Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[satay]

Cute chick Satay.    The new coop looks great too!  Of course bigger is always better with coops, because you may have 5 Belgiums now, but in a few months.....

You do know me well. So far I have resisted hatching or buying more.

 

[cwrite]

This term I settled both my kids into new schools, came home the first Friday of school to find a bulldozer mowing all the bush and trees over my back fence down and so I haven't been outside as much as I usually am, not least to avoid the huge amount of dust and machinery noise. Anyway, on Saturday I sold two pullets of the four I got out of the hatch. Sunday I tore a tendon in my hip weight lifting and am on light exercise only, which at the moment is just walking because of how painful moving is. So I decided to wash my eggs that the kids have been collecting and leaving in a basket on the kitchen counter and I found these.



One is speckled blue, one is speckled red/brown and one is light brown. Someone, please tell me that these are not pullet eggs and that somehow my big girls laid them! They are all over 44g's so are not as small as pullet eggs and my Ara pullets are only just 18 weeks old and I've never seen them squat. I dread to think I may have mis-sold my ara's that I was sold as pure ara eggs when if they are laying brown speckled eggs they are nothing of the sort.

I just can't think of any other explanation for them.

 

[cwrite]

These are the eggs they hatched from & this is what I am expecting them to lay.

Should I wait & see if I get an extra egg on one day? Perhaps the incessant machinery noise is upsetting my hens?

 

[Kooka]

I am hoping to have some marans hatch in the next few days then I can slip a few under the buff pekin so they each have some babies.

How does one do that and not have the hen kill the chicks?
Reason I ask is that the breeder I got my eggs, and later, 7 assorted 4 day old chicks from had, over the previous 2 nights lost 30+ chicks to hens not accepting and killing them.........

Do broody hens generally accept the sudden appearance of live chicks, or is there a process timing thing to be mindful of?. Appreciate you insight into this as its something I may face down the track.

On another point, both the Marans I purchased turned out to be roosters, but had no feathering on their legs at all, when I purchased the chicks I asked to see the hens, some had SOME feathering, and others non at all. Does that tell me that his stock is inferior? as in not well bred?

Compared with their hatch mates, the Marans were the most people friendly bird I have encountered aside of Hannah but I fed her with a syringe from day 4 as she was weak and just not 'there'. She is still bonded and likes to perch on my hand......that is going to be a sight when she is mature

Many thanks,

Andrew

PS Have not moved the birds to the A frame yet, as I am laying down a skirt of very heavy duty wire netting. I have cut a strip of about 500mm wide from a roll of 900mm wide stock mesh. I plan to staple the reinforced top and bottom edges to the base of the A frame then cover that with crush bluestone and compact it to keep dem dratted foxes out..

 

[satay]

This term I settled both my kids into new schools, came home the first Friday of school to find a bulldozer mowing all the bush and trees over my back fence down and so I haven't been outside as much as I usually am, not least to avoid the huge amount of dust and machinery noise. Anyway, on Saturday I sold two pullets of the four I got out of the hatch. Sunday I tore a tendon in my hip weight lifting and am on light exercise only, which at the moment is just walking because of how painful moving is. So I decided to wash my eggs that the kids have been collecting and leaving in a basket on the kitchen counter and I found these. One is speckled blue, one is speckled red/brown and one is light brown. Someone, please tell me that these are not pullet eggs and that somehow my big girls laid them! They are all over 44g's so are not as small as pullet eggs and my Ara pullets are only just 18 weeks old and I've never seen them squat. I dread to think I may have mis-sold my ara's that I was sold as pure ara eggs when if they are laying brown speckled eggs they are nothing of the sort. I just can't think of any other explanation for them.

Sounds odd indeed . If there is a cross then they could be the eggs you got. Fingers crossed there is some other reason and that your aras are yet to lay.

 

[satay]

How does one do that and not have the hen kill the chicks?
Reason I ask is that the breeder I got my eggs, and later, 7 assorted 4 day old chicks from had, over the previous 2 nights lost 30+ chicks to hens not accepting and killing them.........

Do broody hens generally accept the sudden appearance of live chicks, or is there a process timing thing to be mindful of?. Appreciate you insight into this as its something I may face down the track.

On another point, both the Marans I purchased turned out to be roosters, but had no feathering on their legs at all, when I purchased the chicks I asked to see the hens, some had SOME feathering, and others non at all.  Does that tell me that his stock is inferior? as in not well bred?

