4-H-er thread!

[LilJoe]

If they turn out to be easy to handle, any breed mixed or pure can be shown for showmanship (at my county fair) and sometimes it's easier for the younger kids to show pullets because they are smaller. We have a lot of younger kids this year and some of the older kids will let them show their smaller birds for showmanship. Also because of the size of our county fair, they will let you show "breeds" that aren't accepted in the APA, as long as you show them in the correct class which they would be in.

Oh showmanship. Ok, I thought you meant the 'actual show'.

 

[MagpieDucks]

I just candled half a dozen eggs. All showed great movement!!

 

[PouleNoire]

Awesome!!

 

[I Love Layers]

Hello!
I haven't bought any chicks this year, I only buy for my laying flock anyways though. Because of our cold weather I haven't been able to hatch anything of mine, but a breeder did send me some eggs and right now I have 15 eggs in the incubator, 11 for sure fertile and 4 maybes, with 8 days to go. They are all LF Cochins

 

[PouleNoire]

Hi @I Love Layers! Hopefully your hatch goes smooth! I am hoping that possibly next year, probably the year after we can start to hatch our own chicks I have always wanted to and now we have 3 roosters...we just need a hen of the same breed, lol! I want to breed the bantam Cochins but I have yet to get a female bantam the boys are great though!

 

[LilJoe]

Anybody have tips on hand turning eggs including how to keep the humidity and temp. steady?

 

[LilJoe]

Hi @I Love Layers! Hopefully your hatch goes smooth! I am hoping that possibly next year, probably the year after we can start to hatch our own chicks I have always wanted to and now we have 3 roosters...we just need a hen of the same breed, lol! I want to breed the bantam Cochins but I have yet to get a female bantam the boys are great though!

I -*just*- sold my breeder quality partridge cochin hen.

 

[I Love Layers]

Anybody have tips on hand turning eggs including how to keep the humidity and temp. steady?

Turn 3 times a day, if an incubator isn't holding temperature well I wouldn't use it. As for humidity I try to only add every other day. Some people put sponges in the incubator to help hold it

 

[PouleNoire]

Ah, well the two bantam roos I have are a red frizzle cochin and a birchen cochin. Plus we just got the new chicks this year and probably won't get anymore..well have to wait and see how our flock is doing come next year and if we can sustain anymore chicks. The option is also available to possibly use the piece of yard we used for the old outdoor rabbit enclosure for a show flock...hmm options

 

[MagpieDucks]

Hi @I Love Layers! Hopefully your hatch goes smooth! I am hoping that possibly next year, probably the year after we can start to hatch our own chicks I have always wanted to and now we have 3 roosters...we just need a hen of the same breed, lol! I want to breed the bantam Cochins but I have yet to get a female bantam the boys are great though!

There's a local breeder here that leases Bantam Cochins to a bunch of 4h kids every year. I might have to get a few this year.