11th Annual Easter Hatch a Long 2020

[Peep_Show]

What are you all going to do with yours chicks? What are the plans for them keeping selling?

Folks have been asking for chicks since mid-February. In the Age of Covid, laying hens are in great demand. So... I sell my straight-run chicks for cheap (less than farm supply stores) and if I can sex them, then the price goes up. Spare cockerels go to the local raptor rescue so the admin doesn't have to buy raptor food and can allocate the $$ towards educational programs. Sad for the boychicks, but it's their destiny a little sooner than later.

 

[Jules929]

I hear there's a lot of demand for chicks lately... don't know if that's localized or even if it's the case here. We've been staying home and live way out of town.

Here in central Florida, too. The local news did a story on it this morning.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

The weak silkied Cochin baby passed on in the night. Much as I knew it was coming and thought I was braced for it, I still bawled like a baby when I found her. Grateful I have the other four little stinkers to keep my mind off of it today. Now that they're figuring out this whole walking thing, they're extra cute and rambunctious.

Great pictures! You should enter those in the POW thread!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/picture-of-the-week-pow-information-submissions.1345170/
And if you have any without watermarks, enter them in the cutest baby fowl contest!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...st-baby-fowl-win-a-brinsea-incubator.1351241/

Already entered in the cutest baby contest. I'm on page 5.

Watermarks are okay for the POW? I tend not to leave my extra cute / pretty birds without watermarks anymore because I've had pictures stolen in the past.

There is no such thing as picture overload of BABY CHICKS!!!

Haha, true!

 

[hysop]

You guys I candled my lightest olive egg and I saw movement!!! I am so excited!! I’ll leave them be except for switching their spots in the incubator daily and checking for smell in case some did pass away but at least ONE is alive and that’s gonna keep me going with this batch

 

[kelseyk]

I hear there's a lot of demand for chicks lately... don't know if that's localized or even if it's the case here. We've been staying home and live way out of town.

Southwest Nebraska here - feed store can't keep chicks in stock. Selling as fast as they can get them in.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

The weak silkied Cochin baby passed on in the night. Much as I knew it was coming and thought I was braced for it, I still bawled like a baby when I found her. Grateful I have the other four little stinkers to keep my mind off of it today. Now that they're figuring out this whole walking thing, they're extra cute and rambunctious.

View attachment 2075039





Already entered in the cutest baby contest. I'm on page 5.

Watermarks are okay for the POW? I tend not to leave my extra cute / pretty birds without watermarks anymore because I've had pictures stolen in the past.






Haha, true!

I'm sorry you lost the weak one even when we're prepared it's difficult. You did everything you could to give it a great chance. The other 4 are so precious and I can't wait to see if I get a light one in my hatch too! I want one so bad!

 

[CindyinSD]

I don't know about our stores. I made my last real supply run a couple weeks ago. I went to TSC for some canning jars a few days ago (they're selling hot 'n heavy also), but they delivered curbside and I didn't think to ask. I expect it's no different here, though.

At any rate, I have a lot of chickens, + chicks, teen pullets & capons and around a dozen and a half duck eggs cooking in one incubator. Other one awaits one more goose egg to get going. Only thing I'm short on at present (ironically) is functional roos. It's been a tough winter for my poor boys.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

You guys I candled my lightest olive egg and I saw movement!!! I am so excited!! I’ll leave them be except for switching their spots in the incubator daily and checking for smell in case some did pass away but at least ONE is alive and that’s gonna keep me going with this batch

That's so wonderful!!! I would definitely bring out a meat thermometer and calibrate it to check against the other two just because of what happened. Super excited that there is still a chance though!!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...incubator-thermometers-and-hygrometers.73634/

 

[casportpony]

Already entered in the cutest baby contest. I'm on page 5.

Excellent!

Watermarks are okay for the POW? I tend not to leave my extra cute / pretty birds without watermarks anymore because I've had pictures stolen in the past.

They are allowed in POW thread, but I think pictures without a watermark would look better on the homepage.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Am I allowed to start posting about numbers yet? lol I've been keeping my updates to a minimum because I have a tendency to blab my numbers.