The Front Porch Swing

[enola]

I had eggs from a friend, and I wanted to keep them separate... It didn't work so well, since the chicks were able to get out of them. 

I have made little covered wire cages to keep that from happening. My newly hatchex Araucanas are running all over the incubator before they are dry. They knock the other eggs all over the place. They caused me to lose several chicks by flipping hatched eggs over the ends of pipped eggs and smothering them

 

[Beekissed]

I woke up this morning to find the first pip of my hatch.....on the wrong end of the egg...I rushed and got the pip enlarged.....but it was too late

I opened the egg and it was a big BCM chick.

On a positive note, however, I have another external pip.......and cheeping

Awww, BC...I'm sorry.

If you had caught it in time and enlarged the opening, would that have saved the chick? So glad you are having your hatch! Seems like everyone is hatching right now!!!

Congratulations! Of course.....pics are in order when they are done!

I lost a chick this morning. I think it hatched too early and hadn't absorbed the yolk all the way.it was a bloody mess this morning so I had to get it out of the incubator. Thank goodness I put them in baskets. I will be back in a bit....

Sorry, Lindz.

Why do you think it hatched too early...is there a way to prevent this from happening?

For those of you who prank or get pranked on April Fools' Day, this one is priceless:


http://myfox8.com/2014/04/06/students-april-fools-prank-on-professor-could-be-best-ever/

That was a good one!!!

Checking in from Texas. It's springtime and the bluebonnets are in full bloom.

That's stunning! I've seen pics of these before and I always wonder if these cause car wrecks if they grow close to the road....I'd be gawking and drinking them all in and wreck for sure! Thank you for posting them and welcome to The Porch!

You brought flowers!!!! Pull up a chair and sit a spell, get comfy and eat some good things.

I had eggs from a friend, and I wanted to keep them separate... It didn't work so well, since the chicks were able to get out of them.

It was a good idea, all the same....maybe with a little piece of netting attached to the top of each basket so they couldn't flop out?

 

[Triple Willow]

Checking in from Texas. It's springtime and the bluebonnets are in full bloom.

Okay grab a kleenex... Back when I was in college I rented a small apartment from a lady my mom knew. I would go in and visit with her, me and her talked quite a bit. One day she told me about losing a son to menegitis when he was about 4-5 years old. She was telling me about holding him at the last when he was dying and she said he said to her, "Mom!!! Look at all the pretty flowers!!! Can you see 'em!!!" He also told her he could see Jesus. As beautiful as this is, it must be just a little bit of what heaven looks like. I sure am glad God gave us a slight preview of things to come. 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Welcome to The Porch BalloonJuice!

 

[BCMaraniac]

I have made little covered wire cages to keep that from happening. My newly hatchex Araucanas are running all over the incubator before they are dry. They knock the other eggs all over the place. They caused me to lose several chicks by flipping hatched eggs over the ends of pipped eggs and smothering them

That has been my problem....I have the brooder warm and ready, so when they hatch.....I do the big no-no and get them out of the incubator and into the warm brooder to dry off. However, that only works if you are monitoring 24/7. I have to do something different....the basket and the wire cages have given me some ideas....thanks!

 

[Triple Willow]

I woke up this morning to find the first pip of my hatch.....on the wrong end of the egg...I rushed and got the pip enlarged.....but it was too late    I opened the egg and it was a big BCM chick.

On a positive note, however, I have another external pip.......and cheeping  

Dang BCM, I hate that. I hope the rest pop out healthy as can be!

 

[Beekissed]

Okay grab a kleenex... Back when I was in college I rented a small apartment from a lady my mom knew. I would go in and visit with her, me and her talked quite a bit. One day she told me about losing a son to menegitis when he was about 4-5 years old. She was telling me about holding him at the last when he was dying and she said he said to her, "Mom!!! Look at all the pretty flowers!!! Can you see 'em!!!" He also told her he could see Jesus. As beautiful as this is, it must be just a little bit of what heaven looks like. I sure am glad God gave us a slight preview of things to come.

