Good Morning! <=2017

Bayvistafarm · Post by **Bayvistafarm** » Fri May 20, 2016 8:42 am

Best wishes Baron to your brother. Hope all goes well with the transplant.

Its a glorious day! Would be even better if I didn't come down with a cold two days ago. Full blown now, of course. Theres so much I want to do, and NOT an ounce of energy for anything. Chores of course will be done. Coffee time right now.

When I was feeling something was coming... started with a mildly sore throat, I made myself go move those chicks (10) out of the brooder, and into the middle barn. All the hens are out of there. It just gets too hot up there in the summer for fully grown birds. Young chicks don't seem to mind it at all. The brooder box was cleaned out, fresh shavings in, brinsea brooder plate in.... and waterer washed and bleached. Today is hatch day... well, most likely won't see anything until tomorrow, as I set the hatch at 11pm 21 days ago.

42 eggs made it to lockdown 2 days ago. Some were clear, two quit at some point. These are EO pures and EO crosses from the black sex link x swedish flower hens I WAS going to cross back to the Swedish flower rooster, but of course, the ONE and only I kept back is a complete idiot. Or was. Hes gone.

WLLady gave me her hens, and 2 rooster, which worked fantastically TOGETHER without ever fighting and covered 17 hens. There is an ee in the group, and from the last hatch, I have a cross with a poofy face. Rooster I think. Of course.

So... maybe some of those EO girls will go back to her...(if I get girls.... I hatched 27 EO chicks two years ago, or a year ago... and got 24 roosters, one died early as a chick, and one was hatched with a leg that went sideways, so culled her, and that left me with ONE girl)... or we will see how she makes out with her surgery/coping back problems.

We've had a bunch of new calves, and I think theres a breather coming up. Which is good and bad in a way. We always have a few late ones, and those are PEE WEE's in the feedlot now. We have just shipped those ones out in the past; not sure if we will do that again or not...., and I am sure they are bought up to be put out on grass, or someones feedlot. Bad in a way, because the older the newer calves get, they get smarter, and tend to steal from other cows. Sometimes, and most times a new heifer that hasn't calved... and is too dumb to kick it way, or just gets tired of being bugged, and lets them. Its maddening. But, I have some freezedried colostrum here, incase.

Well, I've blathered on long enough. Time to go outside. Have a great long weekend everyone!!

JimW · Post by **JimW** » Fri May 20, 2016 9:20 am

Good morning.

A few chicks hatching today... Bielefelder eggs shipped from Nova Scotia, I was not expecting a great hatch, due to some incubation issues, so far 9 have hatched, when I looked at them briefly... it looks like 2 pullets and 7 roos!!! Oh well I wanted a replacement roo, I guess I will have a bunch to choose from.

More eggs going into the other incubator today. Earlier in the week I set 1 dozen Ameraucana eggs from OC. Today a full batch of eggs going in to fill a Hovabator.... 18 Cream Legbar, 12 Columbian Wyandotte, 1 BC marans, 3 Swedish Isbar, 2 Lavender Orpingtons and 6 Svart Hona (Swedish Black Hen) eggs. Some of the eggs are from local sources and some were shipped from the East Coast, so time will tell, if Canada Post was kind.

Jim

baronrenfrew · Post by **baronrenfrew** » Fri May 20, 2016 10:21 am

Thanks for your good wishes. I have mixed feelings about my brother. His health crisis is self inflicted, having spent the last 20 years smoking like a chimney and the last ten in a bottle. Numerous times we debated calling police on him for his alcohol and driving. We're thankful he didn't kill someone on the road (or his own family). Last October his liver then kidneys crashed. Leaving him a shadow of the man I knew 20 years ago. Given the costs of health care certain things must be rationed. In the Netherlands, people who are or were alcoholics are not qualified to receive a transplant. If he does get one (which I highly doubt) who gets bumped down the list? Some child with a rare disease who could otherwise lead a long and healthy life? maybe I'm cold or ruthless, but thats what I think. He's had 53 years and we've fought with him to change, but he was too stubborn, and of course he was addicted (which takes away some personal responsibility but not all of it in my opinion.)

God bless his wife who's fighting for him. Last weekend he weakened considerably and had an appointment with transplant doctors in Toronto (he is in Pembroke, a 4 hour drive under normal driving). He is now wheelchairbound, and a car ride wouldn't work given his current needs. Private medical transport is $3000, and we found you can rent a wheelchair van for $140 per day. But the doc moved him by helicopter ($3000 per hour cost?) and he's waiting for an assesment.

So that's my story, a good weekend to you all, Bert.

Ontario Chick · Post by **Ontario Chick** » Fri May 20, 2016 10:41 am

Good morning!
Fought the masses to get some groceries this morning, why is it, that every long wkn provokes people in to shopping ahead of time and then after the long wknd they all shop as if they haven't eaten in a week?
Running a slow drip to front of the house landscaping, don't really like to do it but everything looks absolutely parched.
The grass seed I put on the chicken run last week has sprouted only because I have dragged dozen bottles of water there. Need rain desperately!!
OK, off to have a mug of coffee while admiring my lawn ornaments, perfect antidote to shopping

Have a safe wknd!

redninja · Post by **redninja** » Fri May 20, 2016 10:45 am

JimW wrote:QR_BBPOST Good morning.

