So glad she is walking better, They look so goofy, like they would be like a turtle and not be able to get off their back, it is amazing.
We ended up with 29. the last ones didn't hatch until after 5 last night. I had about given up on the last 13 after yesterday morning, but decided to just leave them until this morning since nothing was pippedand no sound. I went in this morning and there were 12 fluffy chicks and I opened the last one it had quit early on. Is there a reason it took these so long? are the darker eggs denser? I could not see anything in these except that there seemed to be a good air cell. These were all our eggs
So we set 41, locked down 31 and ended up with 29 chicks. I looked at my notes and think that I have one group I need to add another rooster to. This was a great learning experience, and I'm thinking not bad for my first time. DH wants to set a new batch tommrow, LOL
WOW!! That's great that so many of yours hatched! May I ask what kind of incubator you're using?
I also seemed to have two different hatches - one group hatched early and then a complete second group hatched later. It seems that low temps cause slower hatches and high temps can cause early? I'm thinking my incubator didn't heat evenly - but it's just a guess.
I set 42, lock down was 25, hatched 24. Lost 3 that passed away due to some internal issues, and one was smothered, I think. Total 20. Sold 6 so far. A few of these still need to be sold to make room for my hatch that will be due march 17... (more easter eggers, maybe some pure ameracaunas inthere too.
I'm using a Hovabator with the fan. It's my first hatch so I'm kinda pumped. I didn't notice any temp problems. I choose to wrap a towel around the styrofoam in the evening since we drop our house temps at night but I worked for over a week before setting eggs to make sure I got the temps right. It is very dry in our area so I was keeping water in it just to keep a "Dry" hatch humidity level around 30% for the first 18 days. Then took it to 65% for the lockdown without a problem, adding hot water thru a straw as needed to keep it there with the plugs out. Glad I had read so much on here about waiting out the hatch. I'm looking at buying the new Reptipro 6000 w/ turners. The 6000 is new out this month and they have addressed several of the concerns people had with the older 5000 model. DH and I are also kicking around the idea of a homemade bator even if we only use it as a hatcher. I am reading the threads on the different bators and I think they all have quirks, just all in what works for you.
What about you? What are you using and what do you think of it. You got any "projects" in mind or just hatching for fun?
Welp. I set 5. Ended up with 1 little peep. I figure that's because...well, this was my first ever hatch and used a homemade incubator. I kind of used the learn along the way method too. I never had a fan so all the eggs were always different temperatures. Those in the far corners were just way too cold.
I have fallen in love with incubating though, so I ordered myself an incubator! Hopefully my next hatch will turn out better.
My poor little peep has gone through so much! For one...he is so lonely. For now, I put a stuffed animal in with him. He loves it! And he had spraddle leg! AND pasty butt! Haha
He is all fixed up and seems to be doing well overall though!
Dreamer -- what a sweetie! Sorry he doesn't have a friend and your hatch didn't go a little better, but I'm sure your next one will.
Zootopia - I'm using a Little Giant with egg turner from TSC. I'm really disappointed that so many of my eggs were fully developed, yet didn't hatch. It's probably more my fault than the incubator. It's all about learning........
Oh, do I ever have a project in mind! LOL This year is all about finding a good dual-purpose fit for us! In the fall we'll pick our favorite breed from our spring chicks and then hatch from them the following spring. Girls to replace layers and boys for meat. My goal is to eventually get to where I can hatch all of my own chickens -- but in one group. I've realized with this hatch that I'd pretty much need an incubator full to do that. Only hatching 14 chicks won't cut it.
I'm going to be doing another hatch in April. If I actually monitor the humidity instead of turning it into a sauna I might get a better hatch.
dreamer -- he's so lucky to have such a dedicated "broody" to look after him, he looks happy and fat. It is all a learning experience. We have kept at least a few hens the whole time we've been married (Our kids are grown) but now we have about 60 and are starting to sell eggs. I love watching the roos flirting with the hens and my husband and grandson feeding treats to them, they are all so cute. I guess it's all worth the wait. Good luck on your next hatch.
