California - Northern

[Happy Chooks]

More ducklings!


-Kathy

You are seriously killing me with sweetness!

My Olive Egger project chicks are 8.5 weeks old.

Pullet:



The cockerels look like this guy.

Beautiful pullet! Love her coloring.

Even with the Brinsea & humidity module I found that shipped eggs were a disappointment. I never got the hatch I had hoped for but for the sake of getting some nice birds from good stock I hatched shipped eggs a lot in the beginning. I am not sorry to have done that but hand delivered eggs from my own chicken lovin' friends or my own chickens do so much better, I do hope some of you coming to the party in May will bring hatching eggs though. I have a mental list going......LOL

When is that party again?

Oh @ronott1 - do ducks do well under the EcoGlow Brooder? Looks tricky to raise up from the first level. I'd think they'd need the second one.

Ditto.

 

[chickee]

I haven't tried the salt thing yet...I meant to but it said it took like 7 hours. I was in lockdown at that point so didn't want to have nothing in the 'bator that long. I tried putting out on the back porch and comparing it to weather web site Ron suggested and it was waaaay low compared to that...like 40 degrees. Then I tried it in the brinsea and it was only about 20 degrees different. So I don't know what to think with it. The unhatched eggs all look like they developed but died pretty far along. Would that happen if it was shipping issues?

Yes, I have been having quitters in this batch of shipped eggs so far up until day 14. I new those were at risk because I could see the whites all jiggly, which made for an unstable environment for the growing embryo.

These are the eggs that came from Georgia. They were in bad shape.

 

[casportpony]

Mine love the Eco-Glow! Mine has the legs that adjust.

-Kathy

 

[ronott1]

Mine love the Eco-Glow! Mine has the legs that adjust.

-Kathy

It is not hard to adjust the height. It looks like Ducklings need less heat for a shorter time too.

 

[PetRock]

Even with the Brinsea & humidity module I found that shipped eggs were a disappointment. I never got the hatch I had hoped for but for the sake of getting some nice birds from good stock I hatched shipped eggs a lot in the beginning. I am not sorry to have done that but hand delivered eggs from my own chicken lovin' friends or my own chickens do so much better, I do hope some of you coming to the party in May will bring hatching eggs though. I have a mental list going......LOL

An egg swap would be fun!!! I'm trying to narrow my breeds down but it is so hard! My two favorites are my BBS Langshans and my Pita Pintas. I also like my Wellies and have the chance to get a man for them. They are laying beautiful, big, terra cotta colored eggs. Love them! I also love my blue Cream Legbar/CL mix eggs. The pure CLs lay a huge egg for the size bird they are. Not a one of them is friendly though and they are very flightly so need to consider that when housing them if I decide to breed them. I have a quad of Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks and a trio of Rhode Island Reds. I like both of the breeds but if I have to scale down, they are probably the ones that will go. The other breed that I "need" is some variety of dark egg laying Marans. Meanwhile, hatching frenzy is upon me and my incubators are filled with Langshan, Pita Pinta, and Pita Pinta mix eggs. Have to get chicks listed on Craigslist before more hatch! I also have 12 Northern Bobwhite quail (3 female & 9 male) that I am going to be listing. If they don't sell, we will be eating them. I need the pen space for chicks!

Edited to add I forgot my Bresse! They are flighty, too! We need to modify their enclosure at the farm to keep them in. My friend is getting tired of seeing white birds all over everywhere!

 

[Audio51]

Quote: I had some quiters early one too, but the 9 still in the 'bator look like they were just about ready to push up into the air cell, so I'm wondering if my humidity issues had anything to do with it...

 

[chrissyr]

Mine love the Eco-Glow! Mine has the legs that adjust.

-Kathy

do you start on the middle setting?

 

[chiqita]

It is sometimes the only way to get some breeds so worth the risk sometimes.  As long as I get some out of them it is not a total loss.    We don't have a lot of breeders in my area that I know of either so I don't have a lot of resources for hatching eggs.  I did bring some of the chicks back inside though.  It has rained so much an has been so cold the broodies were not rally taking them out for food/water.  I have checked them several times today and found some looking weak and one rolled over on it's back, not under the hens.  It was not worth risking losing them so I moved 7 of the 12 back inside into a brooder with food/water.  Most of them were drinking like they have not had any water since hatch, so I think it was a wise move.  I may bring more in later depending on how they are doing in an hour or so.  I would like to NOT have to bring them all in since I don't want to risk the broodie's not taking them back, but I won't risk their lives.  If I have to brood them inside, then so be it.

The salt thing is great. Just leave it overnight and write down somewhere so you dont forget.

Ducks love ecoglows. The guy I got mines that died from had them for ducks, he raised them for his thesis.

 

[casportpony]

Quote: Mine don't stay under long, they actually prefer sitting on it, lol. Muscovies are great jumpers!

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Quote: Mine has legs that screw in and I just eyeball it.

-Kathy