Consolidated Kansas

[Henagerie]

very cute!

 

[spree56]

Quick question for my fellow Kansan chicken folk.

Feed and Water:  Coop or run???

Right now I am running water both places and just putting feed in the coop.

Have 12 birds at this point and just checking.

Thanks
Andy

I only feed and water in the run. I don't want dampness in the coop. I have 2 hanging feeders & a 4 nipple system. During winter, I use a large heated dog bowl for the water.

 

[MrsProf]

So like it or not all of the chicks need to be out of the classroom this afternoon, no one will be around to take care of them over the weekend.
My question is, if there are still a few that I think might hatch, can I move them? Just pack them in a carton inside the incubator so they don't roll and rush them home? Do you think it would be a waste of time and chick lives to try?
I sure wish they had not decided to start them late on a Tuesday

 

[thndrdancr]

Mrsprof, I think it would worth a try. Did you hear my story of hatching 3 peacock eggs with a heatlamp the last 3 days of incubation? I was amazed they hatched but I was desperate! Lol

 

[chicken danz]

Hello from Roeland Park, KS! We just started our "flock" of 3 chicks and very excited for eggs in a few months! I'm a little nervous about any of our chicks ending up as Roos as city ordinances don't allow them. But our girls are approx 5 weeks and doing great! We have a Buff Orpington, Silver laced Wyandotte and an unknown Red "egg layer" as it said on the sign.

The red egg layer will be a girl for sure. The others may not. Mostly because the red is a sex link chicken. Orpingtons can be the hardest birds to get sexed right. Good luck
.

Hi everyone, It’s been a cold spring so far. We have some Maran chicks that would love to get outside and run, but it’s just been to cold and windy. I can’t wait to get home tonight. My daughter and I have to unpack some Serama eggs form Castle Delight Seramas. I’m just finishing up there coop and run. Can’t wait to see what we hatch out. They will be my daughters pets. Should be fun.

I had Seramas a few years back. They are the most prolific little birds!! The eggs hatch in 17 to 19 days as opposed to the 21 normal. You also don't need to provide heat in winter if they are raised here. They acclimate perfectly.
Quote:

I got some BCM hatching eggs from someone on BYC this week. When they arrived I was delighted with the color and size but 2 of them were cracked. The membrane doesn't appear to be broken. Is there any chance at all of them hatching? The eggs are so dark (the pics really don't come close to showing the true color.) I can't tell what kind of shape the air cells are in but I figured I'd treat them like they were damaged and not turn them for a couple days. If I tape the cracks will they have a better chance of hatching? is there anything else I can do to improve chances of getting them to hatch? They're gorgeous eggs and I'm Really want at least a few chicks!

Prairie I use scotch tape on cracked eggs and they do very well. I would let them set upright 24 hours, and then put them in the turner like any other egg. Once you start incubating you for sure want that turning to occur. Chances are, if there are cracked eggs you could have some really shaken contents. An air sac will heal but the chalaza is what counts. If it is broken, the egg won't develop.
Quote:

Quick question for my fellow Kansan chicken folk.

Feed and Water: Coop or run???

Right now I am running water both places and just putting feed in the coop.

Have 12 birds at this point and just checking.

Thanks
Andy

I prefer to have feed and water outside especially if you have a cover of some type to keep the feed dry. In the pens that don't have an area where it is kept dry I feed inside the coop during the winter and during rainy season. I never water inside the coop except for with chicks. Keeping feed out of the coop also reduces mice coming in and also helps reduce chances of mold.

I think her name will be WuShock. She's a Golden-Laced Polish. Do you see her eyebrow-horns?!

She's (at least she's supposed to be a she) 3 1/2 weeks. She's one of 12 of a mixed-breed flock of day-old chicks that were born April 6.

Very cute. I used to raise them.

So like it or not all of the chicks need to be out of the classroom this afternoon, no one will be around to take care of them over the weekend.
My question is, if there are still a few that I think might hatch, can I move them? Just pack them in a carton inside the incubator so they don't roll and rush them home? Do you think it would be a waste of time and chick lives to try?
I sure wish they had not decided to start them late on a Tuesday

I would certainly pack them up and move them. As long as the egg temp is kept up they should be fine.
I'm thinking if you do this next year I'd aim for a Tuesday hatch date. That should assure they'd most likely hatch during the school week. I hope you have taken pictures.

