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Post by cannakid on Jun 24, 2014 13:06:35 GMT 8
How is it today? I had a quick check of my eggs this morning some clear which is to be expected as I only put the rooster in for 2 days before collecting eggs but those that have started the spider is quite large already considering I only put the eggs in late on Friday.
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Post by chooky on Jun 24, 2014 15:53:55 GMT 8
The chick hatched but something went terribly wrong. The umbilical cord detached before closing properly, so the yolk oozed out and there was a lot of bleeding. It died shortly after. The other eggs have not hatched.
I don't know if the new incubator has something to do with the hatch this time, with the slime and now this. Will give it another try in a few weeks once I have offloaded the chicks from the brooder to their outdoor accommodation.
You must be using a very bright candler to see the blood vessels at this early stage. I can only see them after 7 days.
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Post by cannakid on Jun 25, 2014 8:52:47 GMT 8
I did a proper candle this morning and pulled out 15 clear eggs gives about 68% fertility, I have boiled them up and will give them back to the hens. I would be checking the calibration of that new one is it an unbranded cheap one?I looked up it implys too low an average temperature and poor turning or navel infection. does it have a fan on this new one?
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Post by chooky on Jun 25, 2014 9:08:32 GMT 8
Yes, it is unbranded. I thought I could transfer the turner into my homemade incubator but it wouldn't fit. It doesn't hold the temp well. So I have calibrated it to have the temp at egg level at 37 degrees. The temp at the fan level is actually cooler, very unusual. The temp drops as much as 1.5 degrees on cold nights. I rather have it cool than too hot.
68% fertility with the rooster only being in for a few days is fantastic.
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Post by cannakid on Jun 25, 2014 12:49:14 GMT 8
I'd take it up to 37.5 at the egg level . It must be sucking in cold air at the top does the heating string run around the edge ? Yes pretty happy with that it should get better by next lot .
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Post by chooky on Jun 25, 2014 14:52:59 GMT 8
There are only 2 tiny air vents at the top and a very small hole for topping up the water. So I don't think cold air is the issue. The plastic is quite thin, so I think heat is escaping through the plastic cover. I can't see the heating elements. It seems to be concentrated at the fan. The air inside does feel warm when opened. I'll have to keep tinkering with it until it works well.
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Post by cannakid on Jul 13, 2014 12:03:57 GMT 8
Well my hatch was not great I got 14 hatched and another I had to help but looks deformed there was a few that piped and died and a few DIS .
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Post by chooky on Jul 14, 2014 9:32:03 GMT 8
Incubator issues or something else? I have decided to not help from now on. The 6 chicks I have now are experiencing rain for the first time. I left them outdoors full time on Friday and they seem to be doing fine. They have feathered up very quickly. They are still on chick starter. I leave them on that for another 4 to 5 weeks just in case.
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Post by cannakid on Jul 14, 2014 17:57:22 GMT 8
I am not sure I didn't clean it properly just sprayed it with glen 20 . might be weather related it has been a strange year weather wise . we had 5 mm today we badly need a larger rain event to get things growing properly lot of the early crops are running straight up into ear which is too early for wheat and still have patches that did not germinate I have given up on those as the weeds have managed to germinate.
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Post by chooky on Jul 14, 2014 18:22:37 GMT 8
I have never really cleaned my incubator. Usually I sweep it with a hand brush and then a quick spray with spray and wipe. I then leave it to air for a day before turning it on. I would do this at the beginning of each season. The hatches vary, though I don't think the cleanliness of the incubator matter much, in my case anyway.
The rain has been good this year in York. I can see full dams every where and creeks are running. The downside is the weeds are going crazy. We spent a few hours hand pulling cape tulip from the front yard yesterday. Managed to clear quite a big patch of ground. I have been doing this for a few weekends. Once the weeds are gone the grass goes crazy which makes the sheep happy.
Have you ever caught a working dog in your traps? I caught one a couple weeks ago, a kelpie with a chain collar and a Sydney tag on the collar. Not too sure where she came from or what she was doing on the property. She was trembling with fear and, I guess, pain from the spring jaws. I released her and she hung around the house for a hour or so before disappearing.
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Post by cannakid on Jul 25, 2014 18:37:32 GMT 8
only in the cage traps and I poured a bucket of water over them and they never go back in one. we have had bad wild radish this year I have never seen it so thick before have only just finished spraying the wheat crops for it. we have had some rain but still a long way short of average both June and July look like about half of average.
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Post by chooky on Jul 28, 2014 14:13:35 GMT 8
I don't even know how wild radish looks like. Apparently, York has a wild radish problem as well. The council is advising residents to spray them. I have sprayed strips on a paddock to get rid of the cape tulip. So far we have managed to remove quite a large patch in front of the house. Almost as soon as they are gone, the grass covers the space. I think the soil is fairly poor too. Where the sheep poo, the grass is nice and green but yellowy anywhere else. If only I can get the sheep poo evenly over the property. I threw chook poo from the shed over the back paddock yesterday. The grass should be happy with that.
York is still getting good rains. But there is talk of a drier than normal winter and spring. I hope that is not true.
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Post by chooky on Aug 11, 2014 9:52:07 GMT 8
My second incubation hatched over the weekend. 80% hatch rate. 1 stopped development and the other is still in the incubator. I will switch off the incubator tonight if nothing happens. I am happy, mostly, confirming that the rooster is doing his job. The chicks from the rir and GLW eggs looks nice and plumb while those from the godborg cross look small even though the eggs are the same size.
I might try another batch once these are out of the brooder.
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Post by cannakid on Aug 12, 2014 16:59:02 GMT 8
it might be a daylight and temp for fertility then . I Did an experimental hatch in my cabinet incubator I ran it the whole way thru with out adding any water in it, it got as low as 16% humidity but mostly sat on 20% I had 31 fertile eggs in and had 26 hatch I left 2 more eggs that had movement and threw 4 out that had died in shell before piping looked like they had porous shell's and too much moisture had got out. some of the eggs were sitting in the cool room about a month and not turned .
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Post by chooky on Aug 13, 2014 15:38:58 GMT 8
That is interesting. What temp are you running your coolroom at? I didn't think it would stay viable for that long. The eggs from the shop are kept in the coolroom for about the same period of time and the result is runny egg white and yolk.
Have you started breeding? It is getting warmer and dry earlier this year. My older hens have all had very short partial moults and are back laying. Must be weather related.
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