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

[bantambury]

Well, I took a few new pictures of my chicks, now 2 weeks old.......strange thing happened.....Leven began flapping and grew very tall, thrusted his head back and managed to squeek out a crow! I wish I would've had this on video! it was rather pathetic but very interesting! I had no idea he would begin crowing so soon! this is a bad thing......that means he will become rather loud and will bother my neighbors while in my garage! what do I do? its too cold to transition him to a coop soon......and my hen will not take him or any of his siblings.

Leven-Male
OE Japanese Bantam Cross

Squidgy-Male?
Sizzle white

Timothy-?
Sizzle partridge

Tokyo
Japanese Bantam

Wiggles
Japanese Bantam


All of my Japanese bantams squat when I take them out.....all three of them do....its weird....in the brooder they run around and fly attempt, but in my kitchen they just sit.....what are they doing? are they scared of hardwood? they are all healthy and happy!


Sadly I may have to get rid of some of my roosters.....I am very sad. I am going by the 2 hens per rooster rule.....I may come out with one too many roosters.
I don't want to give my own OE crosses away, for their parents are with me and they were my first chicks I ever hatched from my own chickens.

 

[Aphrael]

Well, the chicks from my first incubator test hatch are old enough now that I can tell with pretty good certainty which are boys and which girls. Out of 8 hatched I got 6 boys! 6!!!!

They were supposed to be expanding my layer flock.

I sure do hope these NYD chicks come out with a better ratio of pullets. I need to try to get some good pics of them to put up. They sure are coming out pretty.

I have a question for anyone who is familiar with orpingtons. Do they typically tend to grow slowly? They are very noticeably behind the RIRxEE chicks in development. Was just wondering if that was normal for them. Or maybe the hybrid vigor of the others is just making them grow really fast? They are close to double the size of the orps and probably have 3x more feathering.

 

[SoManyHats]

Set day is Sunday March 30th.

Im not sure if your young Marans will be ready in time, you could get lucky. What breed of hens will he be in with?

My laying hens are about 25 weeks right now. Three Barred Rock crosses, two Australorps, and a Marans.

ETA - I miscalculated - he's actually 10 weeks old now. So my estimation is he'll be 22 weeks by March 30.

 

[ronott1]

Well, the chicks from my first incubator test hatch are old enough now that I can tell with pretty good certainty which are boys and which girls. Out of 8 hatched I got 6 boys! 6!!!!

They were supposed to be expanding my layer flock.

I sure do hope these NYD chicks come out with a better ratio of pullets. I need to try to get some good pics of them to put up. They sure are coming out pretty.

I have a question for anyone who is familiar with orpingtons. Do they typically tend to grow slowly? They are very noticeably behind the RIRxEE chicks in development. Was just wondering if that was normal for them. Or maybe the hybrid vigor of the others is just making them grow really fast? They are close to double the size of the orps and probably have 3x more feathering.

Give them time to see how they grow.

The best way to get a good ratio of boys to girls is to increase hatch rates. They should hatch out close to 50/50.

RIRxEE should make good chicken dinner though.

 

[Aphrael]

Give them time to see how they grow.

The best way to get a good ratio of boys to girls is to increase hatch rates. They should hatch out close to 50/50.

RIRxEE should make good chicken dinner though.

They make a very good chicken dinner!

In fact I just processed 2 RIRxEE cockerels today. Wasn't planning to since it was really windy and cold. But one made me so mad I couldn't see straight, so they lost their cold weather reprieve.

I have reached a very important conclusion though. I must make a separate growout pen for raising freezer camp bound cockerels in, and SOON. They just cause too much trouble amongst the flock.

I'm giving the orp chicks all the time they want for growing.

I was just curious if slower growth was typical for the breed or not.

 

[chickydee64]

Got my guy to stand still long enough for a couple of pic's today.........
His tail has not grow in from his molt......................

The hen is an old 1/2 English....she just loves him..............

 

[ronott1]

They make a very good chicken dinner!

In fact I just processed 2 RIRxEE cockerels today. Wasn't planning to since it was really windy and cold. But one made me so mad I couldn't see straight, so they lost their cold weather reprieve.

I have reached a very important conclusion though. I must make a separate growout pen for raising freezer camp bound cockerels in, and SOON. They just cause too much trouble amongst the flock.

I'm giving the orp chicks all the time they want for growing.

I was just curious if slower growth was typical for the breed or not.

If they are like the Australorps, they will hit a growth spurt at 12 weeks or so.

Yes, put together a pen for grow out Cockerels. I watch them and when they start pestering the girls I separate them.

