Washingtonians

[JennS]

They are all laying! They are all laying!

Top: Rhodie (RIR), Bottom left: Drama (Light Brahma), Bottom Right: Caunnie (EE)

Wow, gorgeous! Congratulations!

Jennifer

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote: Not many. In Chehalis there is Penny playground (which I helped build) and Stan Hedwall. In Centralia there is Fort Borst, Riverside and Schaffer. Then there's Lewis & Clark just up the road from me and a few other county/state parks.

 

[Chickielady]

You can only imagine how much fun it was to care for her after she had a stroke. I got to take care of her for just over 2 years as a older teenager.

Only proving once again:

What goes around
Comes around.

 

[FirewifeJess]

Renee - once again, beautiful eggs! I'm SO jealous of your speckled egg from Drama! Gorgeous. Looks like Martha and Caunnie lay the same color egg but only a side by side comparison would really tell. John thought Rhodie's reddish egg was so cool! He asked why our RIR only lays boring light tan colored eggs.

Agreed with y'all - why in the world would you have your kids pack for themselves and never teach them HOW to pack, CHECK their work so they can improve, and HELP them learn!? That's awful your parents did that to you Renee. I can, however, see how your parents missed the mark. What they did wasn't OK, they needed to teach you first, make you a list to help you later, check your work for many trips after that, then let you TRY when you're a bit older to do it all yourself. Ugh. So sad.

Y'all are making me want to go to the Auction but there's no way; DH would kill me. He did, however, completely agree that it would be a good idea to take 2 of HoneySuckleHill's birds that she listed last night...didn't argue, said "Cool, go get them!"

I think he's lost his mind and I no longer have anyone to balance out my insanity and crazed need for more chickens. Uh oh!

Growing pains - I had them. Badly. Nobody believed me. Wanted to let you know the one thing I found that has helped my boys with their growing pains (Jeanine doesn't have them) is buying expensive, well supported shoes. We are forced to buy the little ones Stride Rites, See Kai Run, etc. Shoes that support. John's first pair of shoes at 13 months old cost me $54

But if he wears flip flops or unsupportive and cheap shoes, he wakes up screaming. It's awful. Renee, maybe that would help your daughter? If you could afford it maybe you could take her for a custom tennis shoe fitting at Road Runner sports at the Kent Commons?

School this morning went pretty ok! John doesn't like to listen to me...it's hard having your mom for a teacher. I know the first few weeks will be rough but we're looking forward to getting into a good groove over the next few weeks. The curriculum is pretty awesome and has tons of fun activities! Over the first week and a half we'll be creating pieces to a scroll, and tomorrow we will make clay jars.

 

[Chickielady]

I realize that my daughter has hit a growth spurt when she starts tripping or falling and most notably is spinning around a lot. It is like her neurological system has to catch up with her bones!

 

[Chickielady]

Thanks guys! I'll check into all of these.

Chickielady - I do know that when I eat bananas and drink POM Pomegranate juice, it helps my legs significantly. The RLS doesn't completely subside, but it does help. POM keeps my blood pressure down to a "good enough" level, so I now try to drink that every day. I'm allergic to the heart meds my doctor has tried me on (throat swells). A friend told me about POM, and after I started drinking it, when back in for a check-up, my blood pressure was perfect. Now I just have to remember to drink it. It is expensive. My doctor is a medical doctor, and he said he's not supposed to support natural ways of dealing with heart issues, but he told me that as long as POM continues to work, he has no problem with my using it instead of medication.

My mom is severely allergic to gluten. She doesn't have Celiac's Disease, but she does have a true gluten allergy. I know I don't have Celiac - I have had 2 colonoscopies and have been tested twice for it. I'm not allergic to gluten, either - I was tested by an allergist for that, as well.

My daughter does fight canker sores, along with the painful legs and headaches. She also gets athlete's feet very easy. We have to spray her feet constantly - but no one else in the family ever gets athlete's feet. When she was a baby/toddler she was a walking eczema rash. It was bad! Because of my mom's allergy to gluten, I may have to try the gluten-free thing with the whole family and see if it helps her. Just what I need though... trying to find a diet that is nut-free, egg-free, cinnamon-free, garlic-free, pork-free... and also gluten-free. Some days I just feel like giving up!

If you are not eating gluten, and get tested for celiac disease, you will get a negative diagnosis.
You MUST be on gluten to have your immunal system generate the antibodies to it...and therefore the test will be positive.
They call it the "Gluten Challenge"
The "canker sores" and blisters inside the mouth, on elbows, knees, "hat band" area of the head and sometimes buttocks, are called "Dermititis Herpetiformis" and are not true herpes, just look like it.
I had "canker sores " (and cold sores) my whole life, until I stopped gluten entirely and any foods with "food starch" (as ya never know wheat they used for the starch) and soy.
Soy really bothers me, including "Vegetable Oil" which is soybean oil.
Maybe do the gluten challenge & get tested again.
I was diagnosed (FINALLY !!!) by biopsy of a blister on my elbow...oddly enough.
Google Dermitius Herpetiformis and check it out.
I voluntarily quit gluten, and so constantly tested negative !
I was so sick when I DID eat gluten that I refused to take the challenge, but accidently ate some gluten, developed blisters, and begged my Dermitologist for a biopsy.
It came back positive.

