Surviving Minnesota!

[duluthralphie]

BYC has helped me again.

I have 2 chicks out of the last 60 I hatched that have leg problems, I thought we had fixed the one but it went bad again. They are living in an incubator.

I need to cull them, I need the incubator for a hatcher again starting this afternoon for Wednesdays hatch.

I am such a sissy I did not want to cut their head off or bash them or anything. I was hoping for 40 below so I could just lay them outside to freeze, I am told that is like going to sleep, but who really knows.

I searched on here for a way my softy stomach could handle. I have seen enough useless death to last 4 lifetimes. I have no problem with processing chickens for food, in my moveable definition file, killing something for me to eat is not useless. A hapless baby chick is.

Anyway after all that wordiness, I found a way I can handle. I think it might help others here too.

I am going to use starting fluid, ether, Just put it to sleep, painless and fast. The thread I found said they are asleep after the first breath. I assume the canary in the mines theory and the birds advanced lung system. Still not a fan of culling a little chick but my brain knows it is the right thing to do, even if my heart does not..

 

[duluthralphie]

I think Quonset is the word you want, Sleppyowl.

 

[NathanZee]

Sounds fun! Last night I was walking through checking cows and noticed Lily was acting a little off. So we put her in a calving pen and this morning she had a little bull calf! I am glad she calved! I would have been imbarrased if we put her in there for nothing! Lol

Exciting! Pictures?

 

[NathanZee]

This is a video of two of my Mallards taking off from the swamp on their way home.

 

[holm25]

Exciting! Pictures?

I am behind on pictures... I posted pics of the furst two and none of the rest

 

[KlopKlop]

Lovely day today. Planning on working on my coop today. I have an old half round shed/coop. (They are called something, but I can't remember right now.) You can see it on the left side of this photo. Anyway, it was in pretty rough shape, and the previous owners put on new shingles, and vinyl siding. It still needs some patching and things on the inside. It is 12x12 and six feet tall. I'm gping to make half a grow out pen that will have a run outside, and add a smaller growout pen and in the left over space, a couple brooder pens.

Quanset hut?

 

[SleepyOwl]

I think Quonset is the word you want, Sleppyowl.

Quote:
Yes! Quanset hut. I knew it was something hut.

 

[duluthralphie]

Yes! Quanset hut. I knew it was something hut.

Have you candled the eggs you got from me?

How are they doing?

 

[SleepyOwl]

Quote:
I didn't put them in until Thursday. The other eggs I was supposed to get on Monday, they changed it to Thursday. I'll let you know in a few days. Oh, I only set 10. I ate two for breakfast the other day. They were good.

I attempted to sex the eggs with a needle. I came up with six girls and six boys. If it is right, I didn't want six roosters, if it was totally wrong, I didn't want to eat eggs that could have been hens... so I just ate 2. lol I know it sounds like total loony talk, but I tried the needle on knowns (my daughter, husband and pets). right every time. I tried it on my new chicks, it 100% matched the chicks reactions to the hanging them upside down trick (saw it online before, and thought "whatever", but saw an old eastern European guy doing it at tractor supply the other day, so thought I would give it a shot.) According to both those tricks, I have 5 roosters and 8 hens. Hope it's right.

So, the egg thing seems even more out there, but they definitely did one way or another on your eggs. The bantams eggs I tried were not as clear. Maybe because they are smaller, so harder to read? Maybe because it doesn't work in the first place?

A few of them weren't clear. Anyway, that is my silly experiment I am trying. Wish I would have had some auto sexing eggs to try it on, but this will work, too. I'll get back to you in a few months if it works or not. LOL

 

[duluthralphie]

I didn't put them in until Thursday. The other eggs I was supposed to get on Monday, they changed it to Thursday. I'll let you know in a few days. Oh, I only set 10. I ate two for breakfast the other day. They were good.

I attempted to sex the eggs with a needle. I came up with six girls and six boys. If it is right, I didn't want six roosters, if it was totally wrong, I didn't want to eat eggs that could have been hens... so I just ate 2. lol I know it sounds like total loony talk, but I tried the needle on knowns (my daughter, husband and pets). right every time. I tried it on my new chicks, it 100% matched the chicks reactions to the hanging them upside down trick (saw it online before, and thought "whatever", but saw an old eastern European guy doing it at tractor supply the other day, so thought I would give it a shot.) According to both those tricks, I have 5 roosters and 8 hens. Hope it's right.

So, the egg thing seems even more out there, but they definitely did one way or another on your eggs. The bantams eggs I tried were not as clear. Maybe because they are smaller, so harder to read? Maybe because it doesn't work in the first place?

A few of them weren't clear. Anyway, that is my silly experiment I am trying. Wish I would have had some auto sexing eggs to try it on, but this will work, too. I'll get back to you in a few months if it works or not. LOL

Are you going to be home at 2pm?


I am trying to arrange a pick up with the men in the windowless van and the white suits for you.....