August Hatch-A-Long

[Bookworm0124]

One more and another should be soon. It's a girl!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Mine have all been a little high strung. Not particularly handleable, though they are mellowing a little as they get older. It could be a line thing though, most people I’ve heard from say they are fairly docile and sociable

Edit to add, they got along fine with my other chickens though, and are very vocal when anyone lays. (One is even louder than most of my roosters!) I have had 8... 2 pullets and 6 cockerels.

Thanks for the heads up! I find once the hens start laying they all calm down to some degree. "Flighty" breeds are the ones that won't allow me to touch them but I spend so much time with the chickens that even the flighty ones will come up to me. It's the chickens that are bullies toward other chickens that I don't allow to stay here. So far Rhode Island Reds and Red Sexlinks are the only two breeds I've written off entirely, lol. Now loud could be an issue but we shall see! They're really pretty so I hope I can keep one. She has a nice bloodline from Greenfire.

 

[slordaz]

I had flighty hens on purpose in a mixed flock, they were good for teaching young cockrels to treat the girls right or be prepared for the aerial attacks to come. Than being said, flighty birds aren't good for a always in the coop set up but free ranging they do pretty dang good with a flock and as they have that added freedom actually had them where they would come up take treats outta my hand and sit in my lap.

 

[Bookworm0124]

Sorry for the late quitters, I feel for you. I culled two chicks today, and lost two more before I got down to check on them. Huge humidity spike on day 21 because of crummy weather and all the wet chicks hatching out. It went from 55 to 89% overnight and I had many unhealed navels.

I think* (need to count) I’m now at 21/36 on my incubator, and 10/24 for the other person I was hatching for. I have 3 of mine in questionable condition as well. BTW I tried gassing on my first hatch, and have to say 100% a sheep skinning knife is the best method for me for that. And I still feel that culling hatchlings is by far the hardest thing for me so far.

I can only imagine how difficult that must be. I am sorry.
I haven't had to yet, but if in the future I do how do you do it exactly? I have had once or twice I have thought about it, but it turned out not to be necessary.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I had flighty hens on purpose in a mixed flock, they were good for teaching young cockrels to treat the girls right or be prepared for the aerial attacks to come. Than being said, flighty birds aren't good for a always in the coop set up but free ranging they do pretty dang good with a flock and as they have that added freedom actually had them where they would come up take treats outta my hand and sit in my lap.

That's pretty much the set up I have. My girls free range daily. I have a few older hens that teach the young ones the ropes. It's definitely helpful to have older hens, young flocks aren't very predator savvy. I'm also kind of convinced that my oldest hen is respondsible for all of my hens going broody this year. I think she's talking them into it. Lol

 

[Bookworm0124]

So far we have 4 girls and one boy. I did assist one this morning as she was stuck. She's resting in the incubator while the remaining 3 eggs work their way out.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

So far we have 4 girls and one boy. I did assist one this morning as she was stuck. She's resting in the incubator while the remaining 3 eggs work their way out.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Finished my hatch last weekend.... had 21 eggs quit right after lockdown and before internal piping... 2 more piped and drowned.... I think there was 20 assorted ducks, Turkey and chicks that made the trip to the brooder.... that means my brooder is full.... and we moved 6 of the bigger ducklings outside today. No pics cuz life has been crazy but soon

What a big hatch - Congratulations!!! Were the eggs shipped?

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

oops a little late here posting, I set 8 EE and 4 Rhode Island whites outta my flock, I messed up and didn't keep the notes I usually do. check on day 10 I had 3 Rhode Island White eggs that were infertile and 4 EE. We go into lock down this coming Sunday. The Rhode Island whites are new layers, and not sure what happened to my 2 year olds they have usually been 100% fertile. at least this time I posted before they were already hatching lol

Best of luck with your hatch!

 

[Erba]

I feel really awful, clumsy me dropped an egg in the incubator onto the rolls and cracked another one in doing so. The dropped one was a yolker, but the other one was developed! day 18! I killed a chick!

I was thinking about glueing it, but it wasn't a clean crack, so I had to throw it away. Sob, sob, even unhatched, they are my babies. So now I have 8 left in that incubator and I am now super glad I kept adding eggs in the other (safer) incubator. It's day 19 so those 8 are in lockdown now and I'm keeping my clumsy hands off them!