BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[ronott1]

I am at day 10 of my hatch and candled a few eggs. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have doubts about the hatchability of this set. I made some errors pre-incubation and it was very cold collecting eggs. So I chose 3 of the eggs that were collected first and have the least chance of hatching. All three appeared to be fertile. Should I check them all? Do I need to worry about having them out of the incubator long enough to check them all? How easy is it to toss good eggs and/or keep bad eggs?

I candle every single egg, tossing all of the clears and those that quit developing. I do this by day 10. I am not religious about exactly when. Somewhere between 7-10. No later than ten.

The length of time that they are outside of the incubator is not critical, if not excessive. A mother hen leaves her nest to drink, eat, and defecate. You will do no harm. I have lost power, and accidently left my incubator off over night (twice). Each time I still had a reasonable hatch considering.

If you are uncertain about an egg or two, hold on to them. Initially, you will be concerned about tossing good eggs, but after a batch or two, you will gain confidence in what you are seeing. You will do no harm to re-check them after a few days.

Crack open the eggs that you decide are no good. Doing that, you will begin to be able to determine why you lost them. If they are fertile. It does help (it did me) to actually see it.

It is rare for one to rot and explode. If you ever have it happen, you will never allow it again. It can ruin a batch.

There are many charts and pictures online that illustrate the process, and trouble shoot problems. Mississippi State University used to have a very good chart for trouble shooting hatching failures. It was good enough that I printed it to keep as a resource. I am not certain whether or not it is still there.

Ron, west coast Ron, would be able to point you to a wealth of resources concerning incubation and hatching.

Candle close to these days to check air cell development. Eggs can easily stay out for two hours by day ten.


I too remove clears about day 10 in eggs that I can see into. I cannot always see into the Dark egg--Marans, penedesenca and some green eggs. For those I look for increasing darkness in the eggs and use my nose to remove any that stink like sulfur.

Best resource is the Hatching 101 article by Sally Sunshine Remember that the problems in that article are rare.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

I also have a bunch of help and resources in the beginning of the NYD hatch a long thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/936421/6th-annual-byc-new-years-day-2015-hatch-a-long

This is a trouble shooting pdf:

 

[bmvf]

Quote: Why no later than 10? Tonight is day 11 which is when I'd candle them.

Also, I have the patience to wait, but my sterofoam incubator is full with 42 eggs. I'd like to free up some space if possible.

Thanks for the info and links ronott1!

 

[ronott1]

Why no later than 10? Tonight is day 11 which is when I'd candle them.

Also, I have the patience to wait, but my sterofoam incubator is full with 42 eggs. I'd like to free up some space if possible.

Thanks for the info and links ronott1!

Rotate the eggs every couple of days, especially the egg closet to the turner motor.

I hope you have a great hatch!

 

[bmvf]

One of my buckeyes has gone broody. Doesn't she know it is really really cold ? THe snow is crunchy this morning and a blizzard is coming in to night.

We're not going to get it like you are supposed to. As my buddy texted me a few hours ago after getting stuck in the lane and walking into the house, I'm sick and tired of going nowhere. Snow just makes things take longer and wears you out.

 

[bmvf]

Ah, I hadn't heard this before! Thanks!

 

[draye]

@Hellbender:
You asked me to post here I I had anything to do with production here also. So here goes.

These 7 are from my Salmon Naked Neck rooster over 2 Red (Duckwing) 1/2 Easter Egger and 1/2 Production Red.
All look like they're going to be some form of red coloring. So they are going to be part of my Green Egger Baked Neck project. Except for the cockerels. They will be sold.

Guessing pullet pea combed.

Pullet, pea combed.

Cockerel. Pea combed.

Pullet. Pea combed.

Cockerel. Pea combed.

Pullet. Single comb. Watching, maybe culled.

Pullet. Pea combed.

These are 3 weeks and 4 days old.

Seems like the pullets are growing out and feathering out faster than the boys. It seems to be more noticeable in the full blooded NN's than in these.

 

[dfr1973]

OK, I am jazzed! I daytripped out to Alachua County to visit Luanne of Eight Acres Farm to buy up her black laced red Wyandotte chicks, and she also gave me a tour of her setup and showed me her other breeds as well as the parent Wyandottes ... and even made me some fresh coffee for the drive home. Can you tell I have had coffee all day? LOL Lovely, typy-bodied Wyandottes, and I had a couple pics of my GLW rooster Feyd on the memory card so she could see him. Feyd is the one I bought from TSC - and the employees could not recall if they were getting chicks in from Ideal or Cackle or possibly a third hatchery they could not recall the name of ... Luanne says Feyd has great color, a good comb, and a lovely rounded breast, but agreed with my assessment that his tail is set too high and he isn't round enough through the back and rear. She wholeheartedly approved of my plan to cross Feyd with the pullets from her, while keeping a cockerel from her BLR to put on the hatchery pullets who have the good gold coloring plus decent bodies plus decent combs, especially once I find the hatchery that supplied TSC in 2013 for this region.

I am letting the new chicks settle in for the rest of today, and will wait until morning to get pics.

 

[gjensen]

Rotate the eggs every couple of days, especially the egg closet to the turner motor.

I hope you have a great hatch!

This is good advice if you need that space. I used to have to do this.

If someone does not need the space, they can learn where the hot or cold spots are. Then avoid them all together.

 

[gjensen]

OK, I am jazzed! I daytripped out to Alachua County to visit Luanne of Eight Acres Farm to buy up her black laced red Wyandotte chicks, and she also gave me a tour of her setup and showed me her other breeds as well as the parent Wyandottes ... and even made me some fresh coffee for the drive home. Can you tell I have had coffee all day? LOL Lovely, typy-bodied Wyandottes, and I had a couple pics of my GLW rooster Feyd on the memory card so she could see him. Feyd is the one I bought from TSC - and the employees could not recall if they were getting chicks in from Ideal or Cackle or possibly a third hatchery they could not recall the name of ... Luanne says Feyd has great color, a good comb, and a lovely rounded breast, but agreed with my assessment that his tail is set too high and he isn't round enough through the back and rear. She wholeheartedly approved of my plan to cross Feyd with the pullets from her, while keeping a cockerel from her BLR to put on the hatchery pullets who have the good gold coloring plus decent bodies plus decent combs, especially once I find the hatchery that supplied TSC in 2013 for this region.

I am letting the new chicks settle in for the rest of today, and will wait until morning to get pics.

Luanne is a very nice woman, and does very well with her birds.

 

[neopolitancrazy]

OK, I am jazzed!  I daytripped out to Alachua County to visit Luanne of Eight Acres Farm to buy up her black laced red Wyandotte chicks...

I am letting the new chicks settle in for the rest of today, and will wait until morning to get pics.

Don't you just love the mahogany-red of the blue/black/splash-laced red Wyandottes? I do! I bought 2pair of the blue version at the Bluebonnet Classic, earlier this month. I think the Reds are so much prettier than the golds.

(I gave up on my Dorkings after I couldn't get any fertile eggs.)

Looking at building bigger chicken houses
Best wishes,
Angela