Compared with their hatch mates, the Marans were the most people friendly bird I have encountered aside of Hannah but I fed her with a syringe from day 4 as she was weak and just not 'there'. She is still bonded and likes to perch on my hand......that is going to be a sight when she is mature  

Many thanks,

Andrew

PS Have not moved the birds to the A frame yet, as I am laying down a skirt of very heavy duty wire netting. I have cut a strip of about 500mm wide from a roll of 900mm wide stock mesh. I plan to staple the reinforced top and bottom edges to the base of the A frame then cover that with crush bluestone  and compact it to keep dem dratted foxes out..

HI Andrew
I know my pekin girls will happily except babies from anywhere really. I only do it at night and then I will watch for a bit to make sure it goes well. Not all hens are as accepting as these two though.
Marans come in either wheaten or French wheaten. The wheaten have no feathers on the legs and are what the British breed for and the French are the ones with the feathered shanks. Both are acceptable but most seem to prefer the fw version.

 

[Fancychooklady]

How does one do that and not have the hen kill the chicks?
Reason I ask is that the breeder I got my eggs, and later, 7 assorted 4 day old chicks from had, over the previous 2 nights lost 30+ chicks to hens not accepting and killing them.........

Do broody hens generally accept the sudden appearance of live chicks, or is there a process timing thing to be mindful of?. Appreciate you insight into this as its something I may face down the track.

On another point, both the Marans I purchased turned out to be roosters, but had no feathering on their legs at all, when I purchased the chicks I asked to see the hens, some had SOME feathering, and others non at all.  Does that tell me that his stock is inferior? as in not well bred?

Compared with their hatch mates, the Marans were the most people friendly bird I have encountered aside of Hannah but I fed her with a syringe from day 4 as she was weak and just not 'there'. She is still bonded and likes to perch on my hand......that is going to be a sight when she is mature  

Many thanks,

Andrew

PS Have not moved the birds to the A frame yet, as I am laying down a skirt of very heavy duty wire netting. I have cut a strip of about 500mm wide from a roll of 900mm wide stock mesh. I plan to staple the reinforced top and bottom edges to the base of the A frame then cover that with crush bluestone  and compact it to keep dem dratted foxes out..

Depends largely on the breed. Over the last 3 days I've taken any that have hatched and put them under the black hen. She gladly excepts them , her desire to be a mommy seems to negate any genetic strings. With the 2 hens that are still sitting I have popped all of the un hatched eggs under one and all the hatched and pipped ones under the other. This afternoon I will pop the 2 from the brooder under the black hen, but I prefer to to do a couple of hours before dark just so I can keep an eye on them. There are a couple of days age difference in the chicks but once they are eating and drinking mum will look after them.

 

[Sidhe13]

I have an incubator! I borrowed it off a lady in town and i am figuring hout how to use it....i reckon it is a no brand China import but it always worked well for her! Current temp is 37.9, humidity 45%.... can someone give me some parameters to keep it between? Any tips and tricks? It auto turns too...

 

[Ashburnham]

This term I settled both my kids into new schools, came home the first Friday of school to find a bulldozer mowing all the bush and trees over my back fence down and so I haven't been outside as much as I usually am, not least to avoid the huge amount of dust and machinery noise. Anyway, on Saturday I sold two pullets of the four I got out of the hatch. Sunday I tore a tendon in my hip weight lifting and am on light exercise only, which at the moment is just walking because of how painful moving is. So I decided to wash my eggs that the kids have been collecting and leaving in a basket on the kitchen counter and I found these.



One is speckled blue, one is speckled red/brown and one is light brown. Someone, please tell me that these are not pullet eggs and that somehow my big girls laid them! They are all over 44g's so are not as small as pullet eggs and my Ara pullets are only just 18 weeks old and I've never seen them squat. I dread to think I may have mis-sold my ara's that I was sold as pure ara eggs when if they are laying brown speckled eggs they are nothing of the sort.

I just can't think of any other explanation for them.

A hen can hatch out of a blue egg and still not lay a blue egg itself. The blue egg gene is dominant. If the original blue egg layer has only one copy of the gene it will lay blue eggs, however her daughter may have received No copy of that gene and hence will lay a brown or white egg.

 

[Fancychooklady]

I have an incubator! I borrowed it off a lady in town and i am figuring hout how to use it....i reckon it is a no brand China import but it always worked well for her! Current temp is 37.9, humidity 45%.... can someone give me some parameters to keep it between? Any tips and tricks? It auto turns too...

If it's the one with yellow lid, you need to get another thermometer and check the accuracy, mine was 4 degrees out.