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

[ronott1]

Aren't we all just Wisher's and Dreamer's??

Yes! I dream about chickens!

I had a dream once where I was trying to get hatching eggs out of China! The chickens sere very pretty too.....

 

[chickengirl1193]

[COLOR=4B0082]How old are your chicks?[/COLOR]

They are nyd chicks so a little over 2 weeks. They are EEs. I notice they do a lot of chest bumping with each other abd I just don't want them to start picking each other because of a restricted amount of space

 

[ronott1]

They are nyd chicks so a little over 2 weeks. They are EEs. I notice they do a lot of chest bumping with each other abd I just don't want them to start picking each other because of a restricted amount of space

That should be enough space.

Can you set up some roosts for them? Are they under lights? if so, get a red bulb for them. Red calms them down.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

So I need some advice. My 8 chicks are in a ten square foot brooder in my basement and they are getting so crazy and jumping all around and Idk how much longer I can keep them in there.... I can have my coop and run ready for them by tomorrow but then they will only have heat in their coop which isnt much bigger than the brooder but they can have access to a huge run. I'm just wondering if the temps get low, like in the 30s, they will be smart enough to run back into the coop to warm up. Because I don't know how else I can give them more room unless I move my hay out of the shed and turn that into a brooder....

They're smart enough. I'd leave them locked in the coop a few days with the heat lamp before you open the door. If they get cold they'll find their way back in.

I wanted a white egg layer and dreamer on here said she needed help with silver campiness so I decided to try some of those. they are small but lay a large egg and some say not so flighty as the leghorn. time will tell I think they are neat looking birds and will be fun to try to start where we are and improve the breed I will be getting some in march.

Minorcas and Jaers are among my favorite white egg layers. Anconas are nice too.

That should be enough space.

Can you set up some roosts for them? Are they under lights? if so, get a red bulb for them. Red calms them down.

Red prevents picking. Blue has a calming effect. Blue-green light stimulates growth while orange-red stimulates reproduction
I still like a ceramic emitter or other non light source of heat and then provide an appropriate color of light for their light period.
Right now I have ceiling mounted fluorescents on for about 12 hours a day and led rope lights another couple hours before and after the brighter period to simulate dawn/dusk. The rope lights are just bright enough for them to find food.
That will change when they go into the brooder house. Cockerels and pullets will be separated then too. I thought that was going to be next week but we're getting into the single digits then.
Having a dark period is really important for their personality and health.

The brighter the light, the crazier they are.

Here's a good report on poultry lighting studies from UConn.
http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~mdarre/poultrypages/light_inset.html

 

[Wunjo]

They are nyd chicks so a little over 2 weeks. They are EEs. I notice they do a lot of chest bumping with each other abd I just don't want them to start picking each other because of a restricted amount of space

Yeah as Ron said, I think they would have enough space. They are just learning their roles. They shouldn't hurt each other. Also try the red light. With my last hatch (In November) I didn't put them outside until they was fully feathered with a heat lamp.

 

[Wisher1000]

I wanted a white egg layer and dreamer on here said she needed help with silver campiness so I decided to try some of those. they are small but lay a large egg and some say not so flighty as the leghorn. time will tell I think they are neat looking birds and will be fun to try to start where we are and improve the breed I will be getting some in march.

I could just as easily be known as "Dreamer"!

I have a dream! I dream that my little chickens will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their feathers, but by the strength of their chalazae. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the owners of former hatchery birds and the owners of heritage birds will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I dream of a world where a hen can cross the road, and not have her motives questioned.

 

[abmaddox1981]

I could just as easily be known as "Dreamer"!

I have a dream!  I dream where my little chickens will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their feathers, but by the strength of their chalazae. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the owners of former hatchery birds and the owners of heritage birds will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I dream of a world where a hen can cross the road, and not have her motives questioned.

Lol! I almost snorted my coffee!

 

[chickengirl1193]

That should be enough space.

