Arkansas folks speak up.........

[Jarhead]

Unfortunately my shipped eggs aren't fairing as well.

Sorry to hear that. I have had pretty good luck with shipped eggs. I let them rest on the counter with the small end down for 24 hours before setting them. Plus both times they have been under broodies. Not sure if the natural approach gives a better hatch rate, but it seems to be working

Last batch of eggs I had a 50% hatch/survival rate (more hatched than 50%, but died within 24 hours). This batch 100% - WOOT!

I have 2 young ducks I have decided I don't want anymore. I forgot what kind they are. They were black and yellow and now they have some black feathers coming in. Free to a good home. I'm in the Conway area.

Are they muscovies? Got any pics of them? If they are muscovies I will take them (I have to have quiet ducks - since they are against code).​

 

[verycherry]

Sorry to hear that. I have had pretty good luck with shipped eggs. I let them rest on the counter with the small end down for 24 hours before setting them.

I heard to let them rest 8 hours, and I heard to let them rest for up to 24 hours. I let them rest all day after I picked them up at 11:00 a.m., and then set them that night. They must have gotten pretty shaken up.

It's killing me that I can't see how they're doing right now. They're at the house, but I'm stuck in town. My 10 year old has a play at 6:00. Keep your fingers crossed for me that they do ok while I'm gone, and maybe I'll be back in time to intervene if I need to.​

 

[Jarhead]

fingers are crossed!

 

[Jarhead]

Keep your fingers crossed for me that they do ok while I'm gone, and maybe I'll be back in time to intervene if I need to.

Well???


Mine finished up, all had hatched by the time we went to be last night except one. It had pipped so I left it alone and figured it would be out this morning. Sadly it was not, I pulled it out and checked it. It had died before it made it out. The other 11 are running around with mom right now and are very active and super cute. So it was about a 92% hatch, not to shabby.​

 

[Chicky Tocks]

Wow not to shabby at all!

I put my babies out in the "almost a coop" last night.

My DH is laughing at me because I'm out there more than I'm in the house now.
I peeked in on them before I went to bed and first thing this morning I was up looking in on them. They seem to really be enjoying their new space. There's so much sparring for pecking order going on! If I didn't know any better, I'd think they were all a bunch of little roos!

I was so happy to see this morning that the space did not change my "Betty the Beautiful Bitty's" love for me. I do so love this little EE!

Good news on the Cuckoo Maran eggs! Yesterday was day 8 and out of 14 eggs, 11 have definate swimmers in them! One blood ring that I tossed in the woods and two that I'm just not sure about yet. They're mighty dark cuckoo eggs!

 

[arllcountrygirl]

before you know it you will have another batch of fuzzy butts running around.

 

[verycherry]

Sorry the one didn't make it out. You really had a great hatch. I'm so happy for you.

Well, our little guy that had pipped yesterday died before I could get home from my daughter's play last night. I really don't see why, since he'd pipped and I'd made sure he could get fresh air.

Then to make things worse, I had another that wasn't making progress either, and I decided not to just sit by and let another one die, so I broke the shell open more so it could get it's head out. It raised it's head and took two gasps and died. There was a tiny amount of blood where I broke the shell, but not much at all, so I really don't think I hurt it. It's like it had mucus or something blocking it's airway. I don't know. It's so disappointing, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

There are a few more eggs, but I candled them and two are clear, so those aren't hatching for sure. The others show no signs of life at all, but I'll leave them in another day, or maybe two to be sure.

So, looks like I have 4 chicks, but one can't walk! Her legs are out in front of her and she's just scooting backwards. I had one like this in my first test hatch, where 18 of 19 hatched, but she was able to walk within a few hours. I think she was just so cramped up in the shell. So far, this new one still can't walk, and she was born last night. I'm still hoping.

It just had to be the shipping. The Silkies hatched just fine. We did lose power for a few hours during a storm, but the Silkies are ok, so I really doubt that was it.

 

[verycherry]

Sorry to be in such a poopy mood today! Gotta shake it off!

We also had our first preditor kill Wednesday night, in over a year of having chickens, but we didn't check the chickens yesterday morning when we woke up since we were running late for school, and we didn't find it until we got home from the play last night. It was so sad.

A racoon (or possibly a possum) reached into a pen, grabbed a 4 month old pullet and bit the back of her neck and head. Jill, my 10 year old daughter found her, and the pullet was still alive but just barely, so my 17 year old ran back to the house to get me, but before I could even get out the door, Jill came walking up behind her with tears in her eyes and said "I had to kill her, she was suffering"........what?! Did my little girl say she just killed her chicken? I would have thought she'd have asked me too, OR even asked me NOT too, but she did it herself! I'm still in shock!

I had just put these chicks out in this pen with the adults a few nights ago, thinking they were too big for anything to pull through, but the darn coon managed to grab one by the neck and get a bite!

The racoon had to come into the "lobby" part of the coop (where I'm standing taking the picture) through an opening in the roof where a storm had blown the tin off. You can see the sunlight coming through.

I don't know how to fix a roof, but I guess I'm going to have to try. I had put chicken wire up at the bottom of one pen, as you can see in the picture, but hadn't yet done the other side. It might not have helped though. I think I'll buy some hardware cloth to put up instead. That's what I used around the back side.

The back of the coop has scrap wood leaning up against it just because we had been having rough weather the past few weeks. It's usually open back there with just strong welded wire and hardware cloth across the back for good ventilation in Spring and summer weather, and then I board it up in the winter. It's always kept preditors out. Never had a preditor death until now, because of the stupid roof. I feel so bad about it.

...and even worse because we didn't find her until that evening.

 

[Jarhead]

Verycherry
I agree the bad hatch most likely had to do with rough shipping. It could also be genetics, since the one is having trouble walking and the one you tried to help. I doubt it was the loss of power, our broodies will leave the nest for up to an hour sometimes, and the hatches are still good.

Sorry about the coon attack - you are lucky only one was hurt. Your daughter did very brave and compassionate thing - you have taught her well.

Chicky Tocks
Our EEs are hands down the most friendly birds we have, they still hop up into laps and try to "ride" on my feet. I think it is the fact they come from a larger gene pool being mutts. Give them a better temperament.

Can't wait for those Marans can you!

They are good birds as well, we love ours.

 

[Chicky Tocks]

Awww VeryCherry I'm so sorry to hear about your predator attack. Your little girl was so brave to take matters in her own hands and do what was right. I can honestly say that that would be something that I myself would have to call DH in for. Your pen looks awesome! We had a bad coon problem once where the killers were getting in through the roof. It took us three nights of killings to figure out where they were getting in! DH fixed that by nailing a board across the seam where the roof met the back of his shop and we've had no more problems.

Jarhead: Yes, my Betty is by far the most friendly of the EE's. She's (

) the only one that has made herself my lap chicken though. The rest are friendly but don't beg for the attention like her. The other four, the Hooter Girls (and I suspect at least one of them might be the cook and maybe a bouncer) are the least flighty of the whole bunch.

And no! I can't wait for my Cuckoo's to hatch! I've read that you can sex them like barred rocks or domineckers.