February 2017 Hatch-a-long

[orrpeople]

Such a great day for our little farm! Soon, all of my standard layers will have their very own abode, and the other pens will be open to starting work on some new breeds! Here is our new chicken shed (clever names anyone?) as it wasgetting put together.

And here, the chickens, of course, must check out the finished product!

 

[FluffyButt789]

Such a great day for our little farm! Soon, all of my standard layers will have their very own abode, and the other pens will be open to starting work on some new breeds! Here is our new chicken shed (clever names anyone?) as it wasgetting put together.

And here, the chickens, of course, must check out the finished product!

Beautiful! How big is it? For how many chickens? I'm hoping to one day have a barn with stalls, one 10x15 for chickens alone!

 

[Cerise1924]

Such a great day for our little farm! Soon, all of my standard layers will have their very own abode, and the other pens will be open to starting work on some new breeds! Here is our new chicken shed (clever names anyone?) as it wasgetting put together.

And here, the chickens, of course, must check out the finished product!

 

[CuzChickens]

Hah! Yes! I was the super smart person who decided Marans eggs should be my very first incubation experience. Talk about not really being able to see anything... and because my only candling experience was with my buddy youtube, even if I could have seen something, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have known what I was actually seeing!! But, even with all my inexperience, that first hatch was my highest percentage for shipped eggs I've had to date. Go figure.

Lol. I did set 4 Welsummer eggs. I can't see a darn thing in those babies. Just hoping for the best with them. I love candling white eggs, it is a breeze.

 

[Cerise1924]

Well, hmmm... It's not looking great for those 12 shipped Sebright eggs. One was cracked. Of the remaining eleven, only two show distinct development when candled today (Day 6).

The great news is, Firefly has a moving embryo:

And Ambrosia is showing veining. I couldn't get the best pics, but the egg looks good:

A third egg showed what looked like an eye spot, but no movement at all and no visible veining. There was nothing visible in the other eggs at Day 6. That's not too hopeful, is it?

 

[orrpeople]

Beautiful! How big is it? For how many chickens? I'm hoping to one day have a barn with stalls, one 10x15 for chickens alone!  :yiipchick

It's 10'x12' with 8' walls. I have 27 layers, so it's just for roosts and nesting boxes. I have all the lumber ready to build my own boxes - the transition is going to be rough, but it will end up beinv good!

 

[orrpeople]

@Cerise1924Love the pic of your "helpful bird" - they make chores so much more entertaining!

 

[CuzChickens]

Well, hmmm... It's not looking great for those 12 shipped Sebright eggs. One was cracked. Of the remaining eleven, only two show distinct development when candled today (Day 6). The great news is, Firefly has a moving embryo: And Ambrosia is showing veining. I couldn't get the best pics, but the egg looks good: A third egg showed what looked like an eye spot, but no movement at all and no visible veining. There was nothing visible in the other eggs at Day 6. That's not too hopeful, is it? :/

Go chicks! Go chicks! All my friends think I'm stupid, bit I believe in my chicks, even when everybody thinks it will die.

 

[Cerise1924]

Go chicks! Go chicks! All my friends think I'm stupid, bit I believe in my chicks, even when everybody thinks it will die.

Go chicks!

I love that - let's hope for the best and believe in those little chicks.

 

[CuzChickens]

Go chicks!   I love that - let's hope for the best and believe in those little chicks.

I had a chick that was on day 22 and alive, but failed to hatch, and not even internally pipped. I helped her out, and she looked horrible. When she dried off her fuzz was matted in blood and hatching fluids, she couldn't hold her head up, her belly looked weird. She looked like she was on deaths doorstep, and everybody told me she would die. I tucked her in my turtleneck shirt to keep her warm under my chin, and kept on telling her I believed in her. She made it through the first four hours, and she was able to go in with the other chicks briefly. I slept with her that night because they were trampling her. She lived on me for her first 24 hours and I never stopped believing she would pull through. Today she is a bright eyed and bushy tailed 2 week old chick!