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Yeah, she's broody in the second picture. she doen't look that pretty right now, tough. She's Roo's favorite hen, so her feathers are all broken and I gotta keep him separated from her to give her a break, or he just chases her around. the poor thing fear Roo now  .
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Jun 15, 2012 23:42
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Chido posted:Yeah, she's broody in the second picture. she doen't look that pretty right now, tough. She's Roo's favorite hen, so her feathers are all broken and I gotta keep him separated from her to give her a break, or he just chases her around. the poor thing fear Roo now Awwww. Poor Rusty needs a super-duper hen apron made out of kevlar!
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Jun 16, 2012 00:06
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The Cluck Palace is nearly complete! I finished their run and last week installed a small deck to give us a place to stand at the top of the stairs. I ran out of treated 2x4's so it's currently without a handrail. This was my first ever attempt at building stairs, I'm pretty happy with the results. The white PVC thing next to the stairs is a couple of PVC tomato cages the chickens are going to give my Dad for Father's day.  Their run is covered on the sides and top with welded wire. The run is 10x15, plus the bottom of the building is fenced in so they can hang out there for a total of 25x10. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was pointed out to me that by covering the top of the run, I gave the raccoons an easily accessible path to the window in the coop. I keep that window closed now, although I'm going to build some hardware cloth covers for the inside of the coop to protect the ladies at night.  A chicken traffic jam. Their pop hole is 14.5 inches wide (easily enough for two chickens at a time), but the fun thing lately has been to get their first and roost there so no other chickens can get in. They will go in eventually on their own, but I hope this behavior changes soon as I'm going to be installing an automatic chicken door and I don't want to have to put some sort of proximity sensor in to keep from guillotining chickens.  On deck this weekend is the installation of the storm door and nest boxes. If I can get to the home center, I'll pick up some PVC to make a proper outdoor grit feeder and build some oyster shell feeders for the inside since the ladies are 14 weeks old on Monday.
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Jun 16, 2012 02:03
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Oh my. Look at all those pretty, plump hens!  Good thing Roostroyer can't see them....he would freak out and wouldn't know who to sit on first!
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Jun 16, 2012 03:13
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Inveigle posted:Oh my. Look at all those pretty, plump hens! His tiny horny brain would explode at seeing so many brunettes! and they all look a bit like Rusty, omg where to sit first!!!
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Jun 16, 2012 03:41
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Rusty is a Buff Orpington, right? Half the flock is buffs, the other half are barred rocks. I imagine Roo would enjoy himself. In raccoon news, there is definitely one around. I've got three so far this year and one ate the bait out of the live trap last night without setting it off. That's the second time that's happened. This year's population is definitely more numerous and clever than usual. It makes me nervous with the chickens around, although hopefully The Cluck Palace is secure enough.
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Jun 16, 2012 14:17
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If you can stick a a closed fist into something a raccoon can fit in,if you can open something with your fingers a raccoon can open it. Make sure there are no holes larger than the size of a quarter near where the birds sleep, seeing the aftermath of a chicken pulled piece by piece through a small hole isnt pretty. Just a couple of general rules I use these days for raccoon proofing.
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Jun 16, 2012 18:23
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God I fucking love Diablo 3 gold, it even paid for this shitty title
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Tim the Enchanter posted:If you can stick a a closed fist into something a raccoon can fit in,if you can open something with your fingers a raccoon can open it. Make sure there are no holes larger than the size of a quarter near where the birds sleep, seeing the aftermath of a chicken pulled piece by piece through a small hole isnt pretty. Just a couple of general rules I use these days for raccoon proofing. The henhouse is pretty well sealed at night. The other windows are open, but I don't think a raccoon could climb up the steel siding to get in. Raccoon count is four for the season now. The dog had one treed in a bush this morning (that explains why he was barking starting at 1am). I'm thinking that's the one who got away last night. I'll keep setting the trap because I've never caught that many this early in the year.
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Jun 16, 2012 20:42
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Update on Roo's feet. One seems to be healing well, managed to remove more of the scab with no problems. This foot, however, isn't looking right. I stopped bandaging it because it looked fine except for the tiny scab in the middle, but after a few days of not putting bandages on it, it looks like this. I'm not sure if the infection got worse or if it's a wound unrelated to bumblefoot. Also the footpad feels thicker and harder than the other footpad, which I think it's weird since the other foot has two big scabs, yet the tissue isn't as hard as this one.  I'm bandaging both feet again instead of just one, I should've kept bandanging them but I thought his foot would be ok .And on unrelated news, broodies are dumb. Very dumb.  Yeah, those three wanted to lay down on the same spot inside the coop. That spot is magical I guess. 
