4th Annual BYC NYD Hatch-a-long

[crissycriss]

HUGE, with many of the breeds used in production, you can't even tell it's the same breed of chicken. The hatcheries will "infuse" the line with something else to increase egg production. I'd rather get a few less eggs, less broodiness and get a bird that looks the way I expect it to. Examples Production New Hampshire SQ New Hampshire Production Barred Rock SQ Barred rocks HQ silkie SQ silkie It might cost you an extra few dollars to acquire exhibition type birds, but feeding them and housing them, the cost is the same. I don't want to put the money and time into a bird and have it look nothing like the bird I saw and thought "Ooooh, I want them!" ETA - even if I have no plan to show (which I do), I still want my birds to be what I enjoy watching at home. I have quite a few breeds that are non-recognized and will probably never be shown while I'm still around, but I want them to be good representatives of their breeds because I enjoy looking at them and they were what I wanted. Deb

I have never liked the look of bared rocks until i seen this picture of a show quality BR. I had to do a double take. Im drooling now. I would love some show quality BRR now LOL. Silikies too.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I was pondering this very thing last night. There are 1,000s of posts about it over on the LF Heritage breed thread, and up til this hatch I was seeing both sides and thinks "yah, ok so the photos of the SQ (Show Quality) & true Heritage birds certainly look so much nicer I'm kinda now embarrassed to say any of my supposedly pure breed hatchery birds are other than mutts".

But I was still in part of my mind thinking "oh get over it ppl how can there be *that much diff..?" Well, I've had birds for a combined about 8 yrs, all diff. types from many places, but never SQ or Heritage until these current 2 chicks (& a Roo I got while these were in the bator). It is night and day different! One of my new chicks taught ITSELF to drink while still in the incubator (from water dropplets condensed on a plastic thing for humidity). IT taught the other bird to drink & eat. Yesterday day 4 one started w/ 2 full wing feathers in the am, buy last night it has 4 on each wing -never have my hatchery birds progressed so fast, not even broody hen chicks.

I'm sure some hatcheries have great stock. But sitting here today I have to honestly say my opinion is updated, and all the chicks I've ever had until these chicks were essentially "runts".

I was already scheduled to upgrade this yr - SQ Heritage Buckeye trio in Feb, poss. Heritage BR hatching eggs, and a few others I'm working on getting. Seeing these chicks being SO vigorous, maturing so fast, not needing any help from me to repeatedly find the food & water, no pasty butt, & the one who started w/ a hernia (due to problems I caused w/ the bator) by hr 12 the hernia was gone, totally gone like it never existed!

I'm convinced, I'm on the bandwagon. (again I'm sure some hatcheries have great stock, but not the ones I've bought from in the past, even the birds who lived and I formerly thought were great compared right now to these chicks well those others just were sad unhealthy and runty.) Going forward I personally would only buy from a hatchery if I got recommendations from others who had bought the exact thing I was considering and I could see what they got and felt confident on the quality. If I have any choice at all, I personally will only be going w/ breeders, SQ &/or Heritage stock from here forward. That's my 20cents on the topic & I mean no offense to anyone or any hatcheries, again I'm sure _some_ have great birds, I've just never lucked into those and was ignorant of the depth of the diff. until this week.

I use hatchery birds in my layer flock & no where else. Any bird who doesn't meet my breed criteria either gets sold off as pet quality or gets tossed in the layer coop for eating eggs for the family. I specifically got production birds for the layer coop because I wanted the eggs, but all the rest of my birds (except 1 OEGB who turned out to be really nice quality even though she was hatchery) have come from breeders.

 

[kvmommy]

I have never liked the look of bared rocks until i seen this picture of a show quality BR. I had to do a double take. Im drooling now. I would love some show quality BRR now LOL. Silikies too.

I'm totally in agreement. Ive been googling them and drooling ever since. I had no clue thats what they are supposed to look like

 

[Pele]

Well, I have no idea what happened, but my last hatching chick died last night

. It made it to an external pip (although it did take forever), then spent a long time peeping (till 4am).

I thought everything was proceeding as normal, then when I woke up at 7, it was silent and hadn't progressed. When I opened the shell, I found a perfectly formed, fully ready to hatch chick. Not shrink wrapped, no hernia, good external pip, blood fully retracted, nothing wrong. I'm mystified.

 

[ronott1]

Well, I have no idea what happened, but my last hatching chick died last night

. It made it to an external pip (although it did take forever), then spent a long time peeping (till 4am).

I thought everything was proceeding as normal, then when I woke up at 7, it was silent and hadn't progressed. When I opened the shell, I found a perfectly formed, fully ready to hatch chick. Not shrink wrapped, no hernia, good external pip, blood fully retracted, nothing wrong. I'm mystified.

I am sorry!

I have had that happen before. There was something wrong with the chick internally. Often the organs so not develop correctly. Also shipped eggs do not leave enough energy to fully finish developing since they use so much energy to recover from shipping stress.

One of the Lecturers in my department broke his leg and shoulder in a cycling accident. He said that he could eat thousands of calories a day and not gain weight while his body was healing from the damage. It takes a lot of energy to grow new cells. It is a real miracle that chicks hatch!

 

[SilkieSensation]

Well, I have no idea what happened, but my last hatching chick died last night

. It made it to an external pip (although it did take forever), then spent a long time peeping (till 4am).

I thought everything was proceeding as normal, then when I woke up at 7, it was silent and hadn't progressed. When I opened the shell, I found a perfectly formed, fully ready to hatch chick. Not shrink wrapped, no hernia, good external pip, blood fully retracted, nothing wrong. I'm mystified.

Sometimes it just happens that way. Nature's way of culling the weak so we don't have to do it later.

 

[FeyRaine]

Sometimes it just happens that way. Nature's way of culling the weak so we don't have to do it later.

2x

But it is also very disappointing, & I know it makes you think there must have been something you did wrong, or could have done, but you have to remember that isn't always the case, sometimes the defect is internal and could not have been prevented; so don't beat yourself up over it!

 

[Pele]

Thanks, I appreciate the support. I did feel that it was kind of my fault, because I did put a small air hole at the top of the shell before I noticed the external pip. I had heard cheeping over 10 hours prior, and knew he was running out of internal air, so I took the chance. After I saw the external pip, I was like 'doh!"

But he wasn't shrink wrapped when I did the eggtopsy, so I guess that part of the guilt isn't mine to bear. Maybe he got confused between the two holes as to which to zip from? Dunno.

 

[ronott1]

Thanks, I appreciate the support. I did feel that it was kind of my fault, because I did put a small air hole at the top of the shell before I noticed the external pip. I had heard cheeping over 10 hours prior, and knew he was running out of internal air, so I took the chance. After I saw the external pip, I was like 'doh!"

But he wasn't shrink wrapped when I did the eggtopsy, so I guess that part of the guilt isn't mine to bear. Maybe he got confused between the two holes as to which to zip from? Dunno.

You did the right thing!

The air hole probably did help the chick go longer. It might have worked with a different chick too!

 

[Fuzzybird]

Was sent this picture this morning. A Flock Of Coops!