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Well, I didn't think my vaccine would come so quickly, but it seems that being classed as a key worker has paid off! I'm having my first vaccine on Wednesday!!

I want to get some dart frogs too... but I think I've been banned from buying anymore pets. Well, there's no frog pics yet - but I have completely re-done their tank to make it much more naturalistic. I made vines and all. And I also made it bioactive (which means it is self-sustaining and I don't have to clean anything save for wiping down the glass). I think it looks pretty good!

Don’t go thinking you’re special CT - there are stupids everywhere 🙄

IT ARRIVED!!!!! I repeat: MY SWAP ARRIVED!!!! It’s a belated Christmas miracle!

Another parcel has been sent today Hopefully, it won't find its way back to the sender this time and will arrive in record time.

Sorry to hear, but it sounds like bad luck. A breeder shouldn’t sell sick chickens. Did you contact them? Also did the breeder sell your chickens as hens? I would look for a different breeder if you decide to add more chickens in future.

If only there was smelly vision!! My whole house is now enveloped in a gorgeous lavender smell! The double wrapped parcel (that could have made it here without any wrapping paper with just the gazillion stickers on it...) contains a lovely little basket and loads of lavender pouches and handmade lavender soap! It all smells so sunny and summery! Just what I needed in this grey Januari! Thank you so much swappee! It’s digital which is 10 times less yuck than having to be in school! Yeah corona!

Amazing job AndyRoo. I'm very impressed. Reminds me of a visit to a flat in Stoke-on-Trent to buy something off Preloved. Place was immaculate, with a very big glass 'coffee table' in the middle of the room. On closer inspection it was actually glass tank, with a Monitor Lizard in it!

Don’t give up! It sounds as though your problems go back to the place you got the chickens from. Wait until the Spring then restock from a reputable place. If you let us know where you are in the country, then we can see if we can point you in the right direction. At that point too, you’ll need advice on integrating new hens. Clare has made some excellent videos about that too. Let us know how you get on with your broody. You’re among friends now so let us know how we can help

Thank you so much! It isn’t a yellow incubator. I think that I am just going to trust the process. If by next Wednesday I don’t see any development then I will get a new incubator!

Is it a yellow and clear dome incubator (not the Brinsea ones)? I generally set my incubators to 37.6-37.8oC but I have a few different models and thermometers. tbh £60 is quite cheap for an incubator so it is a budget one, with a budget thermometer. I would check that you’re measuring temp at egg-height rather than elsewhere, if it has a fan that will help. The most important thing is to keep the temperature stable so don’t open it. I usually candle a couple of times throughout the process but other than I never open the lid as heat and humidity will escape, causing problems for the eggs - never open it for the last 3 days! Good luck, share photos if you’re not sure

OH decided to drive the 10 mins into town for his jab, as it was pouring with rain. Very well organised. Straight in, coat off, sleeve rolled up and jabbed. Told not to drive for 15 mins. He was back in 45 mins from leaving the house. He had the Oxford one. High temperature of 38.5 about 1am, brought down with paracetamol. A bit fluey and achey first thing, but felt fine after taking the dog out this morning. Now to wait for mine.,

Do you live in a suburban or rural area? The first thing I'd consider is neighbours but also what's your reasoning for wanting one? We hatch most years and cockerels are very noisy, sometimes crowing at 4am in summer. We had a few at home over Christmas, one which was crowing at 6am on Christmas Day, despite it still being pretty dark!

I did, but it didn't help me find out what age the chicks were when I got them, which is what I was after 🙄 They don't really have any combs in the photo I found, so must have been relatively young. As you know, I am no computer person and when photos are on a laptop I never look at them. One year DD and DS wanted to know what they could get for my birthday so we sorted out all the photos from the laptop, they got them printed on Snapfish and gave them to me as my present 😊

So, I was looking at my previous posts under Activity - my activity streams - content I started, but it only seems to go back a year. Can I look at any posts that I did before that ? I often find the bits of information useful but now I can't find them. It wasn't really anything important medical wise that I wanted to find, just that I wanted to look up about the last lot of chicks I got and how old they were when I got them. And of course, look at their sweet little photos 😊 I am going to put a little bet on for myself that @Cat tails is the first one to help me

I know! Teams Parents Evenings are the incredibly bright upside to this Covid snazzle!

