The Middle Tennessee Thread

[kwissykat]

Oh I'm so sorry about your hen. R.i.p ethel.

I'm so excited I got my incubator finished today. Just about cut my finger off and probably need stitches but who cares. The light is going on and off the fan is working. All I am waiting for now is the thermometer/hydrometer and eggs.

 

[Lots A Cluckin]

You are missed Ethel! I hope Chickie Heaven has endless treats for you to eat and you are able to hatch as many eggs as you want!

My little broody momma I love you so much!
RIP
3-15-11 ~ 6-30-14

It is has been really hard to loose Ethel...I don't normally cry this much or get this upset when I loose one of my birds...but Ethel was very special to me. She has been with from the very first day I got my first chickens and I thought for sure I would have her for several years longer.

She was very healthy and had never been sick a day in her life, but being healthy will not stop a predator for getting her unfortunately. We are not 100% sure what got her but we are thinking it was something like a fox, or coyote because there was no struggle and what ever it was came from behind and she never saw what was coming.

 

[Heme]

Brooding separately from the general population is a good thing to do. If the ratio of success is good for you, maintain the method.
As for the climate control: My experiments did indicate the eggs incubated at 99.5-100 degrees did turn out 29 out of 30 eggs hatched were female. Lower temps around 95 degrees gave me more males.

I do not candle eggs for hatching purposes. I use the Water Glass method and I have had 100% success doing so.

I only candle eggs prior to packaging for sale. The Spin Test works also. Try it.

 

[Heme]

Too many ROOS.. That was a problem with egg growers in England. Their scientists did significant research and came to the conclusion the lower temperature did create more males than females.

They claimed; all fertile eggs laid had the same properties, both male and female characteristics. When 99.5+ temperature was achieved and "Steady" during incubation the females were dominate and one or two males in the clutch. Lower temps gave the researchers a majority of males Vs. females. I tried it and it worked.

The significant factor was helpful for Meat Poultry production Vs. Egg Production Hens.
Conclusion:> Some growers want hens for eggs and roos for meat.

 

[Penny Hen]

Just had 3 new Mini Pigs born also!

They are so darling. Wish I could get away with having one.

 

[Penny Hen]

Well I finally did it! I killed my mean red rooster, Rufus, and scalded, plucked, dressed him out and put him in the fridge. He jumped me on my day off when I had time to do him. Cut my finger taking his head off. Not bad though. Got to adjust the technique slightly to prevent that in the future. But his head came off quick and clean. I used my Dad's butcher cleaver that is carbon steel and can be sharpened to knife sharpness. Held his head in my left hand and put the blade on the back of his neck at the base of the skull and then pushed through hard. My mistake was not holding my left hand still. My left arm curled slightly countering the thrust of the right and I nicked my forefinger. Must hold the left rock steady next time.

I had tied him from the shower head by his feet by baling twine and forgot what my mother had told me how the body doesn't die right off but runs around flapping without its head. I had not tied the wings down so I got "babptized" in blood. The shower looked like an episode of Dexter. So my husband comes home from work while I am scalding and plucking and haven't got to the clean up portion yet. When he saw the shower he came out on the porch and asked "You are cleaning up the Psycho shower aren't you?" Of course!" I answered. So the shower got bleached and I still had time to shear a sheep that day. It was a good day off.

 

[Raven1]

They are so darling. Wish I could get away with having one.

Are you in town? You would not believe how much fun they can be!

 

[Penny Hen]

Yeah I am in the city limits. I know we had two juvie mini pigs that had been dumped or escaped from somewhere wander onto our little mini farm and decide to stay. I couldn't catch them and deliberately didn't tame them because I knew that as soon as I did the city would make me get rid of them. We were in the middle of a snake explosion from those yellow and black snakes that are not venomous but carry a powerful bacteria in their bite. I wanted the pigs around to get rid of the and they turned my compost heap for me as well. That worked well for a year and a half until my dumb neighbor tamed them and the city made him give them up of course.

 

[Cinny]

You are missed Ethel! I hope Chickie Heaven has endless treats for you to eat and you are able to hatch as many eggs as you want!

My little broody momma I love you so much!
RIP
3-15-12 ~ 6-30-14

It is has been really hard to loose Ethel...I don't normally cry this much or get this upset when I loose one of my birds...but Ethel was very special to me. She has been with from the very first day I got my first chickens and I thought for sure I would have her for several years longer.

She was very healthy and had never been sick a day in her life, but being healthy will not stop a predator for getting her unfortunately. We are not 100% sure what got her but we are thinking it was something like a fox, or coyote because there was no struggle and what ever it was came from behind and she never saw what was coming.








Sorry about Ethel…..It's hard especially if it's a favorite. I cried for a long time when a hawk got our sweet Silkie Little Bit last year.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I am so sorry about your Ethel. She looks like my sweet Cricket.