Necie

Soaping and Goat's Milk Soap (pinned at top of Homemade Memories forum)

 

http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2592

 

Lots and lots of hidden jewels in this one.

Hypocalcemia

 

http://dairygoatinfo.com/index.php/topic,21.0.html

 

(copy and paste into address line)

18 Doin' better....but...

 

Ok-prolly gonna ramble here.

 

This time, I tried doing this: http://paraguinparadise.netfirms.com/Dry%20Incubation.htm

 

The first round my chicks died before developing or stuck...I think I opened the 'bator too much at the end (shoulda never had that staggered hatch). I helped one out of the shell and it died.

 

The second round my chicks developed, just didn't pip and hatch like they should have. I think I had my humidity too HIGH. When I cracked the unhatched eggs, they were very *wet*. Chicks prolly drowned. I helped two out of the shell and they both lived.

 

Third Round: I did this 'dry hatch' and everything seemed to be going well. Never opened the 'bator til day 18 to candle and take the eggs off the turner. I'll tell ya...on a positive note...my candling skills are SUPERB! ROFL I took 15 eggs out that candled as unfertile. When I cracked them-YUP-every one had zero (or near zero) development. That left 26 eggs. 18 hatched and out of the 8 that didn't hatch, all were fully developed. Six hadn't sucked up the yold completely and two had, but didn't pip. Today is day 24 and I had the last two hatch today--I think I need to bump my temps up. Helped three out of the shell (including the two today)...so far they are still alive.

 

Anyone up for Round Four??

Of course!! Are there any other kind?!?

First pic-chicks hatching in incubator.

Second pic-chicks in the brooder (love the lighting in this pic).

Third pic-see the little gray chick with the white face in the middle? I broke my rule (as usual ) and helped two chicks hatch-both are doing good-she is one of them and her name is Luna.

Fourth pic-the little black chick with the white spot on his head on the left--he's the other one I helped hatch and is a roo. Grrrr.

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Ok-so out of 18 that should and 9 that might (total 27)...14 hatched. 11 were fully developed and died--didn't hatch. 2 weren't fertile.

 

So, while my candling skills are good, obviously my incubation skills leave something to be desired. Honestly, I was hoping to do better this time and I'm a bit frustrated.

 

I'll get some pix of the chicks posted in the next couple of days.

So...day 18:

 

Took the eggs off the turner and candled. Had 14 that were not fertile or had died during development that I took out. Still not sure about the 4 Ameraucana eggs, so left them in. Had 5 others that I wasn't sure about, so left them in, too.

 

So out of 41 eggs, I have 18 that should hatch and 9 that might hatch.

 

First pic is the bottom of the incubator with the towels under the screen as I spoke of in my first post.

 

Second pic is how I had to check the air pocket in the developed eggs. This is with the flash on.

 

Third pic is same as second pic with the flash off. All you can see is the air pocket.

 

Fourth pic is an egg that is not fertile. The whole egg 'lights up'.

 

Fifth pic is a developed egg. Flashlight is on bottom of egg and the whole egg appears dark. Can't see a thing.

 

Sixth pic is a fertile egg that died during development. Bottom of the egg lights up, but the top is dark where the embryo started developing and then for whatever reason died.

 

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Bloat

 

http://www.mrssurvival.com/forums/ubbthrea...9805#Post269805

Luna--all I used was a little Mini-Mag type flashlight. Uses 2 AA batteries.

Forgot--counted 31 fertile for sure. Couldn't see through the green eggs at all, so didn't count them--possible 4 more.

 

Day 8--Candled eggs.

 

First pic-not fertilized.

Second pic-fertile. You can even see two spots on the right that are the developing embryo.

Third pic-another fertile.

Fourth pic-fertile. In this one you can see the veins that run around the inside of the shell. It shows up as the line around the top--about 1/3 of the way from the top. The other pix didn't pick this up.

 

 

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Luna--my humidity was a real problem. With the exterior temp being only about 50-55*, I couldn't get it over 25%. Took me two weeks to figure out how to do it. What a mess. Taking eggs out, putting them back. But I think the real problem was the staggered hatch. Had 28 eggs hatching and 13 hatching 3 days later. I was opening the thing so much in the last week that none of the 13 hatched. (I did help one stuck chick and it lived for only two days.) So ALL eggs get set at the same time now.

 

The brooder boxes-I don't know why I don't separate them from the get-go. The boxes are big-4'x4' and there's plenty of room for the first week. Just easier, I guess, dealing with only one box starting out. With 100 chicks I start the first box with 2 waterers and 2 feeders. Then, after a week, they are just starting to get crowded and I put 2 waterers and 2 feeders in the second box. By then, I can tell who's getting along and who's not, and I separate them that way. This last spring, the lighter colored ones were getting picked on, so I put them in the second box with a red light.

 

Ok--so the incubator now is upstairs in the kitchen, insead of in the basement. Exterior temp is 65*ish, after readjusting the first morning my digital is reading 99-100*, the regular thermometer is reading a degree higher. Both are within range, so I'm not messing with it. Humidity is only down to 45%. When it hits 40, then I'll add some more water. I'm figuring the less I mess with it, the better.