Can you set up some roosts for them? Are they under lights? if so, get a red bulb for them. Red calms them down.

They're smart enough. I'd leave them locked in the coop a few days with the heat lamp before you open the door. If they get cold they'll find their way back in.

Minorcas and Jaers are among my favorite white egg layers. Anconas are nice too.


Red prevents picking. Blue has a calming effect. Blue-green light stimulates growth while orange-red stimulates reproduction
I still like a ceramic emitter or other non light source of heat and then provide an appropriate color of light for their light period.
Right now I have ceiling mounted fluorescents on for about 12 hours a day and led rope lights another couple hours before and after the brighter period to simulate dawn/dusk. The rope lights are just bright enough for them to find food.
That will change when they go into the brooder house. Cockerels and pullets will be separated then too. I thought that was going to be next week but we're getting into the single digits then.
Having a dark period is really important for their personality and health.

The brighter the light, the crazier they are.

Here's a good report on poultry lighting studies from UConn.
http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~mdarre/poultrypages/light_inset.html

[COLOR=4B0082]Yeah as Ron said, I think they would have enough space. They are just learning their roles. They shouldn't hurt each other. Also try the red light. With my last hatch (In November) I didn't put them outside until they was fully feathered with a heat lamp.[/COLOR]

I have them under a redlight with regular light during the day. And I have enough perches for them all to roost if they want. Maybe ill switch to the heat emitters if they are going to be in the brooder until they are fully feathered just so they can have a completely dark time. Thanks everyone!

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Very nice looking chicks!

I really cannot tell yet with these chicks. I think chick 1, 2 and 5 are roosters. 3 and 4 look like pullets.

I am basing this on leg size, amount of tail feathers and comb. I could be completely wrong but you should have at least two pullets.

Post back at six weeks and we should now for sure. Of course it would be nice if you could post pictures once a week for us.

Going by combs, head spots & barring patterns on the wings I only see 1 definite pullet. #4 is the only girl I see. The rest all look like boys.

You should have at least 1 pullet!

I think 1,2,3, and 5 are roosters

And I think 4 is a pullet

@MontanaDolphin , It's always nice when you have same breed chicks to compare. #4 seems to have an exceptionally long tail compared to the others...

I am thinking the same as all of you. Ironically, chick #4 happens to be the chick with the wing feathers that grew the fastest. She is also almost all black. Really light, small head spot. Miracle...if ya'll remember her...was a pullet as well. What a shame she didn't make it. I think chick #3 is a definite roo, and happens to be the one hubby claimed as his because I had written the number 2 on the egg, and that's his number. The weird thing? The chick has a 1 as his headspot! I'll take a pic and add it to this post after I'm done typing. So I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping that chick. If chicks 1, 2, and 5 are roos, they will end up in freezer camp...unless I can give them away or sell them.

I had to practice some VERY strong self-discipline yesterday. I moved my incubator back into my bedroom on my dresser when I was cleaning up the dining room. It took every ounce of strength I had in me NOT to fill that incubator with eggs!!! The only reason I didn't was because I knew I wouldn't have anywhere to put them when they hatch...the NYD chicks would be way too big to add newborns to the brooder without risking the babies getting pecked to death!

Ok, here's hubby's roo...which he hasn't named yet. Check out that number 1 on his head!!

 

[AK FLOCK SWAP]

Yes sir.. love to hatch and get these chick to good owners.. I hatched out 15 EE and all sold. plus the person that i sold them to has barred hens and a Orpington buff roo. I got two dozen eggs from them in a partial trade.. So I set just lastnight 18 Buff O /barredrocks <> 26 Dk Cornish /Jersey Giant , 4 FBCMs... also we placed into the hatcher . 14 more EE 12Dk Cornish/JerseyG,& 4 more FBCMs....Should be the last I set this yr.. unless I get some more short legged Chabos ... Peace,,,,