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Velvet Sparrow posted:Day 6 of incubation, I just weighed the eggs and marked the air cell outlines on the shells. Tomorrow is officially candling day and removal of duds, but I can say this... Does this mean, can it be, that there is the possibility of a Weedcat and Wiggles offspring!
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Apr 5, 2013 12:14
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piscesbobbie posted:Does this mean, can it be, that there is the possibility of a Weedcat and Wiggles offspring! That would be pretty amazing, but I really want to see a whole flock of tiny, spotted Mille Fleur d'Uccles! 
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Apr 5, 2013 12:17
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Nevermind, dumb question 
Armed Neutrality fucked around with this message at 12:25 on Apr 5, 2013 |
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Apr 5, 2013 12:18
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Inveigle posted:That would be pretty amazing, but I really want to see a whole flock of tiny, spotted Mille Fleur d'Uccles! That is like, the prettiest name of a chicken ever
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Apr 5, 2013 12:44
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What's tbe absolute minimum I need to have happy and healthy chickens
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Apr 5, 2013 13:16
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Inveigle posted:That would be pretty amazing, but I really want to see a whole flock of tiny, spotted Mille Fleur d'Uccles! That would be adorable! I wonder what a Giant Cochin/Bantam d'Uccle would look like, if that is even possible!
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Apr 5, 2013 16:00
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Y Kant Ozma Post posted:I am also glad that you ignored me, thanks a bunch. I was actually talking about Genderman, it seemed like he had a pretty legitimate chicken question :P
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Apr 5, 2013 16:56
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I just checked my local ordinances, and I can't have chickens indoors. 
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Apr 5, 2013 17:11
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Tricky Twisty posted:I just checked my local ordinances, and I can't have chickens indoors. Just lie to your landlord, everyone else here already does it w/ their pitbulls.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:47
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piscesbobbie posted:Does this mean, can it be, that there is the possibility of a Weedcat and Wiggles offspring! Yes. Although I can't guarantee which roo fathered which chicks until they hatch. There is a remote possibility for Giant Cochin Belgian d'Uccle monsters. The local eggs I got are also developing, so far the ReptiPro is doing it's job! Tricky Twisty, chickens require at least 3-4 square feet per bird as a healthy amount of living space, obviously the more room they have to forage naturally will make for happier birds. Access to being able to scratch around in dirt, dustbathe, sunbathe etc. is necessary.
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Apr 5, 2013 18:23
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Thank you. Is there such a thing as too many bugs in a chicken's diet?
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Apr 5, 2013 18:28
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Tricky Twisty posted:Thank you. Is there such a thing as too many bugs in a chicken's diet? chicken are smart and hardy twisty, but i dont know anyone who can just keep eating bugs. something will have to give (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Apr 5, 2013 19:36
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Tricky Twisty posted:Thank you. Is there such a thing as too many bugs in a chicken's diet? Chickens are omnivores like you and I, and do best on a varied diet. But they do love them some bugs. OK, they go batshit crazy for bugs, truth be known. They will naturally forage all day long as a favorite activity, picking up little bits of things to eat here and there. Finding a big, juicy bug is the equivalent of a gold ticket in a Wonka bar.
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Apr 5, 2013 20:53
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Inveigle posted:Sure! The chickens can sleep in your bed too! It's like having walking pillows that cluck! That's extremely rude to say.
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Apr 5, 2013 21:17
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Real talk: I love this thread and want to keep reading it without the FYAD sewage that has leaked in. Maybe time for a new chicken thread? Would be cool to see a lot of the thread's repository of info made into a comprehensive OP or series of posts.