A few chicks hatching today... Bielefelder eggs shipped from Nova Scotia, I was not expecting a great hatch, due to some incubation issues, so far 9 have hatched, when I looked at them briefly... it looks like 2 pullets and 7 roos!!! Oh well I wanted a replacement roo, I guess I will have a bunch to choose from.

More eggs going into the other incubator today. Earlier in the week I set 1 dozen Ameraucana eggs from OC. Today a full batch of eggs going in to fill a Hovabator.... 18 Cream Legbar, 12 Columbian Wyandotte, 1 BC marans, 3 Swedish Isbar, 2 Lavender Orpingtons and 6 Svart Hona (Swedish Black Hen) eggs. Some of the eggs are from local sources and some were shipped from the East Coast, so time will tell, if Canada Post was kind.

Jim

I saw you won the auction for the Svart Hona. I am getting some Isbar eggs from Derek end of month. Keeping fingers crossed for your hatch. I have had a sneaking suspicion that the Svart Hona might have been used as part of the breeding program for Isbars. Keep us posted. Good luck

Post by **WLLady** » Fri May 20, 2016 12:02 pm

LUNCH TIME! and amazing, with working from home-even though it's super busy here with everything going on (furnace guys are here, field is being planted by our friend jim, and agris just showed up ....hm....a little late with the fertilizer that should have gone in last week....um....oh well), i STILL got everything done in a fraction of the time if i were actually AT work. go figure. hm....there's goes the t into the drain...guess i better not turn on the tap or use the bathroom LOL.

OC - i'm with you. i simply cannot understand it either. it's like the last day on earth groceries will be available or something. LOL. we now plan our groceries around the busy days. NEVER 2 days before or after a long weekend. and we stop shopping completely in november before christmas, and never the last 2 weeks of august.

Baron-not cold and ruthless IMO.....realistic....
BVF maybe once i'm back up on my feet after surgery.... hope they all hatch for you though! hopefully those boys are doing their jobs!

Well, just went to lock down the muscovies and half of them are pipped already??! OMG. they're early....but about 4 days...but then i look online and they say 32-35 days...so.....i guess maybe i should have locked down earlier?? Some of these eggs are completely BLACK, almost like they're rotted, but they're pipped so i'm curious to see if the ducklings will be blacker than black coming out....i know nothing about muscovies either. the buff ducks are swimming in the water dish...and flipping their food dish routinely. they taught my chickens how to water bath....Al, these are your RIR chicks...lol. i'm going to chicken/duck confused beasts LOL.

alright. finish lunch and then physio and then dropping off ducks and hitting the feed store

Post by **Killerbunny** » Fri May 20, 2016 12:19 pm

Good news from my physio guy. He figures one more appt for the knee after I've seen my Dr next week and then it's all down to me. We've dealt with the soft tissue damage as far as we can, swelling totally gone and now it's just back to exercise. Yay! He said he can't believe how fast it's progressed given the initial damage.

Post by **WLLady** » Fri May 20, 2016 12:26 pm

YAY!!!! AWESOME news KB!!!!

JimW · Post by **JimW** » Fri May 20, 2016 1:05 pm

Thanks redninja, I am hoping for at least a couple Svart Honas to hatch, I wished I could have got more eggs than 6. If I get at least 1 to hatch than I will see about getting more from Derek.

redninja wrote:QR_BBPOST
JimW wrote:QR_BBPOST Good morning.

A few chicks hatching today... Bielefelder eggs shipped from Nova Scotia, I was not expecting a great hatch, due to some incubation issues, so far 9 have hatched, when I looked at them briefly... it looks like 2 pullets and 7 roos!!! Oh well I wanted a replacement roo, I guess I will have a bunch to choose from.

More eggs going into the other incubator today. Earlier in the week I set 1 dozen Ameraucana eggs from OC. Today a full batch of eggs going in to fill a Hovabator.... 18 Cream Legbar, 12 Columbian Wyandotte, 1 BC marans, 3 Swedish Isbar, 2 Lavender Orpingtons and 6 Svart Hona (Swedish Black Hen) eggs. Some of the eggs are from local sources and some were shipped from the East Coast, so time will tell, if Canada Post was kind.

Jim
I saw you won the auction for the Svart Hona. I am getting some Isbar eggs from Derek end of month. Keeping fingers crossed for your hatch. I have had a sneaking suspicion that the Svart Hona might have been used as part of the breeding program for Isbars. Keep us posted. Good luck

JimW · Post by **JimW** » Fri May 20, 2016 10:56 pm

Good evening, nice spring night. Build and filled a few garden boxes today, a bit of planting in the plan for tomorrow. The whip-poor-wills are calling tonight, 1 across the road and 1 in the woods just behind our house, went out looking but as usual could not find the little music maker. One day I will actually spot one.