sydalicious, you really MUST turn the eggs at LEAST two times a day during the hatch. Three is best, but no less than two for sure. Otherwise you just aren't going to have a successful hatch--the turning keeps the developing chick from sticking to the inside of the shell and dying. You don't want to go to all the effort and then have nearly fully developed chicks that die in the shell just short of hatch, do you? Of course not. Just turn the eggs before and after school. It only takes a minute. :) I personally don't candle my eggs, because my hens lay eggs with darker shells that are impossible to see through--also, I am concerned about handling the eggs too much and either dropping them or letting them get too chilled. So I just wait and see what comes out on hatch day. :) I figure if I'm already doing everything I can, and correctly, me candling isn't going to do me any good since I can't see through the shells. But if you get some light-colored eggs and want to candle, by all means try it--here is a site with candling info and great pics: http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/b1166-w.html I use great big cardboard boxes for brooder boxes, and just throw them away when I'm done with them. I've got info and pics on my site about how I do my brooder box setups. I just use a large piece of chicken wire for a top (unless you have small children, cats or dogs that might get to the chicks, then use something sturdier) that I can lift on and off. I also like to cut a window in the side of the box and hot glue a piece of hardware cloth over it so the chicks can see out--being n a box for weeks without being able to see out is BORING! And overcrowding and boredom in chicks can lead to pecking, which is a bad thing. Basic brooder box setup: I use a couple of bricks to elevate my food and water containers, it keeps them cleaner by helping keep shavings out of them. Using either a quail waterer (see it in the pics, it has a smaller drinking ring area--or adding marbles to a chick waterer is a MUST--chicks can and do easily drown in water dishes. For heat I use a gooseneck desk lamp with a 75 watt bulb in it, and just adjust the head of the lamp up or down--if the chicks are huddled under it and peeping, they are too cold, if they are avoiding it in a big circle and gasping, they are too hot. In action! :) Here it is from the outside, Millie my Belgian d'Uccle is visiting the chicks: You can easily use wire to partition off a large box: In this case I had three 3 week old chicks and was going to add newly hatched chicks. Velvet ~:>

I'll bet you read my post over at that other lawn care web site. As long as they are used properly, no, I don't see them as being detrimental to the health and vigor of bermuda. I guess they can impact root growth of bermuda in spring transition, but that does not always translate into issues with nitrogen uptake. The advice to fertilize and mow frequently and avoid pre-m's that was given by the gentleman at the other site is sound,(and to that I would add aerate and topdress at least twice a year) but it just isn't practical for most folks. And what is more detrimental to the health of your bermuda, semi annual treatments with Dimension or Amaze or constant weed pressure from poa, crabgrass, etc.. You could could avoid the whole question and use Ronstar, but it's expensive. Here is a link that might be useful: Interesting Trial

Judy, thanks for the commiseration. Fortunately, my bug lasted only a few days. Being sick all winter sounds rough. You said, "However, I'm still slow to register when something untoward is developing... " I'm raising my hand on that one, too. One reason many of my orchids looked so far gone all of a sudden was because everything developed slowly, and my eye wasn't educated enough to see it in the early stages. Follow up to a couple of earlier questions - If that Phal was doing well in the West window, can you put it back there? Can you put all your plants there? :) Because your Catts and Oncs are putting out leaves but not spikes, they may not be getting enough light. Also, has the new construction from the East reduced the direct light for a significant amount of time? If so, maybe that's a factor. If the owner of that shop seems to have a clue, could you ask him if you could bring in some of your plants for him to look at? (Maybe ask one of his staff what his favorite sweets are and return the favor via calories. :)) Olya, Brad, Kevin, Cory - on second thought, your comments about science vs art make sense. My grandmother never used a recipe and was one of the best cooks and bakers I've run across. Everything from scratch. However, she had to have many scientific principles in her head to make dinner rolls so light that only lots of butter would keep them on your plate. LOL She'd learned so much science that her meals looked and tasted like art. Judy & Mehitabel, for some atypical, beginning orchid addict reason, I went for plants that would likely like my conditions. Early on, it was frustrating to learn definitions of "Intermediate conditions" were open to interpretation: Would all my ____ orchids die? Judy, this might help. After "Intermediate" turned out to be unreliable, I started emailing or spelling out details of my conditions to growers and *then* asking if a certain orchid would likely thrive. Direct light - direction & which hours; supplemental light & # of hours; temp ranges inside, winter and summer, and outside in the summer; air movement; fertilizer & schedule; and humidity ranges. Just realized - this is probably a transfer from choosing dog breeds and breeders. By comparison, matching an orchid to what I want & can provide is a snap. Once the orchids get here, though - more science, please. Judy, hang in there. From what you say, it's getting better already. WC8

Oh - regarding the choice of food I think there have got to be better choices too. You didn't mention any health issues with your cats? One of my cats was prescribed Hills S/D about a week ago for struvite crystals. The odd thing is the vet has indicated it is very likely the crystals are related to his visit to the vet. So, not sure if the food is needed. After about a week he turned his nose up at it and won't eat it. We put him on EVO and Wellness instead - have to email the vet tonight about it. Not only does the Hills stuff smell and look awful, but the ingredients are awful as Meghane says. I think the vet had planned on recommending C/D long term but I think I will suggest otherwise. FYI - I did email EVO about my cat. Thought I would share: Thank you for contacting us about our products. Here is an excerpt from a letter our Vice President, co-founder, and nutritionist Peter Atkins wrote that might help to explain the Innova EVO Cat & Kitten formula as it relates to feline urinary tract health and other physical ailments: "...EVO cat was designed behind the principle of feeding the cat true to its carnivore nature; a diet high in animal proteins with only incidental carbohydrates and none from grains; a diet which mimics typical raw and BARF diets. Based on advice from our veterinarian advisors, we strongly believe this philosophy to be the most healthful for cats. Prior to the products launch into the market EVO cat passed a battery of nutritional tests  with flying colors. However, it remains to be determined what effect it will have on cats in ill-health. There are a number of conditions that weÂve been asked by the veterinary community to evaluate, such as, the effect on urine pH and crystal formation in cats experiencing struvite and oxalate crystals like yours, the effects on regulating intake for obese cats and the impact this might have on type II diabetes, and many others. You may be interested to learn that with this type of a feeding strategy there have been several advantages reported in the research literature. Namely for FLUTD conditions, high protein diets have been shown to increase water consumption, leading to a dilution of the urine and an offsetting reduction in the incidence of stone formation. We just received the latest test data from UC Davis & the average urine pH on EVO Cat was 6.44. The ph showed a reduction from the Day 1 of the introduction to the diet, while the water intake showed an increase. As a responsible company, we would recommend to always exercise caution and to work closely with your veterinarian if you remain interested in evaluating EVO cat for your catÂs struvite condition. We appreciate your inquiry and would be very interested to hear of your results." Also, in case your cat does have crystals (otherwise why recommend C/D?) - If you look at the catinfo.org link above - she talks about crystals related to stress and water.