bantam eggs

[irmad]

Hi. Started incubating mixture of different types of bantam eggs. Been 8 days now. Candled all the eggs but 3 out of 17 don't look like they are fertile. Should I remove them from the incubator or shall I wait another week or so? Can someone please help... new to incubating...

 

[3BirdGirlz]

I was new to hatching this spring too! You could leave them a max of 10 days to make sure, but from experience I'd say they're not going to develope and take them out. You should for sure see veining now. Good luck with the hatch! BYC is great for info.

 

[irmad]

Byc is great. Just joined and there is tons of information here. I need to see what I can use for bedding.... what do you use for bantam chick bedding? I was thinking of using wood pellets.

 

[3BirdGirlz]

I use a towel and then newspaper after the first couple days. Just as long as they dont eat it I'm sure it'll be fine. I have 13 cute Cochin bantams. Welcome to BYC!

 

[irmad]

I am incubating a selection of bure breed bantams. They're

Partridge pekins
Lavender pekins
Buff pekins
Cuckoo pekins
Barbu d'uccle mille fleur
Light sussex
Silver laced wyandotte
Silkie bantams

Unfortunately my 2 lavender and my 1 Dutch egg looks infertile..... I just hope the rest do well.....been following all the rules. Today is the 9th day. Do i lock down incubator on the 18th day? I did have a 100% quail hatch before these bantam eggs.

 

[irmad]

Couchin bantams are really nice..... What colour are yours? Btw, are wood shavings any good for baby chicks?

 

[3BirdGirlz]

My chicks ate wood shavings, and others say that's bad because it can plug them up and kill them yikes!
I also have bantam blue laced red wyandottes. They were my first chicks I hatched this year.
I have milli fleur and silver laced Cochins.
I also have 5 yr old chickens I got from the feed store including d'Anvers and milli d'Uccles. I love them!

 

[irmad]

Wow. You have quite a few. What do you use for bedding? I have had chickens in the past and I always had problems in terms of bedding. Im going to use wood pellets this year.... when my chicks get a bit bigger. Cant wait for my silkies to hatch.... I heard bantams are not good egg layers.

 

[graciesmum]

I use sand in my brooders, and I mix a bit of the soil from the chicken garden in with it, so they can build up there immune systems. Then I just seive it, the more chicks you have to more often you need yo seive. I used wood shavings the first time but found I was going through alot because of keeping it clean

 

[irmad]

Sand and soil in the brooder... sounds good. Wouldn't the chicks eat that?