 

I'll get a few more pics when I have to open it to add water.

Stephanie gave me an idea...so credit goes to Stephanie!!

 

I just hatched my first batch of eggs in my new incubator. Out of 41, I have 14 chicks. and Better than no chicks, but when I checked the unhatched eggs, there were at least 15 more that were fully developed. So, I messed up. Making some changes and starting again. The first pic is the chicks that I hatched. The second pic is my brooder. I loooove my brooder. I have 2 for in the spring when I order 100 chicks. I can put all 100 in one box for a week and then separate them into groups of 50 for 2 more weeks.

 

So, I'm starting over. 41 eggs in the incubator (pix 3 and 4). I figured I'll do a pictorial, so ya'll can follow along and we can hatch some MrsS chicks.

 

(Wish I'd have thought of this last night and I'd have taken more pix when I set it up.) But, anywho.... I have a Little Giant circulated air (with the fan) incubator and have the automatic egg turner. I had problems with humidity the first go-round, so I folded up 4 paper towels and put them along the inside of the incubator around the regular water well (16 paper towels all together) and then over those folded up little disposable kitchen cloths. The last time I started with dishcloths and then added paper towel under the hatching screen. Boy, is that a mistake. The paper towels stick to the screen and is a PITA to clean. I ripped a piece of butcher paper and put it on the stand and then a towel on top of that and then the incubator on the towel and then poured in warm water to soak the cloths and paper towels (excess runs out the bottom and is soaked up by the regular towel--butcher paper protects my stand).

 

I put the thermometer that comes with it in the incubator, and also bought a digital with a probe. Using an Exo-Terra hygrometer for humidity that is placed where the hole is with no egg next to the turner motor. I will get pix of some of this stuff the next time I have to open the 'bator up. Am NOT opening unless I have to.

 

Had the temp set last night (99.5*f), but when I got up this morning it was almost 102* , so am readjusting at the moment. Have front vent open and humidity is holding at 50%. I'm hoping to keep it there for 3 days before I have to add water. Will add water if it falls below 40%.

 

Will candle at 7 days. Will try to get pix if I can hold the flashlight, egg and camera and not drop the EGG!!

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This is a wonderful forum. Lots of good advise and friendly people.

 

www.dairygoatinfo.com

Books I remember my mom reading to me (and my sisters):

 

Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes

Anderson's Fairy Tales and Grimm's Fairy Tales

Aesop's Fables

Little Golden Books (I loved the farm book )

The Little Red Hen

The Tales of Peter Rabbit

 

Favorite books that I read as a child:

 

Litte House on the Prairie Books

Little Women

Helen Keller

Misty of Chincoteague

Are You There God? It's Me-Margaret

 

Books I remember teachers reading:

 

The Phoenix..5th grade

The Last of the Mohicans..6th grade

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi..High School

 

There are sooooo many more....I have sets and sets and volumes and volumes. Most I still have, they are upstairs. If I can get up there in this cold, I will add more.

WESTY!?! THONG!?!

 

Is this right? Where do I get it? Is there a brand name or just 'Glycerin'? Liquid or powder? What IS this stuff?

Here's a new thread that I just started:

 

Rabbits--Nesting and Kindling

http://www.mrssurvival.com/forums/ubbthrea...ge=0#Post261421

DBF's Grandfather had an egg business. He had all white hens that would lay all white eggs. They were in a big chicken coop--40x110--in cages, with automatic waterers and automatic belt feeders. He had pullets shipped in and two year old hens shipped out. He made a living. Doesn't sound like it was fun.

 

I like the fact that I have a Turken who insists on laying in one corner and a Silkie chick who insists on *guarding* that egg. And a Welsummer who insists on laying in the other, and burying her egg, so that every morning it's Easter and I'm digging through bedding trying to find it.

 

I love it when I let them out in the morning and a big Black Giant runs over to a mudpuddle and stands in it--like her feet are hot and she's *soaking* them. And the rooster cackles and chirps letting the ladies know that he's found them a goodie to eat and then does his little *love dance* when they bend down to eat it.

 

I love gathering my eggs and putting some in the incubator and hatching them new little fuzz balls. Letting a hen go broody and getting vicious mean guarding those eggs and then guarding the chicks.

 

I love taking the carton outa the fridge and seeing a rainbow of colors and different sizes and knowing what's *in* those eggs.

 

I sell my extra eggs, and at the best time of the year, they pay for their feed--the rest of the year, *I* do. I order extra chicks and hatch some of my own and sell some, helping to pay for my replacements. I put some in the freezer, so I don't have to *buy* chicken at the grocery.

 

As far as having a small coop of laying hens, I don't think they will ever totally *pay* for themselves.....but they sure are FUN!!

I found this website:

 

http://users.frii.com/dawog/Goats/DairyGoatFactBook.htm

 

It also has some good links at the bottom of the page.

 

 

ETA: OH MY!! If I had a printer, I'd be outa paper and ink!!

 

http://members.toast.net/dawog/Goats/natio...at_handbook.pdf

 

 

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Easy solution: Since Darlene doesn't want 'adult' jokes on the site, yet Trip wants to read them..... Anyone with a 'questionable' joke should just PM it to Trip.