BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[ronott1]

All of my chicks are hatched in an incubator. I do have some trouble with Betty and double yolkers. She is usually very fertile. I do have some chick's that develop and do not pip. This is a malposition problem. Most likely due to the humidity being incorrect. I only have one humidifier on the 18+ day eggs. The other hatcher just has water sitting in the base.

First, do not hatch eggs from a hen that lays double yolked eggs. This is a problem with the egg laying tract--you do not want to encourage this in your flock. Repeat: double yolked happen because there is something wrong with the hen.

Second, Nearly all chicks that die on day 18 and 19 will be malpositioned. This is because they did not move into position yet. Malpositioned chicks happen later in incubation--like on day 21.

Third, Humidity is not the most common cause of day 18 death. Temperature is. Unless you are incubating outside of the safe zone for humidity, 25% to 60% then humidity is not the problem. Wet sticky chicks are cause by a development problem and Temperature needs to be controlled within plus and minus 1%.

Try this next time:

Do not set from the hen that lays double yolks
Get a Brinsea spot check and run the incubator at a verified 99.9F
Add a cool down cycle from day 8 to 18. Two hours with the lid off each day or if your incubator has a cool down cycle, run it for two hours a day.
Make sure turning is on and working--at least 4 times a day, 45 degree tilt.

Also, make sure that the flock does not have parasytes--get some rooster booster and start feeding them some mana pro.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Thanks for the Guardian Angels. Mom has been gone for many years now.

Jason

ETA: I'm thinking of putting up an avatar of my own until dad gets back...any objections?

I vote go for the new avatar!

 

[DesertChic]

Thanks for the Guardian Angels. Mom has been gone for many years now.

Jason

ETA: I'm thinking of putting up an avatar of my own until dad gets back...any objections?

Sounds like a good idea.

 

[draye]

Thanks for the Guardian Angels.  Mom has been gone for many years now.

                                                         Jason

ETA:  I'm thinking of putting up an avatar of my own until dad gets back...any objections?

Good idea. Wouldn't hurt to have your own user also.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Not lavender.

One of the cornish x cockerels picked out from the feed store last fall feathered out white but developed sort of an off white- pale greyish shade all over. He also had tiny random little black flecks.. does that sound like what you're seeing on your birds? Unfortunately did not take pictures of the cockerel.. too late now as a recent warm spell killed him...

I'm not sure exactly what it is, apparently it is known to happen in some birds not pure for dominant white... that cockerel proved that idea by producing half white and half barred chicks.

Genetic surprises are known to pop up of production stock white leghorns and cornish breeder stock. Smoky being apparently the best known example, as far as I know, it is not available to the hobby. From pictures though, it seems our birds don't have the smoky gene..

just now saw the new picture in the original post, that looks like a normal blue, possibly dun to me.

Various diluter genes have been deliberately thrown in white leghorn/cornish stock, for making crisper white feathers and cleaner yellow legs and skin. Barring is the most common addition and is almost universal- my cx roo proved to have it by throwing barred chicks.. however silver, recessive white, mottle, blue, etc are also more or less commonly present. My rooster did not have blue as he did not throw any blue chicks.. will see about mottling etc in the second or later generations.

Out of my 6 week old chicks, I have one Lavender Ameraucana and one Splash cockerel in the batch of Blue Copper Marans. At least right now, the splash chick is NOT white, but looks almost exactly like the lavender chick, except for some dark spots. It's been interesting to observe... (I'll try to get photos).

- Ant Farm

 

[DesertChic]

Out of my 6 week old chicks, I have one Lavender Ameraucana and one Splash cockerel in the batch of Blue Copper Marans. At least right now, the splash chick is NOT white, but looks almost exactly like the lavender chick, except for some dark spots. It's been interesting to observe... (I'll try to get photos).

- Ant Farm

I so badly want a lavender bird now...or birds. Gosh darn chicken math!!!

 

[hellbender]

Good idea. Wouldn't hurt to have your own user also.

Dad asked me to use his 'space'. I think he might fear being forgotten but I told him....no one forgets him, for good or ill.

I surely wouldn't change his handle. And who knows, I might already be registered. Perhaps I might start arguing with myself until dad gets back.

Jason

 

[hellbender]

Temporary Avatar change? I guess not. draye has registered a left-handed negation.

Jason

 

[cyborg]

Well, Jason, we look forward to your posts, under whatever name or avatar.

But, tell your old man to get off his butt, 'cuz we look forward to his, too!

I mean that respectfully, of course.

 

[Kassaundra]

Some pics from today




Beautimous, nearly sure she is female, and shows like she is going to be mottled / barred I tried to show the back so you could see the mottling coming it, but she didn't cooperate





Nearly sure this one keeps wanting to be a boy, I've tried to talk him out of it, but I don't think he is listening.





Beautimer, nearly sure he is a boy and I keep trying to talk him into being mottled, but so far no luck.



Blondie, these both are the same age.





This one has cool side burns and is going to be mottled.
















Never and I mean never house rabbits and chickens together!!!! lol lol lol