California - Northern

[zooweemama]

Hoping the ones from me are better. It was a good hatch rate and you have the entire hatch so you should have a lot of pullets!

I hope so! My wish out of all 13 you gave me is to get 2 marans and 2 OEs pullets. I would be over the moon. I am hoping for a couple pullets out of my own barnyard mixes too. And 2 silkie/sizzle pullets from the batch I got from Jeff (7 chicks...hoping for 2 girls lol). I actually do not have very many chickens (I have a ton of chicks! LOL). 12 females I think? Of non chick/baby females that is.

 

[zooweemama]

My coop is nearly done. It's taken forEVER. Gotta love weather and short days. We got the roof done- comp roof. Looks so nice. Door is on. Opens like a barn door. My husband still needs to cut out 2 windows into it and a pop door. For the flooring we are weighing our options. We are trying to go with inexpensive but useful. It's particle board right now basically. We thought about linoleum- that seems inexpensive. It would be funny to add the wood looking kind haha. The barn mats seem nice but they are very expensive. We are flooring a 10x10 space. Basically we want to protect the wood underneath. We do not wish to put bedding directly on the floor boards itself.

 

[chiqita]

I buy straight run chicks and don't really have issue with it and understand that it means I am gambling. My rate is like 3 boys to 1 girl. Doesn't matter who I buy from. I have horrible luck. I bought my ducklings from a breeder sexed. That was awesome. I would love to learn how to vent sex all my birds. I would love to be able to CL all the boys within a week of hatch so save on feed costs. haha I think mentioning it a few times in emails honestly is a good thing- I swear people gloss over it.

Yeah, plus you get Marans, and I really DO think they run to more boys. There is some evidence that male chicks can take hotter temps, and since a lot of people have incubator spikes they are not aware of the more volitile the bator, the more boys hatch . AS Ron said, the closer to a 100% hatch you get, the more its likely to have girls!
I understand peoples need, thats why I take roos back, back, but sexing chicks is a professionals.

DUCKS, however have organs you can see. Chickens you are trying to tell the shape of the tiny opening.... do you see a bump or a wiggle. I'm not seeing me learning that!

It is pourng here now, its making me think about your ducks and how much they like rain! No ducks here to enjoy it however.

LOL, yeah silkies/showgirls are not the easiest. I have a partridge cockerel that was a pullet up until the day before I sent in an entry for "her" first show. No streamers, very docile, never crowed, then I took a good look at the developing comb. I swear, a month later the comb was huge and he was jumping all the girls! Late starter, but he's making up for lost time.

Deb

Yes, for every one that I know quickly, one sneaks past. for example I have 6 silkie chicks outside born between septmber and november. They ALL look like girls right now, but I know ther eis no way that is true. ( well, it could be true since i did not have 100% hatches on shipped eggs, but id be shocked if it was..)

Speaking of November, Miss molly ( or papabrooder or deanna for that matter) you don't happen to have a cream legbar growing out from about that time do you? I have 4 silkies that age that are staying here, I could graft a cl onto their group and it would grow up with friends.. I will end up with chicks of my own, but was hoping to get a tiny jump start. I can bring some home made bribes even ( as well as normal currency, or chicken currency if you are in the market for POL icelandics)

I doubt either of you do, since they go so quickly, but I thought i'd check just in case.

I had my first girl hatch ( the boy didnt! go figure!) and it was definatly Liv's egg ( cate is only laying about once a week or so and her egg looked a little different) so she is staying and got named after her mother. I think I will try and graft her on my Marans broody who i'm going to give some of the chicks from this weekend so she can live outside and not raise her in my office. She might be a bit too old however, so we shall see if she takes or not.

We have a quail that hatched at the begining of feburary that has a terrible cross beak. I have been feeding them fermented feed so it can scoop it up and trying to give it all the life it could take, but I'm thinking it is getting close to its end now. It is still growing, but has slowed down compared to the others. It has so much love of life however, i'm torn. I don't want it to starve to death and have a bad end, but shes a happy thing. Maybe I will just keep them all indoors for a little longer, so it can use all its energy for living. decisions, decisions..

 

[chiqita]

My coop is nearly done. It's taken forEVER. Gotta love weather and short days. We got the roof done- comp roof. Looks so nice. Door is on. Opens like a barn door. My husband still needs to cut out 2 windows into it and a pop door. For the flooring we are weighing our options. We are trying to go with inexpensive but useful. It's particle board right now basically. We thought about linoleum- that seems inexpensive. It would be funny to add the wood looking kind haha. The barn mats seem nice but they are very expensive. We are flooring a 10x10 space. Basically we want to protect the wood underneath. We do not wish to put bedding directly on the floor boards itself.