Wonderful! If only that parcel could talk and tell us its’ adventures

I’ve tried to keep track of all the chicks I’ve raised (and hens I’ve purchased or acquired) over the last 15 years. I’ve created an online photo library to achieve this. Do feel free to browse https://www.atsw.co.uk to see the various hens (and some cockerels) that have been part of my flock over time. I’ve documented the hatch dates or purchase dates and included pictures of each set of newcomers and breed type. I’ve also documented the building of my WIR in 2009 and the various Eglu’s I’ve purchased for the growing flock. I don’t think I’d ever have been able to keep track of dates and names without it! Andrew

I’ve always had a soft spot for Orpington’s and Frizzle Pekin Bantams. I’ve had many different breeds since 2005 when I got our first chooks, but looking at your list Lewis, still plenty out there to choose from in the years to come! I’ve recently update my online chicken keeping photo library, feel free to browse https://www.atsw.co.uk to see the various hens (and some cockerels) that I’ve breed or acquired over the last 15 years. For those after blue egg layers, you’ll find pictures of my Crested Legbars (2014) and the recent edition of White Araucanas (2021). Andrew

I am not nearly as experienced as all of the above peeps but I'd say no, too! Noise issue for sure in a suburban area. Also you only have two girls and they would probably be 'overwhelmed' by his attentions so not really fair on them.

They are beautiful - I think I need to look for a chicken breeder near me ..

I would love an Ayam Cemani! They are so cool. But I would also love an Orpington, and a porcelain booted bantam. I would also love to have a ginger Silkie. I think they are so cute! Hopefully I will one day get a hen that lays blue eggs, maybe a bluebell.

It was mentioned somewhere recently that ex-batts are very aggressive and don't mix with ordinary breeds? Something to look into perhaps Nic?

I would agree with everybody else. You have done exactly the right things, and indeed, your care has been exemplary. That hen does look very ill, its the classic hunched pose, but again, you are doing the right thing, giving her a chance, then if she doesn't perk up, culling is the best way to go. Your breeder has been at fault, he is not operating at a responsible standard in my view, and I would steer well clear in the future. I would find a reputable breeder (ask around/look online at breeders own sites which I find useful for making a judgement/ask your local poultry club/look in some poultry mags/useFB - with caution!) and get an order in early (depending on what you want, hybrids are available all year round, but most breeders will hatch pure breeds roughly Feb - June) as I'm sure demand will be high again. Hopefully 2021 will be a much better year for you and your birds!

She looks like a copper/black Marans and is clearly ill. Her neck colouring is exceptional as often, as ours, they only have a few copper feathers. All you can do is your best and unfortunately that often doesn't work. Well done with the broody. Bad luck to have one so young, as we did last year. I agree with the others. Best find another breeder and if they can't or won't show you the parents, walk away. Yes you have had some bad luck, but if it's any consolation when we started our luck was even worse.

Maybe give Hilda something made of similar plastic she CAN chew on? Plastic hamster house or a bit from the other cage? Also the Syrian I had needed more “free ranging” so maybe let her out of the cage in a supervised area. In the end I used Ferplast tubing to connect a Ferplast cage to the Qute. Get your son a haircut and stop him touching it a lot (if he does). And although the first reaction will be to use MORE shampoo, using less is actually better.

I think some hamsters just love to chew - is there something plastic you can put in his cage that he can chew that is replaceable and then hope he chews that instead of cage parts ?? Mine would never chew the wooden chew toys or branches but just certain bits of the cage - normally the plastic houses or domes. As to hair - sorry no idea but maybe just a case of trying different shampoos - is it the same or even worse if you just wash with water and no products ??

No advice on the hamster but didn't want to read and run. What about something bitter like lemon? Not a hair expert but is he washing his hair too much? A quick google says Jumping Juniper from Lush is good, maybe try not washing it as much, esp while not seeing too many people in lockdown!

My cousin a nurse had hers today. They were offered tea,coffee and a biscit afterwards. I was not happy. Didnt get offered anything. 🤣

Great to hear!

Hi again, so I have just ordered the Brinsea incubator advanced mini. It arrived today and I am just setting it up! It is much better so thank you for mentioning it.

