9 out of 21

[maybejoey]

Is 9 out of 21 a good hatch for a 1st timer? I used a little giant with and automatic turner + I tried the dry incubation. Never hatched an egg in my life.

 

[LarryPQ]

Not terrible, as there are many factors that can affect hatch rates. Congrats!

 

[pete55]

Well for a 1st time I think thats terrific and practically a 50% sucess rate.

Well done and congratulations

Pete

 

[maybejoey]

I bought them off of ebay and when I recieved them they were awesomely packaged in bubble wrap and newspaper. But they had poo and dirt on a lot of them, 5 were in fertile (but he gave me 5 for free so I was okay with that) But could the poo and dirt of killed them. A lot made it quite far like day 14 then suddently died off. The living ones had no poo or dirt on them.

 

[LarryPQ]

50% is normal for shipped eggs. If you got 50% as a first timer, then you are doing great!

 

[Chick1043]

Nice!!

 

[maybejoey]

All of the chicks now about 2 months so not chicks anymore, died. I went out and they were all dead. What happened, nothing attacked them I just had taken them off of medicated feed , could that have been what killed them? I was giving them clean water and figured out that everyone was a hen( 2 months away from laying) I am going to order more eggs because I need more chickens for next year.

Will the new hatchlings suffer the same fate?

 

[cmom]

So sorry for your loss.

The change in their feed wouldn't have killed the chicks. There must have been another reason they all died. Are you sure nothing got in and killed them. a few days ago we had a critter dig under the fence of our younger Pheasants pen. Found several dead pheasants with no apparent damage to the birds except they were dead. We thought it may be a fox as I had seen one awhile back down our road. We set some traps out. Nothing the next night but the following night this is what we found in the traps a big Bobcat.

For feeding my birds, this is what I do. Others may do it differently.

Starter crumbles up to 8 weeks.
or
Starter/Grower, until I get my first egg .
or
Grower Crumbles or pellets from 8 weeks until you get your first egg.

Layer from first egg on and free choice Oyster Shells. They will take what they want and need.

I use medicated Starter/Grower. I feed it to the birds until I get my first egg then I switch over to Layer. If I have any Starter/Grower or Grower left over when I get my first egg, I mix in the leftover feed with the Layer feed. I have never had any problems. The amprollium in the Starter or Starter/Grower helps in the chicks development in their resistance to cocci. It is sulfa based. There is only a problem eating the eggs layed by the birds that have had the medicated feed when they start to lay if you have any allergies to Sulfa.