April Hatch Thread--Come Join Us!

[chickydee64]

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?

To The April thread.........................

 

[SymanSaysFarms]

Thanks! Just confirmed my eggs are being shipped this Monday and Tuesday!!!!! So excited

 

[RoosterMoose]

Do you only candle on day 10 so the eggs don't get too disturbed? Im only 48 hours in and already want to see but I'm trying to leave them alone!

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.

 

[animaladdictions]

It won't hurt anything to candle your eggs whenever you want to. Just make sure you're hands are clean and that you don't roll the egg around too aggressively. I've done this so many times that I know if an egg is fertile within the first 24 hrs. The reason people say to wait till day 10 is because by day 10 there should be no doubt as far as who's growing and who's not. You can candle on day 2 or 3 without a problem but if you've not hatched at least a few batches, you most likely won't know what you're looking at. Whenever I set my next batch of chicken eggs, I'll try and get a day 2 or 3 candling pick so you can see the difference in a fertile egg vs a non-fertile egg for you guys. Regardless of what it looks like on day 2 or 3, unless you see an obvious blood ring before day 10, it's safest just to leave them in there so you can be extra EXTRA sure!

 

[Loghousemom]

This is my hobby..(and I have spent the last 13 years getting out of debt and saving all of my money so that I could eventually be able to spend some of it on my likes I dont buy shoes, or go shopping for outfits... All of my stuff comes from 2nd hand stores or goodwill... no going out to eat, no extras at the gas station.... no smoking, and only minimal drinking..... I figured it up one day and hubby smokes a pack of cigs a day and a 6 pack of beer.... this adds up to 3000$ a year!!!! so I threw a hissy fit and said it is unfair for him to spend this when I have no hobbies and make 80% of the money!!!!
so the last few years I invested in fruit trees, and irrigation, and dirt

as my hobby
now I have all of my trees and will be making $ off them in another few years..... as I have 300+ fruiting trees/vines/shrubs for a pick your own organic orchard (many started from scion wood exchanges)
and now I am really getting into the poultry as my hobby.... and of course I am planning on eventually selling my eggs from the more expensive breeds... and already sell free range eggs for eating and it 100% pays for the food for all of my poultry

I guess I am penny wise and pound short

but in my mind you can spend an extra 50-100$ a week easily on .... for lack of a better word "crap" haha stuff you dont need or even really want and it just gets shoved to a back shelf and forgotten about or eaten.... (this is how hubby is always spending 5-10$ here and there on "crap") I just save all of my money for large purchases all at once ...

But then I am VERY good at saving and not dipping into it for ANY reason other than the reason it was set aside.... and I think that is the hardest part! haha Hubby cant save 5$ to save his life! and if he ever complains I bring this back up that I do NOT spend as much as him on his addictions, by any stretch of the imagination! and his addictions are very bad on his health while mine will make us healthier and eventually start to make some $ back!!!!

$$$ gets spent, no matter how much you have.... but how much of that $$$ can you still see in 6 months or a year? with chickens you have eggs, beauty, meat, insect hunters, yard irrigators, companions, .... and potential to make $ back.... for years to come.... better than the 60$ jeans that will be out of style in 6 months! haha

(he is big on name brands

) hehe can you tell Ive used this speach on him before! haha

I completely relate. We currently live on 15 acres in ND. we are slowly planting our trees, and selling our produce in the summer, thinking we will start selling eggs for eating this year, and see what we can do with hatching and breeding for ourselves this year. We also own a couple rental properties, but we are are planning for complete retirement in 6 years. We figure our girls will be getting close to teen years and need us around and "all up in their business"

I don't have a tractor, and my husband works ALL THE TIME! So all the dirt is mine! Well, mine and the chickens.

 

[animaladdictions]

I'm moving in with Loghouse!!! Sounds like a bit of paradise!

 

[Arkansas81]

Thinking about making a hatcher...what do I need?

