6th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2015 Hatch-A-Long

[Cynthia12]

Doing the happy dance~ 2 chicks out...3 more piping(peeping) and 2 ?

 

[ronott1]

You buy them cold right? Do you just set them the normal 24 hrs, then put them in the bator?

The air cells were perfect, so I set them after they were up to room temperature.

 

[Roan]

My chicks are all half australorp and half easter egger and ALL my chicks seem to be blue too. Now my easter egger roo is a splash color with red shoulders. Im wondering if i have the black+splash=blue thing going on?

I have no idea on genetics. LOL I've been chicken farming for a few years steady now and before that, off and on for 40 years. It really wasn't until this HAL that I began to understand about different breeds and a little about cross-breeding. So I don't know what splash even is. LOL

Quote:

I looked under my broody, and I have ....... EGGS

Hatch day was supposed to be yesterday, maybe they are just running a little late, sigh. Im bummed for her.

If I don't have chicks by tomorrow Im not sure what to do.

How long has she been on them? She's probably gotten on and off the nest several times and with the cooler winter weather, couldn't that slow down chick development?

A lot of breeders do not separate flocks correctly. The new Rooster has to be in the breeding pen for a month at least before all of the eggs will be clear of the old Rooster.

Many have the mistaken idea that the new rooster will push out the old roosters stuff.

I did not know it was a month. I read somewhere that it was only 2 weeks. Now I'm very thankful that Big Daddy Crow has very determined sperm! LOL I think these hens had been with him for only two weeks before I started gathering them for the HAL. But then again, my Ameraucana Roosters didn't seem to know how to impress the ladies very well. I'm sure that before we butchered them the ladies were laughing at them behind their backs.

Seriously, with Big Daddy Crow, where he goes, they go. With the other two, where the hens went, they went. They just didn't seem very impressive to the hens.

On this Trader Joe's thing...I just found out, that the store I thought was going to be a Trader Joes..isn't.

It's a Tractor Supply..does anyone know if they have fertile eggs in that store? Seems like I heard that they do.

I know this was already answered but I'm just gonna say that I was momentarily excited that some Tractor Supply stores sold eggs. Now that I know that they don't, I guess oh well, just have to keep ordering chicks. Hmm, I think I will ask Chris the next time I'm in there and see if they can order eggs...

 

[chicken pickin]

@Roan today is day 22 for my broody. She does not get off the nest but once a day for about 10mins. And the last week or so she has been in the garage with a heat lamp for added warmth since I removed her from her flock(which gave added heat in the coop at night time.

I honestly just think she isn't a good broody yet, this is her second time sitting in the last 3 months.

 

[Roan]

@Roan today is day 22 for my broody. She does not get off the nest but once a day for about 10mins. And the last week or so she has been in the garage with a heat lamp for added warmth since I removed her from her flock(which gave added heat in the coop at night time.

I honestly just think she isn't a good broody yet, this is her second time sitting in the last 3 months.

Ah I see. Well, if she doesn't hatch any, then hopefully next time she will. Just out of curiosity, what's your H.R.R. (Hen to Rooster Ratio)?

 

[ronott1]

I did not know it was a month. I read somewhere that it was only 2 weeks. Now I'm very thankful that Big Daddy Crow has very determined sperm! LOL I think these hens had been with him for only two weeks before I started gathering them for the HAL. But then again, my Ameraucana Roosters didn't seem to know how to impress the ladies very well. I'm sure that before we butchered them the ladies were laughing at them behind their backs.

Seriously, with Big Daddy Crow, where he goes, they go. With the other two, where the hens went, they went. They just didn't seem very impressive to the hens.

What happens is that the sperm is stored in the the collector organs that chicken canoe posted a link to. As the old roosters sperm ages, it is less likely to make it but they are still there. The percentage chance that the old sperm will work goes down after the first week, but as we have all seen. percentage chances have a way of working into a real live chick!

You would have known if an EE was the father. The real problem happens with roosters that are the same breed. So many do not believe the biology of this that they are actually messing up their SOP breeding programs.

 

[Cynthia12]

I know this was already answered but I'm just gonna say that I was momentarily excited that some Tractor Supply stores sold eggs. Now that I know that they don't, I guess oh well, just have to keep ordering chicks. Hmm, I think I will ask Chris the next time I'm in there and see if they can order eggs...

Thanks Roan, I know we have one up in Salt Lake City area somewhere, but this store is going up in a town next to us. We were there this morning, saw that the store sign said..Tractor Supply...I was bummbed. I love me a nice white leghorn. Every one that I have owned, has bee the sweetest bird in the yard, always first to come when I go out..I call them all ... Miss Piggy.

 

[chicken pickin]

Ah I see. Well, if she doesn't hatch any, then hopefully next time she will. Just out of curiosity, what's your H.R.R. (Hen to Rooster Ratio)?

This broody is a Silkie and unfortunately when I hatched these last year for the NYDH, I only ended up with a trio of Silkies. So 1male 2female Silkies. I have been hoping to hatch a few more Silkies to increase the amount of females I have. Other wise the male needs to go as it is too much on the females.

 

[EastTXChickens]

Look what I just found!

 

[tntchix]