California - Northern

[CackleJoy]

I am a couple of pages behind but wanted to fill you in on liberating my new silkie

Here is the issue. I first agreed to rescue this girl 3 weeks ago. I live 2+ hours from where she was housed. My contact person told me at the time that she thought that the eggs were on day 11. Figuring it would be best if I waited to pick her up until they hatched I committed to picking her up this week.

My contact has been less than communicative throughout this whole process failing to respond to repeated messages and has said many things which have lead me to believe she really doesn't know what she is talking about like this:

In the original ad "Whoever takes her will get all of her kids too or eggs if they haven't hatched"
She said she didn't know when the hen started setting because "she hadn't candled recently"

She told me "I don't know what happened to all her eggs she is down to four." This was a week ago
Yesterday it was "No chicks but a ton of eggs"

All of this makes me wonder if the hen truly is broody.

Like I told you all I did some sleuthing with the information I had and found out that my contact was a former employee at the site where the hen is currently living. I did an end run around the contact and as a result I picked her up last night.

There she was sitting surrounded by more eggs than she could possibly cover...about 2 dozen at least. She stayed on some of them for the duration of the trip home odds are they are not the same ones she was able to get under her earlier. I wont mess with her for a few days maybe I will candle them all on Sunday but I seriously doubt that any are viable. She, a couple of other silkie gals and a cochin hen were all with a bunch of frizzled roosters. Apparently the other ladies have been laying in the nest for a couple of weeks or more and no one has been managing any aspect of it meanwhile my poor girl has been broody for Lord knows how long but hasn't been given a situation that would result in her actually successfully hatching. She felt soooo light when I picked her up. she has to be stressed out about her inability to cover them all right?

The gal who was my contact didn't think their was anything odd about the situation and took for granted that there would be

a) more eggs then she could cover
b) they would all be different ages

anyway I am worried that if I give her fertiles from my girls it will be unhealthy for her t0 go 21 days but I will wait and see. Going to give her fermented 22% and sprout some BOSS so that when she eats she will be getting good stuff. Also will pick up some calf manna.

Another option is to giver give her a couple of eggs from Petunia they are on Day 12 right now. I would love to get some chicks from papabrooder but not sure when I could get there.

Anyone from the Redding area driving South on 5 in the next week or so?

After candling, if any are moving and further along in development, let her have those. Sounds like she could use a break. I'm considering taking some eggs out of the incubator a few days before lockdown and letting our broody hatch them. She has gotten confused a couple times (she's young) and changed buckets. That means I've grabbed eggs, put them in the incubator and she's started over with a new batch. I don't want her pulling a Noah (locked in for 40 days and nights). All your feed ideas sound nice. We feed the broody sprouted BOSS treats every day. She takes a few and then shuts her eyes to let us know she's done. I really need to find a good spot to move her!

 

[chiqita]

So I let these last eggs rest in the incubator a few days w/o turning and then turned on the turner on day 5 (for some day 6).  The development is so poor on these shipped eggs that I don't figure I've done any damage   Next time I'll use the book method starting on Day 2.  Then turn on the turner day 5.  I think the turner may add unnecessary vibrations.

The turning in the first 7 days contraversy I find facinating. I have been trying to do some reserch about vein development and turning and o2 and all I can figure is you are trying to get the vein network completly around the egg so they dont have inadequate fkow and die as an early quitter with blood issues.

I think putting the thing air cell upright does the same thing if I am understanding the issues correctly. It is a bigger problem with eggs on the side that need to have the side turned regardless of if you turn them end to end. I learned that hand turning ducks!

 

[CackleJoy]

I think that the turner vibration is bad for them during the first week too.

the Brinsea auto turn cradle and the Rcom turner seem to be better on them.

make sure the eggs are big end up and not at an angle. Improper angle during the first 2 days is associated with embryo death at 5 to 7 days according to the incubation troubleshooter:

Thank you for that. I usually have the eggs perfectly upright. I should make sure and not start tilting until day 3. I'm seriously craving a bigger incubator. BUT, once I return the borrowed incubators I'll only have one. Having one incubator is perfect for curbing the sheer number of chicks we have!

If the Swedes and Basque start laying more than I can incubate, I may be able to justify a Sportsman from JSWest next spring. They sell their used ones (used one season). I'd have to save ahead but I've seen how much the hatch rate improves over my hovabator and I was suitably impressed. If I learn how to get 97% out of the styrafoam ones then I guess I don't need the better incubator. Hmmpsh, talking myself out of it already!

 

[CackleJoy]

The turning in the first 7 days contraversy I find facinating. I have been trying to do some reserch about vein development and turning and o2 and all I can figure is you are trying to get the vein network completly around the egg so they dont have inadequate fkow and die as an early quitter with blood issues.

