Washingtonians

[Stumpfarmer]

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It was that, or going out and starting to split some aged timber bamboo that I'm going to use for cosmetic facings on the PVC pipe superstructure of the new coop, and messing about with photos seemed the better part of being able to work tomorrow.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

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Sorry honey. On my last egg left. I waited 24 hours. When I disected it, the poor chick looked to have quit about a week before hatch date... But I dont have much more experience than you do. So I would wait and see what everyone else thinks. Dont beat yourself up over it though, remember that you are still in the learning process.

eta, the egg was also very large, and the chick looked like it was two combining into one...

Was icky to look at but very interesting as well. Maby a double yolker?

Thank you. I think that these eggs had some sort of issue/damage too. I just wonder why they get to almost full term and then die (of did I kill them)...I just don't know. I look forward to everyone's input on this subject.

Also, I have not seen any responses to an earlier question (maybe I accidentally missed them)...Are chickens papered? I mean registered...like horses, dogs or rabbits, etc? so that you know lineage...or is this just informatin that when you have it...it needs to be remembered and written down somewhere.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

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Sorry honey. On my last egg left. I waited 24 hours. When I disected it, the poor chick looked to have quit about a week before hatch date... But I dont have much more experience than you do. So I would wait and see what everyone else thinks. Dont beat yourself up over it though, remember that you are still in the learning process.

eta, the egg was also very large, and the chick looked like it was two combining into one...

Was icky to look at but very interesting as well. Maby a double yolker?

I count the following day as day 1.
I waite a whole day afterwards and then remove the dry healthy babies, then I get each lifeless egg, with draw it from the incubator, and hold it to my ear, and tap it.
If silent, it is a dead egg.
If it peeps, wet it and put it back.
If by the next day (day 23) there is still nothing, no pip, no crack...then I repeat the tap process and usually crack the aircell, and either I help them or if dead, discard.
Sometimes they were not meant to hatch, too weak or have physical defects you do not want to try to deal with and the baby would more than likely not survive anyways.
You have to be tough, and realize, a chick that late is going to be sticky, and have anomalies.
Sorry

Thank you. Good information. I took the other chicks out because they were all good and dry and seemed to be tripping over the other eggs pretty good....can the chicks hurt the unborn chicks? can they bang the eggs around enough that the chick inside is hurt, or cannot get at it's air sack or something? We actually watched a couple of the eggs rockin and a rollin....even before they had pipped. So I was watching these 5 for that. Nuthin.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

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Awwh don't blame yourself for it. For reasons beyond my chick-hatching knowledge sometimes they just never seem to wake up even though they're fully formed or sometimes they aren't strong enough to get out. For chickens I wait till about day 23, if no movement then I do a float test, keep the viables and give them another day. Sometimes I'm hopeful and give them 25 days but haven't ever had them take that long to hatch

what is the float test?

And thank you everyone for your words of wisdom. It has helped me feel better.

Oh, and DD said a prayer over the dead chicks. It was cute.

 

[pettec63]

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Oh but its so fun to watch them hatch! When the Blue Ameraucanas and Olive eggers were hatching. At one point in time, I had 5 adults and one 2 year old all crouded arounf the eco 20!

Cant wait until the next bigger batch of eggs arives!

Oh my gosh!! I can hardly wait!!

 

[blueducklings]

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That's where we want to go tooo!!! (That family outing thing that I'm using as an excuse to get to go to the show)

Don't get me wrong, love family outings, just love them more when then can include a chicken show!!! Hey we have the big membership and can get 2 in free, if your interested!

Thanks for the offer. We just bought the grandparents package...2 adults and 4 kids! We only have one kid, but he likes to bring friends.
So fun!
Are you going to stay the night in Portland?

 

[Ogress]

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One thing I've learned: when it comes to livestock, no breed of dog is safe.

And since I left it out of my unawake blather above: we're dog people. I have, snoring and farting under my feet, a 14YO Border Collie/Austrailian Shepherd and his 13YO daughter, a Chesepeake Cow Retriever. Our dogs are trained to be useful and respectful of domesticated animals. Other people's, not so much.

I just believe whole heartedly that if you are going to have animals you have be responsible and do what it takes to keep them in your yard and from doing damage to others property. (which it sounds like you are a responsible pet owner) My chickens don't go into her yard, so I don't want her dog in mine. I did shoot it with a paintball gun in the butt once.

I think it went home with a big red splotch on it. I really would have a hard time hurting or killing it because I love all animals. I would upset me to no end and I would be extremely angry

with her for not tying her dog up. He jumps their cyclone fence by the way. Totally clears the thing. He is actually really sweet with people and was just chasing my girls from around the outside of the fence, having fun, he stops and comes when I call, not when she does though. But if he got in he would hurt them for sure, and come back more often. I am making the fence more secure but I hope I don't have to deal with him again.

My neighbors expect me to buy charged fencing for my fenced property when it is their loose dogs coming in, not my chickens getting out! DS hits them with Green paintballs.

 

[Ogress]

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WOW!! we made NPR???? It doesn't surprise me, I live 2 miles out of town, which is a total of 10 houses a church and a post office. In the summer you can here gun fire from my house I don't watch the news or listen to it on the radio anymore. It aggravates me and I can't do anything about it anyway! I live three houses off a main road down a private lane, so I know whos coming before they get here, I have two shot guns loaded and a few more to boot! I better know your coming before I see you pull up!

It's rediculous really! We have 5.5 very nice acres here and it's crap that town(Sunnyside) is so gang ridden! I grew up in the valley almost 30 years ago and graduated from Grandview, It was a great place to live then. It still is if you ignore all the crap! Oh my gosh! We bought a camper today so I'm with you on the camping! And your so right about the smores! I can hardly wait to get it ready! It's a slide in for our pick up which means I can take my horses too!

Do yo have to sell it!

They did more on that NPR gang story today, on mothers and sisters of gang members, sad.

I need to dig out my tent trailer and see if it is full of mousies. I miss camping.

 

[blueducklings]

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Sorry honey. On my last egg left. I waited 24 hours. When I disected it, the poor chick looked to have quit about a week before hatch date... But I dont have much more experience than you do. So I would wait and see what everyone else thinks. Dont beat yourself up over it though, remember that you are still in the learning process.

eta, the egg was also very large, and the chick looked like it was two combining into one...

Was icky to look at but very interesting as well. Maby a double yolker?

Eeeww

I don't look at the presumed dead eggs. I just toss them all out and look forward to the next hatch.
I read that you need to put all the eggs in at once, then let it hatch out, don't go look or poke at it...thats why its called lock down. then if it doesn't hatch, out it goes after 2 days toss..
If it is a late bloomer, there is going to be problems with it anyhow. I rather toss them out as an egg than have to kill them later. YUCK YUCK.
So I'm trying my bestest to not even go look. I know they can live out of their egg sack for a day.
After a day, I'll go take any chicks out quickly and then spray the eggs with water.
Thats my plan for this week.
Anyone doing different? I lost babies last week to tough membrane so I think its because I opened everytime there was a newbie.
CL?

 

[Ogress]

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Wow, you're working so hard you're smokin! Glad you were not hurt!

DS is growing again, and pretty soon he will have 2 pr of lined Carhart Jeans (1 lined with flannel, the other with fleece) to give away. I get them @ Sierra Trading post, so they are "seconds" (or in this case, "thirds." ) They are 34X34 or 34X36. If you want them, I'll send them down to you. I gave the last batch of jeans he outgrew to the guy who built the chicken coop, but these pants would be too large for him.