We’re having a Chickenstock!!!  

Gower’s Feed Store

When:  June 1st, 2013  8am – 1pm
Where: Gower’s Feed Store parking lot 1208 N Mildred St, Ranson, WV 25438

What to bring:

Chicks
Laying Hens
Started Pairs and Trios
Showy Bantams
Waterfowl
Turkeys
Peafowl
Ducks
Geese
Gamebirds
Hatching Eggs (no eating eggs unless you are properly certified)
Incubators
Brooders
Cages
Coops
Waterers/Feeders
Bunnies
Farm/Country Crafts
Sheep
Goats
Soaps
Plants
Basically anything farm and poultry related.

Who will be there: 

This is a Buy/Sell/Trade poultry swap and it is FREE to attend and FREE to setup as a vendor. It will be organized by local poultry hobbyists and is open to the public. There will be a WV tester on site.

Poultry- Out of State-  Must be NPIP certified and have forms showing test dates for Pullorum typhoid testing (within 90 days)  or forms showing that birds originated from a PT clean flock and all out of state birds must also show negative Avian Influenza testing (within 10 days of sale).  Poultry can also travel on Certificate of Veterinary Inspection with these test dates listed as previously mentioned.
 
Sheep/Goats- All sheep and goats must be Scrapie tagged OR tattooed with registration papers present.  If from out of state then must also have Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (health certificate from vet) which is good for 30 days.
 
Equine- All horses/ponies/donkeys, etc must have a negative Coggins test dated within 1 year.  If out of state then must also have Certificate of Veterinary Inspection within 30 days.
 
In state poultry- can be tested day of Chickenstock or bring their NPIP paperwork showing testing results.  (Arrive early – 7am as there may be a line.)
 
We also ask that no one start selling before 8am, so that everyone has time to setup and get ready. Also, the people who come at 8am will find what they drove all the way to see.

If you plan on selling, get there early enough to get your birds tested and setup before things get started and don’t forget to bring boxes to send your birds home in.

Stay  tuned to this thread for more updates as they come in. We will keep an updated list of what’s coming and what people are looking for. This is a rain or shine event.

For more info:

Call Linda at (304) 728-7777
 
Call Ronnie at (304)825-3076 or email him at chickenstock25401@gmail.com
 
Call Carol (304)433-8052 or email her at chickenjunkies@gmail.com
 
We thank you for your support!

Please share the flyer everywhere you can. Print it out and post anywhere you think appropriate. Post it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. The more people who know about Chickenstock, the better poultry swap we’ll have.

We’re having a Chickenstock!!!

When: May 4th, 2013 8am – noon
Where: Tractor Supply Company parking lot 1212 N. Queen St. Martinsburg, WV 25401

What to bring:

Chicks
Laying Hens
Started Pairs and Trios
Showy Bantams
Waterfowl
Turkeys
Peafowl
Ducks
Geese
Gamebirds
Hatching Eggs (no eating eggs unless you are properly certified)
Incubators
Brooders
Cages
Coops
Waterers/Feeders
Bunnies
Farm/Country Crafts
Sheep
Goats
Soaps
Plants
Basically anything farm and poultry related.

Who will be there: This is a Buy/Sell/Trade event and it is FREE to attend and FREE to setup as a vendor. It will be organized by local poultry hobbyists and is open to the public. There will be a WV tester on site.

Poultry- Out of State- Must be NPIP certified and have forms showing test dates for Pullorum typhoid testing (within 90 days) or forms showing that birds originated from a PT clean flock and all out of state birds must also show negative Avian Influenza testing (within 10 days of sale). Poultry can also travel on Certificate of Veterinary Inspection with these test dates listed as previously mentioned.

Sheep/Goats- All sheep and goats must be Scrapie tagged OR tattooed with registration papers present. If from out of state then must also have Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (health certificate from vet) which is good for 30 days.

Equine- All horses/ponies/donkeys, etc must have a negative Coggins test dated within 1 year. If out of state then must also have Certificate of Veterinary Inspection within 30 days.

