cold eggs and then some *Pic heavy update page 3

[jenjscott]

I've decided chickens are prejudice. When I integrated my four Maran pullets and rooster and their foster momma (a small RIR type hen) into a flock of red stars, they quickly accepted the RIR, but took about three weeks to adjust and accept the Marans. I have found the same thing with baby chicks. They will much more readily accept same-colored chicks from another batch than chicks of a different color. If they hatch together they seem to do OK. But once they are even a day out, it is more diffucult to mix them.

So anyway, today I found one of my 2 week old buckeyes dead in the corner of the brooder, no apparent cause, weight was good. hmmm. I can see one other that has kind of watery eyes, I will have to check that out.

I moved 4 1-week old marans in with the bunch hoping that since there were already 10 marans in that bunch that it would go ok. I watched for a while and they seem to have mixed right in, better than when I mixed the first group of marans and the buckeyes.

Now here's something interesting. I lifted the lid on my hatcher this am, almost at the end of day 22. I had 5 (I counted twice) hatched and 4 more pipped. More Buckeyes! I think this is the highest percentage I have been able to get to this stage from shipped eggs. I will be anxiously awaiting the outcome of those left in the hatcher. I'm not sure what has happened. I have been watching my temps, and they have been the same as my other hatches. I can't figure out why they're late.

Monday i'm gonna set more eggs! A friend wants to set some banty eggs and I'm going to set more silkies. Maybe I'l. set my turkey eggs monday too. They called again yesterday and have put off my order of turkeys again. Now it will be the 21st of April. Still in time for thanksgiving for the toms, (Hopefully it won't be all of them)

 

[jenjscott]

So now I`ve `got 7 silkie eggs of my own and 14 mail order silkies, 14 buff orpington, 6 turkey,6 oegb, and 17 barnyard specials that belong to my neighbor, in the bator. why did I order another dozen buff orp eggs? and where in the heck am I going to put them?

 

[jenjscott]

Today the first of my buff orpington's hatched. cute little bright yellow fuzzy butts. Seven in the brooder and three more pips. day 23. I had several power outages with temp drops, but apparently only enough to slow down the hatch.I picked up a used incubator at the El Dorado show Saturday and I'm working on getting it regulated. I had to move all my eggs into the old sears and use the hova bator for hatching because the hova's not big enough for all the incubating eggs, so I'm having to turn everything by hand. This new old bator will give me some extra space. Of course there's always something coming up. I have to go to texas the weekend that my turkeys are due, so I have to make some arrangements for that. I'm thinking they might be a little late too, from the temps, that would be a blessing. Well, i gotta go hurry up and wait so more, see y'all later.

 

[walkswithdog]

Jen good luck! And I am so not confessing to the banty Dark Brahma eggs that are in someone else's incubator for me...

 

[jenjscott]

Oh I am so bad. I have some eggs hatching for a friend. She brought over some of her mixed breed eggs, and I gave her some oegb and sebright eggs. Well, her little banties are hatching and I want to put them in with my hatchlings so bad! (I wouldn't really do that though). I have silkies hatching. These are shipped eggs. None of my silkie eggs developed. And now my only sikie hen has apparently turned into an egg eater. So I can see 4 silkie pips and she has two hatched and at least 6 more pipped. Those are my hatchers. And in my incubator are still my turkeys and second round BOs, and two more turkey eggs I just had to put in there, along with a couple of banties and frizzles I just couldn't seem to leave out. And as mentioned on another thread, I now have three BTW Japanese banties sitting on the same nest.

 

[jenjscott]

Oh, it has been way too long since I updated here, my buckeyes are all outside. I divided out the coop and have them in one side, Next week I will be turning them out into the yard.

The three BTW Japanese on one nest became 4 hens on one nest and a couple of chicks out of the shell yesterday. I moved three of them to a dog crate with a new (bigger) nest box and crossed my fingers and they all went right in. I candled the eggs in the move and there were 6 eggs definitely way behind the others, I popped them in my incubator and gave them the dozen thay were farthest ahead. I'm not sure what's going to happen with them, just have to see. I should have moved them earlier. NEXT TIME!

5 out of my six turkey eggs hatched, There are two basic color patterns, so I might have some pure bourbon reds and reds/RP mix. Then my 15 shipped arrived. I put them all in the brooder with my now week old silkies, they are all about the same size, and everybody got along fine. I was surprised to find some of my silkies are frizzled! My second round of Buff orpingtons didn't do anything, 5 clear and one quit developing.

I have more eggs going in the hatcher today, from my banties.

Next week we are going to pick up my new used incubator so I can do 288 eggs at once, now I'm really in trouble. Neat thing is, I think my DH is finally getting infected just a little.

 

[pdsavage]

Thats cute they all cramed in there...

 

[jenjscott]

Yesterday the ladies came off for a little while with 4 little ones, one black with a white spot. (I really didn't think that huge maran rooster could breed these little ladies.) Today they came off for good, all three hens with 4 chicks, leaving about 8 eggs behind. After several hours, we decided to check the eggs. One of them was pipped, two were peeping, but they were cool to the touch. I popped them in the hatcher (already running with eggs due in two days) and the pipped one hatched within an hour. So we're hoping more will hatch. I wonder if I put this one chick and any others that hatch today under the hens in the dark tonight if they will take it (them)?

I put 6 more turkey eggs in the incubator today. I have been saving them, wishing my hen would go broody. My DH wants to know what we're going to do with all those turkeys. I figure i'll try to sell some and the rest, apart from my HENS I am sure to have, will go in the freezer. There are another 4 turkey eggs in her nest box.

 

[taraann81]

I'm a newbie with my first eggs in my first incubator, I read this thread and now realized that I will turn out to be just like you guys in the near future..... Before you join this site or buy an incubator there should be warning about the highly addictive nature of this hobby.

 

[sonew123]

holy cow--you are sooo busy! Im jealous of all the eggs you have--turkey eggs Im drooling-Im waiting to hatch out this batch and then ask teh DH if we can incubate like 3-4 bronze trukeys for Tday! who knows we'll see?? good luck with all your eggs and babies