Anyone doing a later year hatch that wants to share stories,experiences and pics?

[8 Chicks 1967]

I'm so sorry.

I really don't have words right now. Thank you.

 

[Jules929]

This is a nice thread and I will watch it from the bench so, please carry on...Good luck to you all.

Thank you for the well wishes!

 

[MROO]

Ok! so, I don't know if I'm going to throw up or cry at this point. More on that later. The day before we left everything was good and everything was on track. I went over a schedule with our sitter and explained how to care for them. I told her that Inna our Lavender Ameraucana was sitting and the hatching eggs under her were brown and everyone in that coop lays Blue/Green eggs so, if she found a stray she was welcome to take it. I also told her not to worry about the other coop because everyone in there lays brown eggs and she would not be able to tell the difference.

Now comes the BOOM!! We went across the street when we got back to pay her for watching every one and she said...."There's nothing wrong with that Rooster we cracked eggs Friday morning and could not eat most of them". "You had babies everywhere!." So, I surrender to 2018, it just wasn't meant to be.

I've also decided what i'm going to do now...….Throw up!!

If you're gonna throw up, make sure you do it on the sitter!

 

[MROO]

What a bummer! I started trying to incubate because my step-son wants a show chicken. I just can't find any kind of real quality in my area. I've heard bantams are a really good for 4-H.

Bantams are great for 4H, but so are standard-sized fowl. If your stepson has never handled chickens before, temperament is more important than size. I love my banties - that's all I have, but unless they're something really rare, it's particularly hard to get rid of extra cockerels. They're too small to eat, so they're mostly ornamental or pets. For pets, most people just want hens ... same old story!
I have Nankins, and I highly recommend them for both temperament and just plain beauty, but there are lots of friendly small breeds out there. Silkies are really sweet, but true show quality is hard to come by - and expensive. Lots of people have them, so there's a lot of competition.
You might want to talk to your 4H coordinator or a local club leader and find out what breeds are most popular, not so you can get one of them, but so you can avoid them! Around here, most of the 4H kids have Orpingtons, so the classes are HUGE. Very few kids walk away with ribbons. As much as we love Orps, we wouldn't show them, for just that reason. A little competition is good, but being swamped in the show ring is frustrating for a youngster!

 

[RubyNala97]

How do you like your Farm Innovators 2450 Digital Circulated Air Incubator w/auto turner, @RubyNala97? I have a hovabator that's being difficult. Won't hold moisture for more than a day.

It’s not me that has the farm innovators. I was trying to figure out that post as well. (The red part of the multiqoute). I have two Brinsea’s and one hovabator. I don’t use the hovabator often, it’s my backup incubator for spring time but it’s been very good every time I have used it.

Now comes the BOOM!! We went across the street when we got back to pay her for watching every one and she said...."There's nothing wrong with that Rooster we cracked eggs Friday morning and could not eat most of them". "You had babies everywhere!." So, I surrender to 2018, it just wasn't meant to be.

I've also decided what i'm going to do now...….Throw up!!

This is so so so horrible!! This happened to someone who bought eggs from me to put under his broody. He went on vacation and told the person caring for his birds to NOT collect the eggs under the broody hen and of course they did so all the eggs died. But they did not try to eat them. I can’t even! Oh wow. So sorry!

 

[Jules929]

It’s not me that has the farm innovators. I was trying to figure out that post as well. (The red part of the multiqoute). I have two Brinsea’s and one hovabator. I don’t use the hovabator often, it’s my backup incubator for spring time but it’s been very good every time I have used it.

@RubyNala97 and @Dharmachick Hello, that was me, I answered that part of the question inside the quote with red text. I just got the incubator. This is my first attempt using it.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

He's 12 and he does really well with our mixed breed bantam rooster, but he's more cautious around the full size fowl hens? Go figure. He's got his eye on a FBCM rooster for some reason. I found a breeder that breeds for temperament as well as beauty so we're going to try hatching some and see how it goes. I want to have a plan B for him though. Contacting 4-H is a good suggestion, thank you!

Bantams are great for 4H, but so are standard-sized fowl. If your stepson has never handled chickens before, temperament is more important than size. I love my banties - that's all I have, but unless they're something really rare, it's particularly hard to get rid of extra cockerels. They're too small to eat, so they're mostly ornamental or pets. For pets, most people just want hens ... same old story!
I have Nankins, and I highly recommend them for both temperament and just plain beauty, but there are lots of friendly small breeds out there. Silkies are really sweet, but true show quality is hard to come by - and expensive. Lots of people have them, so there's a lot of competition.
You might want to talk to your 4H coordinator or a local club leader and find out what breeds are most popular, not so you can get one of them, but so you can avoid them! Around here, most of the 4H kids have Orpingtons, so the classes are HUGE. Very few kids walk away with ribbons. As much as we love Orps, we wouldn't show them, for just that reason. A little competition is good, but being swamped in the show ring is frustrating for a youngster!

 

[8 Chicks 1967]

It’s not me that has the farm innovators. I was trying to figure out that post as well. (The red part of the multiqoute). I have two Brinsea’s and one hovabator. I don’t use the hovabator often, it’s my backup incubator for spring time but it’s been very good every time I have used it.



This is so so so horrible!! This happened to someone who bought eggs from me to put under his broody. He went on vacation and told the person caring for his birds to NOT collect the eggs under the broody hen and of course they did so all the eggs died. But they did not try to eat them. I can’t even! Oh wow. So sorry!

You would think after a couple common sense would kick in and say..."hey, something is not right here maybe I missed something." "Nah, lets just keep cracking until we find some good ones"

 

[KikiLeigh02]

I was thinking that too, especially since they knew you had broodies. Crack one, meh? Ok. Then you think, "Oh shoot! I grabbed the wrong eggs!!! Let's take these back to poor Inna and her friends." How did they get them off their nests at the same time???

You would think after a couple common sense would kick in and say..."hey, something is not right here maybe I missed something." "Nah, lets just keep cracking until we find some good ones"

 

[8 Chicks 1967]

I was thinking that too, especially since they knew you had broodies. Crack one, meh? Ok. Then you think, "Oh shoot! I grabbed the wrong eggs!!! Let's take these back to poor Inna and her friends." How did they get them off their nests at the same time???

My hens are really,really tame. they don't even fuss when i change their nest beding. I hand feed them a lot while they are sitting. I have handled them since they were days old.