I now have three bators, that may or may not work. The broodies better get good at the job.
Washingtonians
- Thread starter Napalongtail
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Okay the night crew is heading for the coop. Have a nice morning.
Quote:
I have hatched chicks for 40 years, and only encoutered a stargazer (actually 4 of them) from one person/flock.
I am convinced that it is caused by inbreeding. It maybe caused by other genetic & nutrition issues too, but look at this example:
I buy a doz hatching eggs from 'A', then I cull the icky Cockerals & raise them ( I am then 'B') & sell a doz hatching eggs to another guy in Mass, he is then 'C', he raises & sells a doz hatching eggs to a woman in FLA, who is 'D', and on it goes.
We are GLOBALIZED...and you must introduce new blood to your flocks, cull all Cockerals & buy from someone else, if you want to raise healthy chicks.
You cannot, in this day & age, hatch a flock & not expect that it has been inbred through so many people.
Did you ever open the incubator ?
Shrink wrapping should never occur unless 1) you opened the incubator or
2) the chicks pipped, and either fell asleep or were so slow the membrane was exposed to air too long.
The egg membrane will dry & harden even with 80% humidity.
Once pipped & zipping begins, the membrane begins to dry & gets first rubbery, then hardens, and if the chicks are slow, or if it is dark (I have found they go to sleep) the membrane will harden like hard plastic, and they will be unable to hatch.
It seems to me that you have experieced everything that can possibly go wrong, with this first hatch.
That out of the way, you should be a first rate hatcher now!
First I want to thank you for taking the time to share you knowledge. It is invaluable. After 40 yrs of hatching, I see you as hatch master!
I use a separate incubator and hatcher. For the bantys, I did not open the hatcher but from pip to zip was 3-4 times longer than the Marans. Seemed odd to me but since I am new to this I was not sure why it was taking so long. I was also told that from pip to zip can be up to 12-24 hrs so I was trying to be patient and let them do their thing. I started helping when it had gone over 12 hrs from pip with no progress. I mist warm water into the hatcher snatch out an egg, wrap it into warm wet but not dripping washcloth and proceed to figure out why it is not progressing. In each case the chick was still alive but wrapped. The thermostat flicks the light on and off to regulate temps but there is a 7w night light that glows all time.
I read the article by Bill Worrell about dry incubating. Seemed logical. But now I am doubting everything I have learned up to this point.(which really isn't much)
There are so many differing methods, it's hard to keep it all straight! Maybe you should write a guide for us newbies. Incubating for dummies, I mean newbies by Chickielady. (Like you have nothing better to do with your time, right. Ha) but I would definitely buy one!
I'm not going to get discouraged, at least not yet.
Thanks again for your wise words, they are very helpful and appreciated!
I was actually going to go to the book store and see if there was an "Incubating for Dumbies"....in the group of Books for Dumbies. I thought it was a good idea....DH rolled his eyes.
I have hatched chicks for 40 years, and only encoutered a stargazer (actually 4 of them) from one person/flock.
I am convinced that it is caused by inbreeding. It maybe caused by other genetic & nutrition issues too, but look at this example:
I buy a doz hatching eggs from 'A', then I cull the icky Cockerals & raise them ( I am then 'B') & sell a doz hatching eggs to another guy in Mass, he is then 'C', he raises & sells a doz hatching eggs to a woman in FLA, who is 'D', and on it goes.
We are GLOBALIZED...and you must introduce new blood to your flocks, cull all Cockerals & buy from someone else, if you want to raise healthy chicks.
You cannot, in this day & age, hatch a flock & not expect that it has been inbred through so many people.
Did you ever open the incubator ?
Shrink wrapping should never occur unless 1) you opened the incubator or
2) the chicks pipped, and either fell asleep or were so slow the membrane was exposed to air too long.
The egg membrane will dry & harden even with 80% humidity.
Once pipped & zipping begins, the membrane begins to dry & gets first rubbery, then hardens, and if the chicks are slow, or if it is dark (I have found they go to sleep) the membrane will harden like hard plastic, and they will be unable to hatch.
It seems to me that you have experieced everything that can possibly go wrong, with this first hatch.
That out of the way, you should be a first rate hatcher now!
First I want to thank you for taking the time to share you knowledge. It is invaluable. After 40 yrs of hatching, I see you as hatch master!
I use a separate incubator and hatcher. For the bantys, I did not open the hatcher but from pip to zip was 3-4 times longer than the Marans. Seemed odd to me but since I am new to this I was not sure why it was taking so long. I was also told that from pip to zip can be up to 12-24 hrs so I was trying to be patient and let them do their thing. I started helping when it had gone over 12 hrs from pip with no progress. I mist warm water into the hatcher snatch out an egg, wrap it into warm wet but not dripping washcloth and proceed to figure out why it is not progressing. In each case the chick was still alive but wrapped. The thermostat flicks the light on and off to regulate temps but there is a 7w night light that glows all time.