In state poultry- can be tested day of Chickenstock or bring their NPIP paperwork showing testing results. (Arrive early – 7am as there may be a line.)

We also ask that no one start selling before 8am, so that everyone has time to setup and get ready. Also, the people who come at 8am will find what they drove all the way to see.

If you plan on selling, get there early enough to get your birds tested and setup before things get started and don’t forget to bring boxes to send your birds home in.

Stay tuned to this thread for more updates as they come in. We will keep an updated list of what’s coming and what people are looking for. This is a rain or shine event.

For more info:

CLICK HERE

We thank you for your support!

Just updated the list and so far there will be:  (hope I didn’t forget any.)

 Peeps & Juvies:

 Serama

Silkies  (BBS & Paint)

Bantam Cochin

RIR heritage

Buff Orpington

Turken/Naked Neck

BCM

Showgirls

WC Polish  LF and Bantam

Quail Belgian d’Anvers

Sultans

Frizzles

Royal Palm poults

Coturnix Quail

Pigeons

Red Goldens

Guinea Keets

Speckled Sussex

Leghorn pullets

Red Sexlink pullets

Salmon Faverolles  LF

Barred Rock

Easter Eggers

Black Australorps

 Adults:

 Silkies

d’Anvers pair

Serama

RIR pair

Sizzles

Frizzles

Bantam NN

Guinea

Peahens

Geese

Pigeons

Baby goat

Lionhead rabbits

Bunnies

Hatching eggs

Feed bag purses and bags

Guinea Totes

Feeders

Waterers

Goat feeders

Coops

Soaps

Jams & Jellies

Candles

Feeders

Cages

 Plus MUCH, MUCH MORE!!!

Ever  wondered if you are a little too fond of your flock? When we decided to get a few chickens for our acreage, we never dreamed that we would be overrun with poultry within 6 short months.

If you have more chickens than you need and just seem to be acquiring more…  or if everyone in the neighborhood calls you when a chicken needs a new home, then perhaps you should consider this:

You might be a Chicken Junkie if…

1. You have a chicken clucking or crowing as the ring tone for your phone.
2. Your friends and family make excuses and leave when you start chatting about your flock.
3. All your chickens have names and they know who they are.
4. You can’t chase your chickens, cause they aren’t scared of you. (You can just call them though.)
5. You find yourself getting healthier and losing weight. Not from using P90X, but from building, hauling feed and gardening for your peeps.
6. Your chickens do a better recall than your obedience trained dogs.
7. You remember your chickens names better than your kids.
8. You have to borrow money to build more coops. (You’ve used up all the free Craigslist stuff.)
9. You have to get another refrigerator to keep all the eggs.
10. You have a chicken in your lap every time you set down.
11. You make breakfast for your chickens before you feed your spouse. (They love hot oatmeal and scrambled eggs.)
12. Your chickens tap you on the foot to get your attention.
13. Your garden has a bigger “Chicken Stuff Area” than the plot you grow your own veggies in.
14. There are feathers and wood shavings in your car.
15. You fret about your chickens and can’t wait to get home so you can have “Chicken Time” with them.
16. Your hens squat in front of you instead of the roosters.
17. You have chickens waiting at the door every time you open it.
18. You have a chicken instead of a parrot as a house pet.
19. You can tell the ancestry of a chicken at a glance.
20. You can predict the color of a chicken’s egg by looking at it’s ears.
21. You’re watching chicken videos instead of TV or movies and notice your dog is watching too.
22. You find yourself catching bugs for your chickens.
23. People refer to you as the “Chicken Lady”.
24. Your favorite store is no longer “Stienmart”, for convenience, but Lowes, for chicken building supplies and tools and Tractor Supply, cause other “Chicken Folks” hang out there.

This is going to be an on going post, so if you have suggestions… please post them in the comment box below. Thanks for visiting ChickenJunkie.com

Are you wondering if the humidity level in your incubator is spot on. Humidity is second only to temperature when hatching eggs.

