The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

Pics
Date sort Score sort
SallyinIndiana said:
you all are giving me hope for my current eggs in the incubator. Somehow the incubator tripped the circuit breaker last night and I did not notice right away. Temps fell to close to 80 but maybe some of the eggs will still be ok. About 25% of the eggs are in lockdown so of course I'm not opening the door to pull any out to candle. Just going to wait for a few days and keep smelling the vent holes.
Click to expand...
Fingers crossed for you. If they weren't to long you will probably be okay. LOL Sniffing the vent holes. That is a good one. I can just picture you if the smell comes rancid.
Jimmy
 
SallyinIndiana said:
you all are giving me hope for my current eggs in the incubator. Somehow the incubator tripped the circuit breaker last night and I did not notice right away. Temps fell to close to 80 but maybe some of the eggs will still be ok. About 25% of the eggs are in lockdown so of course I'm not opening the door to pull any out to candle. Just going to wait for a few days and keep smelling the vent holes.
Click to expand...
"Lockdown" This is another internet myth that is false. I open my incubators/hatchers whenever I feel the need. I had a large batch (about 100) of chicks hatching yesterday and I opened the hatcher probably 5-6 times. One of those times the door stood open for probably 5 minutes while I cleaned out broken egg shells so the chicks had more room to move. It doesn't effect anything to open your incubator during the hatching process. If chickens were as hard to hatch as some make it sound I think they would be extinct by now.
Sally, this is not directed at you...just a general statement based on years of experience hatching lots of chick each year. So, you don't have to sniff the vent holes...you can open that incubator and do what you need to do. It will be fine, I promise.

Matt
 
Last edited:
Matt1616 said:
"Lockdown" This is another internet myth that is false. I open my incubators/hatchers whenever I feel the need. I had a large batch (about 100) of chicks hatching yesterday and I opened the hatcher probably 5-6 times. One of those times the door stood open for probably 5 minutes while I cleaned out broken egg shells so the chicks had more room to move. It doesn't effect anything to open your incubator during the hatching process. If chickens were as hard to hatch as some make it sound I think they would be extinct by now.
Sally, this is not directed at you...just a general statement based on years of experience hatching lots of chick each year. So, you don't have to sniff the vent holes...you can open that incubator and do what you need to do. It will be fine, I promise.

Matt
Click to expand...
Right on Matt. I've written this so many times that the fussing a lot of times is what causes the problems. I know I haven't incubated as many as you have but have watched the old hens actions for many years.
Jimmy
 
immyjay54 said:
Right on Matt. I've written this so many times that the fussing a lot of times is what causes the problems.  I know I haven't incubated as many as you have but have watched the old hens actions for many years. 
Jimmy
Click to expand...


I just warn everyone up front in my posts, that I'm a 'rule breaker'..I too open during lockdown, stick shipped eggs in the bator within an hour of receiving them(granted I leave the turner off for a day or so), I take chicks, shells out while others are still hatching. .
granted I do have my set up in a tiny bathroom, I fill the tub with hot water and I have a heater in there so during hatching, the rooms heat and humidity are close to what the hatcher is..I've had pretty good luck and my lockdown antics haven't hurt a thing so far
 
I just recieved my Heritage RIRs from Dick Horstman today! I am so excited to see how they turn out! I love seeing all the pictures of the REAL heritage lines, they are gorgeous!
 
Yeah someone had told me not to open and that was probably why my hatches last year (when it was new) failed so many. Now with my fussing this year with adjusting temps and humidity and just waiting longer to see what would happen.... We figured the thing just wasn't calibrated right. So now with a digital probe and upping the humidity to what should be too high and drown them?? I got better hatch rate. So it IS the incubator.... am making adjustments until I get a near perfect hatch. They were slow hatching so next time I adjust the heat a bit too. But with only one the first round and 13 this round I'm headed in the right direction. Stupid 'preset' incubator gauge was lying!!!

And a new incubator with digital gauge and dial on humidity to test out if it works better. Then my real breeding starts once adjustments and testing are finalized. I'll sell eggs for now and save some money while raising up what I can from the test hatches to see if I have some decent to work with birds. Then start again once I replace the good cock that died.

To me lockdown just means I stop turning them and start watching for chicks.
 
Last edited:
Question for the experts:
Can you tell a rose comb from a single comb on day old RIR chicks, and how does that work genetically? I mean, if you bred two single combs can you still end up with rose comb, or is rose comb something you would breed specifically for? Here are two combs on day olds that I was comparing earlier
400

rose comb??
400
400

single comb on the middle picture? The last pic is the same chick as the first.
 
Last edited:
YULickenthat said:
Question for the experts:
Can you tell a rose comb from a single comb on day old RIR chicks, and how does that work genetically? I mean, if you bred two single combs can you still end up with rose comb, or is rose comb something you would breed specifically for? Here are two combs on day olds that I was comparing earlier

rose comb??

single comb on the middle picture? The last pic is the same chick as the first.
Click to expand...
This is just my info and others may disagree but this is my experience with these birds. I have the Underwood RC birds.
If there is RC in the background at all, the possibility of getting RC out of SC is always there and visa versa. The longer you work with them keeping the different comb types separate the less chance of getting mix but it can happen.
I have mine separate and have yet to get a RC from my SC birds but I have had a SC pop up in the RC breeding/ I've always read that the RC is dominant.
If you go back to the beginning of the thread and read Chris09 posts you will find that he talks all about this genetically. You will have to search a lot of his posts.
Oh, yes, you can tell the difference at a very early age especially after you have worked with them for a while. The RC is a wider thicker comb with no rise in the center.
Again, there are lots of pictures on my web page of chicks from day old on of both the SC and RC.
Hope this helps.
Once you cross anything in these birds, the blood is there and the chance of change will always be there.
 

Similar threads

A
Rhode island red breeding project
Replies
3
Views
652
Aneury Sanchez
A
P
What happens if i breed a Rhode Island Red Cross Black Australop with a Rhode Island Red Cross Black Australorp
Replies
4
Views
1K
Drumming feet
Drumming feet
K
    • Like
Any idea what my crosses will look like and what color eggs they may lay?
Replies
4
Views
2K
kitzichickens
K
Doudna2163
Blue copper maran roo x
Replies
2
Views
1K
Doudna2163
Doudna2163
Chicken boy 1156
What should I make?
Replies
2
Views
641
Chicken boy 1156
Chicken boy 1156

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom