Colorado

[suncatcher]

*Runs off to check the size of her waterer to compare with relative chick size* CRAP! That is TOTALLY a good place for a tiny chick to drown! I'll be purchasing some marbles soon...

The running off to check, not the part about the possibility of chicks drowning,

 

[chlskt]

One is out! Another maran has pipped!

 

[chlskt]

Double post...sorry

 

[DenverDucky]

Love your Ducky!  Looks to be a sweetie!

Thanks! She's a total cuddle duck

 

[Dnetschke]

Thank you for your kind and wise words.  I'll be getting my first batch of chicks in a few weeks and I am super excited and super nervous.  I would like to end up with 5 ladies, so I'm not sure if I should get 6 just to be safe... I think I'd be ok with 6 adults, but 5 would be better since it's just my husband and I we don't need that many eggs.   We're pretty sure 4 would be too few.

Here's a question, are you more likely to lose a chick early or late?  If it is more likely early, I would be able to run out and pick up another one to round things out.  But if it's later than I think I'd rather take my chances and get 6 to start.  GAH!  So many ifs!

I lost one early. From my POV & situation I should have got extras and I will. I ordered my exact# and now I have to make a rush order. I'm going to order 2 extras and if they all make it, great. Maybe I'll keep the 2 extras, but I have a friend in line to take them if needed. You could always trade them on BYC.

 

[jgurshtein]

The running off to check, not the part about the possibility of chicks drowning,

It was a pretty funny few minutes. After noticing the drowning hazard I went rummaging around the house for ANYTHING that I could substitute for marbles. Nothing came up.

 

[jgurshtein]

I lost one early. From my POV & situation I should have got extras and I will. I ordered my exact# and now I have to make a rush order. I'm going to order 2 extras and if they all make it, great. Maybe I'll keep the 2 extras, but I have a friend in line to take them if needed. You could always trade them on BYC.

I'm sorry you lost one. I've been seeing so many of those posts which is what really got me anxious. I think you're right and I will go ahead and get an extra (or two, if I can talk my husband into it) to save the headache of trying to get a good number in the end. While the loss of a chick is upsetting, I could see how it would be like rubbing salt in a wound to have to run around trying to replace her and worry if the newcomer will get along with your other ladies. Ok, it's decided, we're getting extras. Thanks for your input!

 

[Chook Chick]

Hi Adam

Would you please tell me about your homemade incubator?
How did you make it?
I've been looking at the ones online....kinda expensive. Plus I am so confused over candling so much...the hpbaa says put the eggs in the incubator and leave them alone; they also don't recommend using a styrofoam type unit. I think candling makes sense, then you're not wasting your time with eggs that aren't going to hatch and could possibly explode....yuk!!
So how long have you been raising/hatching chickèns and what kind of coop do you have?
Thanks for the info

Soooooo, I just candled. It's day 7. I have 16 with solid veining. I even saw movement in 1!!! He was doing the backstroke!! I have one I think has a blood ring, I will need to do more research to make sure and I have 1 that is infertile. I am bummed about the infertile one because it was an EE egg that was a very very unique cream color. I am going to leave the 2 questionables until day 10 and ill candle again to be sure. The one I suspect to be a blood ring was an extremely large egg that I probably shouldn't have set to begin with, it was large enough to be a double yolk.

But I am totally pumped about my results!! This means that every single one is developing!! In my homemade incubator to boot!!

I was so worried this being my first attempt with reputable eggs(last attempt was with store bought and all but one were infertile and I had one quitter)

 

[Adam7]

Hi Adam

Would you please tell me about your homemade incubator?
How did you make it?
I've been looking at the ones online....kinda expensive. Plus I am so confused over candling so much...the hpbaa says put the eggs in the incubator and leave them alone; they also don't recommend using a styrofoam type unit. I think candling makes sense, then you're not wasting your time with eggs that aren't going to hatch and could possibly explode....yuk!!
So how long have you been raising/hatching chickèns and what kind of coop do you have?
Thanks for the info

Hello Chook Chick! Welcome to the CO BYC thread

You will come to find there are many more knowledgable persons here then me, but I will share what I know with you . Let me preface by stating that I am still a chicken noob too! I just started getting into chickens just a few months back. I built my coop, being a framer this was a relatively easy task for me. I used leftover scraps from jobs here and there and I built it virtually for free. Being that I am a general contractor I took to making everything myself. I built my 6ftx6ft brooder myself too . Once I ran out of things to build I started looking into incubation... So building a incubator was the next logical step! I did a ton of research on BYC on the subject then dove right in. It came out with a fairly nice design that I am happy with. If I could change a few things on the next one I would. Any way, ill show you a few pictures of mine and explain a little for you.

I wired up 2 light fixtures to a hot water heater thermostat and tied it all together in a j box with a outlet to plug my computer fan into. Trial and error has me un-mounting my thermostat and moving it way closer to the bulb to get even temps. I would move a light closer to a wall next time so I could mount the thermostat nicer.

Since I'm playing show and tell, ill show you my brooder and my coop as well

The most expensive part of this build was the chicken wire @ $15. The rest I had laying around. I really like how it came out. I wrapped the tarp around it for a draft shield as well as to make cleanup easier.

These are of my coop halfway built, I can try to go out and take some more recent pictures tomorrow. It's not 100% complete but it's getting there.

You found the right thread for kind experienced people. They all helped me and I'm sure they will help you as well. Good luck on your chicken journey!

O wow it's 2:40 a.m. ... Darn you chickens on the brain!

 

[Pozees]

It was a pretty funny few minutes. After noticing the drowning hazard I went rummaging around the house for ANYTHING that I could substitute for marbles. Nothing came up.

Many things can be substituted in a pinch - small stones, aquarium/terrarium gravel, you can even use sand, although it will then have to be dumped outside each time you change the water - the shininess of the marbles does attract them to drink, but the drowning risk is the main reason I use marbles, especially for bantams but even large fowl, the first few days are small and less coordinated. Once they have a few days of growth (LF) I stop using them, and for bantams I play it by ear, they may have marbles a week or two. They make cleaning and changing the water a pain, but it's peace of mind I'm after