The Designer Egg Chain Swap Chat Thread

[draye]

Well I think I pretty we'll got the job but not sure of what it is suppose to pay. I'll find that out if they call me in for the next step.

 

[draye]

Is there still any interest in the Designer Egg Swap thread?

Someone just posted on it wondering. There hasn't been any movement on it in a while.

 

[draye]

I'm trying to develope a flock of egg laying Naked Necks. The few I have now are descent layers. I have 11 hens that lay. I'm now averaging 6 to 8 eggs a day from them. Today I got ten so some days are better than others.
Two if he hens aren't NN but are actually 1/2 NN, from their daddy. One of tge hens is NN but lays a green egg ( from my project that I've now discarded), she is an neatly everyday layer. Averages 5 to 7 a week.

My feed bill had went way down since I cut back. I'm in the process of building them back up though with another project but only for color.

Besides those 11 hens I have coming up on 20 weeks old tomorrow the 22nd, 4 NN pullets, and 2 NN pullets that came from the old project, they have funky single combs so I'm expecting brown eggs. I'll also have 2 young cockerels growing up with them. From my Easter Hatch I have about a half and half mix of cockerel/pullet ratio ( okay can't be exact) count of 13 some are NN and some mor( again the non NN are for color project).
I have 37 eggs in the incubator that are due to hatch this next Wednesday or Thursday.

I'm taking one rooster off for an auction this weekend, 1) because he's a meanie, 2) he's got barring (also orange) and I'm not a fan of barring. He is the dad of the eggs that are hatching, so I have his genes in the pool stock.

This fall I'm planning on ordering 25 pullets to grow out for next spring. To help bring in more genes. To up the egg production.

All this to say because I want to have eggs available to those that want fresh eggs and because I'm thinking that there may be a shortage on eggs after all this avian influenza outbreak in the biggest egg producing state, Iowa. Thinking also the prices may go higher too. So I want to be prepared.

Then again, I'm still hoping that I can hang into them, I still haven't found a job yet. So chicken keeping us still up in the air.

 

[draye]

Just pulled 17 Naked Beck babies from the incubator. Not the best hatch only about 46%.

 

[draye]

Beautiful!

 

[draye]

I pulled the rest of the eggs that I was incubating. 20-12 were not fertile, 8 had chicks but all dead, 2 of the 8 had started hatching but died before they hatched.

So here were the percentages:
Set: 37
Hatched: 17 45.945%
Fertile Eggs: 25
Fertility: 67.567%
So the actual hatch percentage of fertile eggs was over all: 68%.

 

[eggorthechicken]

My hatch rate this year so far hasn't been the best. I believe due to wonky hatcher but nonetheless frustrating.

 

[draye]

My hatch rate this year so far hasn't been the best. I believe due to wonky hatcher but nonetheless frustrating.

I'm blaming it on the wonky weather we've been having.

 

[eggorthechicken]

Yes I can agree with that also.

 

[draye]

Adding a new Naked Neck rooster and two Naked Neck hens tomorrow.

Rooster is from my Salmon Naked Neck rooster line if I understood right it is his grandson. Hens don't know if they're from my line or not.