1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for
them that love him.

Welcome to The Porch BalloonJuice!

Thank you, TW!!! That was beautiful!

One day I'll have to tell you a story or two about some of my hospice patients that are along these lines and lets one know what we are heading for....joy..pure and simple JOY on the faces of some of my patients as they saw where they were going.

 

[Triple Willow]

Thank you, TW!!! That was beautiful!      One day I'll have to tell you a story or two about some of my hospice patients that are along these lines and lets one know what we are heading for....joy..pure and simple JOY on the faces of some of my patients as they saw where they were going. 

I'd love to hear all about that!

 

[BCMaraniac]

Awww, BC...I'm sorry.

If you had caught it in time and enlarged the opening, would that have saved the chick? So glad you are having your hatch! Seems like everyone is hatching right now!!!

Congratulations! Of course.....pics are in order when they are done!

Actually, Bee, I don't think it would have mattered.....the yolk sac looked really odd. But perhaps that had to do with the malposition. I'm just not sure.

 

[Beekissed]

Gotta tell you girls....we really thank God for sending us this new dog, Ben. He is completely the opposite of what he seemed like at his old home and has done none of the things they said he was prone to do~it's like he's a completely different dog! He gets along with Jake perfectly, he no longer jumps up on people and he hasn't offered to take one step off this property.

He acts like this has always been his home and he is learning very quickly the things I'm teaching him. In just two brief sessions he has learned to sit and to lie down and also to sit and wait for his food. We've decided not to neuter him and have canceled his appointment for that. He is not showing any indication that his hormones are affecting his behaviors and he's not riding Jake or trying to hump us either.

He's doing his specific job perfectly! He keeps all intruders off the land~be they deer, buzzard, stray cats(Yay! Our cat isn't getting beat up anymore!), etc. He doesn't bark loud nor does he bark incessantly. He doesn't get up on the porches(dogs are not allowed there), doesn't dig, doesn't chase the chickens but will help me round up the meaty chicks to get them into the coop at feeding time. He's not food aggressive...I can put my hand down into his food bowl, remove his food, play with his food, touch his mouth while he is eating, etc. He doesn't bark at strangers when we are out there to greet them~that's a personal pet peeve of mine when a dog continues to bark when the owner is present~and he doesn't jump up on strangers but greets them politely. He's alert and seems to have very little prey drive and I think that's why he doesn't wander off...he's very content to be here, it seems. I can lead him on the leash very well now and he doesn't pull any longer..acts like he has always walked on a leash.

On top of all that he is very sweet and friendly~noses you if you stop petting him~ but will cease and desist if I tell him to go lay down.

In short, he's fitting into this family and on this place like he was tailor-made for it. I wish his former owner could see what kind of good dog he gave away for free and had tied to a logging chain like he was some kind of hooligan.

I think God has a hand in shaping this dog for living with us in this way..it's the only explanation we have for the difference between the wild and woolly, undisciplined dog we picked up and had to drag onto the back of the truck~ and this benevolent Ben we have lying out in the yard. We really love him already and he seems to like living here with us as well.

I wormed him and have been giving him buttermilk in his food for the last three mornings and it has already changed his stool from the diarrhea he was having and seems to have increased his energy levels already. He also seems to be filling out a bit...when we got him his spine was bony and I would feel his hip bones but he seems to be putting on some padding already.

Sorry...didn't mean to ramble on, but we don't get dogs very often in our life. It's been years upon years since we introduced a new dog into our family, so it's a big deal to take a leap of faith and commit to another dog, especially at this late date in our lives. We were just thanking God for Ben this morning and it probably won't be the first time. He's going to be a valuable part of our setup here in the woods.

 

[Beekissed]

Actually, Bee, I don't think it would have mattered.....the yolk sac looked really odd. But perhaps that had to do with the malposition. I'm just not sure.

I'll be hatching soon and I'm wondering about all the things that could go wrong, when to intervene, when to not intervene, etc. It will be interesting and a little nerve wracking, I'm thinking.