California - Northern

[chickee]

Yes, we only won the auction for 6 silver phoenix bantams but we also got the 12 rare d'Anver eggs.

Yay!

You will have to tell me what color d'Anvers he sent eggs (they will be marked) from because I think I am going to bid on his currant auction for the 12 rare d'Anver eggs and the auction for the rare silver quail. I bought his 12 egg rare color auction last year and hatched a dun barred cuckoo pullet, a dun cuckoo pullet, a very very rare khaki quail pair and 1 buff Columbian rooster. All goregous birds!!

 

[OR4-hmom]

We had a crazy laying day yesterday. Got the first three quail eggs of the season, the pigeon layed the first of her latest clutch, a first egg from a blrw, almost 100% from the other bantams. Of course the 1 I wanted to lay didn't. I had hopes of hatching a few BBS ORP bantams, maybe I should go deliver a memo to her.

 

[chiqita]

I agree. We are 6,500 and my best hatches are from birds that HATCHED here and have " wintered over" lol. I assume partially to acclimation to the pressure changes affecting air cells and also egg production. All of my 80% + hatches were from a splash ee rooster over my Barnie hens which happened in the third year of that cool olive egger project. Ah , that boy gave us hens that laid purple/ green eggs!

We moved and have new birds and pens. Back to the grindstone;-)

How often do your family come down here? If you are also trying to hatch all you can I can put some eggs in for you If someone can pick them up in a few months. They could bring them down saturday.

We had a crazy laying day yesterday. Got the first three quail eggs of the season, the pigeon layed the first of her latest clutch, a first egg from a blrw, almost 100% from the other bantams. Of course the 1 I wanted to lay didn't. I had hopes of hatching a few BBS ORP bantams, maybe I should go deliver a memo to her.

Ohh! Maybe I will put the james marie out. They dont like the cage they are in. Hrm..

 

[OR4-hmom]

Chickee, the pictures you posted of your hatch are what pushed me over the edge! I didn't need more than a nudge anyway. They also had the phoenix bantams, I told Mariah I would get her one after she fell for 1 we had entered at the fair 3 years ago.

DH surprised me, when he found out we had eggs coming his comment was: "More chickens?", silly boy.

 

[OR4-hmom]

Question for quail people out there, does it increase crowing when males can see/hear each other?

I love the sound of his crow but with only 1 male we have only heard him about 6 times. Call me crazy but I wish he would sound off more often.

 

[chrissyr]

Question for quail people out there, does it increase crowing when males can see/hear each other?

I love the sound of his crow but with only 1 male we have only heard him about 6 times. Call me crazy but I wish he would sound off more often.

It does for mine. the neighbors and mine would go back and forth all day for quite a while. that has seemed to calm down after a few months. but i find when they hear another rooster, they like to announce that they're there too

 

[PetRock]

@sewandgrow I will happily regale you with the wonders of CA Greys. They are:

prolific
funny
friendly
small with a good feed conversion
layers of L to XL eggs
in need of saving...no APA so no ALBC recognition

I will give you more details if you want but they are really cool!!

There is a breeder in Norco CA who has 2 doz California Grey eggs for sale or trade on the Flock Talk FB page. He doesn't have the price on them. I'm waiting to hear what it is. I'll let you ladies know once he answers back.

 

[Audio51]

Quote:
Ron....why would these do better pointy end up?

 

[sewandgrow]

I really wish he would start doing it again. It was a great outlet for him and he had lots of friends asking him to do drawings for him. I think it was good for his ego. He has said the felt like the artistic part of his brain was switched off after his first surgery. He had an aortic dissection and nearly died last March. I don't really think that was beneficial to that part of his brain....

Thanks...I am not but I will be now... Since mine is in the feed shed it needs to be covered to keep out the mice. Don't want to find floaters in there

@HappyChooks In the interest of putting my intentions out into the universe and encouraging broodiness I have subscribed to the Easter Hatch a Long thread. I think I will start putting CG eggs aside big end up too and maybe this weekend I will move my girls into their "breeding pens". It means clipping a wing on a few of them

I sent a PM to @debs_flock not sure when she is coming home but think it is sometime this month hope she has a couple of NH and an SPR girl for me. This is what will be where when all is said and done

With The General..NH roo in my smaller pen

1 hatchery Del
1 Choc Barred Rock... this makes a choc sex link right?
2 NH
1SPR...will that make a six link??
2 other girls whose eggs I don't plan to hatch

With Ozzie...Del roo in my ginormous pen

1 Del from Kim's former flock
1 CA Grey
2 Dorkings
8 others whose eggs I don't want to hatch

I want to see if the Dorkings and the CG make sex links when paired with Ozzie. I will put the Dorkings in with the General in the fall to check for the same thing.

Thank you for letting me natter on about my hybrids and what not...my H while very supportive sort of glazes over when this subject comes up. He loves the eggs and seeing the birds in the yard but doesn't have the same fascination with chicks that I do.

But with "floaters" you would have an additional source of protein for your flock! Pickled mice treats!

I enjoyed reading about your chicken plans! It is always good to have a plan and fun to deviate from it! When we started with chickens, I really liked Barred Rocks and planned to get more. Then I got hooked into trying out different breeds. I brought home a blue Langshan chick from the feed store and fell in love with her. So, BBS Langshans are at the top of my chicken list along with Pita Pintas. Some breeds I thought that I would like until I had them. They were okay but not good layers or not friendly enough, etc.

My DH is supportive of my habit. He helps me build coops and work on the pens at the farm. He even cleans out the big coop almost every weekend. He usually rolls his eyes when I talk about more chicks but today he told me to put all the Pita Pinta eggs that I have into the incubator. Me thinks the man does not know what he is saying! I have dozens of Pita Pinta/PP mix eggs sitting here on my counter top. I accidentally dropped two cartons today and was upset about it until I realized there are a lot more where they came from!

Ok...don't get mad at me...but I have an overly simplistic question. And I'm asking due to lack of education, not malice or insensitivity.

Why are the nice expensive incubators so difficult to get a good hatch from? Why are they so much better than the basic styrofoam incubator (with turner of course)? Are they only superior for hatching the breeds that are not your basic dual purpose chicken?

I'm only asking because that's what I used for hatching my BR/Moran crosses, and it went well. However, next month I will set my first batch of Jersey Giants and bantam Lavender Ameracauna's. I intend to use the basic incubator unless you all tell me otherwise. Our 4H poultry leader has offered to set them in his large top of the line incubator, but that takes away some of the magic of seeing them hatch at home (my house).

They hold precise tempratures and humidity better. And there is more airflow so there is more potential o2. The more precise and stable the less energy the chick spends on not dying and the more it can spend on hatching.

Shipping really does a number on the membranes Embryo and air cell in the egg and makes it hard to attach and grow the right way.

Can you split the eggs? Or are they close enough to you you could do lockdown at your house taking your warm incubator to his house and transfering eggs?

Holy cow. Maybe with fingerling potatoes? Let me think.....

Nah..........once they bit into it the texture would totally give it away.........LOL

Yes! It better hatch real well and make espresso for Me in the morning!

I doubt they are that much better.

I was happy with the hatch rate with the Brinsea Ova 190, but making coffee in the morning would be great...!!!! LOL I am using the Hovabator Genesises again now, one new digital one & my older one too we will see later this month.

 

[Audio51]

Quote:
Do we want to know where he put it to do that??