Buckeye X Cornish X breeding project. Third generation pics pg. 20

[FortWorthChicks]

Those are some big girls!!!!!!!!!

 

[CARS]

Good luck with the hatch Jeff!

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Lots more have piped and two have hatched. 1 Buckeye and 1 BuckeyeX.... the third one is on it's way. I figured it would happen overnight.

The BuckeyeX hatched as expected with white down and a pea comb. So far a great start as pea comb birds do way better in ohio. Can't wait to get pics but I can't open the bator until they all hatch. I tried to take a pic through the glass but it didn't work.

I have two still air $40.00 incubators from Tractor Supply if anyone is curious.... so nothing fancy.

Will get pics at the end of the hatch as promised!!

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Two BuckeyeX's are out and 3 pure buckeyes. Won't be back for a while.... have some chores to do... LOL.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

no matter how many chickens you have - hatches are always exciting! GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Have about 10 buckeye eggs and 2 BuckeyeX eggs that hatched out. We are in the last stretch with about 7 eggs that have pipped and about 6 eggs with nothing. So it's looking like a long night with the pipped ones but they are coming out about 1 per hour at the moment... so a slow hatch.


I can't believe how big the BuckeyeX chicks are... they tower over the Buckeye chicks. Not to mention their legs are as big as tree trunks. Will update tonight after dinner....

 

[SamG347]

I'm really looking forward to seeing pics and the grow rates of these birds! Jeff you should cross a Rock rooster or maybe a Standard Cornish next to see what happens. I wish I could do some expirementing with meatbirds crosses but no time right now.

 

[SteveH]

Congrats . That's two out of three on the first crossbred eggs you set ? Can't wait to see some pics

. Katy's chick sure looked good by a Marans roo , the strain of Buckeye your using over those hens will possibly be even better .

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Well we ended up with 19 and out of 19 there were 25 eggs so not a bad first hatch. I will take that every time. For the BuckeyeX we had three eggs and hatched all three. The last egg hatched overnight. I helped two chicks out of the eggs this morning and they are still in the incubator. One looks like it may pull through, the other not so much as the yolk came out of it's stomach. More than likely I will cull these two. If they make it, that will make 21 chicks out of 25.

I have about a dozen BuckeyeX to hatch Next Sunday and should have a steady supply all summer if they keep laying. I want to get as many chicks on the ground as possible to pick from the best for future breedings.

So what do you guys think? Any thoughts.... ideas?

 

[dancingbear]

Those look great, congrats! Not a bad hatch, overall. The 6 non-hatchers, were they clears? (meaning, infertile, non-starters?)

Helping any out of the shell is always very iffy. I've done it and been right, and done it and been wrong. Theoretically, if a chick isn't strong enough to make it out on it's own, you shouldn't keep it and perpetuate a weakness. But, I know from personal experience that things can and do happen that will keep a chick from hatching properly, that don't have anything to do with genetic weakness. Like if the humidity drops after the shell's pipped, and the chick gets "glued" to a dry shell....but it's always a judgment call, sometimes it'll work out ok, sometimes it won't.

I have a bunch of my eggs hatching at a friends right now, I don't have the time or space to hatch anything right now. I got a batch of meaties from a friend who had too many, (they were undersized birds from a broiler op, so once moved they've grown very quickly, except a handful of runts) need to get those in the freezer before I do anything else. I've had them less than 3 weeks, almost half are ready to butcher now, but I haven't not been feeling well. Soon, though. Then I can start on my breeding trials. Standard Cornish roo over many different hens, and I'm thinking I might keep back a few of these meat hens and see how that works out.