~*Third Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatch-Athon*~ all poultry welcome!

[JennaLynn122]

Okay I have updates and problems.
Updates I have about 20 out but they are getting hard to keep track of. Still have some pipping and a few in the bator fluffing.


Problems:
I have one that hatched and tore its umbilical cord too early. I did the first thing I could think of and put flour on it to stop the bleeding. But now its 12 hours later and its still attached and acting like its still in the egg. It moves around a little bit almost like it is still trying to hatch. I had someone tell me I should detatch the cord but I don't know how to do that and I don't want it to start bleeding out again.

My other problem is. My humidity won't stay down. I've lost 3-4 to drowning and I don't know what to do to keep the humidity down. There is no water in my bator or sponges. Rice in the bottom under the wire floor. Any suggestions?

 

[lsmith]

THey are lovely-- but I have decided that I like free ranging my birds and keeping all the varieties separate to sell eggs is a big head ache. I have acres and acres and all the turkeys like to congregate at my front door where I zip in and out. Nosey busy bodies that like to follow us around, lol. I started with the BR and have more invested in them, including 2 toms that are my babies and not going anywhere. I'm trying to convince myself to let the Auburn go too . . . and the 2 narri boys. They stay togther as they are buds.

ANy one looking for 2 narri toms??

Acres and acres! That's my dream. I'd happily take your toms but I imagine they would not be too happy about being in my back yard on just 1/2 acre with my toddlers chasing them around! I can't wait to buy a home, but my hubby is set to retire in about 5 years and we don't know where we want to make permanent roots. Where we live is a small town and it's a long ways to drive for groceries and what not. I love it and I hate it.

 

[uphilljill]

@uphilljill Eggs arrived & are nice & snug in my bator. I added 34 ancona, 12 slate & slate/palm, 12 polish cros, 2 ee banties & 6 calls in with them...lol
All that went with the 13 midget whites & 15 pearl guineas.
There are a total of 4 bators & 1 broody hen loaded. Next batch due 5/13-15 includes mallards, white bresse, cochin bantams, polish crosses, ee bantams, coturnix quail & rainbow babies.
The other bator has scovies, polish crosses, ee banties, slate/palm, calls & 2 batches of anconas due the 20th-26th. As soon as the last ancona from CDM comes out of bator 4 I'll add more coturnix in their place. Plus I have eggs that shipped out today on their way...calls I think...lol...I lost track. Will have to check my list to make sure.

Good luck! Keep us posted!

 

[Alaskan]

Final count = 4 turkeys!!

MY WORST HATCH EVER!!!   DUe to lack of drying despite dry hatching, and temp a tad too high so started pipping 2 days early. Lot of dead in shell, pipped and died, one zipped and died, all resuced had leg problems. 

Left with 4 healthy poults! e

Thanks for sharing..... It makes me feel better knowing that I am not the only person to have a bad hatch.



Hopefully we will both have much better hatch rates next time!

 

[Alaskan]

Okay I have updates and problems.
Updates I have about 20 out but they are getting hard to keep track of. Still have some pipping and a few in the bator fluffing.


Problems:
I have one that hatched and tore its umbilical cord too early. I did the first thing I could think of and put flour on it to stop the bleeding. But now its 12 hours later and its still attached and acting like its still in the egg. It moves around a little bit almost like it is still trying to hatch. I had someone tell me I should detatch the cord but I don't know how to do that and I don't want it to start bleeding out again.

My other problem is. My humidity won't stay down. I've lost 3-4 to drowning and I don't know what to do to keep the humidity down. There is no water in my bator or sponges. Rice in the bottom under the wire floor. Any suggestions?

I have no idea, unless you own or can find a room dehumidifier to put in that room. All I have to do is start up the wood stove, and the humidity drops....have a fireplace?

 

[Alaskan]

With the umbilical cord, cut it with sharp CLEAN scissors.

 

[JennaLynn122]

I have no idea, unless you own or can find a room dehumidifier to put in that room. All I have to do is start up the wood stove, and the humidity drops....have a fireplace?

I have one but its an extreme fire hazard right now. A stupid bird decided to make a nest in there so now I have to wait and get it cleaned out.

With the umbilical cord, cut it with sharp CLEAN scissors.

ty!

 

[JennaLynn122]

With the umbilical cord, cut it with sharp CLEAN scissors.

well good news. When I went in to cut the cord. Sh had just detached herself YAY! Still very sticky but I can deal with that just a warm wipe down and back in the bator.

 

[K Epp]

My hatch has gone crazy too... It started with the duck deciding to go broody half way through gooses hatch. She kept taking eggs from goose, but she would spend more time off the nest. They had 4 ducks hatch on the 5th. On the 7th 2 duck & 2 turkey. They left the nest so I took the rest of the 45 chicken eggs out of the incubator out. (Zero hatch). I put the remaining duck egg and 3 turkey eggs in. Thought I would give them a couple more days. I candled that night. The duck egg was clearly stopped and dead. I pulled it. Last night I went to turn the chicken eggs I had put in there and there was a nice fluffy turkey. This morning I was moving some quail from one brooder to another and heard the tell tell sound of a egg exploding in the incubator. I smelled it before I looked. Thank goodness it didn't go on any of the eggs. I pulled them out and thought before I trash this last turkey egg I'm going to check it. I cracked open the air sack and it started chirping. I was about to sling it out in the woods. I wet a paper towel with hot water and moisten the membrane. No viens visible so I get membrane open at beak, wrap it in paper towel, and set it on top of brooder lid with incubator top over it. I rush and scrub bottom clean and get it and eggs back in there as quick as I can. I add the jars of water to up humidity and couple of hours later it looks the same still alive. All I can say is thank goodness I have a LF broody now to go with the 4 bantam. The hens do it much better than me. I may take the eggs from incubator and give them to her and quit for the year. Its been to crazy.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I waited a long time to buy this place and now the years have marched on . . . 5 years is a good amt of time to keep saving for your special place.

In the mean time you can do a LOT with 1/2 acre. Is it sunny? Or blocked in by other houses/buildings?? If you have a bit of sun you can turn it into a tremendous vegie producer, sell to the neighbors, sell a few eggs, and have more than enough to feed your family. YOu might need to buy a few things still, but you can produce a surpriizing amt on that 1/2 acre and when you move take all that knowledge with you.

THere is a utube on line about afamily in CA that does this. Every child has a chore or teo and neighbors come to the porch to make purchases.

This is a great time to start soem plants and get your green thumb nice and green.

Quote: I use an AC as that cools the air rather than heat it up. LOL I had a similar problem in summers past, and hauled the dehumidifier up two flights of stairs, got it plugged in and checked on things an hour later. THe room was boilding HOT!! Drove up the temps on my LG, too. Stopped that thing, and turned on the AC in another room, and closed doors to affect the fewest number of rooms and voila THAT worked.

My LG is very influenced by the smallest changes in humidity and temp. Really does need a consistent environment to work well. So I do monitor a lot but clearly not enough by my last hatch. I really should have checked the air cells earlier. ME bad. lol