Colorado

[pozees2]

Welcome, @hcdeshazer and @RojoMarz nice to have more poultry keepers in the Colorado flock

 

[khpadventures]

Hello fellow Coloradans! I am just getting started with chickens, I have 11 Bielefelder eggs on their way to being chicks on the 31st. So exciting!

 

[pozees2]

Hatched 3 LF Black Cochin chicks this past Saturday that I have listed for sale if anyone interested. Will meet in town (Pueblo).

 

[kamac27]

Hello fellow Coloradans! I live in Leadville and have started hatching chicken and quail eggs with some success but looking for advice on how to get better hatch rates.

I'm currently using the Nurture Right 360 and hatched my first chicken eggs with a 25% hatch rate (hatching eggs were local). My second hatch is Jumbo quail and my hatch rate is currently 6% at day 19 (2 hatched out of 29 eggs shipped from Myshire). (Incubation Temp 99.5-100.5, Humidity 55%, during lockdown same temps but raised Humidity to 75-80%).

From all the reading I've done hatching at high altitude is hard, and hatching shipped eggs adds to the difficulty, especially eggs from lower elevations.

Looking for any advice from high altitude hatcher's on what incubators might allow more air flow? Currently looking at the Hova bator 1588 with incubator warehouse humidity kit or Brisnea 56 (kinda pricey!) or Rcom 50 (also pricey)

The Nurture Right 360 has been pretty awesome but it only holds a small amount of eggs and doesn't have a good air vent (older model).

Thank you in advance for any advice!
Kelly

 

[pozees2]

Hello fellow Coloradans! I live in Leadville and have started hatching chicken and quail eggs with some success but looking for advice on how to get better hatch rates.

I'm currently using the Nurture Right 360 and hatched my first chicken eggs with a 25% hatch rate (hatching eggs were local). My second hatch is Jumbo quail and my hatch rate is currently 6% at day 19 (2 hatched out of 29 eggs shipped from Myshire). (Incubation Temp 99.5-100.5, Humidity 55%, during lockdown same temps but raised Humidity to 75-80%).

From all the reading I've done hatching at high altitude is hard, and hatching shipped eggs adds to the difficulty, especially eggs from lower elevations.

Looking for any advice from high altitude hatcher's on what incubators might allow more air flow? Currently looking at the Hova bator 1588 with incubator warehouse humidity kit or Brisnea 56 (kinda pricey!) or Rcom 50 (also pricey)

The Nurture Right 360 has been pretty awesome but it only holds a small amount of eggs and doesn't have a good air vent (older model).

Thank you in advance for any advice!
Kelly

Hi Kelly,

Welcome! Hatching here is challenging at best, but that doesn't stop many of us from attempting it anyway I've found my own eggs hatch at a higher rate than anything else, but I have been able to get some decent hatches on local eggs and occasional success with shipped, almost always depending on speed of arrival and care in packaging and handling, which is more luck than anything else, except the packaging. When it comes to packaging, if a seller doesn't describe their packaging method, I ask for it now - I used to trust people, and that was not a good decision, which I realized after receiving eggs wrapped in a piece of tissue or paper towel and placed in an egg carton. Surprise, they didn't hatch LOL.

First thing I would recommend, if you don't already have one, is a very accurate temperature and humidity monitor. I just started using one made by Govee that I love, mostly because it communicates current readings to my phone via bluetooth. Definitely helped me dial in settings. Second thing I would share is that I've had good luck with the RCom 20 MAX - I bought two from a seller on eBay, and I also use a Brinsea Mini for a hatcher when viability of incubated eggs is low enough that it makes more sense to just move the eggs to the Brinsea, smaller cleaning job LOL. I was getting good hatches in my GQF cabinet incubator but cut way back on how many eggs I'm hatching last year, so I sold it and bought the RComs. I have read good things about the one you're using, too, so it might just be a matter of getting that one dialed in, which is what I would do before you buy anything else.

On quail eggs, if you find the user named Kiki here on BYC, you will find she has had great success hatching, albeit not at elevation, but her humidity is way lower - I think she is at or under 30% until lockdown, and 35% at lockdown, which I know violates everything else you and I have ever read about incubation, but she's had 100% hatch rates multiple times, so there is something to it.