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Apr 5, 2013 22:07
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Ruddha posted:That's extremely rude to say. oh gently caress I dont have anything not-mean to say to fill in the empty quote
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Apr 5, 2013 22:21
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Serella posted:Real talk: I love this thread and want to keep reading it without the FYAD sewage that has leaked in. Maybe time for a new chicken thread? Would be cool to see a lot of the thread's repository of info made into a comprehensive OP or series of posts. It's incredibly unnecessary to refer to FYAD as sewage. Maybe you should reconsider your stereotyping and hatred? (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Apr 5, 2013 22:32
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I think Ozma already addressed the drama on the last page. Back to chickens. I'm candling the eggs tonight, if I can run the cam (in the dark) would there be any interest in my streaming it on Chickam? It would be around 9PM (PST)
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Apr 5, 2013 22:46
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Velvet Sparrow posted:I'm candling the eggs tonight, if I can run the cam (in the dark) would there be any interest in my streaming it on Chickam? It would be around 9PM (PST) Sure...why not? You need to test the webcam to see how well it will work with the new ReptarPro incubator. Is everything going to look like a blue light rave?
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Apr 5, 2013 23:19
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Inveigle posted:Sure...why not? You need to test the webcam to see how well it will work with the new ReptarPro incubator. Is everything going to look like a blue light rave? Everything is hilariously blue without the Quartz Halogen backup light. With the QH light and with very careful camera placement everything looks fine quality-wise. Besides, Velvet removes the eggs for candling. The rave will wait for the hatch. 12_String fucked around with this message at 23:40 on Apr 5, 2013 |
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Apr 5, 2013 23:23
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Chickens are omnivores like you and I, and do best on a varied diet. But they do love them some bugs. OK, they go batshit crazy for bugs, truth be known. They will naturally forage all day long as a favorite activity, picking up little bits of things to eat here and there. Finding a big, juicy bug is the equivalent of a gold ticket in a Wonka bar. Right, I know they like bugs, but is it good for them? Will they get a balanced diet? I've always wanted to raise chickens, and asking questions like this is the way for my brain to process things, so thank you.
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Apr 5, 2013 23:49
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Tricky Twisty posted:Right, I know they like bugs, but is it good for them? Will they get a balanced diet? I've always wanted to raise chickens, and asking questions like this is the way for my brain to process things, so thank you. Bugs are VERY good for chickens, protein is an absolute necessity just like for you and I. As long as you feed a balanced chicken ration that you get from the feed store, allow them to forage naturally in the yard and offer plenty of fresh green matter (grass, dark leafy greens, raw veggies) and fresh water, that's all they need, food-wise. The occasional bite of leftover cheeseburger is well-loved, too. Chickens make great garbage disposals--they love garden clippings, fallen fruit, the leftovers from your dinner plate, etc. No raw meat or raw eggs (bacteria/salmonella dangers), no chocolate (toxic to birds) and raw onions & garlic can flavor their eggs if fed in quantity. Some garden plants are toxic to birds so you have top be aware of those. Other than that, anything goes!Back in the old days, especially during wartime, lots of people kept a few hens in their back yards when food was rationed--they got meat and eggs from them, the chickens recycled kitchen scraps so nothing was wasted and they are easy to care for. This ad from WWI is a perfect example:  I like how it says, 'Uncle Sam EXPECTS you to keep chickens'. People these days are just starting to rediscover having a few hens as part of sustainable living. The fact that they make great pets, are entertaining to watch and have individual personalities and intelligance is the part that comes as a surprise to most people.
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Apr 6, 2013 00:46
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Is there anything that chickens are allergic to that you wouldn't expect???? Or is that mostly on a bird by bird basis? I know a lot of stuff is "for the birds", but I wouldn't want to bring any toxic stuff if I visit a chicken friend.
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Apr 6, 2013 00:55
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Ruddha posted:Is there anything that chickens are allergic to that you wouldn't expect???? Or is that mostly on a bird by bird basis? I know a lot of stuff is "for the birds", but I wouldn't want to bring any toxic stuff if I visit a chicken friend. The stuff I mentioned above shouldn't be given to them..it's not an 'allergy' per se, just things they shouldn't eat. As far as toxic plants, if you search 'Plants toxic to birds' you'll find lists.
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Apr 6, 2013 01:20
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Velvet Sparrow posted:The stuff I mentioned above shouldn't be given to them..it's not an 'allergy' per se, just things they shouldn't eat. As far as toxic plants, if you search 'Plants toxic to birds' you'll find lists. Thank you for not being rude to me.
