Houston, Houston, do you copy??!!
Unexpected additional complications. Second pip has been observed. Repeat, second pip. Photographic evidence accompanies this broadcast.
Please advise on any change of course.
Over.
Red Rosies New Babies!!!
Could I get 2 babies in one night? OMG! I'm all overcome!
Commander Moxon:
No correction required. Team leader Gustav had succeeded in motivating remainder of flight crew.
Repeat. No correction required. Hold course steady and tighten module seat restraints. Things may get bumpy.
Over
Roger, Captain Catscan and ground crew,
Gustav can take a break now. We have a third pipped egg. Repeat, third pipped egg. This is the last remaining egg of the first batch of brown eggs that came from Dappled Daphne. Three eggs now waiting to hatch. Flight crew jumpy. Having a little glass of wine to prepare for landings. Praying for no turbulence....
Over.
Turbulance forcasted for next 2-4 weeks. Advise flight crew rest while awaiting touch down.
Starting 24:00, Southern Pacific Ground Control staff taking over.
Josh, are you ready?
Over.
Flight crew finds it difficult to rest when checking eggs every 10 minutes...
Why aren't they going faster?! Suggest global chick zipper dance performance should commence.
Standing by.
Consult Official Hatch Flight Manual. Page 231. Paragraph 4:
"A watched chick does not pip."
Cleared for GCZD. International monitors: take appropriate action.
Over.
Josh--initiate contact with Commander Moxon. Signals will eclipse in the Northern Pacific quadrant at 24:00.
Mali not responding.
Over.
Flight crew members taking brief nap. Three eggs in stationary pipped mode. One hatchling most anxious for company.
Commencing GCZD initiating sequence.
Josh, come in Josh, are you with us?
Commander Moxon signing off until further chick contact established.
Officer tf reporting [OMG< Dusty, what di dyou put in their hot toddies???]
Please report pip numbers, zip numbers, and hatchlings. Upload current pictographs.
What time is it in Mali? OVer.
Confirmed time in Mali of 6:19 AM. Chicken Fairy should be available after sunrise and 3 cups of coffee.
Calling Captian Lucky, over.
i am here wait no how dose it go
Josh reporting for duty
over
gosh you all are true nuts. That must have been fun, I know it was fun to read it this morning.
Commander Moxon and flight crew preparing morning report...
do you copy?
At approximately 3 AM Central Standard Time, the following hatching occurred, unassisted by flight crew.
Further report to follow...
Ground crew - any predictions on gender?
Can report that 3 AM delivery unit is operating within normal parameters as of 8 AM this morning.
Furthermore, a second hatching occurred at approximately 7:30 AM Eastern Standard Time. First pictures for press release attached.
Ground crew, do you copy? Gender unknown.
Thank you ground crew, for the support as we await final hatching and re-entry.
Over and out...
Commander Moxon, all looks well here, continue on. The gender crew should be arriving soon.
Acknowledged Captain Tia. Third hatching has begun to zip. Will report soon.
Over!
Commander Moxon, seems things are in order, continue same course.
Over
Okay, so I would trust you guys with the Chicken Fairy Shuttle, NOT the space Shuttle. Beautiful....
Preparing for final hatching. Half zip status.
Over.
Officer tf rpeorting, is zipping complete?
Fluffing of subjects and frontal head shots required for accurate sexing, over.
Officer TF and ground crew. Remaining hatch now complete. Cleared for full re-entry into normal life and reduced obsessive checking of incubator.
Subject 4.
Subjects 2 and 3, somewhat fluffier than before. Still drying...
Frontal head shots to be provided after flight crew has a chance to calm down.
Oh. You guys are nuts. What fun! Thanks for the pics of the little chickies. I love it!
Negative on re entry. Stay on present course, need these hatched before the work crew has to return to the normal schedule tomorrow.
Over
OK, Serious incubator question here!!
So, I have in the incubator about 4 easter-egger eggs that have air cells about 1/4 size of egg. I think they will be ready to hatch in about a week or so. I can see movement in them.
I also have 20 bantam cochin, silkie & millie eggs that I got online from BYC, that went into the incubator last Thursday after arriving and being allowed to set for a few hours.
