April Hatch Thread--Come Join Us!

[PugBug]

AMEN sista!! I'm happy-you're happy, we're all happy

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So anna what are your plans with your birds? Are any of your birds laying? What do you have...pure, mix, show quality? Are you going to show, are you going to sell your chicks, eggs? What kind of breeds do you have or want?

Right now I just have my mixed layers, but I am getting into some pures. I'm going with a pure pen for my polish-blue and gold laced, crele. Then a pure pen for my silkies-blue, black, splash. I plan on selling the chicks and eggs from my pure pens for more $$ and my layers are going to be for eating and selling. They are what is funding my pure pens right now...I might even make a pure pen for my basque and for my easter eggers...not quite sure yet.

In my future I would like to have ducks, and peacocks, goats, horses, and milking cow. I want to be as self suffiecient as possible. We are fixing our orchard and getting our garden ready for planting of all kinds of things. I wish I had the guts to raise chickens for meat too...I would have a local butcher do the culling but I know I couldn't raise something then eat it. Plus my daughter would be crushed..she gets really attached to everything.

I know she would love to have show rabbits, quail...etc but I really don't see the need for those right now. We will have plenty going on for quite awhile.

I used to think the same, but in recent yrs I've realized the need to be a self sufficient as possible. That's why I got into the rabbits, my breeders are my 'pets' and the babies will be food & income. Same with the chickens. Certain breeds will be for making extra money, extra roos will be for the freezer. The pygmies I sell the babies that I don't keep for breeding stock. The turkeys I hope the hatch will be the same, food & extra money. People just have to so what they can these days... I love all my animals, make sure they are given all the food, attention and love-

 

[PugBug]

Hey fellow peeps! Just reading through the last couple of posts and I have to say you've hit the nail on the head

I wish I could've seen the look on my husbands face when I told him I wanted to start raising chickens so we could have our own eggs. He was driving home from work at the time but the silence through the phone was enough to know how he really felt (at the time). He may roll his eyes at me every once and a while but in 3 short years he has really come around. We have since moved to a 10 acre property which we're converting to a hobby farm and HE was the one who asked this past fall about when we're getting more chicks LOL. I think he has come around. Now he isn't surprised when I say things like, I'd like goats for milking, a donkey for livestock gaurding, etc. And now I can't keep this born city-boy off his green tractor hehehe.

So, the whole reason I stopped by was to see if I could join in your hatch-a-long? I'm ordering some eggs as we speak and some, if not all, should be shipping out on Monday or Tuesday

This will be our second hatch ever. As of right now, we're officially getting French Wheaten Marans and a variety of silkies. I'm still waiting to hear back from another farm about some wheaten/blue wheaten ameraucana eggs. I'm SUPER excited about this hatch!!!

Where is everyone else in their hatches? What's in the bator this round?

Hi glad you found us!!! Your farm sounds great!

 

[ceocka]

my new baby that hatched today. An old fashion bannie. I am hoping she encouraged the rest of babies on lock down. She piped zipped and popped out within a few hours. My fastest baby to pop out. I just hope the next few days my incubator looks like pop corn.
I also have over 30 dozen in another incubator due after the 15 th. I can't way for them to hatch. That is going to be so exciting!

 

[SJ]

I love broodies... have three right now and just got in from exchanging eggs.... the dummies she was on for some goose eggs..... she was peeved to say the least, but she is a good girl and I did not loose any fingers! some go mental on you for even thinking about looking at their eggs!

and try to MOVE them! HA! I creep in, in the middle of the night....and then worry for the rest of the night that the screams of terror from my hen will draw the cyoties!!! but they do stay put on their eggs.... most of the time!

You must have some really brave or plain stupid coyotes in GA. With you keeping danes and all. My danes are awesome as livestick guardian dogs. I haven't lost a bird to a hawk since we got Beau.



Since Beau (fawn male) got over 80lbs hawks don't even fly over if hes outside and Belle (BlueMerle Female) can claim 8 coons in her life. Coyotes are alot sneekier critters but Belle gave one a run for its life last winter when the varmit decided the creek behind the house had the makings of a cozy den. She was very proud of protecting her territory too when she came back she did the kick dirt behind her thing dogs do. Haven't seen a coyote except for on my trail camera since. I lost 4 brooding SLW hens in three days 2 years ago around this time of years to coons so now Belle and I try to put a dent in the varmit population throughout winter. Beau isn't gun shy hes just too much of a loverboy for all the barking and snarling that goes along with hunting coons so if he smells a coon on the creek he walks home and sits on the porch until we get back. Hes such a baby. No worries about the broodies at night around here this year.

 

[whitetail98]

Here's my blk astrolope chick! He/she just came out about 3hrs ago. They were originally due to hatch this Saturday but I guess this one wanted out, early! Haha

 

[SJ]

I used to think the same, but in recent yrs I've realized the need to be a self sufficient as possible. That's why I got into the rabbits, my breeders are my 'pets' and the babies will be food & income. Same with the chickens. Certain breeds will be for making extra money, extra roos will be for the freezer. The pygmies I sell the babies that I don't keep for breeding stock. The turkeys I hope the hatch will be the same, food & extra money. People just have to so what they can these days... I love all my animals, make sure they are given all the food, attention and love-

Me too! Im going for as self reliant as possible. The breeders are the pets I keep. The rest go in the freezer. Well thats not entirely true I keep a broody hen even is she isn't a breeder but as a good mama she earns her keep.
It is such a rewarding feeling eating something you put a labor of love into. Just like anything from my garden it just tastes better.
It was the desire to produce my own meat and eggs that got me into raising chickens and I have to remind myself of that sometimes. Even at the moment of dispatch I get some comfort in knowing my birds lived happy lives. Sun bathing under the flowering crab, dust bathing under the pines, digging worms with me in the garden, chasing grasshoppers acrossed the lawn, drinking the dawn dew off blades of grass, napping in the corn field. You know, what every chicky dreams about while they develope in the egg.

It makes me happy that I get to do it for another generation this year.

 

[SJ]

Here's my blk astrolope chick! He/she just came out about 3hrs ago. They were originally due to hatch this Saturday but I guess this one wanted out, early! Haha

Congrats whitetail! Maybe it is that chicky there is one of those early birds I hear so much about.LOL

 

[Everlong9750]

I would really try to wait until day 10... But I can't talk. I've only made it to day 9 after a couple of batches lol. The only problem I see with candling early is that you may not be able to see anything. Even on day 10, you may still have some eggs that are questionable or that you will have high hopes for. As for disturbing the eggs... There are actually studies that suggest that a short cooling period is actually helpful for eggs, which is what happens when a hen leaves for 5 or 10 minutes to eat or whatever. The newer Brinsea incubators actually incorporate this now. Good luck and don't get discouraged... My first try I lost all 13 of my EE bantams. Don't know why. They developed until about day 19 and then... Dead.

It just takes a bt of learning I guess.

Thanks for the encouragement! I lost 21 eggs (1/2 were infertile) but still, it was sad! I got one little chick out of them and I think it's a rooster...what luck.

 

[SJ]

Thanks for the encouragement! I lost 21 eggs (1/2 were infertile) but still, it was sad! I got one little chick out of them and I think it's a rooster...what luck.

Keep your chin up I just had the worst hatch attempt ever 0-43. But I learned alot so next time I know I'll do better. I mean have to...I cant do worse.lol If you gained some knowledge you gained something priceless.

 

[SymanSaysFarms]

To those who have had devastating hatches in the past... what is the biggest lesson you learned from it? And what's the best advice you would give other new hatchers?

Sorry for your bad hatches!!! Hope this one goes MUCH better!