Mixed heritage and birds with dubious parentage thread. (mutts)

[Kildare49]

I have 2 broodys sitting on bcm over lb. Will be interesting to see what size & build the cockerls will be at 18-22 weeks.

 

[Dandelioness]

I have 2 broodys sitting on bcm over lb. Will be interesting to see what size & build the cockerls will be at 18-22 weeks.

Does lb=light Brahma?

 

[Kildare49]

Yes lb = light brahma

 

[Dandelioness]

It sounds like a good mix!

 

[duluthralphie]

I am moving my eggs from the incubator to the hatcher today...

New mutts ( and two royalty chicks ) on Friday!




I am getting really impatient now..



I sold 8 dozen eggs for hatching yesterday.... I cannot believe people wanted my mutt eggs. One person wanted all blue and green eggs, and was really excited to see the olive eggs.

I showed her the fathers, so she knew they were mutts and it did not bother her..

She asked about buying some diamond encrusted creamette eggs, but balked when I told her they were $3,000 an egg.

 

[Dandelioness]

I decided to go ahead and collect some fertile eggs for the test run of the incubator I was lent.

I figure if they're just a barnyard mix I'll be less upset if I lose the first batch. It's just a Little Giant, don't even know if it has a fan, but I'm making it my project today to get it set up in a safe spot and let it warm up. There are a couple threads here on BYC devoted to tips and tricks with an LG still-air, so I'll be looking at those, too.

The bator is just in case I don't have enough broody hens over the season to set my "special" eggs, so although I know the LG is not the best quality option, I'm going to give it a shot.

 

[duluthralphie]

I know 2 posts ago I said I was moving the eggs to the hatcher today...


I maybe should have done it yesterday..LOOK!!!!





CHICKS!!

I am so excited I have posted a similar post to this on 3 other threads!!

These are the first chicks I have hatched from my eggs.

 

[Dandelioness]

Congratulations again! It looks like you have the same setup I'm doing my test run with, too. I'm trying the dry hatch method as you suggested, and I even have two little cut up egg cartons in there LOL! But it does seem much simpler than the wet hatching.

Did you turn your eggs at all, prior to lockdown?? I was reading somewhere to put a book under one side of the incubator, and then under the other side, etc., to turn the eggs. But some don't turn at all? What has your experience been with it?

I understand you may be busy with your new peeps for a couple days - just let me know when you can!

Good job, I just can't stop smiling!

 

[duluthralphie]

There is nothing to do.

I am not going to open the incubator unless I have a chick emergency until Friday.

I did not add one drop of water to the incubator the entire time. The ambient humidity was 29% it has stayed there until the eggs started hatching it is running around 65% now.

I stopped the turner this morning and put them in the cut up egg cartons. I then shut the lid and did not look at them. I was sitting at the dining room table ( I keep the incubators in the dining room, because it makes my wife happy to have something to complain about, because I am so perfect)...

I heard something pop. I actually thought an egg exploded. ( I was afraid to look, and even more afraid to tell me wife she had to clean up and exploded rotten egg) I looked in and the black chick was almost hatched and the blonde (porcelain) one had the ring around it.

I have learned hatching or animals being born do best without human hands helping...

My DW has just informed me the one chick has a name Blondie.. I hope she knows it could be a rooster. Someone on here and it might have been Minnie told me to stop turning the eggs for the last 3 days. Something about giving the chicks a chance to orientate. Or I could have just thought I read that, at my age it is hard to tell...

I do know I like dry hatch!! It works. Wet hatch did not, for me.

 

[Dandelioness]

Well, thank you for that information. It sounds just like the directions I'm following, so I should be good to go and squealing over some little peeps of my own in three weeks!

I hope that little chick is a Bert Junior! Thanks for the updates, it's so exciting!