I process them when they get on my nerves too. Sometimes they make it clear to 18 weeks though.

 

[LearningChicken]

So I am pretty sure that I am the only person who is STILL hatching from our New Years Day hatch.

Live Baby count is still at 3 , 1 that I am sure was rotten and now thrown away, 2 I am sure are clear and 3 more babies MOVING in their little shells. Oh why oh why won't they hatch?!?!?!?!?!

Seriously, I set the eggs under Mama! I know how many were there!!!

Does anyone know why my eggs are so staggered? Maybe one wan't warm enough to start developing? Is that possible?

Now I'm thinking that I need an incubator because Mama is busy taking care of the three little ones and not sitting on the eggs as much as before. However, she is inside the nice and warm house - maybe it is hot enough that they can be ok without her sitting all of the time. Is that possible?

This is so very crazy to me! I can handle the idea of 21 days give or take a day or two but REALLY?!?!?!

Has anyone else ever experienced anything like this?

By the way, here are pictures of my little cuties!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






Jasmine is black, Jelly is light cream body and head with striped feathers and a light colored beak, Bean (last pic) dark head and light body.

Mama is so wonderful that she lets me hold them whenever I want (under close supervision). She must know another mother!

 

[ronott1]

So I am pretty sure that I am the only person who is STILL hatching from our New Years Day hatch.

Live Baby count is still at 3 , 1 that I am sure was rotten and now thrown away, 2 I am sure are clear and 3 more babies MOVING in their little shells. Oh why oh why won't they hatch?!?!?!?!?!

Seriously, I set the eggs under Mama! I know how many were there!!!

Does anyone know why my eggs are so staggered? Maybe one wan't warm enough to start developing? Is that possible?

Now I'm thinking that I need an incubator because Mama is busy taking care of the three little ones and not sitting on the eggs as much as before. However, she is inside the nice and warm house - maybe it is hot enough that they can be ok without her sitting all of the time. Is that possible?

This is so very crazy to me! I can handle the idea of 21 days give or take a day or two but REALLY?!?!?!

Has anyone else ever experienced anything like this?

By the way, here are pictures of my little cuties!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






Jasmine is black, Jelly is light cream body and head with striped feathers and a light colored beak, Bean (last pic) dark head and light body.

Mama is so wonderful that she lets me hold them whenever I want (under close supervision). She must know another mother!

Me! I vote for an incubator!

I like Broody Mom's but they can be un predictable. An Incubator is a good back up.

 

[Aphrael]

If they are like the Australorps, they will hit a growth spurt at 12 weeks or so.

Yes, put together a pen for grow out Cockerels. I watch them and when they start pestering the girls I separate them.

I process them when they get on my nerves too. Sometimes they make it clear to 18 weeks though.

That sounds like a good plan. Let them be with the flock until they become a problem and then separate them to finish growing out. I'll have to implement that. The two today got an express ticket to freezer land because they bloodied up my poor special needs cochin bantam's head pretty badly. Poor little girl was so frightened. She is partly blind and I think a little "slow". I almost culled her when I realized her disabilities, but she is such a wonderful broody I decided not to. She got a respiratory infection while brooding this summer and I didn't catch it soon enough before it did some damage. But aside from the poor vision and reduced mental acuity she recovered well. She can find the food and the water and get to her sleeping box at night just fine. She also comes running any time I call her and loves cuddles and petting.

So I am pretty sure that I am the only person who is STILL hatching from our New Years Day hatch.

Live Baby count is still at 3 , 1 that I am sure was rotten and now thrown away, 2 I am sure are clear and 3 more babies MOVING in their little shells. Oh why oh why won't they hatch?!?!?!?!?!

Seriously, I set the eggs under Mama! I know how many were there!!!

Does anyone know why my eggs are so staggered? Maybe one wan't warm enough to start developing? Is that possible?

Now I'm thinking that I need an incubator because Mama is busy taking care of the three little ones and not sitting on the eggs as much as before. However, she is inside the nice and warm house - maybe it is hot enough that they can be ok without her sitting all of the time. Is that possible?

This is so very crazy to me! I can handle the idea of 21 days give or take a day or two but REALLY?!?!?!

Has anyone else ever experienced anything like this?

By the way, here are pictures of my little cuties!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






Jasmine is black, Jelly is light cream body and head with striped feathers and a light colored beak, Bean (last pic) dark head and light body.

Mama is so wonderful that she lets me hold them whenever I want (under close supervision). She must know another mother!

Those are some darling babies.

I'm sorry, but I have no idea what would cause the eggs to hatch so far apart if they all started incubating at the same time. Maybe you're right and some got exposed to cold more than others.