Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[zeke]

Good morning! It sure is nice what a sunny weekend does for the soul! I noticed in Hurley's incubation corner (very nice job BTW) that she also had a styro surround for her styro incubator. I had the most luck with mine when I put it in the basement where the temps are much more stable than upstairs. This is the main reason that I am hatching a bit later this year. Our house temps fluctuate by 10+ degrees between day and night and that is just too big a span for that little incubator.
Jim's instructions are very similar between the Sportsmen and the styro ones in the area of a fail-safe temperature. Then he tapes the seams up too to help with temp and humidity. I am sure he will send you the full instruction packet! LOL!

Bees were my dh's "livestock of choice" when we first moved here JJ. I still have the hives in the back. They have mostly been reclaimed by the weeds. He wasnted to "get back into it" so I got $350 worth of hive supplies from Dadant and there are presently buried someplace in the barn! He thought they would be easy...they arent! They were very fun to have, the pollination rates in the garden were fantastic and we did capture a swarm once! That is what you had in your tree BTW...
Terry and Jerry helped capture it, very fascinating! The biggest problems we had were keeping the colony overwintered, mites and the old farmer next door and his pesticide use! I would do it again though. Thanks for that link to "use" bees! I responded to an ad on CL to host some bees but never got an answer! I will try this one.

Gotta run--it's getting late! Have a good one! TerriOhopingthesapwillstarttorunintothebucketsoon

I will be trying bees this year. if you have equipment you r not using. maybe you would like to sell or trade please let me know. I will be getting help from an experienced neighbor. he has had pretty good luck so i am hopeful for a little success anyway let me know ..thanks

 

[kristip]

Here is a new one for me. So my little bantams(not the silkies though) have not laid all winter, even though they are yearlings. They are a bantam brown leghorn and a d'uccle. Well one of them decided to start laying again today but wow, this is new...
what do you think...one teeny tiny egg ( along with a big one, a green one and a light blue...my only cool colored ones)
is this normal?

 

[unkadan]

WHAT IS FF and the grass n dirt diet to young chicks helps with what?

FF= fermented feed

The grass/weeds with dirt still on the roots provides some exposure to good and bad bacteria in a limited way when the chicks are young and normally only on bedding in the brooder, hence they build tolerances early on. Picture the broody hen taking the chicks out of the nest and showing them how to forage.

 

[Amyable]

Here is a new one for me. So my little bantams(not the silkies though) have not laid all winter, even though they are yearlings. They are a bantam brown leghorn and a d'uccle. Well one of them decided to start laying again today but wow, this is new...
what do you think...one teeny tiny egg ( along with a big one, a green one and a light blue...my only cool colored ones)
is this normal?

Looks like a fart egg. It's a glitch that happens sometimes. Got one exactly like that from a wellie last week. I might blow it out and keep it.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

About dry incubation, I do that with all my call duck eggs. And my house is dry. Its winter and we have an indoor woodstove. I have greatly increased my hatches since I stopped adding water to the chambers in the incubator. I get the humidity way up on day 25.

 

[Bigfamily4me]

Jim you do make me think. I did do the dry incubation last winter (and spring). I bet it works well for me because I incubate in the basement. Our basement is always more humid because of the washer and dryer. A ha! See mystery solved. I will still recommend it but with the caveat of it being in a place with more natural humidity to start with. There... Now everyone's happy. I do still bow to your stocking besandaled feet Knowledge Fairy

 

[jvls1942]

I am back in the house,, It got too cold to work with bare hands after about 3:3oPM.. that is when my wind break pines block the sun..

I did get a few straightener braces ripped and installed 2 of them..

there is such a short window of time for working outside at this time of the year..

I tried the impact screw shooter out.. the philips bit lasted for only 6screws.. I guess a trip to F&F or Menard's for some harder bits is in order..

.jimhangingaround......

 

[jvls1942]

Quote: I would definitely breed the one that laid the quarter..

 

[unkadan]

I would definitely breed the one that laid the quarter..

one perfect example of why you have to read Jim's posts

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

I have a laptop computer that I'm trying to sell. The people responding to my CL ad are asking questions about it that I don't even understand. Its a computer, it has wifi and plays DVDs. I put how much memory it has and what processor and version of Windows. I'm asking $125. My six year old is playing a game on it now. I think I'll just let her have it. The headache of answering these questions is not worth it.