B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[tazcat70]

Ok today is day 21. I am panicking. Nothing so far. Please tell me that they are slow hatchers.

I am beginning to feel like I have killed them all!

 

[TOL Chick]

Any pips or peeping? Rocking and a rolling? When did you last candle them? (Sorry for all the questions!)

 

[tgrlily]

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Don't panic yet! They can hatch late - what's your temperature? Still air or forced? Humidity ok?

 

[rtroxel]

Have you hatched anything recently? If you just hatched anything, that should indicate that you're in the right ballpark.

 

[tazcat70]

Ok. Well I was right.

In answer to your questions.

Yes I have been hatching, however I did just get a sportsman that I started using for the last 1/2 of the incubation. Not the hatching.... I also had duck eggs and 3 of my own eggs. Temps have been good about 100.

I did not candle them since day 13. When I was moving the eggs 4 of the duck eggs had pips. So I just rushed them to the hatcher.

Still not seeing any pips, I started sneaking eggs out. I candled them...and only 2 were even close to hatching size...so I pipped them...and the chicks had died.

So no dorkings for me.

I was trying to figure out what happened and I just can't.

Why is it the ones we want the most seem to have the worst hatches?

 

[tgrlily]

Quote:
I'm so sorry!

I know exactly how you feel.

 

[tazcat70]

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I'm so sorry!

I know exactly how you feel.

Thanks! I hope yours goes much, much better!

 

[TOL Chick]

Quote:
I'm so sorry!

I know exactly how you feel.

Thanks! I hope yours goes much, much better!

Hugs to you! Don't give up! They are worth it

 

[RareBreedFancier]

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Is the Barred Rock a male or female? I think if the BR is a female, the pullets will be solid black. I would imagine the males would have the white head spot.

The chicks I've hatched from my original flock have had (so far!) consistently good toes. That's been variable in chicks I've hatched from other people's stock, though. Although they've all had 5 toes, they've had differences in separation & placement.

Echo here. My toes have been consistently good. No 4 toed birds at all and I've been checking

5 is dominant to 4 so if your birds are homozygous dominant 5 toed, no 4s should ever hatch. If you cross in a 4 toed bird, and your birds weren't actually very dominant, you could see quite a few 4 toed birds. I would also guess that when heterozygous, it expresses a little differently and is not as well defined, but I'm not sure. Maybe some day I'll have some mess ups to tell you about and learn from...

Male BR over SG Dorking hens. He and my Dorking roo get along so they have been sharing a pen. Apparently he must be a cross which is sad but I've been suspicious that might be the case for a while. He's not pure for barring and is carrying gold as I have 2 chicks showing gold, one black and one of the pale ones too. Good news is those gold chicks are pullets, have to wait and see with the others.

As for the toes, I have some with two sets of 5, some with 5 on one foot and 4 on another and one with 5 on one and almost looks like it's trying for 6 on the other. They will all be heading for the EE pen or freezer camp for the roos. Hopefully I'll get some pure Dorkings from the batch in the 'bator.

Just candled, 11 eggs still in the 'bator and most are Dorkings.

A few RIR or Silver Sussex in there too but I can't tell those apart by the light of the dieing torch. *Note* Must by new batteries!

 

[BlackBart]

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Yes they are
It seems this year for me, I am getting more males than females. Shame I have some beautiful young SGD roos from old traditional lines that will go to the processor.