Different incubators need different humidity levels, so you’ll need to do some research to see what your personal needs are. The humidity in your house, outside humidity and your location and elevation level also have bearing.

Read on to learn how to calibrate your hygrometer correctly with the Salt Test Method.

What you’ll need.

• 1/2 cup table salt (Note: do not use iodized salt.)
• approximately 1/4 cup water
• cup or jar
• hygrometer
• large re-sealable freezer bag

1. Put 1/2 cup of salt in the cup or jar and add the water. Stir it up a little to saturate all the salt (the salt will not dissolve, it will just look like wet sand). If you see water floating on top of the salt, you’ve added too much water. Easy fix for this is to grab a paper towel and soak up all of the excess water.

2. Put the salt and water mixture in a re-sealable plastic bag (zip-lock). Add the hygrometer and seal the bag. (Note: make sure none of the salt and water mixture comes in direct contact with the hygrometer.) Make sure there is some air in the bag… don’t press it out.

3. Leave the sealed bag with the salt and water mixture and the hygrometer set at room temperature for about 8 – 12 hours in a location where the temperature is fairly constant and there are no drafts.

4. After 8 – 12 hours, check the reading on the hygrometer. Read it while still in the bag, as removing it will cause the reading to fluctuate immediately.

The relative humidity reading on the hygrometer in the sealed bag with the salt and water mix should be 75 percent. If it reads higher or lower than 75 percent, you will need to adjust your hygrometer or how you read it.

5. For adjustable hygrometers, adjust it to read 75 percent. You will need to do this very quickly, or remember how much you need to adjust the setting. For example: If your hygrometer reading says 77 percent, you will need to adjust it down two percentage points. If it reads 70 percent, adjust it up 5 percentage points.

If yourhygrometer is not adjustable, just make a note of what your hygrometer reads. If it reads below 75 percent, you will need to add the difference to your actual readings. If your hygrometer read above 75 percent on the calibration, you will need to subtract the difference from your actual reading. You need to keep this in mind every time you read your hygrometer and not forget.

This should help you to get the actual relative humidity in your incubator.

Changes in the relative humidity may take a while to register accurately on a hygrometer. It’s very important to make sure you always give a hygrometer a couple hours to stabilize before taking a reading.

Hope this hygrometer calibration tip helps you have success hatching your next clutch of eggs.

Often eggs in your incubator will be pipped or cracked, but the chicks just don’t hatch. There are many factors that contribute to this. Following is a list of these…

Causes Of Eggs Not Hatching

• Thin or porous shelled eggs.
• Improper storage of eggs before incubation, which may cause  embryos to be positioned wrong. Store big end up and turn 3 times daily. Store at about 60 degrees.
• Eggs not turned during the first two weeks of incubation.
• Temperature is incorrect, too low for start of incubation or too high prior to hatching time.
• Humidity incorrect, too high for the start of incubation or too low prior to hatching.
• Insufficient water in water trays or channels.
• Bad ventilation – keep the vents open.
• Infection or disease caused by a bad egg or dirty incubator that wasn’t properly cleaned and disinfected.

Tips To Make Sure Eggs Hatch Every Time

• Choose incubation eggs carefully.
• Avoid incubating eggs that have thin or porous shells. Check carefully for cracks in eggs. Sometimes they are hairline and hard to see.
• If keeping eggs prior to incubation then store in the correct conditions and position.
• Turn eggs regularly prior to and during incubation (no egg turning in final three days of incubation). /li>
• Make sure eggs are stored and placed in the incubator with the small end facing down.
• Regularly check the temperature in the incubator.
• Try to maintain the correct temperature in the incubator at all times. Check it every couple hours if possible.
• Regularly check the humidity in the incubator.
• Try to maintain the correct humidity levels in the incubator at all time. Check it every couple hours if possible.
• Note that the required temperature and humidity levels are not the same throughout the whole of the incubation period.
• A wet bulb thermometer may be a good purchase to help accurately measure the humidity and temperature levels in the incubator. Check your hygrometer to make sure it is accurate.
• Check that the incubator is working correctly and has a constant temperature throughout the whole of the incubator. Do this before adding eggs and run at least 24 hours to make sure it stays consistent.
• Make sure that there is ventilation in the incubator and incubation room, but avoid drafts. A room with a thermostat is ideal.
• Check that breeding stock are healthy and free of infection and disease.
• Ensure that the incubator is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected prior to every use.

