Yesterday was hectic... I am not very outgoing on these threads because, well, I am just a recluse. I am going to break that pattern tonight.
I knew my turkey poults were coming in sometime in the AM yesterday. I was expecting a 6am call. I didn't get it. The night before my mother called to tell me my great grandfather wasn't doing well on Tuesday. He couldn't stand up without getting dizzy and weak. I was at his place at 8am to help him get his breakfast and pills. I stuck around and visited until almost 10:30. My great grandfather is going to be 95 in July. My great grandmother died almost 10 years ago. This man has had a stroke, heart attack two open heart surgeries, has diabetes, broke his ankle at 91 doing something with the tractor he wasn't supposed to and just finished radiation for prostate cancer. He lives alone and when he was able (up until last year) he tended a 1 acre garden, canned/froze the veges off it for himself, his youngest daughter and her daughter, he has always had at least 30 laying hens he sold eggs from, he cut, split, hauled and carried his own firewood and in his free time, he loves to bake. I mean, banana cream pie, cookies, cherry cheese cakes... really good stuff. Point is, his health is going down hill now and he hasn't been himself lately.
My mom called me to let me know my OH was calling her telling her my poults were in. I finally got out of great grandpap's (he talks your ear off) and got home to my husband telling me that the mail carrier had my poults and was delivering them. I freaked out. Um... Window down for three hours?! Who wasn't using their brains? I said I would be over for them. I told the PO the day before. I told the OH to tell them I was on my way... Well, they were all live when the mail guy picked them up. One was dead when they got here and 3 not far behind it. I lost four poults. They were so cold. I put them in the pen and tried dunking their beaks but everyone was more worried about the heat lamp - rightfully so. I think if I could have gotten 2 of the 4 to drink they would have made it. I went out an hour later and they still would not drink. Another two hours after that I finally got them to get drinks! It was a crazy poult marathon! They would run back and forth from me to the water and back!
Photo Bomb!
Another Photo Bomb!
That 'bomb' was my daughter's hand.
On top of the disappointing turkey losses (Meyer refunded me, though), I got a disappointing egg package today. I had to run to the bank and PO for boxes - then to pap's to check on him. When I got back, mail ran already. I opened the new Garmin (we are behind the times - this is our first GPS), I got myself a digital scale to weigh my egg shipments now and the quail eggs. I got these off eBay. I picked the box up and heard them rattling around. My heart sank. I unpacked the box to find the eggs flopping around freely in quail egg cartons (the plastic ones). I found 7 visibly broke and wrote her about my displeasure.
This is her reply back:
Quote:
I told her I would candle to see how many more were cracked that I could visibly see. I have a grand total of 15 damaged eggs and she is STILL insisting her packing methods are fine. Instead of rethinking her packing, she is going to get denser foam to wrap the plastic cartons in! -headdesk-
Otherwise, my day has been pretty boring. How are all of you doing?
Wow, I need a drink just reading all of that! I'm sorry your great grandfather is not doing so well. He sounds like a remarkable man with all he has been through. He's clearly very strong! Also sorry about your lost poults. You are doing everything you can for the rest of them.
I got my first pheasant egg! Just in time for the hatch-a-long! I'm hoping she lays another one tomorrow so I can set two. This is from a Lady Amherst female crossed with a Red Golden male. They take about 22 days to hatch so I will be setting it tomorrow a day prior to my chicken eggs.
Beautiful egg! And how nice that she decided to lay at this wonderful time!
Only me. Only me, I swear. This could ONLY happen to me.
Linda, you do not live a boring life!
Your stories are very entertaining! Good luck with the turkey egg.
Quote: I'd lower temperature a hair, like 1 degree. Humidity the last 3 days would be better between 60-65%.
Anybody up? I'm freaking out right now. I set my eggs tonight. After my incubator held a steady 99.5 all day, I put the eggs in and it dropped to 90. Stupid me I put them in at 9:45pm, and I've been trying to get the temp up after it only got up to 93 in two hours. How long does it take for the temp to adjust after putting eggs in?? I'm scared to go to bed and have the temp spike high while I'm sleeping.
It will take quite a while for it to stabilize. Don't mess with the thermostat, just wait for it to settle. It will be okay.
Count us in. We will be putting 8 Easter Eggers, and 35 Australorp, Jersey Giant, Wyandottes,Polish, Hamburg, crosses. My Daughters are excited for our second hatching.
Welcome!
Some mild to moderate air cell damage, but all in all they look reasonably good for the apparent journey they took.
