The 5th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[ozexpat]

Okay all you Super Hatchers, I need some expert advice. I had some sort of bacterial growth in the hatcher this last batch. It started smelling horribly after 24 hours. The eggs hatched, and some were mushy chicks. All the ones that hatched have recovered on their own. There was a orange-ish brown growth on the bottom and under some of the eggs. I have scrubbed the hatcher (a still air stryro-bator) with a scrub brush and anti-bacterial soap, I sprayed the bottom, and wiped the top with 2 parts clorox and one part water, and I let it air dry out in the sun all day today. I threw away the shelf liner that I used in the bottom and the sponges that regulated the humidity. Is there anything else I need to do? I need to put the next batch in tomorrow for lockdown, but it could wait another day.

put some copper sulphate or a few old pennies in the water

 

[Razadia]

Aw. I can't hatch with y'all this year. Unless I can have someone hatch for me. Would that count?

 

[Pozees]

Quote: I would be interested in hearing what effect this has

Wisher, if you are concerned about bleach you might want to try Oxine. I use it for everything, and you only use a tiny bit at a time, so the expensive gallon lasts a long time. I keep a spray bottle mixed up all the time, use about 1/8 tsp per quart of water, and also add a bit to the humidifier in the room where the incubator and hatcher live.

 

[ozexpat]

I would be interested in hearing what effect this has

Wisher, if you are concerned about bleach you might want to try Oxine. I use it for everything, and you only use a tiny bit at a time, so the expensive gallon lasts a long time. I keep a spray bottle mixed up all the time, use about 1/8 tsp per quart of water, and also add a bit to the humidifier in the room where the incubator and hatcher live.

Its a natural microbial

great for water in something the perfect temp for incubating bugs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_properties_of_copper

 

[Gardeningmama]

 

[abmaddox1981]

Good morning!

 

[MontanaDolphin]

There she is!!! Hey girl! I was just thinking about messaging you that the thread was up, and here you are! So excited!!

Yes, FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!!!! We'll break a record this year, I can feel it in my bones!

I'm here!!! I've been missing from Byc for a bit...total craziness here at home. I've had my hands full with the pups, for one...they had diarrhea for a week, and between the vet visits and dispensing of meds, as well as continuously having to clean up poop, I've been lucky to have time to breathe!!! Kalli, the mama, decided to wean early, and at 4 weeks old they were eating wet puppy food 5x a day...and nursing only a few times when I had to force her to lay down so they could feed. I guess 7 ravenous puppies is too overwhelming for her!
On top of that, both of my boys have been sick at different times...my eldest first, then he got better and my youngest got sick (and still is). Had neighbor's dogs in my yard the other day chasing my chickens, so a few pellets in their rears had them high-tailing it for home. Butterscotch, my doeling, decided to jump the 4 ft fence, so had to fix that problem.

So, needless to say, Byc unfortunately went on the back burner. I just couldn't keep up with everything!!! On a good note, though, I found someone local who wants to swap some of her Pekin eggs for some of my chicken eggs....she wants to hatch some (she's done goose and duck, but never chickens) and she doesn't have a roo so none of her chicken eggs are fertile. So I get my ducks for EASTER!!!

I am also hoping to meet up with a few local chicken addicts for some different breeds of hatching eggs...but if I can't get my hands on any, at least I have 8 hens providing me with fertile eggs

EDITED TO ADD: I forgot to add pictures!!! Who can resist baby pictures???? We decided to keep 2 of the pups...because hubby and I couldn't agree on boy or girl (I wanted to keep a girl, he wanted a boy, and neither one of us would give in to the other

). The next argument is going to be which one (or both) gets fixed...can't have a brother and sister mating!

This is my girl...her name is Khaleesi. She is a DARLING!



And this is hubby's boy, Tank. He's a brute...biggest of all the pups. A loner. He's got that "I could care less" attitude.

 

[roostereggs]

Let's see, there's lots of duck, turkey and quail folks here that I'm sure could hook you up.

Hahahahaha...and are there carpenters here that could hook me up with free housing for me to put them in???

Our next adventure with our home is irrigation and fencing. I want it done yesterday!!!

I am planning quail, but not til summer when I have a place to house them.

Does anybody know if emu and goats can share a pasture? I would think not, but

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Hahahahaha...and are there carpenters here that could hook me up with free housing for me to put them in???

Our next adventure with our home is irrigation and fencing. I want it done yesterday!!!

I am planning quail, but not til summer when I have a place to house them.

Does anybody know if emu and goats can share a pasture? I would think not, but

There is a farm on my way to SS that has both. They have them separate...goats in one fenced in pasture, the Emu's in another. I've NEVER seen them together. So I'd say probably not, but since I only have goats and not emu's, I'm definitely not an expert on the subject!

 

[uphilljill]

Quote:
Haven't tried it, but it sounds interesting. As Oxepat said: "OLD pennies." Pre-1982. Newer pennies are now made of zinc, older pennies were 95% copper.