If you have any additional tips on hatching eggs, please leave them in a comment below.

The fall WV Chickenstock is almost upon us. Sept 8th, 2012 from 8am till noon. This is one of the last swaps of the year, so if you need some hens, a turkey, some Guineas or Peacocks, try to stop on by. This is a FREE Buy – Sell – Trade event and it is open to everyone.

All NPIP West Virginians are good to go! We’ll have testers onsite to test birds at 7am for those of you who aren’t.  There is usually a  line, so come early if you need birds tested. Out of State folks must have all birds making the trip tested for (AI) Avian Influenza no more than 10 days prior to the swap. This is WV State Law. MD, VA and PA participators, please contact your local Ag. Dept. for further info.

We also ask that no one start selling before 8am. That way everyone can get set up and ready and no one gets offended when choice birds are gone already when they arrive promptly at 8am for that special RIR. BO or BLRW. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation on this!

If you plan on selling… get there early enough to get your birds tested and setup before things get started. If you plan on buying, come a little before 8am so you can look around and decide what to buy at 8am. Many vendors sold out in just a couple hours the last few events.

Here’s a video of the spring WV Chickenstock. Make sure you watch it. Ya might be in it!!!

What’s going to be there?

This list will be updated up until the day of Chickenstock, so check back often.

Blue Laced Red Wyandottes
Splash BLRW
Easter Eggers
Blue Ameruacana
Olive Eggers
Guineas (several colors)
Coturnix Quail (several colors)
Button Quail (several colors)
Silkies
Rhode Island Reds
Buff Orphingtons
Light Brahmas
Millie Fleur d’Uccles
Bantam Cochin
Sussex
POL EE’s and mixes
Pet quality Silkie hens
One or two pq Silkie roos
Bantam cochins
Appenzeller Spitzhaubens
Some free roos
Guinea, rare colors.
Golden Comets
Cochins
Buff leghorn
Wheaten Ameraucana roos – from Peachick eggs
1 California White roo
Buff Orphington pullets
Black Australorp pullets
Ameraucana chicks – 4 months old
Started Ameraucana chicks and Olive Egger chicks
Laying hens: 1 year old
Dominiques
RIR
Welsummer
Chicks (Welsummer, heritage Barred Rock, some SLW)
Harlequin Ducks
Buff Orpington pullets
WC Black & Blue Polish (LF & Bantam)
Cochins
Muscovy Ducks
Blue Swedish Ducks
Marans
Turkens/Naked Necks
Serama (adults and started juvies)
Buff Orphington
Black Australorp
Laying hens: 1 year old
Dominiques
RIR
Frizzles
Polish
Silver Laced Wyandottes
Jersey Giants
Turkeys (Narragansett, Royal Palm) 
Wheaten and Splash Copper Marrans
MF Cochin.
White Cochin
Buff Silkies 
Juvenile Heritage Barred Plymouth Rock
POL Golden Lakenvelder pairs & trios (some are laying now)
Juvenile Welsummer
Mixed color Silkie chicks – if they hatch in time
Mini Pigs
Coops and nest boxes
Rustic furniture (homemade)
Antique farm stuff
Jewelry
Bantam Cochins
LF Polish
Barred Rocks
Composters
Rain Barrels
Cortunix Quail
Mexican Speckled Bobwhite males
Pigeons
Millie Cochin Bantams
Canaries