Washingtonians

[Chicken Rustler]

Hey Jules LOOKIE what I gots ! ! !

 

[KMHunter]

For a flock of 12 layers, how much is too much? I know a lot of people who offer plenty of healthy treats and their birds lay fine, but I'm paranoid they'll slow down their laying if I give them oatmeal and alfalfa every day. I cooked up 1/2 cup of oatmeal (when cooked, it's about a cup) and a handful of alfalfa pellets. I also added flax seed meal, sesame seeds (1/8c each), and probiotics. WDYT? Is that too much? Really it's just the middle of a large plate full for all 12 girls.

I buy a bale of Alfalfa hay and give them a flake(section) of it every few 4 days or so for them to dig through and they eat the leaves and stuff too. It makes the yolks really yellow and it's good for them as well as giving them something to do. You can throw some scratch in it for them to dig for also.

 

[KMHunter]

Quote:
I was thinking I would like 75-100.
I would do like 25.

 

[ChickAudie]

I know some of y'all were looking for egg skelters, I found this one when I was poking through mah chicken magazine

at www.omlet.us under kitchen gadgets. It is $36.99 and only comes in cream, but I bet a small can (or spray paint) of Hammorite would make it look super cool

(I keep wanting to make one out of old wire hangers, lol...that would turn out pretty 0.o)


And because I couldn't stop laughing....

 

[itsren]

I ended up placing my order for the heated dog dish. For a brief time, the price jumped up to $30.00. Then it went back down to $23.22. I wonder if Amazon is beginning to look at the winter items and changing pricing. I'm not sure how Amazon handles pricing.

Here's the heated dish if anyone else is interested in trying to get one at a lower price. Hopefully it will stay low for a while. Heated dishes were expensive at Reber Ranch. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Y8GQ56/ref=ox_ya_os_product

 

[itsren]

 

[Justahannah]

I have a ton of homework, but it feels good to be done with the classroom portion of things for the week...I love sitting outside with my assignments while watching the girls live the easy life

. I think they're going through a juvenile molt, with three girls at 18 and two at 24 weeks nobody's laying yet but everyone's throwing feathers like crazy. They don't look particularly ragged, but the hundreds of feathers in the backyard indicate otherwise

. I think I should start collecting them, might be fun to try my hand at jewelry later or maybe I'll pass the buck and have someone else make it for me when I remember I'm too busy with practical projects for a new hobby. Any news on the proposed south Sound meet-up?

 

[JennS]

I meant nothing derogurtory (sp?) to any one. I was just trying to be humerous in response to the back and forths about hatching chicks. hince the laughing icon.
Jennifer, there are no dumb questions about chickens, ever. I just started this past March and I'm probably one of the least knowledgeable people on this forum.
I am sorry if I ruffled your feathers, I did not mean to, honestly. Mikey

Sorry I got my back up today. It's been a pretty rotten day in general. (High point of the day was not having to clean up any more vomit after I finished the car seat.) I know everybody was trying to help. Thanks, I really appreciate it.

Jennifer

 

[Shyla-C]

I ended up placing my order for the heated dog dish. For a brief time, the price jumped up to $30.00. Then it went back down to $23.22. I wonder if Amazon is beginning to look at the winter items and changing pricing. I'm not sure how Amazon handles pricing.

Here's the heated dish if anyone else is interested in trying to get one at a lower price. Hopefully it will stay low for a while. Heated dishes were expensive at Reber Ranch. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Y8GQ56/ref=ox_ya_os_product

I think they are, because the submersible water bucket heaters I wanted to get a month ago but didn't because I thought I had plenty of time before it started freezing went from $25 to $40.

and I need THREE of them! I guess I'll see how this winter goes, and maybe get them when the price hopefully drops back down. I just checked again and the price is the same.

 

[JennS]

Luck to all who are hatching,
Jen S, please don't be offended by what Mikeyb said, he's a great guy and was just funning you!

I have only been hatching chicks for a little over a year, and I understand you frustrations. Here's the thing, the information you get are usually guide lines, because there are SO MANY factors that influence hatching and hatch rates. I don't know what kind of incubator your using, but, the big thing is to try to go by manufactures directions to start, and also, your invironment plays a HUGE roll in how you regulate temp and humidity. How warm or cold the place is where the incubator sits, any drafts, humidity levels in that place ect. And how you handled the eggs before putting them in the bator, it is all relivant I have read TONS of stuff, on line, I have many books, and I have learned a lot from people here, in fact I would say, I have taken more information from people here, and been pretty succesful.

Here's one for you, I have a Brinsea Octo 20, great bator, haven't had too many problems, but it's rather small. I got like 25 eggs of various breeds, couldn't fit them in my brinsea so I went and got a cheap version of the LG. Now, mind you, I have hatched 4 succesfull hatches previous to this in my brinsea, with very little problems. Anyway, I did everything I could, used two thermometers, a hygometer, I mean I had it going on, at the end of the hatch, out of ALL those eggs, only 6 hatched!!!
I was sick to my stomach!! I opened many of the eggs to find out what happened and depending on where the egg sat, I found chicks in different stages of development! So..long story short, sometimes you can be doing everything right and something happens, and it sucks! I feel your angst, and know everyone here is behind you and hoping you have a great hatch!!

Hang in there! Try not to open the bator very much, if you can! I was so excited and worried I asked on of our dear BYCers if I could call her, and she said yes and talked me through my first hatch!!

Thanks for the advice! That explains why I couldn't find a clear cut list of instructions. I had no idea that incubators were so variable. Makes me wish I hadn't bought the egg turner for my LG and had instead spent the money on a better incubator. I have 3 thermometers in my incubator and it definitely reads higher or lower based on where I put them. There aren't any drafts in the room - I put it in our walk in closet so it would have the most stable environment.

So, should I pull out the BLRW 48 hours after it pipped? It stands up in the incubator, pecks at things around it and looks at me. Since I was told not to touch the eggs after day 19, I thought they would be harmed if the chick kicked them around, which is why I put it in a dish. I was really confused how that could be, when mamma chicken probably knocks the eggs all over!

Jennifer