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Apr 6, 2013 01:23
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Velvet Sparrow posted:I think Ozma already addressed the drama on the last page. Back to chickens. I'll tune in for the show!
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Apr 6, 2013 01:29
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My Reptipro is just sitting in my study all alone and wishing I would put some eggs in it. It looks kind of sad. I would have some eggs cooking right now but we are going to be gone for 2 weeks this month and I have to wait till the hectic times are over. It's killing me to have a brand new incubator and not be using it! Also, could someone please post the chart or link or watever it is to the instructions that help you determine if your eggs are on schedule or not? It goes by determining the loss/gain weight of the egg based on the initial weigh in on the first day? I'm not sure what the correct term for it is.
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Apr 6, 2013 02:52
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Bugs are VERY good for chickens, protein is an absolute necessity just like for you and I. As long as you feed a balanced chicken ration that you get from the feed store, allow them to forage naturally in the yard and offer plenty of fresh green matter (grass, dark leafy greens, raw veggies) and fresh water, that's all they need, food-wise. Thank you! I really want some chickens now  it sounds exciting
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Apr 6, 2013 03:15
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Baba seems to have either egg peritonitis or an egg broke inside her, and she's not doing well at all. She's been pooping egg whites and yolk along with some blood all day, and I can't really do anything but keep her comfortable. The girls are worried about her, and they fear she might die. We already had one hen die last year and while the girls handled that well, they are scared we might lose Baba too. I tried to be positive and reassured them that while yes, it's possible that Baba might not get better, she'd probably be ok and that I'd do my best to help her out. So now I have her in a crate in my room, and I've been giving her liquids with a dropper to keep her hydrated.
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Apr 6, 2013 03:35
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Bantaras posted:
It comes out to 13% weight loss over the entire incubation period of 21 days, which is 0.62% daily. Trust me. If there was a chart, Velvet would have loved it.
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Apr 6, 2013 03:57
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When breeding chickens will putting two genetically superior chicken eggs next to a handicapped chicken's egg increase the likelihood of the handicapped chicken's egg hatching into a perfectly normal chicken? If not then what can I do to prevent this egg from hatching into something that's going to live a miserable life?!? (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Apr 6, 2013 04:09
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^^^^^^AHAHAHA No. The superior chickens will scorn the other bird, then band together and form a master race. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T DO IT. Think of the chicken children! Bantaras, what I did was use these pages as a guide: http://poultrykeeper.com/incubating-and-hatching-eggs/weight-loss-method-forl-incubation http://www.avianaquamiser.com/posts/How_to_weigh_eggs_and_calculate_weight_loss/ Incubation in general but air cell tracking in particular: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101 The second link in particular was helpful since he does the calculations step by step. I weighed my trays & eggs together before the start of incubation, then weighed the tray alone, then subtracted the weight of the tray to get the weight of the eggs only. If you do 2 trays of eggs, either add the egg weight of both trays together to get one number, or be prepared to weight each tray seperately and KEEP them seperate. You can weigh eggs individually but that would have driven me stark raving mad. Since I'll be culling dud eggs tonight I'll have to remember to weigh them and subtract THAT weight from now on from my calculations to be sure the good eggs are on track. That is one thing the Brinsea program does. I'm using the Brinsea EggWISE program (free to download & use for the first 30 days) but it isn't especially user friendly to figure out, is clunky and looks as if it was designed in the Dark Ages of computer programs. If you forget to click 'done' and 'save' you're hosed, and if you enter wrong info you can't delete it, you have to delete everything about that hatch and start over. This made for some elegant and creative swearing at our house. But I did get it figured out and it's tracking my incubator batch and egg weight now. http://www.brinsea.com/products/ewsoftw.html Because this is a new incubator to me, I'm mostly trusting in Nature and marking air cell size along with weighing the eggs every 3 days. I think that once I get my incubation technique down and can trust this 'bator, I won't have to do that as often, but for this first hatch I'm being super overcautious. Tricky Twisty posted:Thank you! I really want some chickens now To really seal the deal for you, we're doing our annual Chickam webcast thing on April 20th where you can see & hear chicks hatch live, and then we put the webcam inside the brooder box for the next 8 weeks 24/7 so you can watch them play & grow up. It'll be here when it starts: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/chickam2008 There are videos there from last year and the year before if you want to see what the Hell we are doing. I start a thread in GBS once the hatch starts (sometimes the chicks are early by a day or so) and Goons get to name the chicks. We've been doing this since 2008 and now have the weirdest collection of chicken names EVER.  Other people have scoffed at the idea of watching chicks hatch....and once they watched were forever hooked. It's literally guaranteed to make you want chickens...be afraid, be very afraid. Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 04:31 on Apr 6, 2013 |
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Apr 6, 2013 04:27
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Tricky Twisty posted:Thank you! I really want some chickens now It always seems really cool when I read about it in here which is why I like reading Velvet Sparrow's posts and such. I am glad that this thread is getting back on track because chicken keeping is neat and the chick cam is fun even though it seems like it shouldn't be, thank you, let's keep enjoying chickens and the things chickens make.