 

[Loghousemom]

I'm jumping in. This is my first hatch. I got a Farm Innovator 4200 with fan and turner as a gift from my DH

I set 8 barnyard mixes on March 30. Won't candle till day 10, but it is hard not to look sooner. Temps at 98-100 and 45% humidity and holding pretty steady. I want to try some of my own eggs before I spend money on shipped eggs. We are going to the Ohio show at Mt. Hope this weekend. I have to try to control myself. I really don't want a split hatch for my first time. Wish me luck. (I have to stop checking every 20 minutes for temp and humidity LOL)

I am going to make an attempt at hatching with the same incubator. Are you getting a turner or extra thermometer?

I'm moving in with Loghouse!!! Sounds like a bit of paradise!

Anytime! I love visitors, but don't be surprised if I hand you a shovel. Ha!

These last few posts really hit home. This is my HOBBY. Hence, NO ONE else at home or grown, has to like it. It's MINE. We spent a ton, literally zillions, on a boat hobby a decade ago. This chicken/egg hobby some days ain't cheap, but all in all it is cheaper than a boat, cheaper than a boat's gas, and cheaper than boat booze. Taking care of these chickens makes me happy, happy, happy. Period. My DH enjoys cold beer, lots of cookies, the sofa, and bad TV. Fine, let him have those things. But stop questioning me six ways from Sunday about what my chicken plans are. It doesn't matter what they are. They're MINE, and they just are. Period.

Whew! I feel better.

Seriously though, DH was instrumental in making the coop. He grumbled 100% of the time, but every so often I can actually get him to grab a drink and sit out by the coop and watch the chickens with me. He called me "crazy" the other day, but then said he loved my crazy ... a lot. So I will only complain a little after this. As long as he sits down and stays quiet.

With that being said, my second batch of eggs arrived today. Incubator was on sale at TSC and I emptied my spare change jar to get it.

Silver Pencilled Plymouth Rocks from SunnySideUpFarm, Light Sussex, Wheaten Marans, and a couple of Mottled Houdan for fun. Soooo excited for these. The first batch is a test run, but these are ones I REALLY want!

did you get the Farm Innovators one too?

Thinking about making a hatcher...what do I need?

I have seen lots of great threads here about home-made incubators. I think my favorite is Sally Sunshine's cooler bator.https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/incubator-incubator

 

[PugBug]

you go!!! and dont let him push you around... many guys forget about their habits (or dont even consider them haha) and I am only too happy to remind them that I still spend less than them so BACK OFF my hobby of happness!!!! hehe

and I also get ALL of my support on here so THANK YOU to ALL!!!!

everyone in my family looks at me like I'm crazy when I say I still want more chickens haha but let them... they make ME happy and it is MY life... and people on here understand me, so I know Im not alone!

Here is a Cheer to all of the people out there that pursue their dreams and their hobby's despite conflict and lack of support from friends and family.... You have your chicken family RIGHT HERE!!! So hatch your fluffy butts and BE HAPPY... You Deserve IT!

LOL well yes we are all chicken crazy or we wouldn't be here! And it is great to have other's to talk to on here that share our hobby- plus I've learned alot! By the way, I candeled tonight my bantam polish and 12 of the 18 are developing nicely! Can't tell on the turkey eggs yet or the SFH. Oh yea and I set another 10 bourbon red eggs & 8 SLW tonight too

 

[PugBug]

LOL. Don't get me wrong, though. I'm blessed to have a DH who loves me. Just wish he enjoyed this as much I do. To be fair, he was raised on a farm in the 40's, 50's, 60's (yes, he is a lot older than myself), and back then chicken raising was not the same. He does not have happy chicken memories from childhood. They were confined to the coop and their job was to lay eggs. Period. No warm and fuzzies on that farm. So he is still coming to grips with the fact that chickens are smarter than he ever thought and actually have different personalities. And that they aren't actually filthy and stinky. He'll come around sooner or later. Or not.

My DH just discovered yesterday that pigs have personality LOL He's never had a 'pet' pig, so he thought I was a little nutty when I let my daughter adopt a yr old female potbelly a few wks ago. Then this morning I caught him out there scratching her belly- go figure

He's also quite fond of the pygmy goats too. He's always been an animal lover like me, but he just never thought of 'farm' animals as pets. He's learning...