California - Northern

[Audio51]

Quote: I do have a Food Saver and was thinking of doing that. I kind of wanted to keep a couple whole as roasters, but wasn't sure it would fit. I've never sealed anything that big before.

Quote: That sounds great! Where you able to vacuum seal the whole birds? I love the Food Saver. I had some Petite Sirloin that got pushed to the back of the freezer and I had vacuum sealed it. It was dated 2 years ago, but looked fine. I thawed it out and it smelled fine...not even any freezer burn. I used it to make fajitas that night and they were great! I could never have done that with regular freezer wrap.

no pips or peeps yet. uhmmm do you think I can stick 1-2 week old silkie babies under the mama with the new chicks when they hatch? Has anyone mixed ages under a broody? The silkies will be close to the same size as the LF chicks that will be newly hatched. There is no need for this but there is a NEED for this if you know what I mean.

I gave my broody hen the 2 Mottled AM chicks that were a week younger that the meat bird chicks she was already brooding. I put them in with her in the little "Day pen" I move them to each morning. She started to charge at me and I thought she was going to hurt the chicks, but she was charging me because she thought I was hurting "her" chicks. This was in the late morning and she saw what was going on. I didn't have to sneak them under her. One of the 2 chicks was the little one that had splayed legs and had been taped (it is doing great now BTW and you would never know it had a problem), so it was a little slower that the others. I did bring those 2 in the house to the brooder each evening for about 4 days until I was sure they had been successfully grafted into the clutch and they have been out there constantly for about 3 days now. I only brought them in those few nights because it was cold and rainy and I wanted to be sure they would get under her fo warmth over night.

God help me I'm in love. One EE chick looks like a chocolate chip, one looks like carmel, & the other is wearing eyeliner.

I love the eyeliner chick...

Off for a fun day doing grower's market, 100% chance of rain and gusting winds. DH said we didn't need to go, I asked him where am I going to store 2 1/2 weeks worth of eggs? I've got 3 ice chests in the van already.

Have agreat day

Today is the day I finally get the new coop put into place (the thing is HEAVY even with out all the walls on) I have to get it moved into place first leveled out and then I need to finish the walls floor roof etc. Im behind schedule a little. I need to get everything completed by Wed. or I may have to box brooder some Delawares the feed store is getting.

I have 5 weeks till the fostered buffs can go.

If I get 2 more dels and 2 New Hampshires.on Wed My brooder will be full again and in 3-4 weeks Ill have CLB so the fosters might have to go outside for 2 weeks. (Weather should be good enough by then they will be 6-7 weeks and the 9-10 week buffs should be with the dels by then.

Chicken math

Could build a 2nd divider for the brooder too but will really cramp all the chicks.

I told you the chicken math would get you!!!!

i kept the seramas inside last night and didnt seem to mind. i was also greeted in tye morning by a mini crow lol they sound so funny

LOL!!!! You grow up so fast!

 

[Audio51]

Got the go-ahead from the hubby so...I just ordered the Brinsea Eco 20 w/ turner!

Time to kick the crazy into high gear! (Happy Moms Day to Me!)

Woo Hoo!!!! I love mine!!! (Mine is the Advance though. I love digital!)

 

[PetRock]

Thanks! She is totally zoned out right now...in hen zen... and I hear peeping. I will see how many she has hatches of the 7. If there are fewer than 5 I may try "supplementing" with a couple of silkie babies.

Didn't even realize that I was timing this hatch with Mother's Day...I like that though.

Congrats! I have chicks hatching today and tomorrow, also! I didn't plan it on purpose either!

 

[tommysgirl]

Got the go-ahead from the hubby so...I just ordered the Brinsea Eco 20 w/ turner!

Time to kick the crazy into high gear! (Happy Moms Day to Me!)

Yay!!!!

