and even has a scar where a rooster flogged her once on her knee or shin.

Have you found the list of Acronyms people use on the forums (shorthand for the breeds for example?)

Is there a list of Acronyms on here? For some reason I never thought to look! I've figured out a lot of them, but it would be great to have a list!

 

[gvilledh]

I just got a question from a customer picking up hatching eggs and it was a first for me! She looked at her eggs and said in a very serious voice, "Now which ones of these will be girls and which will be boys?" Thank goodness I didn't laugh. It was close though! How nice would that be to just look at the egg and now the sex! It would also be great to be able to tell which ones will hatch.

Just shows how great a businesswoman you are! I would have probably either lost it, or definitely given the person a "You're kidding, right?" look. At least customers like that keep life interesting!

 

[gvilledh]

Lou Ann and I went to the Biltmore estate today. Of course, we had to check out the farm area and see the chickens! They have quite a variety!

 

[Cpntherfan]

great day 2 now my humidity goes up to 68

 

[RedBugPoultry]

OK SOME QUESTIONS:
1. should the humidity in the bator at day 18 be around 60-70ish???
2.There is a wire grid in the bottom with tiny openings, should I put something down over the metal grid?
3.How long do I leave the chicks in the bator before I remove them and put them in the brooder?
4.Ok when you LOCKDOWN does that mean that you stop opening and stop turning the eggs??

Wednesday is lockdown and Saturday is hatch...You know i run a tight schedule so I know the chicks will hatch at exactly 12 o'clock noon. All at once.. hahahaha!!!!

Hopefully out of the 12 I will be excited if only a few hatch. Just so I can say I hatched some eggs!!!! If all 12 Hatch I will freak out and will be dropping some off at Your House hahaa!!!!!

Thanks Peeps!!!

I actually do not raise my humidity in my large bator until day 20 but that might be why I am have some trouble lately with this new air conditioner. For chicks I try to keep humidity at about 65 but I have found 60 will work too. In my incubator above 65 tends to be a little too much. You can put that rubber shelf covering down on your wire to help with grip and cleaning. As long as you see pipped eggs I would leave the incubator closed. Or at least 24 hours after the first chick hatches. I have left chicks in the bator for up to 48 hours without a problem but it is nice to get them out and watered as they do dehydrate before they seem to starve. And yes, you do stop turning the eggs. You can actually stop turning eggs on day 14 on most chicken eggs and they will be fine but it is good to keep doing it until day 18. A wise man told me about the 14 day thing and I have tested it to be true--I would not do that with very valuable eggs though unless I just could not be there to turn them. Good luck!

 

[gvilledh]

This Silver Spangled Hamburg likes to nest in the straw they have for the Draft Horse to eat. The person working there said they put the horses in to eat and sometimes they will notice that this one hasn't eaten. They will go and check the straw and, sure enough, there is an egg in it!
When we first walked up, she was sitting there nesting.


Then she decided she needed more hay...

My favorite is when she looks over at the horse like, "Don't even think about coming over here!".

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Lou Ann and I went to the Biltmore estate today. Of course, we had to check out the farm area and see the chickens! They have quite a variety!

Where does the Biltmore have chicken? What kind do they have? Now I want to go check it out....

 

[dixiebeast]

Is it rainy there?? Outside humidity will affect somewhat...Do you have vent holes on your bator? I didn't even ask what kind of bator you have!! I have had someone tell me way back to vent the top on a styro bator with a pecil between the lid and bottom...just watch the temp close??!!

I want you to have a great hatch!!

great day 2 now my humidity goes up to 68

 

[dixiebeast]

AWSOME PICS!!!

This Silver Spangled Hamburg likes to nest in the straw they have for the Draft Horse to eat. The person working there said they put the horses in to eat and sometimes they will notice that this one hasn't eaten. They will go and check the straw and, sure enough, there is an egg in it!
When we first walked up, she was sitting there nesting.


Then she decided she needed more hay...

My favorite is when she looks over at the horse like, "Don't even think about coming over here!".