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Jun 19, 2012 06:45
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For anyone who's interested and not following the chickam thread, my eggs should be hatching today/tomorrow.  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nettleschickhatch
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Jun 19, 2012 08:42
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Chido posted:Yeah, those three wanted to lay down on the same spot inside the coop. That spot is magical I guess. LOL! Are those the same three hens (including Rusty) that keep insisting on being broody? I still think you need to get some eggs (rather than chicks) and let the broody hens each have two or three eggs to sit on. R.e. Princess Roo's big feet: I guess you're going to have to keep bandaging him for a while longer. He probably likes the attention (plus napping over a tub of warm water is probably pretty relaxing for him).
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Jun 19, 2012 11:35
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I ordered my chicks. They are coming in late July.   Golden Laced Wyandotte Buff Orpington and Whiterock. I ordered extra chicks because I want to make sure I get one of each that I want, and I know sometimes you lose a chick while raising them due to whatever abnormalities/failure to thrive stuff. I want to keep 4, two wynadottes and one oprington and one white rock. Now to get the coop thing finished before they arrive and are ready to go outside. I've got time. Already found someone local who has a coop they could deliver!
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Jun 19, 2012 13:40
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LordOfThePants posted:The Cluck Palace is nearly complete! Nice job on the coop! The only thing I'd add would be some slats across the ramp for chicken footholds.
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Jun 19, 2012 17:36
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Greycious posted:I ordered my chicks. They are coming in late July. Awesome! Mine are coming second week of August. Take lots of pictures.
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Jun 19, 2012 19:46
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Inveigle posted:LOL! Are those the same three hens (including Rusty) that keep insisting on being broody? I still think you need to get some eggs (rather than chicks) and let the broody hens each have two or three eggs to sit on. Those hes are Dust (on top), Tissue (the light one under Dust), and Turkey. Tissue and Turkey are the hen hoes we caught last, and Tissue is Roo's baby mama. Turkey looks a lot like one of the other hens, Godzilla, but smaller .
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Jun 19, 2012 20:04
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Zeta Taskforce posted:Awesome! Mine are coming second week of August. Take lots of pictures. You bet I will! Already letting my friends with small children know so they can come cuddle the chicks if they want...
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Jun 19, 2012 21:25
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I love this thread and forgive me if this was already answered, but will Roostroyer's spur grow back?
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Jun 20, 2012 02:26
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Greycious posted:I ordered my chicks. They are coming in late July. So, you sent me geckos. In like a decade can I barter hatching eggs out of you too? Because goodness, I'm going to be living vicariously through everybody's wyandottes.
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Jun 20, 2012 02:39
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Fluffy Bunnies posted:So, you sent me geckos. In like a decade can I barter hatching eggs out of you too? Because goodness, I'm going to be living vicariously through everybody's wyandottes. D'aww I wish! I won't be able to have roosters where I am now. Then again who knows, maybe in a decade...I might. There is a good chance we'll only be here for the next 5-6 years. The orpingtons and white rocks are sort of boring in comparison, but I wanted some decent layers that had colors which just kind of went pretty with the wyndottes  I wanted at least one chicken that just looked like a "classic white chicken". Like when you think of a chicken icon on something!Also, I really really want one of these:  http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Day-Old-Baby-Chicks/Golden-Sebright-Bantam-p265.aspx It is just the most adorable statue-looking giant-eyed little chicken I've ever seen. I have to limit myself though, and I want chickens that lay normal sized eggs!
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Jun 20, 2012 03:20
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FluffyBunnies, I ordered a silver laced wyandotte for september... do you want brahma laced chickens next year? XD
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Jun 20, 2012 03:29
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Chido posted:FluffyBunnies, I ordered a silver laced wyandotte for september... do you want brahma laced chickens next year? XD Ugh, I wish I was in a position to do it. With us moving so much, I'm not doing any livestock until we stop moving. But oh my gosh I hope someone does. I wanna see it so bad. And I can't wait for all these little chicks in this thread in a couple months. It'll be almost as good as Chickam!Greycious posted:Also, I really really want one of these: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3417601&pagenumber=25&perpage=40#post403068424  I have the same issue with the little sebrights. I mainly want chickens for eggs. They lay teeny tiny eggs and they just don't lay them so well. But man, they are so drat cute. Phoenix roosters, too. Er.. being roos, I mean, clearly don't lay eggs but they're a decorative breed, not a laying breed, from what I understand. Seriously though.  Beautiful.
