5th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2014 Hatch-A-Long

[ESofVA]

Fighting disease here seems to be a constant here. VA has some of the stricter laws for bringing hatching eggs, chicks and chickens in and shipping them out. I really think it makes little sense because there are so many diseases already here...or maybe just in this area? A lot of people go a short distance to 2 other states and bring them back in and no way to check where they come from and it makes me angry. I feel like I have to vaccinate of I want to keep chickens. When we moved here, it was my first time having chickens in about 35 yrs.. I haockd never had a chicken with a disease. It was a REAL shock and heartbreaking when I started losing one right after another. Really bad when I lost one of my bantams that would come and sit in my lap.

Weather??? 19 degrees night before last, 40+ yesterday and it is 46 now at 9:45 and we are going to have a high of 60+ today. Temps have been jumping all over the place this winter!

Yesterday, I broke down and ordered 6 Faverolles eggs. I am hoping for at least 1 roo and 1 hen out of them. I also placed another order for self blue D'Uccle and white frizzle bantam Cochin chicks. I have ordered from Cackle Hatchery and A&J Farms Domani Ranch (The Poultry Hatchery). I have been reading comments on here about the different hatcheries. I think our local farm store orders from Ideal and some of the chicks are fairly nice. Usually I buy a lot, pick the ones I want to keep, and sell the ones I don't want for about 2x my original cost .. which probably pays for my keepers and for the food/electricity I used to raise them to 1 month. 45 the last time and I kept 12. Anyway, I am waiting to see when they will ship.

The bantam Cochins I hatched are about 4 weeks old and I missed the date on those for the hatch-a-long. Growing like weeds (have a couple that have the slow feathering gene I think)....they are in a storage tub (just the bottom part!!! )in our guest bathroom! LOL!!! Good thing we don't have guests coming for while! LOL!

 

[ronott1]

I got a chicky!!!!!

She/he was lonely so we gave him/her a friend. She wouldn't stop cheeping until she had her friend.
Now she is with her adoption broody mum. I feather sexed her and from what it looks like is a pullet but I'm not holding my breath.
I have 2 more pipping right now.

Good Job!

I'm finished. Well, I guess that's a relative term. I ended up with 34 healthy chicks. All Black Penedesencas.
47 set
38 went into the hatcher
2 weak stragglers and 2 shrink wrapped, none of which made it past a day or so.

Believe it or not there are 35 chicks in this box. One of which didn't make it.



11 in this temporary brooder

11 in this one

12 in this one




Once this cold spell passes in about a week, they'll be going outside to much larger quarters.

We're just starting to get dumped on with snow and the next 2 nights will be well below zero. Monday's high won't even reach zero. There's no way to warm that building enough so these guys will have to stay in a few days.

I hope the cold front does not cause too many problems!

I really like chicks like this!

Don't forget to post baby pics for the Cutest Chick Contest. I believe it is still open.

link: Cutest Chick Contest

Yes, I am going to set up voting today.

okay so I can keep them separate until 6 months, about the time roos would be processed and pullets would be laying correct? I'm new to all this.. still llearning a lot!

I may have missed something here and Mareks is a big topic with lots of opinions. There have been studies about mixing vaccinated and not vaccinated chicks after and the conclusion was that around 4 days it did not matter if they were mixed or not. If you vaccinate them, keep them from not vaccinated for a week and then you can combine them.

On your own place, it would be impossible to keep the virus from moving from one group to another. It gets on you clothes, shoes, air. Moved by vermin and etc. A week you should be able to do.

 

[ronott1]

We mad 8000 posts during this Hatch a Long!

Great job everyone!

We have discussed some very controversial subjects--some that have gotten threads closed and we were all very respectful and courteous!

Hugs to all of you!

 

[itsbob]

Ducks in lockdown, 3 days 'til baby Khakis and Pekins.

 

[abmaddox1981]

So a friend of mine hatched some ducks the day after NYD and is giving me some! Yay! Perkin babies to go with the lunatic babies in my bedroom. Glad my husband won't be home for a few more weeks....

 

[ronott1]

Ducks in lockdown, 3 days 'til baby Khakis and Pekins.

I would check them for internal pipping. I have hatched pekin type ducks for others and they were early each time.

 

[ronott1]

So a friend of mine hatched some ducks the day after NYD and is giving me some! Yay! Perkin babies to go with the lunatic babies in my bedroom. Glad my husband won't be home for a few more weeks....

Post pictures when you get them.

 

[chickengirl1193]

[IMG]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/grinser/grinning-smiley-003.gif[/IMG]
Good Job!

I hope the cold front does not cause too many problems!

I really like chicks like this!

Yes, I am going to set up voting today.
I may have missed something here and Mareks is a big  topic with lots of opinions. There have been studies about mixing vaccinated and not vaccinated chicks after and the conclusion was that around 4 days it did not matter if they were mixed or not. If you vaccinate them, keep them from not vaccinated for a week and then you can combine them.

On your own place, it would be impossible to keep the virus from moving from one group to another. It gets on you clothes, shoes, air. Moved by vermin and etc. A week you should be able to do.

okay so I guess it won't matter now if they live together because although i wash my hands and take off my outside clothes before tending to the chicks after the outside birds i don't give my dog a bath and he comes in contact with everything. I guess I should have thought of that. and I didn't even think to order the vaccine for these chicks. I'll do more research andmake a better decision for next time

 

[ronott1]

okay so I guess it won't matter now if they live together because although i wash my hands and take off my outside clothes before tending to the chicks after the outside birds i don't give my dog a bath and he comes in contact with everything. I guess I should have thought of that. and I didn't even think to order the vaccine for these chicks. I'll do more research andmake a better decision for next time

They will be fine!

Definitely research and talk to others in your area.

 

[Aphrael]

I got a couple pics of my fav RIRxEE chick.

The other 2 appear to be feathering in all red and black like the ones I hatched this summer. But this one is getting feathers that are a beautiful, soft champagne color. I SO hope she is a she and keeps that coloration. So pretty.

This is her wing feathers. But sadly my phone cam did not capture the true color of them at all. Her daddy is RIR and her mother is an EE whose color could be described as wheaten I think.