Washingtonians

[pettec63]

Well, I just candled my 15 eggs, most of what I see they have black masses at one end ! Only one I thought may show signs of life!

These are eggs that were shipped from TX so who knows what happened!! On top of the fact it was my first hatch!!

so I don't know what I'm doing anyway!!

Anybody have any Buff Orpington eggs they want to sell? I guess I need to buy local hatching eggs first and maybe they would stand a better chance!!!!

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
OMG!!!!!

Usually I can tolerate the rain here, but this year has just been terrible, and has me really depressed. So many plans, yet I can't to do anything until the yard dries out somewhat. It is not raining today, but it is so foggy that everything is dripping. Yesterday the temp got up to a whopping 57 in town, so cooler here. It is sooooo frustrating. My first plans are to use the snow shovels to scoop pathways through the mud to the chicken coop and from there to the dog cabin (12' x 10' heated garden shed with 500 SF fenced run). I'm going to line the walkways with weed block and gravel them in. I'm trying to figure out how to make terraced gravel steps. We have a short but steep slope in front of the chicken coop. In the winter, we all slipped numerous times on the ice that built up there. I had removed all the insulation from the mouse infested garden shed last fall, and installed a dog door, radiant heat panel and run to use it as an area to keep the dogs so they can warn me when the bears come (the dog area is between the chickens and the orchard). We put stepping stone paths from the house to the coop and from there to the dog cabin, but they have all sunk under the mud

, so the dogs have been living in our house and tracking mud everywhere. Even if if were no mud, the dogs could not use their place. For the first time in 8 years, the puddles in my yard got so huge that the floor boards of the garden shed soaked it up and all the linoleum tiles popped off. I've got tons of mud control to do this summer if the weather should ever clear up so that taking care of our animals won't be a miserable slog through the mud next year.

That's terrible! I used to live in Lynnwood, for a very short time, and I was stationed in Bremerton in the 80's. I just couldn't live up there!! It's beautiful but, all the rain makes me depressed and miserable! That is so much work and trouble you spent just to have it ruined!! I'm sorry!

We drive through North Bend of course on our way up to Seattle and it seems like such a pretty place, but, I can see how it would be frustrating for me especially to live there! I hope it clears up soon for you, so you can get your projects done!!

 

[BarnChick]

Hello all. I am looking for a couple of chickens to buy. I don't have preference on breed really, just want to get started and the chicks are too young for me right now with my set up. anyone close to Yakima have a couple they would sell to me?
thanks

 

[SadieSue]

Okay. I'm officially in lock down. (Breathe...) Racks dividers are removed, eggs gently placed on their sides, water trays are filled, vent is moved down to 1/3 of the way open, incubator is taken off of the cradle and cradle is unplugged. Out of 22 eggs set I think I've only got 9 hatching.

I had set 5 of Whitey Fords eggs with the chance they might be fertile, just for fun. 2 of those are good. I tossed the rest. 6 Salmon Faverolles were set, 5 of those are good! (Thank you Jeanine!)
Unfortunately out of the 12 Marans eggs I set, only 2 have a definite dark mass in them. I just opened 4 of the those not showing any development and one or two seemed to have ceased developing very early on. I could see a larger white spot in one, and the other had a couple of blood spots, so I'm only guessing. The other two were just watery yellow and white. These were my shipped eggs, but they were well packed and not shipped far so I just don't know why they didn't grow. Was it shipping? Were they infertile to begin with? Did I mishandle them? I'm trying to learn from this experience. Hopefully I'll get at least 2 BCM's out of the 12 though.

So 9 eggs with fidgety little shadows dancing are in lock down. Now it's just

Is there a mantra we should be chanting at this point? 4312 is going into lock down today as well I know. Good luck to all my hatching buddies!

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Quote:
OMG!!!!!

Usually I can tolerate the rain here, but this year has just been terrible, and has me really depressed. So many plans, yet I can't to do anything until the yard dries out somewhat. It is not raining today, but it is so foggy that everything is dripping. Yesterday the temp got up to a whopping 57 in town, so cooler here. It is sooooo frustrating. My first plans are to use the snow shovels to scoop pathways through the mud to the chicken coop and from there to the dog cabin (12' x 10' heated garden shed with 500 SF fenced run). I'm going to line the walkways with weed block and gravel them in. I'm trying to figure out how to make terraced gravel steps. We have a short but steep slope in front of the chicken coop. In the winter, we all slipped numerous times on the ice that built up there. I had removed all the insulation from the mouse infested garden shed last fall, and installed a dog door, radiant heat panel and run to use it as an area to keep the dogs so they can warn me when the bears come (the dog area is between the chickens and the orchard). We put stepping stone paths from the house to the coop and from there to the dog cabin, but they have all sunk under the mud

, so the dogs have been living in our house and tracking mud everywhere. Even if if were no mud, the dogs could not use their place. For the first time in 8 years, the puddles in my yard got so huge that the floor boards of the garden shed soaked it up and all the linoleum tiles popped off. I've got tons of mud control to do this summer if the weather should ever clear up so that taking care of our animals won't be a miserable slog through the mud next year.

Was just talking to my sister; she's mostly growing dahlias and some beans this year, maybe, if she gets around to it; the subdivision next door has flooded her vegetable garden for too many years in a row for her to want to fight the battle to get the ground broken up sifficiently for corn and peppers. I'm doing an ad hoc biointensive pepper garden: digging out holes in the oregano patch and putting a half-bag of steerco and a rock mulch around a few dozen pepper and tomatillo plants.

But first: the chicken coop must be built, and the chicken tractor sterilized, by Sunday, so hop hop to it, get moving et'c and so on!

 

[KMHunter]

Quote:
Sorry for your loss!

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
Omy gosh! good for you!! So maybe the dark spots I see aren't all bad?? I used an small led flashlight my BF had, I haven't gone to lowes yet, I think I will candle again tomorrow with a different device and see what I see!! Good luck!!

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote:

From Ethel, WA I think there are a couple of other new people near you but don't know if they have birds for sale. If you are willing to do a little road trip I bet somebody here can help ya.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote:
Don't throw them out. How experienced at candling are you? That is how mine looked but I did not know what I was looking at the first time. How powerful of a flashlight for candlelight did you use? Do they smell bad? When are they due to hatch.

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
Don't throw them out. How experienced at candling are you? That is how mine looked but I did not know what I was looking at the first time. How powerful of a flashlight for candlelight did you use? Do they smell bad? When are they due to hatch.

I didn't throw them out, I marked them and put them in one side of the incubator, I'm NOT experienced at candling

and the flash light I used was led and I don't know how powerful it was, I'm going to get another one and try again tomorrow. They don't smell ?......and they are due to hatch 5/20 hope that helps?? I'm going to use the flashlight sadiesue uses... I can see masses, just not veins and stuff! And my eyes aren't the best anyway, soo.. I'm hanging tight with what I have till I get a better look if I can and I'll keep asking questions, if i can get a picture I will post what I see.
Thanks T!!!