I read the article by Bill Worrell about dry incubating. Seemed logical. But now I am doubting everything I have learned up to this point.(which really isn't much)
There are so many differing methods, it's hard to keep it all straight! Maybe you should write a guide for us newbies. Incubating for dummies, I mean newbies by Chickielady. (Like you have nothing better to do with your time, right. Ha) but I would definitely buy one!
I'm not going to get discouraged, at least not yet.
Thanks again for your wise words, they are very helpful and appreciated!
I was actually going to go to the book store and see if there was an "Incubating for Dumbies"....in the group of Books for Dumbies. I thought it was a good idea....DH rolled his eyes.
Quote:
That is wonderful. I love it.
That is wonderful. I love it.
Quote:
Have a binder with paper in it near by....scratch down your random thoughts. Each thought gets its own page. You can revisit the ideas/creations and "tweek" them, add or subtract, etc. If no good...toss that page. If you find that you need to....Keep more than one...one in the barn, one in the house, one in the shop, etc. If you need to, have more than one pad of paper and pen, in the house...living room, kitchen, bathroom...
Have a binder with paper in it near by....scratch down your random thoughts. Each thought gets its own page. You can revisit the ideas/creations and "tweek" them, add or subtract, etc. If no good...toss that page. If you find that you need to....Keep more than one...one in the barn, one in the house, one in the shop, etc. If you need to, have more than one pad of paper and pen, in the house...living room, kitchen, bathroom...
Quote:
That would so work given that starter fluid is ether, and ether has been used as an anesthetic before the modern anesthetics. On the other hand one would need to be very careful because the starter fluid is very very flammable.
Chicken Flambe! My brother is a California Highway Patrol Officer. Decades ago he worked a horrific accident on Pacheco Pass. A tanker truck carrying tequila drifted over the center line and crashed head on into another truck carrying cages of chickens. The woman driving the chickens was killed and the cages for chickens fell from the truck, many of the cages opened up and many birds got away, then the vehicles burst into flame, and buring chickens were running into the hills and setting them ablaze too. My brother told me that even a few years later, he would see chickens scarred from the fire running around there.
I thought, at first, that you were joking. maybe it is because it is so early....but this is awful. but what an image.
That would so work given that starter fluid is ether, and ether has been used as an anesthetic before the modern anesthetics. On the other hand one would need to be very careful because the starter fluid is very very flammable.
Chicken Flambe! My brother is a California Highway Patrol Officer. Decades ago he worked a horrific accident on Pacheco Pass. A tanker truck carrying tequila drifted over the center line and crashed head on into another truck carrying cages of chickens. The woman driving the chickens was killed and the cages for chickens fell from the truck, many of the cages opened up and many birds got away, then the vehicles burst into flame, and buring chickens were running into the hills and setting them ablaze too. My brother told me that even a few years later, he would see chickens scarred from the fire running around there.
I thought, at first, that you were joking. maybe it is because it is so early....but this is awful. but what an image.
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I honestly think it is better if they don't give a time frame. Maybe just something like well this is pretty bad, or this is slow moving. I have seen too many times when they say a short time and the person just seems to give up. But then I have seen them say soon and the person makes it a long time. At any rate just make sure things are in order. Will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.
I honestly think it is better if they don't give a time frame. Maybe just something like well this is pretty bad, or this is slow moving. I have seen too many times when they say a short time and the person just seems to give up. But then I have seen them say soon and the person makes it a long time. At any rate just make sure things are in order. Will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.
Quote:
Have a binder with paper in it near by....scratch down your random thoughts. Each thought gets its own page. You can revisit the ideas/creations and "tweek" them, add or subtract, etc. If no good...toss that page. If you find that you need to....Keep more than one...one in the barn, one in the house, one in the shop, etc. If you need to, have more than one pad of paper and pen, in the house...living room, kitchen, bathroom...
See thats the problem many I think of while driving or when I have my hood down and am in the middle of cutting or welding. I don't like to stop in the middle any more than needed.
Maybe some day I will rig a voice actuated recorder inside my hood so I can just say "record" then say my idea and say "stop recording"
Hey we all gotta dream right!!!
Have a binder with paper in it near by....scratch down your random thoughts. Each thought gets its own page. You can revisit the ideas/creations and "tweek" them, add or subtract, etc. If no good...toss that page. If you find that you need to....Keep more than one...one in the barn, one in the house, one in the shop, etc. If you need to, have more than one pad of paper and pen, in the house...living room, kitchen, bathroom...
See thats the problem many I think of while driving or when I have my hood down and am in the middle of cutting or welding. I don't like to stop in the middle any more than needed.
Maybe some day I will rig a voice actuated recorder inside my hood so I can just say "record" then say my idea and say "stop recording"
Quote:
Stargazer sounds like what my chicks had too except when I described it I was told it was Wry Neck. Maybe they are related or get lumped together as being the same since they both have the same causes and treatments or end result.
Stargazer sounds like what my chicks had too except when I described it I was told it was Wry Neck. Maybe they are related or get lumped together as being the same since they both have the same causes and treatments or end result.
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