Batch 3 chicks

Chick numbers from batch 3 (tiny batch because I only collected half a week)

T: Brassy Male & Blue Brassy Male X Brassy, Blue Brassy, & BBB Splash females: 2 Brassy Back
O2: BBRed X BBRed: 2 BBRed
B: BBRed male X Brown Red females: 2 BBRed, 1 Brown Red
T1: BBRed male X F1 Crele female: 2 Crele
T2: F1 Crele male X BBRed females: 1 Crele, 1 BBRed
T3: F1 Cuckoo male X Black female: 2 Cuckoo
T4: Black male X F1 Cuckoo females: 1 Black
T5: Black male X F1 Cuckoo females: 2 Cuckoo, 2 Black
T7: Brown Red male X BBRed females: 2 BBRed, 2 Brown Red
N1: BBRed X BBRed: 1 BBRed
N4: Black X Black: 2 Black
N5: Black X Black: 1 Black

Still having problems with excessive embryo mortality, and it's highly variable from one batch to the next. I did just change the humidity, as it had gotten too high, and that may have contributed. It is SO frustrating. Batch 4 (this weekend) was a big hatch but not a good hatch, too many were fully developed but didn't make it. I know some of it is genetic (I got 100% hatch on the Cuckoos, but pretty bad % on Blacks) but I'm sure a lot of it is incubation issues, probably more likely humidity problems than anything else. I'm not that great at incubating eggs. I think it might be helpful if I wait even longer to move them into the hatcher though, like let them ALL pip before moving any. Hmmmmm. Dang, it drives me up the wall.

In other news.. the wedding this weekend was lovely, and I've now satisfied my quota for getting dressed up once a year... K, you looked absolutely beautiful! :-) I busted loose my wonderful (ha ha) dance moves and did the electric slide... it's been a while, I'd forgotten it!

I got my new long reins this morning, so I get to start working with Shylah again on that. She's been doing GREAT. Two days ago was the first time she ever bucked (no, I'm not riding her yet, just lungeing with the saddle on). It was just little hops really, but it was funny because she has never done that. It really doesn't worry me, I think she'll be fine. I'm debating if I should be the first one to ride her. I want to, just for the sake of being the first one to ride her since I've done all her other training, but at the same time I'm totally scared to do it. As much as I think she'll be fine, what if she's not?! Am I the best person to handle that? Would it be wiser to have one person up and one on the ground? If I'm not the first person to ride her, I will have my neighbor do it, she's young and skinny and a better rider than I could ever dream of being! We'll see...

I recently noticed the "radio" section of the iTunes program. Wow! This is awesome! I always listed to music when I'm drawing, but I get tired of flipping stations on my little portable walkman, and plus it's having some dumb problem where if I move it, it shuts off... Sometimes I just play CDs on the big stereo system, but I wanted more diversity. I don't have a lot of songs in my iTunes thing, but why had I never noticed the radio?? So today I have been listening to "Classical, Spanish, and Flamenco Guitar Variations." It's great music, very energizing!

Ok, back to drawing chickens..