 

[Rainwolf]

I have a question on incubation temperatures. I have been running my Little Giant incubator since Friday night to get the temp stabilized. How much can it deviate from 99.5 degrees and not harm the eggs? Yesterday I saw it at 100.3 in the morning and at 98.5 in the evening. It's in our walk-in closet, which is the most stable room in the house (I store most of the wine in there, lol). Is a fluctuation of a degree or two alright?

I think my husband left the master bath window open for most of yesterday, so I'm sure that affected it. That window rarely ever gets opened, and I'll make sure it doesn't at all for the next month. I guess it at least means he's listening to me when I tell him not to leave the bathroom vent fans running for hours... but it meant that I had to throw an extra fleece on the bed. It was cold!!

I've got to wash the egg turner trays today and add water to tweak the humidity. I'm hoping to have all my eggs by tomorrow, but it might take an extra day.

Thanks!

Jennifer

Swings in temps are not bad just don't let it get more then a few degrees and the central temp is 99-100. when you add the water the temp will be a lot different then without water so stabilize the humidity and temps at the same time before adding eggs. when you add eggs the temp will drop until the eggs temps rise to the bator temps so don't play with the temps until 2 days after adding the eggs. I just crack the lid a little during the first day or so if it gets to hot. Please get a hygrometer and test it then use it! the humidity can either drown a egg or dry them out. One good trick for new incubation person is to take one egg and with a pencil or marker draw the air sack. then every 3-5 days draw the air sack again on the egg. it should be slowly getting larger but not so fast that 1/2 the egg is air by hatch time and not so slow that there is not enough air sack for the chick to hatch.

The humidity is the trick to incubation..... due to the fact that the humidity in the air/room as well as in the bator affects the hatch.

Can't go now... I have weekends off for 2 months... which means m-f nights are work hrs

Shift just changed this weekend...

Good grief !
When there is week end shows, you are working weekends.
When there is a week day get together, you are working weekdays...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Yes I know... But this is the first time in 9 years I've had weekends off and it was not my choice... I'd rather have the 10hr days and more days off but I did not get that this time

A swing of a degree or two is not going to make much difference.  In fact, I run my 'bators at 100, and once it went to 102 for several days - the eggs hatched a day early.

In the wild the hen will leave the nest almost daily to get food/drink and go poo.  The egg temp will drop several degrees while she's away.

Thanks! I checked it a little while ago and it was 99.3. It seems pretty stable, especially when the temp in the attached room doesn't dive 10-15 degrees. Grrr.

How about humidity fluctuations, are they the same? I plan on topping it off a little every couple of days.

I picked up my first eggs today. Woot!! I've got 4 lavender Orpingtons, and she threw in a black copper Marans. I can't wait to get the rest and put them all in!

Jennifer

 

[Chickielady]

I am down to just a pair of Seramas now. I need to find another pullet or two so that my boy "Marco" doesn't worry poor little Veronica to distraction. He is one active little boy. (This is my first time with any "teenage" rooster that I intend to keep.) Has anyone ever seen the film "Dangerous Beauty"? My DD named them after the characters in that movie since it's one of her faves.

I certainly did enjoy seeing all the beautiful birds at the Puyallup Fair on Friday. DH and I were in awe of the nearly 100 Seramas there for Table Top judging and stayed to observe for awhile. A couple of our WA BYC'ers took some prizes for their pretty little birds!
Made me want more - but space is limited and I can only take so much crowing IN my house. Marco and Veronica live inside most of the time since he has a sharp piercing crow that can be heard all over the neighborhood. He's actually louder than the English Orp boy or the Silkie boys!

So I don't know if Veronica was threatened since she may have heard I was coveting other people's pretty pullets at the fair or what - but starting Saturday morning she started leaving me little eggs. Two days in a row now from my pretty 4 month old Serama girl.

I've heard it takes at least 3 of these to equal one "regular" sized egg. I asked DH if he'd like a 12 egg omelette sometime!

Here is Veronica's first egg compared to a Salmon Faverolles egg -


And here is my pretty little Veronica - I am just in love with this affectionate tiny girl. She often sits on my shoulder when I'm playing on the computer.

She is so cute !
I bet Pierre would LOVE HER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chickielady]

Not many. In Chehalis there is Penny playground (which I helped build) and Stan Hedwall. In Centralia there is Fort Borst, Riverside and Schaffer. Then there's Lewis & Clark just up the road from me and a few other county/state parks.

Maybe check them out & find one with a covered picnic area that would be easy to find for others coming down I-5 ?

 

[chickenjane82]

My daughter does fight canker sores, along with the painful legs and headaches. She also gets athlete's feet very easy. We have to spray her feet constantly - but no one else in the family ever gets athlete's feet. When she was a baby/toddler she was a walking eczema rash. It was bad! Because of my mom's allergy to gluten, I may have to try the gluten-free thing with the whole family and see if it helps her. Just what I need though... trying to find a diet that is nut-free, egg-free, cinnamon-free, garlic-free, pork-free... and also gluten-free. Some days I just feel like giving up!

Have you looked into Candida issues?
Doctors arent typically trained to connect those symptoms, but they are all signs of candida overgrowth. Itd be worth looking into.