 

[josey8]

How long does it take for a broody hen to hatch an egg

 

[StinkyChicken]

Chicken Danz, I have read about a lot of early birds, depending on the temperature of the incubator. Here is my setup. I have a Hova-bator forced air incubator at 99.5F and 55% humidity. My plan was to do a day 18 lockdown and up the humidity to 75%.

 

[zigzag45]

@Deerfield Acres - Your comments on FF aligned with what I had been wondering about. I know, from other fermenting things I've tried, that it takes a few days . Previously, I would mix feed in the morning, then give that to the girls the next day. I'd gotten out of doing FF (due to travel/mold) and just started again this weekend. But, i mixed up a big batch (well, big for me) and have been feeding that batch to them for the past four days. Just this morning, based on visual and smell, I felt like it had actually reached a fermented stage.

I've tried doing wheat fodder before but it always molds on me. How do you do yours? I can never get it past the early sprout stage. It may be my wheat, I have a 5 gal bucket of it that performed horrible in the kitchen so it got sent down to the birds. Maybe it's just bad wheat? Right now I'm mixing it into the FF in addition to the scratch hoping that it sprouts a bit internally or something.

@LMCarroll - Welcome. I'm outside the KC area. Yes - roos are a pain inside city limits.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

zigzag45, I just sprout it in 6 square smallish sprouting trays for people and I leave it on a shelf above the kitchen sink and rinse it probably 4 to 5 times a day with Wichita water. Ours comes through Derby out here to the acreage but Derby gets theirs from Wichita. There is chlorine in city water so I thought that may keep the mold down and so far I've had absolutely no mold whatsoever. It was a calculated compromise since they are only used as a treat at this point.

I've heard that barley does not mold so easily. When I move to sprouting in larger fodder trays this winter, I'm going to try wheat with no chlorine because the household humidity will be much lower and it may work. If not, I will switch to barley because it is just less problematic.

I've always used well water for the fermented feed because the chlorine may interfere with the growth of the good stuff. Sometimes I just let the city water sit out overnight so the chlorine dissipates. I fed fermented feed previously, one 5 gallon bucket of feed per day, but I never noticed any decrease in consumption. I also had to strain the dickens out of that stuff because I used so much water. I learned I don't have to use so much water that I have to strain it, also. All that mess and work and the birds ate like pigs! I was really happy to find out what I was doing incorrectly and finally be able to reap the rewards.

The funny thing about the fermented feed is that once they don't eat as much of it, one is inclined to think they don't like it. They do like it, they just get the nutrients they need from a much smaller amount of feed and are finished sooner. So, in one way, it's a little less satisfying to watch them eat, but it's a whole lot more satisfying on the budget!

 

[chicken danz]

How long does it take for a broody hen to hatch an egg

It should take about 21 days total.
One of my layers has been sitting on eggs for quite a while. I think she should hatch them within the next week. She has been really faithful. I have another one that is being pretty stubborn about wanting to be broody but I don't want a bunch of mutt chicks around here.

Chicken Danz, I have read about a lot of early birds, depending on the temperature of the incubator. Here is my setup. I have a Hova-bator forced air incubator at 99.5F and 55% humidity. My plan was to do a day 18 lockdown and up the humidity to 75%.

Oh no! That is too high on humidity. Trust me on this one. If the chicks don't drown in the shell they will grow too big for the shell and not be able to hatch. Incubating should be done at 40% humidity or less. I prefer less. Hatching should be done in the 50% to 60% range for chickens. I like to keep them turning until they start to pip. I have better results that way. I'm no expert but I hatch several thousands of chicks a year. Lots and lots of practice. The little Seramas also need to be started on ground chick starter rather than just normal, and be sure they have lots of marbles or something in the waterer cause they easily drown. ( I used to use a spice mill/ coffee grinder to grind their feed) I used to use quail water bottoms for the first couple days with the seramas, but often had to dip their beaks to get them started.

When it came to fermented feed I used so much more than an average person does. I mixed it in a 55 gallon barrel. My method was to use half of it each day and add and stir. That keeps the culture going well once it reaches that sweet fermented level. You can start using early and it will still reach that level in a few days. With practice I learned just about how much water to add so it was just the right consistency to use. I always covered the surface with some water but just enough to allow it to soak into the grain well. Always be sure to stir all the way to the bottom of the container and down the sides so no mold starts to form.
I quit doing fermented feed because it was too labor intensive for the size of my flock. I loved the results of feeding it though. If I ever get back to a smaller group I will definitely go back to it.