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Jun 20, 2012 04:02
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Imagine a king walking regally through his castles courtyard,long flowing cape dragging behind and surrounded by his minions and whatnot. Now imagine his minions ate really bad chipotle covered mutton chop and all the toilets are out of order so they just take a dump wherever they happen to be standing. What you have is a king dragging a cape covered in turds over more turds.
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Jun 20, 2012 18:02
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Tim the Enchanter posted:Imagine a king walking regally through his castles courtyard,long flowing cape dragging behind and surrounded by his minions and whatnot. Now imagine his minions ate really bad chipotle covered mutton chop and all the toilets are out of order so they just take a dump wherever they happen to be standing. What you have is a king dragging a cape covered in turds over more turds. It sounds so romantic when you put it that way. I’m sold. I have been thinking about going the chicken tractor route instead of cutting all kinds of holes in my shed, knocking out windows, and attaching runs. I was thinking about something like this:  Is something like that adequate for winter? Or would this be their home for 9 months and I will need to put them in my shed during the depths of winter, maybe about mid December to beginning of March? If I put them in my shed I can give them plenty of room, but they won’t have access to the outside. The other concern is their water freezing. I am thinking about getting this. If I could keep them in the tractor, I suppose there would be nothing preventing me from using an outdoor rated extension cord. http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Feed-and-Water-Supplies/Electric-Water-Heater-Base-p481.aspx
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Jun 20, 2012 19:39
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My favorite thing about the birds with ultra long tail feathers is when people bring them to shows and dont put dividers up between them. By the time the judges come around half the birds will be missing all their tail feathers because they look like tasty chicken snacks to the neighbor birds. E;I need to get my camera working so I can take out of focus pictures of my fluffy volley balls. Tim Jong-un fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Jun 20, 2012 |
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Jun 20, 2012 21:06
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Zeta Taskforce posted:The other concern is their water freezing. I am thinking about getting this. If I could keep them in the tractor, I suppose there would be nothing preventing me from using an outdoor rated extension cord. If their water is freezing wouldn't the poor chickens be freezing too? Aren't there certain breeds that do better than others for cold winters?
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Jun 20, 2012 22:01
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Zeta Taskforce posted:It sounds so romantic when you put it that way. I’m sold. I don't know about tractors, but I guess if you insulate the walls and manage to add a solar powered heat lamp (don't know if they exists, though), just to add a bit more heat at night, they may be ok. Since the coop space would be smaller, I'm guessing it'd hold the heat of the birds better at night. Then again, your chickens may do well without insulation in the coop. Look at this coop here. It isn't a tractor but it gives you an idea of how chickens fare in winter. By looking at the pictures you see it has a lamp inside and the owner just makes sure there is a way to keep the water from freezing over. http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/wichita-cabin-coop Edit: I forgot to ask, what chickens are you getting again, Zeta? Chido fucked around with this message at 22:48 on Jun 20, 2012 |
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Jun 20, 2012 22:46
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I have no idea how to work my camera so heres some pictures someone else took of some of my birds a few days ago. Three white babys and bonus Shadow tail.  One of my white pullets named Pepper. She had just won champion feather leg but im not happy with how her head is,it's way too narrow and not red enough due to the skin being tight. No folds to hold red pigment.  Lucifer[AKA:Black Bastard,Thunder Fluff, The spherical Doom] and Raggedy Ann. They have been in together for awhile but I just separated them. Her head has a few bald spots from where hes sat on her but they're both gorgeous birds,just mean as hell.[Most Cochins are adorable cuddle buns that wouldnt hurt a fly]  Bertha and Betty Boop ,a couple of lemon blue hens.  Merry the Lemon Splash. Splash and lemon Splash arent recognized standard colors for Bantam Cochins but I use both colors to breed to Lemon blues and Brown Reds to darken up and lighten up where necessary. Lemon splash birds can sometimes get really fantastic colors and a lot of people like to look at them. Merry looks a gallon bag of confetti with legs,wish I had a better picture of him. 