Id just get a remnent of linolium. Actualy Id get 2 and overlap em becuse they will be cheaper and you can clean it out easier if you can pick it up in the middle when you want the whole thing cleaned once a year or so.

Also zoo, I meant to mention my Turkeys are still living with my Chickens no problems. We do not have much blackhead around here, and they free range in the day so are not inclined to sit on or eat chicken poop.

I bet they would do GREAT with ducks in a duck house! Come to the dark side..... or at least the heavy side!

 

[HighNDryFarm]

Incubator question again. I think I've decided on the Brinsea Octagon 20 Advance - digital menu driven incubator, and last minute pros or cons on this unit? My question is, do I need the humidity pump or anything else like a rack, which evidently doesn't come with it? I read in a review that it doesn't come with a rack which I thought was odd. I asked about the seconds and they told me they rarely have those but this unit is on special plus they gave me a code for another 10%, although I think I can get it for about $20 cheaper on Amazon with free shipping. Still trying to decide I want to make sure I order everything so I can get hatching right away! EEEEEEEEEEKKKK, I'm SO excited!

 

[ronott1]

Quote: Yes! We had a discussion about Gender and chickens last week on the BA Thread. Someone thought they were getting more pullets because they had lowered the temp in the Bator. I posted that they were not changing the gender, like reptiles and that the Pullet or hen has the gene(or lack of Gene) that makes the gender. If temperature changes the ratio, then you are killing chicks by not incubating correctly. Either that or you just have pullets\hens that throw more pullets this season.

One person said I had just saved his breeding roo! He thought it was the Roosters fault for having too many boys hatch because he was the constant with a couple of seasons of hatching. See where we can get into trouble? Our personal experience does not equal the whole reality of anything! It is conceit to think otherwise. We need to be more humble and realize that we may be an exception and that there is Poultry Science and genetics to help us understand.

I can't wait to see what Amy Beth gets! They are very healthy little guys too.

 

[ronott1]

Incubator question again. I think I've decided on the Brinsea Octagon 20 Advance - digital menu driven incubator, and last minute pros or cons on this unit? My question is, do I need the humidity pump or anything else like a rack, which evidently doesn't come with it? I read in a review that it doesn't come with a rack which I thought was odd. I asked about the seconds and they told me they rarely have those but this unit is on special plus they gave me a code for another 10%, although I think I can get it for about $20 cheaper on Amazon with free shipping. Still trying to decide I want to make sure I order everything so I can get hatching right away! EEEEEEEEEEKKKK, I'm SO excited!

Get it all from Brinsea as a package. It is less expensive that way and there is always a 10% off code with them. For example, if you decide to get the humidity pump later, it will cost $130 to $150. As a package it will cost $99.00 and then you get 10% off. I think they have the code on their facebook page. Mine came with metal rails and foam inserts that go between the rails. They sit in a basked that comes out of the incubator. There are water channels under the basket, so you would use those for water.

Congratulations!

 

[zooweemama]

Yeah, plus you get Marans, and I really DO think they run to more boys. There is some evidence that male chicks can take hotter temps, and since a lot of people have incubator spikes they are not aware of the more volitile the bator, the more boys hatch . AS Ron said, the closer to a 100% hatch you get, the more its likely to have girls!
I understand peoples need, thats why I take roos back, back, but sexing chicks is a professionals.

DUCKS, however have organs you can see. Chickens you are trying to tell the shape of the tiny opening.... do you see a bump or a wiggle. I'm not seeing me learning that!

It is pourng here now, its making me think about your ducks and how much they like rain! No ducks here to enjoy it however.
Yes, for every one that I know quickly, one sneaks past. for example I have 6 silkie chicks outside born between septmber and november. They ALL look like girls right now, but I know ther eis no way that is true. ( well, it could be true since i did not have 100% hatches on shipped eggs, but id be shocked if it was..)

Speaking of November, Miss molly ( or papabrooder or deanna for that matter) you don't happen to have a cream legbar growing out from about that time do you? I have 4 silkies that age that are staying here, I could graft a cl onto their group and it would grow up with friends.. I will end up with chicks of my own, but was hoping to get a tiny jump start. I can bring some home made bribes even ( as well as normal currency, or chicken currency if you are in the market for POL icelandics)

I doubt either of you do, since they go so quickly, but I thought i'd check just in case.