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Apr 6, 2013 04:39
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Candling has started. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/chickam2008
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Apr 6, 2013 05:17
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I'm so excited! I have a broody, my big fat Buff Orpington Butterscotch, and I just candled her eggs and 8 out of 9 were good. I've never had a broody who stayed on her clutch this long. Usually they abandon them the second or third day. I've got three olive egger eggs, two Cochin eggs, and three barnyard mixes. They're due to hatch on the 19th.
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Apr 6, 2013 05:37
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^^^^^ Disco, that is so exciting! Do you think you will video cam? For sure pictures of the baby peeps! ^^^ edit Chido posted:Baba seems to have either egg peritonitis or an egg broke inside her, and she's not doing well at all. She's been pooping egg whites and yolk along with some blood all day, and I can't really do anything but keep her comfortable. The girls are worried about her, and they fear she might die. We already had one hen die last year and while the girls handled that well, they are scared we might lose Baba too. I tried to be positive and reassured them that while yes, it's possible that Baba might not get better, she'd probably be ok and that I'd do my best to help her out. So now I have her in a crate in my room, and I've been giving her liquids with a dropper to keep her hydrated. Chido, hope Baba is going to be alright. Sending good thoughts to you and your nieces. 
piscesbobbie fucked around with this message at 05:58 on Apr 6, 2013 |
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Apr 6, 2013 05:49
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Well...poop. Out of 40 eggs 20 are duds. We have 17 of ours that never developed, two of which are d'Uccle eggs that quit early on. The other three are from the local farm. Once I weigh them and subtract their weight from the egg weight I'm tracking, I'll open them and see if they were fertile or infertile, and if they developed at all. But the good news is, we have 20 eggs with lively, strong embryos that got plenty pissed off when I shined a flashlight through their shell! I do wish more of them were from our flock, but for high altitude hatching, 50% is a very good number. Once I have a chat with Weedcat and maybe trim some fluffy butt feathers, I may set another batch of eggs to hatch a week behind the current batch, with this incubator you can do that.
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Apr 6, 2013 05:56
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Once I have a chat with Weedcat and maybe trim some fluffy butt feathers, I may set another batch of eggs to hatch a week behind the current batch, with this incubator you can do that. Weedcat needs more Barry White music, and less "It's Business Time" by Flight Of The Conchords. Also choice lines in regards to fluffy butt feathers: The hens are gonna get Brazilians!
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Apr 6, 2013 06:11
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Well, Weedcat was doing his job after all, ALL of the 20 dud eggs were fertile. Only a few had obvious problems: one had a broken air cell & thin shell, one had this weirdly huge yolk, another a yucky yolk, another a yucky yolk AND a thin shell, two others had thin shells and one had quit three days into incubation. The quitter was the only one that had developed at all. I did see a lot of porous spots on the shells when I candled, which I didn't see the day I set them to hatch. I don't know what we can be doing differently with our flock that we aren't already doing, excepting giving them more room to run during the day which they will have very shortly.
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Apr 6, 2013 06:57
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Talking about what can be fed to chickens I found this to be helpful. A treat chart.
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Apr 6, 2013 14:29
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