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Jun 20, 2012 23:02
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Tim the Enchanter posted:One of my white pullets named Pepper. She had just won champion feather leg but im not happy with how her head is,it's way too narrow and not red enough due to the skin being tight. No folds to hold red pigment. OMG! Your cochins are so ROUND and pretty! Some folks scoff at all-white or all-black chickens but those cochins are beautiful. And the Lemon Blue hens are just stunning! Thanks for posting your photos! Edit: Hahaha! "Thunder Fluff"
Inveigle fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Jun 20, 2012 |
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Jun 20, 2012 23:11
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Chido posted:Edit: I forgot to ask, what chickens are you getting again, Zeta? I'm getting Barred Plymouth Rocks (yeah Massachusetts!), Welsummers, Acondas, and Easter Eggers. I picked these breeds for cold tolerance, efficiency laying eggs, and diverse egg color. Funny how I am worried about cold tolerance. It is about 96 degrees and tomorrow will be hotter. It gets colder in Wichita but when it does get cold there it is probably drier. Our winters tend to be windy, wet, often snowy, but not usually bitter cold.
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Jun 21, 2012 00:35
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Barred Rocks are awesome, I have one and she's my favorite, she "growls" like a grumpy old lady but she's such a sweetheart
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Jun 21, 2012 00:42
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Well I got one crappy camera working but I dont know how to turn the flash off so heres some bad pictures of fat fluffballs I took this morning. Vito Corleone,my oldest Cochin. Hes Brown Red and a bit on the husky side but hes old with lots of children so I let him enjoy himself.    Raspberry my oldest Brown Red hen. Shes not very happy I pulled her fat butt out of a pile of dirt where she was trying to conjure a sandstorm. Shes a lot of black and only a little red since shes the product of a Brown Red crossed with a pure black, needed to darken up the brown red lines color a bit.  The jerk,a lemon blue rooster. He has an over large comb but im trying to breed away from that. Hes not mean he just likes to make a mess of everything.   EDIT: Ahhhhhhhhhh I broke the tables. Tim Jong-un fucked around with this message at 13:55 on Jun 21, 2012 |
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Jun 21, 2012 13:53
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Interesting here to see somebody actually breeding here!
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Jun 21, 2012 13:57
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That coop is awesome. When I move out of my duplex and we get our own place, I'm definitely building a coop and getting chickens. I've been looking at coop designs trying to find the ideal one for 3-4 chickens, and I really love their design.
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Jun 21, 2012 14:28
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Are those feathers around the head and neck much softer than the shorter, rounder feathers on the body? They look like they would be very soft and silky. I bet you could make a killing on Etsy if you sold bundles of dropped feathers from your birds, they're beautiful.
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Jun 21, 2012 14:37
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Theres about 3 layers of feathers and the only feathers that really qualify as hard are the wing feathers and the foot feathers,the rest are very soft.
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Jun 21, 2012 15:05
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More black Cochins! Lucifer action shot![Cochins are too fat to fly farther than 5 feet but they sure flap a lot!]  Lucifer and Raggedy Ann again.   Panic is from a breeder in Wisconsin that I bought from the National show in Indianapolis last year,he has beautiful body type and feathering but the main reason I wanted him is his comb. Mostof my birds run on the narrow head/ tall comb side and im trying to breed them back closer to the standard.  This is Umi, shes an example of the rampant comb problem Im having, on hens it should just be a points poking up and a very short straight ridge under. Though hers is mainly wavy because shes come off being broody.  Last table breaking post I swear!
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Jun 21, 2012 18:16
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Wow! Panic is lovely! His feathers are so nice! These black cochins are so fantastic. You need to put a webcam in with a broody hen sometime.
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Jun 21, 2012 19:23
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... a broody Cochin. Oh god can she get even fluffier than that? Also, your cochins are bantams right?
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Jun 21, 2012 19:36
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Yeah when they get mad they become amorphous balls of fuzz with beaks sticking out. And yes all these are bantam birds,I have nine or ten standard Cochins/Brahmas for eggs though. Heres Umi in a pith helmet for scale since I couldnt find a volleyball. I hoped she would walk around in it but she just sat down and started to sing instead.  Bonus chicken guard dog.
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Jun 21, 2012 20:27
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I hope you know you'll have to post pictures of broody cochins soon, or rumor has it that they explode and turn into nuggets 
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Jun 21, 2012 20:40
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