So sorry to hear about your run of bad luck. You’ll get lots of help here, we’re a friendly lot. Hopefully things will improve for you and your girls!

Are any of the others still laying? Otherwise just lock her out of the nestbox/coop during the day. You could also try a broody cage. Here is a good video:

What did you want to ask @Gerardo as there doesn't seem to be anything in your reply ?

Much as I love cockerals, as I think they do make a flock complete as the hens express more of their natural behaviours around a male, its not something most of us can do, unless you are properly rural, because of the noise issue. Its just not fair on neighbours, as cockerals will make a noise which is loud, piercing, carries and goes on a bit, very early in the morning as well as throughout the day. Although some people welcome the sounds of the birds, in my experience those who object will make their objections known very strongly and can be very unpleasant. Its a shame we don't live in France like Beantree as I understand there is/going to be a new law protecting the sounds of the countryside, brought about in part by a woman who kept a cockeral and new neighbours complained! I live in Portugal and anybody would be laughed out of the hamlet if they tried complaining (although to be fair, there are only 8 of us).

No I haven’t cancelled because I have 17 days to go. I can’t tell this early if they are fertile because it’s only been a few days since I put them in. The thermometers are slightly different now I have looked again. About a degree different. I think I’m going to wait a week and if I can see veins and a developing embryo then I will trust the incubator. Thanks for your help!

To be honest if both thermometers are reading the same I’d be inclined to believe them. BUT I probably would try putting them in different places in the incubator to see if that makes any difference (obviously without having the incubator open for too long). If the temperature in the incubator genuinely is 34.1 then according to the Brinsea website the embryos are unlikely to develop to hatch - they don’t grow properly. Unfortunately if you’re half way through I think you’ll have to just keep going without changing anything and see what happens. What day are you at and have you candled at all?

I can’t advise I’ll just give my recent experience. We kept a bantam araucana we hatched in June because he was a bit ‘wonky’ so we didn’t really feel we could even give him to anyone else. He was a lovely little chap - very friendly, and was just starting to get to grips with the 9 hens here. But we live in a suburban area surrounded by near neighbours, and like Lewis’ cockerels, despite it still being completely dark he was crowing at around 6am. So just before Christmas he went to live with my mum who is out in the countryside. She has 4 hybrid hens who are all much bigger than him, and much to his disappointment they pretty much just ignore all his advances 😭 but I think despite his he’s happy there with them and sees he as his girls 🤣

I had similar issues but not such a great disparity with my incubator which is a Brinsea Mini II Advance. I’d had hatches that were draggy, not great percentage success wise and wasn’t confident with the humidity. So I bought a little temperature and humidity sensor to put in there that could talk to my phone via Bluetooth. I think I ended up setting the incubator temperature to 37.7 which (according to the sensor) gave a temperature in the incubator that for most of the time fluctuated between 37.3 and 37.6 with occasional short dips down to 36.8 and up to 38. I was ‘dry hatching’ in Cornwall (UK) in early summer. I trusted my sensor, but I did spend quite a lot on it. What make are your incubator and your thermometers and where in the incubator are your thermometers placed?

You can search in the searchbox and add things like username and such

I seem to recall that The Forum was 'reset' somehow a while back....I blame that (or Donald Trump or the aliens or Covid or the aluminium saucepans!)

I find the aubiose infused chicken poo composts well mixed in with everything else. It’s also very useful for keeping the neighbours sweet about my Cockerel! The allotment keepers are particularly keen.

I love interesting pets, a friend has a Dumpy tree frog and a Foam Nest tree frog in his living room. I had an African Dwarf frog in my tank at uni, would love another but don't have the time (and money!) atm

It was stamped the 22nd, so it did well this time. The silly thing is that it did make to the Netherlands, as there is a return sticker pasted over the address in Dutch saying to return it to the sender... And they stuck it over my perfectly legible and correct address...

The country has gone mad over here... We have a curfew as of Saturday. Everyone needs to stay in from 9 pm to 4:30 am. I’m more than fine with that rule. It’s not like I regularly go out in those hours anyway. But loads of people are protesting. No... rioting! We have riots in loads of cities right now, with people plundering stores and setting stuff on fire. I’m soooo done with people! 🤬