Washingtonians

[broodytood]

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Thanks CL. I'm comfortable that I did the right thing. Just wish I knew more about the parent birds.

 

[broodytood]

You never stop learning do ya. In just one hatch, I've learned what a stargazer chick is, what spraddled is, what shrink wrapped looks like and found out about curled toes. All of which I may have caused. Shows me that me that a low humidity hatch may work for some eggs but not for all. The Marans did fine at a lower RH, but most of the bantys were shrink wrapped at the same RH. I am like CR, I don't like to do anything unless I can do it perfect. Not realistic but it's the way I strive. (drives my family nuts) So I guess I'll just keep striving and learning. This is the essence of life, right?

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

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For what its worth last I heard local rooms were going pretty fast and since it is a fairly smll area I don't know how many there are. Ya may want to get on that as soon as ya can.

Thank you. I will wait and see what DH is saying. I asked if he might want to take the trailer...but with diesel at over $4 a gallon, I don't think he is gonna want to. I will talk more with him this weekend. What I might do is stay at my relative's in Yakima...go on Saturday...go back to their house Saturday night and go home on Sunday. I will see what I can pull off.

If you want to pitch in for gas and split the cost with me--I'll give you a ride down & back...I'll be driving my little Rav4 and it gets about 28-30mpg on the highway. You'll have to get a hotel room though--I got mine at the Rodeway Inn. My mom is meeting me there.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

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HA! I haven't heard that term since I bred reptiles....priceless!

 

[Chickielady]

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Thanks CL. I'm comfortable that I did the right thing. Just wish I knew more about the parent birds.

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!

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

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I bring bug spray ( permectin) the nice organic chrysanthemum kind, and spray the bed, sheets & mattress, then open windows & leave.
When I return hours later, the room should be bug free.
I have heard/seen horror stories about bed bugs & saber-toothed crotch crickets (body crabs) ewwwwwwwww!!!
So now I have the crawlies!!!EWWWWWWWW!!!
Even the best motels can get infestations...OK enough about bugs.....

Crotch crickets???!????

OMG!

 

[Zgoatlady]

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Im suprised the Marans did good with a lower humidity. When you say that how low was it. I have my humidity at about 65.

So the chicks with the curled toes you can make a brace for them and help the toes out.

I think I learn every time I hatch and Ive done it a lot... Im also the one who keeps the chicks I should let go of early on too. Last year Id get up every 2 hours to make sure one had water and was eating and help its leg to get stronger by doing chicky excerise's. In the end I had to let it go. It about killed the hole family. My 19 year old son said NO you can fix it mom, but I just couldnt.. Thats when my husband put his foot down and said no more if you have a chick like this you cant save it...
He was right... The reason the chick was like that it was a really late hatch, and on top of that I helped it out. I dont think it would have made it out of the egg.

 

[Chickielady]

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I bring bug spray ( permectin) the nice organic chrysanthemum kind, and spray the bed, sheets & mattress, then open windows & leave.
When I return hours later, the room should be bug free.
I have heard/seen horror stories about bed bugs & saber-toothed crotch crickets (body crabs) ewwwwwwwww!!!
So now I have the crawlies!!!EWWWWWWWW!!!
Even the best motels can get infestations...OK enough about bugs.....

Crotch crickets???!????

OMG!

Saber-toothed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

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Crotch crickets???!????

OMG!

Saber-toothed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those sound like the WORST kind!

Okay...I HAD to Google term and wow....they ARE a "real" thing? LOL

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=saber-toothed crotch cricket

 

[Chickielady]

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Im suprised the Marans did good with a lower humidity. When you say that how low was it. I have my humidity at about 65.

So the chicks with the curled toes you can make a brace for them and help the toes out.

I think I learn every time I hatch and Ive done it a lot... Im also the one who keeps the chicks I should let go of early on too. Last year Id get up every 2 hours to make sure one had water and was eating and help its leg to get stronger by doing chicky excerise's. In the end I had to let it go. It about killed the hole family. My 19 year old son said NO you can fix it mom, but I just couldnt.. Thats when my husband put his foot down and said no more if you have a chick like this you cant save it...
He was right... The reason the chick was like that it was a really late hatch, and on top of that I helped it out. I dont think it would have made it out of the egg.

Interesting you entioned the Marans, I have encountered that the Marans do better with higher humidity, their membrane seems harder to me than say, the Delawares.
The dellies piped, zipped & were running around in under 5 minutes per egg.
The Marans, especially the black copper, pipped, and took hours.
They had to work hard. I upped the humidity to 67% and they did excellent!
BTW:: Post Master so loves the chicks he has ordered more!!!!

Is your ne boy hard at work

I bet he is LOVING his new life & job, much more so than Illia's bachelor pad..with no girlies!!!
She has a barn full of beautiful Cock birds...no girlies