Arizona Chickens

[Mahonri]

The rain is coming down cats and dogs here and the chickens are all in their coops. It will be good for the garden.

I only have one standard partridge cochin hen, and I have a little roo that is PC X SF and a pullet that is PC X LBLH.

gckiddhouse... so your others aren't hatching? Did you candle? You can pip into the airsac to see if they are still alive.... I saved two that way last hatch. I always do eggtopsies on day 22-23

SockPuppet: I have a Genesis 1588 w/ turner and a Brinsea Octogon Advance Ex w/ humidity pump. Watching the 1588 is nerve racking. Making certain that the humidity is correct.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

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I also helped one chick out on the evening of Day 22. It had pipped that morning, but wasn't zipping. I had already candled and found the last two unhatched eggs dead, so I was worried about losing this one too. I did the procedure Mahonri outline in a previous post. It didn't seem ready to leave the shell, so after removing the top, put it (still in the bottom of the egg), back into the bator and placed damp paper towels over it (leaving room for its mouth). At 2 in the morning (of day 23), I woke up to loud chirping and it finally left the bottom shell. It's doing fine now - I can't tell which chick I helped now (one of the black ones).

I candled my last two unhatched eggs on the afternoon of day 22, but there was no movement. I pipped into the aircell on the unpipped egg, just in case - it was definitely already dead (head still under wing). The second egg had a very slight pip at the wrong end, so I tried enlarging that area - that chick was definitely already dead also - it looked like the outer membrane was still intact - I think it had drowned.

Edited to add: If none of the eggs have pipped yet, they should be fine with being removed for candling. The danger of removing the lid during hatch is that membranes already exposed will dry before getting the humidity back up.

 

[Beckyhsinglsc]

Well I'm sad to say that we have to find a new home for our cockerel.
We didn't plan to have a rooster, don't really have room for him, and he's waking everyone up way too early around here.
I tried to make it work because he's such a cool guy but It just isn't working.

I wanted to check here first because I would really like him to go to a good home.

Anyone want a 21 week old LB cockerel?

 

[redrocketrooster]

GET OUTA MAH ROOOMMM! *flips brooder over*
These chickas are driving me crazy! SO LOUD AND PECKY.
If I didn't love them and didn't know they needed to be warm I'd have booted their feathery butts outside.
They are going bonkers and it's raining so I can't take a magical trip in the yard to calm them down.

STOP POOING ON MAH CARPET.

 

[Sock Puppet]

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Yep, I soooo know what you mean

 

[redrocketrooster]

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Yep, I soooo know what you mean

I reealllyyyy didn't want to take them out tonight, I spent all day cleaning.
So of course I will be scrubbing carpet now. UGH.

 

[gckiddhouse]

Loved the rain. Still love the rain. Still raining. We even saw hail a couple different times today. A huge double rainbow this evening, too. I am so thrilled about all this rain. What a rare and wonderful winter in the desert!! The wildflowers will be unlike anything we have seen in many years. Unfortunately, the fires may be as well...

So, my hatch is over. I have 7 healthy chicks, but I wouldn't exactly call the whole thing a success. It was my first hatch in a homemade incubator that really wasn't working perfectly, but I still feel badly about it. I also feel challenged!!

Eggtopsy revealed that 2 chicks were not fully developed. I thought they were all alive (15 of them) at lock down, but these couldn't have been. The egg was still full of jelly like stuff and the chick, though feathered, wasn't done. They must have died a few days before lock down or they weren't fully developed at lockdown and died. 3 were dead with yolk unabsorbed. 4 were fully formed, yolk absorbed, but were "shrinkwrapped" and couldn't pip.

Ugh. I feel so badly...

I know that isn't productive. I just need to get it right and try again, right???

This week I will drill holes in my thermostat and re-install it. Also, the difference in temp from one side to the other has to be adjusted. I think that it may have been because I cut a door in one side and had the water bowl in there. The other side just had rocks and no door. So I am thinking that the side with a door had cool air coming in and the water evaporating so it was cooler than the side with only rocks. The fan should have helped, but it didn't. Will have to reposition the fan.

And lastly, we need to know that the thermometer(s) are correct. I really have no idea if ours were correct or not. Considering the outcome, they may very well have been off by a degree or two.

So, who has hatching eggs for me?

Mahonri - I would love to try a few more of yours if you are willing to let me. I feel like I let you and your chickens down.

We are enjoying the babies we have. I have pics of them that I will upload tomorrow. DD and I did make a pretty cool brooder out of a large wardrobe box. Will upload those to my page. Sock and Rooster I am hoping that the weather will get warm enough to at least put the brooder in the garage before they are keeping me up all night. Currently they seem to be sleeping all night. Not sure how they know it is time to sleep as they have a light on them 24/7, but they do.

Gonna get some rest. Tomorrow is another day!

 

[Sock Puppet]

Yep, Im hoping that the weather clears up enought that I can put the chicks out (they will be fully feathered) before I get the new ones this Friday.

Im getting 12 LF cochin (Gold Laced, Partridge, & Barred) and 3 BR's.

My kids are raising them up to sell. Good project for them. My son will be building the coop over spring break for one of his family projects.

 

[LarryPQ]

ALSO-Don't be "that guy" who doesn't have a box. Roll through a Costco on your way there.

ETA: Cluckin and I did this 2 weekends ago. Her new hen's name is "Poops on Jackets" or "Craps on Slacks", depending on who you talk to. It was a long car ride.

 

[tofuranch]

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LOL---you NEED to remember a box or do like I do and get some plastic cat carriers..they are a good size for babies up to full grown, you can only put ONE full grown one in it though and it was kind of tight