I think putting the thing air cell upright does the same thing if I am understanding the issues correctly. It is a bigger problem with eggs on the side that need to have the side turned regardless of if you turn them end to end. I learned that hand turning ducks!

That is interesting! I let them rest with the big ends up to encourage proper placement of air cells. Still too many wonky saddle bags and one on its side. That one side job will have to be slanted in the egg carton for hatch. I've never had to pay this much attention before! Day 17 I'm marking all the air cells so I know which way to position the eggs on the flat. Really hoping for a FEW out of these eggs! Started at 53 shipped eggs down to less than 30. Be nice to get a few from each variety represented! Except the BBS ORPs, only 1 out of the 12 developed. I'm not holding my breath for that hatch.

Edited to say that the cuckoo orps are all developing beautifully and they were in the same box. If any hatch, I think it will be them. The SFH eggs are all bunk, about 6 out of 20 are developing. The Brabanters are the ones with wonky air cells.

 

[ronott1]

The turning in the first 7 days contraversy I find facinating. I have been trying to do some reserch about vein development and turning and o2 and all I can figure is you are trying to get the vein network completly around the egg so they dont have inadequate fkow and die as an early quitter with blood issues.

I think putting the thing air cell upright does the same thing if I am understanding the issues correctly. It is a bigger problem with eggs on the side that need to have the side turned regardless of if you turn them end to end. I learned that hand turning ducks!

Thank you for looking into this!

I watched an incubation video where they showed hand turning with eggs in cartons or trays. The eggs were rotated by turning the eggs completely over three times a day. That would be 180 degree rotation! they went from big end up to small end up.

Getting the veins around the embryo makes great sense and that would be much harder with saddle air cells.

 

[chiqita]

It all started to pique my curiosity with The darm scovies and hand turning. I was turning them right to left in the turner on the side for one set. It was a disaster with exactly as the no turning described. All the veining on one side early deaths and only 1 chick.

I am going to use the dicky hatching tray for eggs that need to be hand turned and x o them for flipping once a day during misting. But touis is looking to go broody in a good place and pre incubating her eggs so we will not have any to experiment with for a while.

 

[casportpony]

Ok so I didn't get easter eggers from the feedstore....but got 5 D'uccles..

What feed store carries D'uccles?  And where do they buy them?  I want to see photos of your newbies

Two of the feedstores by me have them every now and then. Farmers has their own breeding stock and the do not vaccinate for Marek's, Silva's also had them, but she didn't know what hatchery they came from or if they were vaccinated.

-Kathy

 

[tommysgirl]

Id give her nutri. Mollassas seems good for birds and easy to ad on/in live food. Nutri seems very palatable to my adults if it is squirted on top they go for it first.

Im not a personal fan of poly for adults. It is for human babies and they have different requirments. I think its great because you can get it anywhere and it is concentrated . But for every day I use poultry stuff. Specifically I have gone nutri crazy since I had crazy sucess qith wry problems with it.

Has anyone used red cell? I see it mentioned in silkie circles but it has a lot of iron. Im not sire why we do no iron however I just kinda repeat that part heh.

OK ND it is. I also have molasses and cantalope on hand so will attempt to tempt her at lunch time. I think she is still a little shell shocked about the move.

...so tell me what you think of this plan

I will weigh her and send you all pics and you can tell me if she is good to continue to sit on eggs or if you would get her chicks ASAP...I can get her MF D'Uccle probably on Sunday but I don't really want MF so hoping for another option

If you think she has another 8 days in her I will give her 3 or 4 of petunias eggs or any of the eggs she came with that are further along and moving...not holding out much hope that that is likely

Meanwhile I continue working on finding Bantam chicks somewhere close. TSC has just 7 but they are in the next county away and they may be sold out before I can get there.

 

[chiqita]

OK  ND it is.  I also have molasses and cantalope on hand so will attempt to tempt her at lunch time.  I think she is still a little shell shocked about the move.

...so tell me what you think of this plan

I will weigh her and send you all pics and you can tell me if she is good to continue to sit on eggs or if you would get her chicks ASAP...I can get her MF D'Uccle probably on Sunday but I don't really want MF so hoping for another option

If you think she has another 8 days in her I will give her 3 or 4 of petunias eggs or any of the eggs she came with that are further along and moving...not holding out much hope that that is likely

Meanwhile I continue working on finding Bantam chicks somewhere close.  TSC has just 7 but they are in the next county away and they may be sold out before I can get there.

She should last 8 days unless she is really skinny.

 

[chiqita]

Question: if lock down is a term chicken veterans don't like , what do you use for the time you stop turning and up the humidity?