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

[Pinky Macgyver]

Thankyou for your kind words
So sorry for your losses :'(

 

[satay]

I was really emotionally invested. Even now, days later, I still find myself getting up from whatever I'm doing to go check the temps. Anyway..
I might try again someday. Will get a proper incubator instead of my homemade one.
I never actually planned to hatch eggs. My two chickens were sold to me as girls but one turned out to be a roo. Then I suddenly had all these fertile eggs and I couldn't bare the thought of them being eaten, so I started to incubate them. I probably won't be as emotionally invested in further tries but I'm not sure that's a good thing.

You probably will be I am if it is a new breed or one of my favourites. It's not a bad thing. Get yourself a new bator and give it another go. I am sure you will turn out to be a fantastic hatcher in no time . My bator is empty at the moment first time in agers and I go past and look still lol. Think that is more hatching withdrawl lol.

 

[satay]

The worst ones for me now are if I get eggs in the mail from someone I know like yours and Sam's recently. I just about have a heart attack for 16 days and 21 days. Sending eggs through the mail to someone I know is stressful too lol. See so it is not just you.

 

[Pinky Macgyver]

The worst ones for me now are if I get eggs in the mail from someone I know like yours and Sam's recently. I just about have a heart attack for 16 days and 21 days. Sending eggs through the mail to someone I know is stressful too lol. See so it is not just you.

Extra good that your two lil babes hatched then have you named them?

 

[Blondiechic]

Pinky, your experience is exactly why I can't even consider hatching! I get attached to EVERYTHING and if its one of my pets then I am so upset when they go - my poor husband has had to bury my goldfish (I had them a long time!).
We have a cemetery for 'the girls' out the back
...and what if I hatched and had some boys? Then I would have to find homes for them. I have done that before (was sold girls who were boys) and its horrible. The homes are great but I want the chickens with me!
I am so sorry your eggs didn't work out and I loved their names.

 

[Pinky Macgyver]

I think we're very similar blondie 'cept I'm a brunette
I think I'll get a proper incubator just in case I get stuck with eggs again.

 

[satay]

HI yes I think one is a boy and one is a girl. Pinky is the girl of course and Conan is the boy. Might have to change later on if I have got the sexes wrong.

Just got back in from feeding all the animals and,,,,, Maxi is a dad finally. The broodies have hatched 5 out of 6 araucana eggs with one still pipping and 2 rir eggs pipping.

These two broodies are the ones I originally gave pinkys eggs to but when I took them back to put in the bator the first time after some went missing I gave them these.

 

[satay]

Pinky, your experience is exactly why I can't even consider hatching! I get attached to EVERYTHING and if its one of my pets then I am so upset when they go - my poor husband has had to bury my goldfish (I had them a long time!).
We have a cemetery for 'the girls' out the back
...and what if I hatched and had some boys? Then I would have to find homes for them. I have done that before (was sold girls who were boys) and its horrible. The homes are great but I want the chickens with me!
I am so sorry your eggs didn't work out and I loved their names.

You sound like one of my friends she hatches and breeds the most beautiful Brahmas and Wyandottes. She told me once she finally got the courage to sell a few as she had to many The lady came and paid for them and left. She had been gone about 10 minutes and my friend rang her and asked her to bring them back as she couldn't part with them lol. Lucky the lady was kind and brought them back. She has given me brahmas before but says that that is ok cause she can come visit them. She lives 40 minutes away which is not that far out here.

 

[Colourful]

I think we're very similar blondie

'cept I'm a brunette
I think I'll get a proper incubator just in case I get stuck with eggs again.

That's the spirit! I've never gone through what you did, but you have my full sympathies.

On another note, are your hen and rooster related? You said you got them together and one turned out to be a rooster, I believe. Because genetically, it might not be any fault of your own that you lost the chicks. Lots of people say that they breed chooks from the same batch and have no problems, but not many of them seem to realise they might have been breeding half-sisters and half-brothers together which lessens the chances of deformities in the egg (as many as full brother and sister mating would produce). If I'm wrong, I'm seriously sorry for bringing it up (I mean no insult, I just don't want this to happen to you again).

HI yes I think one is a boy and one is a girl. Pinky is the girl of course and Conan is the boy. Might have to change later on if I have got the sexes wrong.

Just got back in from feeding all the animals and,,,,, Maxi is a dad finally. The broodies have hatched 5 out of 6 araucana eggs with one still pipping and 2 rir eggs pipping.




These two broodies are the ones I originally gave pinkys eggs to but when I took them back to put in the bator the first time after some went missing I gave them these.

Are those the Araucana chicks? either way, they are super cute.

I have some in my incubator and have a fertility rate (checked on day 7) of 11/12. But out of 12 Barnevelders, it appears I only have half living... but I'll leave them in for another week or so to see if it's just the dark brown shells and not infertility.

I got my first quail egg layed today! Yays! My little ladies don't seem to be big on laying (I need to build my quail aviary so I can get more) but it was 17g.

Note for Sam; I also weighed my quails yesterday. My smallest was light brown who weighed in at 220g and my biggest was my calm, white quail who made me smile at a very good 320g (11 oz). 12 oz is jumbo size, so s/he will be a great contribution to the aviary (when it's finally built.

)

I've almost finished turning an old generator room next to the house into a turkey coop, and I'll pop up some photos when I'm done

.

 

[satay]

yes they are aracuana babies and I now have one rir. Total hatch is 4 aracuana the last one out didn't make it and 1 rir. I just went out to check on them and as I went out the front door I saw what I thought was mumma bantie running around the yard with her chicks. I could not figure how she got out of a locked pen 1/2 acre away. As I got closer I realized it was not her but her sister with 5 bantam babies. She must have been off in the bush on a nest. So it is hatch day again here.