I had my first girl hatch ( the boy didnt! go figure!) and it was definatly Liv's egg ( cate is only laying about once a week or so and her egg looked a little different) so she is staying and got named after her mother. I think I will try and graft her on my Marans broody who i'm going to give some of the chicks from this weekend so she can live outside and not raise her in my office. She might be a bit too old however, so we shall see if she takes or not.

We have a quail that hatched at the begining of feburary that has a terrible cross beak. I have been feeding them fermented feed so it can scoop it up and trying to give it all the life it could take, but I'm thinking it is getting close to its end now. It is still growing, but has slowed down compared to the others. It has so much love of life however, i'm torn. I don't want it to starve to death and have a bad end, but shes a happy thing. Maybe I will just keep them all indoors for a little longer, so it can use all its energy for living. decisions, decisions..

The ducks love the rain. When it rains I never have to worry about them. They just enjoy it all. I want to learn how to vent sex ducks too. I am always afraid of hurting them though.

Id just get a remnent of linolium. Actualy Id get 2 and overlap em becuse they will be cheaper and you can clean it out easier if you can pick it up in the middle when you want the whole thing cleaned once a year or so.

Also zoo, I meant to mention my Turkeys are still living with my Chickens no problems. We do not have much blackhead around here, and they free range in the day so are not inclined to sit on or eat chicken poop.

I bet they would do GREAT with ducks in a duck house! Come to the dark side..... or at least the heavy side!

Thanks! I would love a pair of turkeys. Just to have haha!

Incubator question again. I think I've decided on the Brinsea Octagon 20 Advance - digital menu driven incubator, and last minute pros or cons on this unit? My question is, do I need the humidity pump or anything else like a rack, which evidently doesn't come with it? I read in a review that it doesn't come with a rack which I thought was odd. I asked about the seconds and they told me they rarely have those but this unit is on special plus they gave me a code for another 10%, although I think I can get it for about $20 cheaper on Amazon with free shipping. Still trying to decide I want to make sure I order everything so I can get hatching right away! EEEEEEEEEEKKKK, I'm SO excited!

yay either way I am excited for you!

Yes! We had a discussion about Gender and chickens last week on the BA Thread. Someone thought they were getting more pullets because they had lowered the temp in the Bator. I posted that they were not changing the gender, like reptiles and that the Pullet or hen has the gene(or lack of Gene) that makes the gender. If temperature changes the ratio, then you are killing chicks by not incubating correctly. Either that or you just have pullets\hens that throw more pullets this season.

One person said I had just saved his breeding roo! He thought it was the Roosters fault for having too many boys hatch because he was the constant with a couple of seasons of hatching. See where we can get into trouble? Our personal experience does not equal the whole reality of anything! It is conceit to think otherwise. We need to be more humble and realize that we may be an exception and that there is Poultry Science and genetics to help us understand.

I can't wait to see what Amy Beth gets! They are very healthy little guys too.

I am really excited! Woohoo!

 

[zooweemama]

Question about a broodies. Betty took care of the 4 chicks very well for 2 days and 1 night so far. Keeping them warm and safe. I moved her and the chicks to a crate and they are locked in for now. I wanted to keep her locked in for a day- mostly for the chicks but she wanted to keeping going back to the lay box she had been sitting in for 34 days. I added 3 more chicks and she adopted them too. She is up to 7 chicks. if she keeps taking them- how many chicks can I safely add for her to adopt? Betty is half Black English Orp and half FBCM. So she is not tiny.

 

[zooweemama]

Post hog! Sorry.

Update on my scalped chick- totally fine. She is ugly lol but cute in an ugly way. She can see fine. I doubt she will ever grow feathers on her head though.

The chick with the rough hatch- she had icky eyes, bot very sure footed, matted fluff for days, stubborn pasty butt really bad, and her cord was still attached. After that warm soak the other day to remove the pasty butt (it was dried on her entire butt area- covered a large area) her cord had fallen off and left a hole that kept oozing what looked like food. I put Blue Kote on the hole. Since that day no more pasty butt, clear eyes, sure footed, hole is closed and healing. Yay!

I figure rather than complaining or being frustrated- I am grateful for the learning experiences. And glad for no losses(so far) WITH the experiences lol. Thanks everyone for your help!