So, what do I do, now that I have just had 4 hatches. Do I take out all the eggs, put them in the styrofoam box with the damp towel and desk lamp (like I did before incubator arrived) and clean out incubator, and then put them all back?
Keep in mind, with the R-com 20, it takes about 5 minutes to get to proper temperature and humidity. This thing is FAST and doesn't need a lot of fiddling around to get steady. It is all automated, so don't be concerned about that part of the operation.
Do I do the 3% hydrogen peroxide dip for the eggs?
What should I do to ensure best chances for all remaining eggs. The hatches were not terribly messy, and all at one end of 'bator.
Let me know your suggestions.
Flight Crew
Ground Crew! Alert! Alert! Red Alert!!!
Aborting landing mission. Two new eggs pipped. Huge deviation from expected pattern! Eggs different color from the four that just hatched (which all looked identical). These eggs are blue-green mottled looking. Different mommy hen!
Flight crew was operating under mistaken belief that these eggs were not as far along in their progress. Clearly, flight crew are rookies.
Back to hatching mode. Holding steady. Will report on progress.
Commander Moxon, signing off.
CF is being declared AWOL!
Off duty and unofficial report by Captain Catscan on module hygeine:
Yes, I would take them out--don't worry about keeping them warm--and clean the incubator out with something not at all toxic (e.g.very dilute bleach or Hydrogen Peroxide). If you do it quickly the unhatched eggs will be fine--some hatchers recommend letting them cool down for 15 min every day to replicate the broody hen leaving the nest to eat and drink and I candled mine every day after day seven cause I have egg C.O.D. One reason to have a hatcher in addition to an incubator--.
The scuttlebut is not to wash hatching eggs unless they are very dirty. You CAN, but it is not advisable. Most visibly clean eggs will not contaminate an incubtor--it is only if the chicks have an egg transmitted disease or there is bacterial growth on the super-rich medium left by previous hatches that you run into problems with subsequent hatches. Apparently the fluff that is left after hatching and drying can carry some diseases. You will be suprised at how much the little guys shed as they dry off.
Commander Moxon--inexperienced flight crew given free pass. Blue chicken eggs notoriously difficult to candle.
Continue with previous hatching procedure to now include post 24 hour dry off by new flight crew members and subsequent appropriate brooding actions.
CF's inattention is being noted in her permanent duty report.
I was laughing so hard I couldn't type to comment at 0330 this morning...so I went to bed...LOL...
I take it the Eagle has not landed yet then ???
Captain Catscan, I copy your instructions and am proceeding.
Will attempt module hygiene operations following remaining hatching procedures. Good to know that you have done this and that it worked well for you. Two of the eggs that I got from BYC have a little "rear disposal module" matter on them. Should I wash them, then, but not the rest?
Copious quantities of fluff in brooder module have been noted with some surprise!
Captain Dusty - your inquiry is noted. Eagle will not be landing until hatching complete. Eagle had expected to land this morning after the hatching of the 4 brown eggs from one "family" but has had to remain in orbit due to additional unexpected blue egg pipping. Stay tuned for further updates from Chicks in Space.
Beaming back images of new eggs pipped. They are sort of blue speckled.
Egg with "rear disposal module" material on it. Wash or not?
Commander Moxon:
Fecal matter noted. Judgement call on non-regulation hygiene eggs. If washing attempted, follow prescribed procedure using H2O at warmer temp than egg to prevent bacterial uptake through egg pores.
Wiping following same caveats may be sufficient. Very contaminated eggs should not be used in incubation initiation--these do not seem to meet that criteria.
Other officers' input requested.
Over.
Gender identification team, you have green light to proceed. Please identify.
Frontal shots of new life forms #1 and #2, accompanied by top views to the right.
Gender ID team, one more time please for life forms #3 and #4.
Flight crew suspects #2 to be male.
Roger, Commander Moxon. Life form #2 appears male to Northern Pacific Ground Control.
Unable to make gender identification based on head spot on Life form #1. Recommend early flight feather examination.
Manual attached: www.oznet.ksu.edu/pr_histpubs/pubs/SB307.PDF
This message was edited Sep 1, 2008 4:05 PM