Govee temp and humidity monitor can be found here:
https://www.amazon.com/Govee-Thermo...sc=1&refRID=YVF4NXP7T5KQ3RMJ74SV&tag=backy-20

 

[lomine]

I've had better success at lower humidity. I try to keep it around 35% during incubation and raise it to 60% at lockdown. For some reason the blue and green eggs are harder.

Local eggs from a flock that's been at altitude for a few generations are better. Their eggs will start to change (though the generations) and become more porous.

 

[pozees2]

I acquired some NN girls a few weeks back, and knowing they'd been living with at least one male I've been setting their eggs. A couple of days ago I had a nice hatch, 8 of 10, only one NN, but the rest are so cute, bunch of little puffy cheeks so probably EE crosses, and a black one with feathered legs and outer toes, and 5 toes on each foot, so must have a Dorking or Houdan in the flock, the skin is mainly pale and the chick in no way resembles a Silkie, but I don't think either of those has feathered legs ... maybe a Sultan?. Here are six of the seven that aren't NN:

 

[21hens-incharge]

Hi y'all.
It has been a while since I have popped into our state thread.

Getting old and tired so......yeah I am getting out of birds altogether.
I have a broody house with pen currently dismantled. Free if anyone wants it.
It is 3'x4' on the structure with a 4x6 run and hinged lid. The run is 2' tall and easy to step into. The wire is 1/4" hardware cloth. Construction is 2x3 lumber so it is sturdy. It goes together with long bolts and wing nuts. Super fast to set up. The roof for the house is hinged and rests on the run when open.

I just don't want to have to throw it away if someone can use it.



Assorted laying hens also free. Ages from 1-5 years with most being three.

PM me if you are interested.

 

[Percheron chick]

Hi y'all.
It has been a while since I have popped into our state thread.

Getting old and tired so......yeah I am getting out of birds altogether.
I have a broody house with pen currently dismantled. Free if anyone wants it.
It is 3'x4' on the structure with a 4x6 run and hinged lid. The run is 2' tall and easy to step into. The wire is 1/4" hardware cloth. Construction is 2x3 lumber so it is sturdy. It goes together with long bolts and wing nuts. Super fast to set up. The roof for the house is hinged and rests on the run when open.

I just don't want to have to throw it away if someone can use it.

View attachment 2228512

Assorted laying hens also free. Ages from 1-5 years with most being three.

PM me if you are interested.

Sorry to hear that you need to get out of chickens. Your straightforward no nonsense advice and observations have been of great value over the years.
Now about those chickens...

 

[21hens-incharge]

Sorry to hear that you need to get out of chickens. Your straightforward no nonsense advice and observations have been of great value over the years.
Now about those chickens...

I have 9 black Australorp age 3. 2 BA, 1 dark brahma, and 2 BSL age 5.
1 giant blue cochin, 1 medium sized red cochin, 1 barnevelder all are 4.
2 salmon faverolle, 2 starlight green layers and 2 prairie bluebells age 1.

I think I will have a hard time finding someone to take the following....
bantam black cochin age 11 bantam silver laced cochin age 10
Cross beak orpington age 4 and her orpington friend age 4.

That is all the chickens.

Of course there will be chicken gear to go as well.....feeders, nest box and more.
Nest box....they are still using it so I cannot let it go yet.

Like an idiot I added and invested quite a bit of $$$ into ducks. Those are also available but I have to try and recoup the money. They are 6 female and one male welsh harlequin ducks hatched April 1, 2020 and ordered from Cackle. They are very pretty.
Of course I have a stock tank for them......viewable here.....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/starting-that-duck-house.1366533/



Oh and the small broody house.....the way it is built....it would be very easy to set it on a platform, secure it to said platform, turn the back wall into a drop down or swing open cleanout etc. It really wouldn't take much. It could also house 2 ducks as it sits.....but would need a run extension....


I have been diagnosed with both glaucoma and cataracts. It is not a matter of if but when I will be blind. I notice it happening rather rapidly. I just want the birds in homes before I cannot tend them anymore.