Welp. I set 5. Ended up with 1 little peep. I figure that's because...well, this was my first ever hatch and used a homemade incubator. I kind of used the learn along the way method too. I never had a fan so all the eggs were always different temperatures. Those in the far corners were just way too cold.
I have fallen in love with incubating though, so I ordered myself an incubator! Hopefully my next hatch will turn out better.
My poor little peep has gone through so much! For one...he is so lonely. For now, I put a stuffed animal in with him. He loves it! And he had spraddle leg! AND pasty butt! Haha
He is all fixed up and seems to be doing well overall though!
Dreamer -- what a sweetie! Sorry he doesn't have a friend and your hatch didn't go a little better, but I'm sure your next one will.
Zootopia - I'm using a Little Giant with egg turner from TSC. I'm really disappointed that so many of my eggs were fully developed, yet didn't hatch. It's probably more my fault than the incubator. It's all about learning........
Oh, do I ever have a project in mind! LOL This year is all about finding a good dual-purpose fit for us! In the fall we'll pick our favorite breed from our spring chicks and then hatch from them the following spring. Girls to replace layers and boys for meat. My goal is to eventually get to where I can hatch all of my own chickens -- but in one group. I've realized with this hatch that I'd pretty much need an incubator full to do that. Only hatching 14 chicks won't cut it.
I'm going to be doing another hatch in April. If I actually monitor the humidity instead of turning it into a sauna I might get a better hatch.
SIMZ-- I obsessed over the Hovabator for a week with a couple of different Thermometers and humidity gages before I pulled eggs from the barn for the test hatch, then I discovered I couldn't see to candle half of them. I was just sure the last 13 were duds after we went all day with out even a pip. I still can't figure out what made those last 12 wait a whole extra day to hatch, but it was a big lesson in patience for me. We will set some tomorrow and I'm ordering some eggs in for the week of the 19th
so that will be a leap too.
Good luck figuring out what breeds you are going to like. We keep alittle bit of everything, we love the different colors and temperaments. The rainbow eggs are a hoot too, they seem to be catching on, I hope. We are working on building a longer client list, hopefully the farmers market will give us some larger opportunities when it warms up some. My DH really enjoys the chickens, it gets him outside and active. I'd like to be able to at least get them to pay feed themselves. Got any pointers? We live too far from the "Cityslicker $$ organic" scene, Abilene is a cow town, but they like their fresh eggs.
Dreamer -- what a sweetie! Sorry he doesn't have a friend and your hatch didn't go a little better, but I'm sure your next one will.
Zootopia - I'm using a Little Giant with egg turner from TSC. I'm really disappointed that so many of my eggs were fully developed, yet didn't hatch. It's probably more my fault than the incubator. It's all about learning........
Oh, do I ever have a project in mind! LOL This year is all about finding a good dual-purpose fit for us! In the fall we'll pick our favorite breed from our spring chicks and then hatch from them the following spring. Girls to replace layers and boys for meat. My goal is to eventually get to where I can hatch all of my own chickens -- but in one group. I've realized with this hatch that I'd pretty much need an incubator full to do that. Only hatching 14 chicks won't cut it.
I'm going to be doing another hatch in April. If I actually monitor the humidity instead of turning it into a sauna I might get a better hatch.
Dreamer, I am so sorry you only have one baby/ that he has no friend.
I had that happen last year my first hatch.
I drove two hours to pick up a companion chick for her from a lady on our local version of BYC. Learning to hatch is tough.
SIMZ, your plan sounds a lot like mine.
I have Ameraucana's because they are dual purpose and I wanted to eat the roosters, but they dressed out so small- only 2 or 3 lbs a bird at 6 months!
I was pretty disappointed. So I am breeding for more size and more rapid growth to see if I can improve on this.
We are also going to try raising a few cornish x from a hatchery this year. My hubby didn't like the texture of the home raised older roos, really they were only good for soup or something cooked long and slow.
Have you ever processed birds before? It is a huge undertaking. I grew up on a farm and we used to do it when I was a kid. I did 5 extra roos last fall and it took me 2.5 hrs to dress them all without help. Trying to process a large number in a day is a bit overwhelming for me to think about.