I gave my broody hen the 2 Mottled AM chicks that were a week younger that the meat bird chicks she was already brooding. I put them in with her in the little "Day pen" I move them to each morning. She started to charge at me and I thought she was going to hurt the chicks, but she was charging me because she thought I was hurting "her" chicks. This was in the late morning and she saw what was going on. I didn't have to sneak them under her. One of the 2 chicks was the little one that had splayed legs and had been taped (it is doing great now BTW and you would never know it had a problem), so it was a little slower that the others. I did bring those 2 in the house to the brooder each evening for about 4 days until I was sure they had been successfully grafted into the clutch and they have been out there constantly for about 3 days now. I only brought them in those few nights because it was cold and rainy and I wanted to be sure they would get under her fo warmth over night.

Thanks that makes me feel even better about trying it!

Congrats! I have chicks hatching today and tomorrow, also! I didn't plan it on purpose either!

Good Luck ...we had a Mother's Day HAL and didn't even know it. I feel like there should be a prize for that.

 

[PetRock]

Thanks guys, that's a good idea. I think I'll either divide the coop or put a makeshift coop outside so the Marans can start living out there. Any ideas what can be used as a temporary coop outside? I was thinking a covered dog crate but they're so expensive.

Craigslist is an excellent place to find used dog crates/kennels. There are also local swap sites on FB. My DIL found a used XL kennel for us that was in perfect, used once condition for $20. Score!!! We use a variety of them in the grow out pens and also for broody mamas & their babies.

 

[PetRock]

Good Luck ...we had a Mother's Day HAL and didn't even know it. I feel like there should be a prize for that.

I would take a morning off from chicken chores! I think that's what I'll ask Monet to give me for Mother's Day!

 

[EZFarms]

Ive realised something.. i blame you guys for being enablers lol (actually i blame tge serama thread lol) i now have like 20-30 chickens and when i first started it was "okay this is all im getting" and omce my siljies start brooding i plan on finding people on here with hatching eggs xD

 

[AmyPaperlady]

Quote:
After cutting all the stuff about the current newbies out, I just realized that you may have meant to keep the pen in the coop for 3 weeks

But what I was going to say is that, if I'd need to even keep day-olds somewhere separate for 3 weeks, well, that's that--I don't have a quarantine area with electrical access. I don't have room in either the house or garage to keep chicks for weeks at a time.

 

[PetRock]

I joined the EE band wagon! These three pullets spoke to me!

They are so cute that they are hard to resist! We drooled over the chicks, ducklings, and goslings at the feed store this morning which is totally ridiculous because we have scores of chicks at home right now. Monet said, "Look! They have black Langshans!!!" Of course, she had "that" look in her eyes as she said it. I told her that we have plenty of black Langshans of our own in the brooders and grow out pens! But I did go look at the 3 little buggers! So cute!!!

 

[capayvalleychick]

I am incubating eggs for the first time. I haven't attempted this before because all the conflicting info on this site and others just makes my head spin! I have a need to do things correctly and when information is not black & white, it stresses me out. I bought a used Genesis last year and never had the nerve to try it.

I bought an RCom, for 2 reasons. 1. - because my hatching room is in a barn and does not have climate control. 2. - because it looked to be the most automatic incubator. So I wouldn't have to adjust things on it.

The machine just sat in the box for over a week, then my husband (who knows absolutely nothing about hatching) took it out, set it on automatic, put a bunch of (unwashed) hatching eggs inside and turned it on. He said broody hens don't agonize over details to hatch their eggs. That was late afternoon, April 22.

Temp has been 99.5, humidity has been 45-46%. IDK how often it's been turning. I've seen it turn a few times. I candled on day 6. No development in half the eggs, from 2 hens. Normal looking development in the other half, from 2 other hens.

I'm not sure when to adjust humidity and turn off the turner. Today is day 18. Most hatching info says to adjust humidity for the last 3 days. The RCom instructions say to change humidity and turn off the turner on the end of day 19 - which would be the last 2 days. ???

The RCom users manual actually says both day 19 and the last 3 days, even though it also says 21 days to hatch.

Here's their video. Hatching section is on minute 7.

It also recommends hatching humidity to be 65% which is different from what Ron said.

@ronott1 @lawatt @Hangtown Farms