2015 HALLOWEEN Hatch-a-Long, Join us IF YOU DARE!

[KayJay13]

@Sally Sunshine

We LOVE our animals. I swear we will never have enough. Everyone is named, and all super friendly. You can reach down and grab almost any bird on the property besides some of the turkey hens. Usually I have a Mille Fleur D'Uccle hen on my shoulder or head as I feed. She always rides a human around the yard lol. We will certainly be taking all of the babes with us to med school! Lol. We own our current property, and will find a place large enough and rural enough for the feather babies in advance for school lol. I don't currently work. DH just got a big promotion which is great. I just study and make As in class. So I spend almost all my free time in the yard with them.

 

[tracyjg]

 

[tracyjg]

I tryed to candle the ones in lock down again but it really doesn't show it on camera for some reason.

 

[sonshine15]

Here are the photos of the dishes again. Whoever wins can pick the one they want. They have a choice!

They're really cute!!

 

[sonshine15]

Turning the fan off for hatching is thought to keep the chicks from shrink wrapping. Although it might increase the time it takes for a chick to shrink wrap, it is not the biggest factor in this. The biggest factor or most common is incubation temperatures that are off during the first 18 days. There is also flock health and nutrition issues that cause shrink wrap\sticky chicks.

It is better to focus on getting good development during the first 18 days. Get a thermometer like the brinsea spot check, make sure the eggs are turned enough and use the cool down cycle. Sticky or shrink wrapped chicks happen because the chicks did not absorb the yolk and moisture correctly--in other words they did not develop well. They will not be very robust.

If they are from your flock, make sure that the breeding flock does not have parasites and are getting good nutrition. The egg farmer that I hatch for told me proudly that he fed is flock only scratch grains all winter! Then he wondered why he was getting low hatch rates. The flock never did recover from that mistake.

Note: Sally knows this stuff--I am posting for the group!

I have done many ignorant and some down right stupid mistakes along the way but wow........scratch grain only? My birds are free of critters. Had a mite/lice issue after all the rain we got and the grounds were sprayed, all birds, dogs and cat even my carpet dusted with sevin. The hens have lay feed, free range and run to the door to get treats every time it opens.

........some fly to the door

....the treats are usually oatmeal, cat food a couple times a week and veggies at times. They have oyster shell and also egg shells I bake and crush. I have a WS that is the roos favorite and is always bald Her eggs are not being used any longer due to some leg issues that were fairly consistent in the hatches. There's a camera on the coop so I know who is laying what and when the pullets begin to lay. (6 of them are due to lay). Yesterday I picked up Feather Fixer due to the older gals molting and the change in season. I raised 200 hens for 4-H when growing up then had a sprinkle of a few here and there over the years off and on. One of the Purina Layer Pellets I got a few weeks back was in question.............the girls didn't seem quite right.......bad batch? Not sure so I went to an off brand, they picked back up and now the FF.

My first egg bound hen is in isolation. She's 5 years old and I read over everything to do. Gave her calcium........electrolytes and yesterday started her on tetracycline. Shes' lubed up and is now passing poop and drinking and eating.......she sounded a bit stuffy and not sure if it was to do with the egg or my not noticing soon enough due to all the hatches..........we'll see..........hoping this morning some action happened and if not will try extracting the egg. She's not dehydrated and is not acting uncomfortable like she was........

 

[sonshine15]

Ok I couldn't decide between light Sussex, cream legbar or pekin ducks so I ordered 6 dozen quail (Japanese, texas A&m and button) instead for my Halloween hatch. I'm going to need a second bator now to do the others...

This is ringing a bell of familiarity...........addictions............

 

[sonshine15]

Oh wow! I bet that'll be me in a few years. All of my chickens are named now, but I can't imagine that many names haha.

It's pretty cold here, I'll trade ya.

Still working on DH but he's great at helping and I think it may be catching

 

[sonshine15]

Buttons are adorable! I tried keeping them in the house for a while. Quail just belong out doors. In a nice big space. Don't have that space. :/







My DH put that poly glass all around the edge to keep the floor clean. Nice cage. I later
used it for my canary.

Wow that's very nice Cynthia!!!!

 

[tao chick]

My eggs are supposed to be shipped today. I'm hoping they get here safely, and I hope the trip keeps them viable. They should arrive Tuesday. I'm going to contact my post office to tell me when they arrive so I can pick them up.

First time with shipped eggs... reading all the advice and hoping for the best.

 

[CaseyV]

My eggs are supposed to be shipped today. I'm hoping they get here safely, and I hope the trip keeps them viable. They should arrive Tuesday. I'm going to contact my post office to tell me when they arrive so I can pick them up.

First time with shipped eggs... reading all the advice and hoping for the best.

Good luck, I set shipped eggs yesterday.