Having them spaced out over several small hatches saves room in my freezer and lets me handle them in smaller more manageable groups.
Zootopia, We also sell a few eggs, but your flock is more than twice the size of mine!
We have state laws about washing/lableing/storing eggs if you are selling them to anyone but friends and family. So for now I just sell eggs to friends from church and work, but once people eat our eggs they become repeat customers. Word of mouth is spreading and we are selling more all the time. I just don't want my flock to grow faster than my client list right now. The hens are pretty much paying for their feed if I count the eggs we eat also. We also have a rainbow of egg colors. I have leghorns and sexlinks in my laying flock, and then the Ameraucanas for my daughter to show for 4H. I am seriously considering buying the Hovabator, just so I can have a turner. It would be nice to set them and forget them. My home made incubators are doing pretty well, now that I have them figured out, but they are small, and the floor in one is not level. I am always afraid I will break an egg when turning them by hand because they can roll out of control. I would love to have a Genesis before I hatch eggs for 4H camp this summer.
I have eggs saved to go in the incubator, but I have put off hatching them for now. I think I will just make deviled eggs today. I currently have 30 chicks in the house, and nowhere for them to go.
I have a small coop which needs a run so I can use it, but until I get it built I am in a holding pattern. I plan to use it for the cochins, and then I can use one of my larger coop/runs for growing out my juvenilles. That and knowing that I am going to be hatching a bunch this summer for camp, I need to think about how many I want to be growing out this year, and if I am going to increase my laying flock and by how much????? I love hatching, and it is easy to get carried away, but I feed my chickens organic feed, and its not cheap. Chicken math.... gets me everytime.....
We've had our chickens just about a year and I've ordered a few of several breeds. I had a dream of multi-colored cartons of eggs and that's what we've finally got! I love them! Just the other day two ladies looked into one of the cartons and said, "Ooohhhhhhhh!!" It made my day! LOL Our layers are pretty well set, so now I'd like to work on the meat side of things. Our spring order includes dorkings, cornish, white rocks, and delawares. I'd like to pick one of those breeds and use those as the light brown layers and meat. Ideally, to get down to around 22-25 chickens over the winter (including roosters). We'll see how it goes.....
How long have you been selling eggs? This last month my chickens paid for their feed!
I just picked up another customer, so it looks like they might even cover their shavings this month and I might have enough left over for a Diet Coke from McDonalds! LOL It all started with my mail lady pulling into my driveway to ask if she could buy eggs from me one day. The rest of my customers get set amounts a few times a month and that's works really well (piano teacher, friend of a friend, someone from a friend's group). I had great marketing ideas, but don't have the eggs to do it (and no space to really add more).
I've had good success on Craigslist with selling chickens and will probably advertise my meat chickens in a few months. You might be able to pick up an egg customer that way. I'd think the Farmer's Market would be very good. Some of my customer's have resulted in me just giving them a carton of eggs - they usually didn't even know I sold them. Lots of people sell them at their work, too. Are there any health food co-ops or stores in your area? That's an idea, too. For me it took some time, but now I realize I could probably sell lots more, I just need a few more acres.
So far my favorite breed to use as dual-purpose has been my Black Copper Marans. Our 17-18 rooster dressed out at almost 5 pounds. The 16 week old was 4 lbs. or a little over. Very impressive meat on those boys! I'm curious to see if these other breeds do as well.
We've finally started processing and it takes us FOREVER. We're going to do most of our batch of meaties this year - but the lady I usually take them to only charges $1 a bird. It's hard to beat that!
We ended up with 29. the last ones didn't hatch until after 5 last night. I had about given up on the last 13 after yesterday morning, but decided to just leave them until this morning since nothing was pippedand no sound. I went in this morning and there were 12 fluffy chicks and I opened the last one it had quit early on. Is there a reason it took these so long? are the darker eggs denser? I could not see anything in these except that there seemed to be a good air cell. These were all our eggs 
(more easter eggers, maybe some pure ameracaunas inthere too.
