December hatch along

[Matieus27]

3 days till lockdown for first three hatchers

 

[BlueBaby]

Matieus27 - can you tell me more about the incubator you have and where you got it? I haven't seen one like that while searching. I'm following this so that I can see how yours does... (added - AHHH - found it! Looking at it now). Curious, again, to see how it does w/ the plastic sides instead of the insulated styrofoam sided ones.

Then will go from there. I have a spare bedroom that can turn into a incubating & hatching area for now & brooding room for the first 2 weeks until it warms up...

Can everyone else share what they are using as 'bators for this hatch a long? OR better - what you recommend a newbie look at starting with? Eventually, if I can do this, will need/want a better quality incubator. Don't think I will be building my own (too darn many projects - better to invest the $ in one that will work w/ guarantees). Have looked into the GQFs for the future... IF that truly is the direction I find I will be going (needing/wanting to hatch that many chicks).

BlueBaby - NN/Bresse Xs? How do they do/look? What did you do that cross to achieve? My curiosity is getting the best of me, LOL! If I was going to do a cross with my girl - it would probably be to one of the 2 Rhodebar roos who are the largest birds I have (at this time). Believe I'd get some home made meat birds that way, LOL. My single Bresse took FOREVER to grow out - being a "meat" bird, I expected to see her reach a processing size much sooner. Maybe she was a "runt" or I wasn't feeding her right, not sure. They are supposed to do well with free ranging/pasture, so will do more of that in the future. She was penned or in tractors while growing up.

I bought my original NN/Breese crosses from someone else here in AZ. that did the cross. Now they are grown and I am breeding them myself. The cross was done to produce a bigger meat bird that's supposed to taste good, plus the NN's do better in our hot summer heat over here. This was my first year of working with them. This passed summer they barely ever used the mister's that I had up for them. They also are better if you are going to be using your extra roos as a butcher bird. You won't have to cut through a bunch of neck feathers to cull, and they also have less feathering on the body too for less plucking, plus that also helps to keep them cooler in summer. I do not free-range my flock. They are protected in a coop with a completely protected run that is attached to the coop. My roo Charley is a good boy and is not aggressive, so he has been having a good with my hen's. He's the roo that is shown in my avatar.

 

[Matieus27]

I bought my original NN/Breese crosses from someone else here in AZ. that did the cross. Now they are grown and I am breeding them myself. The cross was done to produce a bigger meat bird that's supposed to taste good, plus the NN's do better in our hot summer heat over here. This was my first year of working with them. This passed summer they barely ever used the mister's that I had up for them. They also are better if you are going to be using your extra roos as a butcher bird. You won't have to cut through a bunch of neck feathers to cull, and they also have less feathering on the body too for less plucking, plus that also helps to keep them cooler in summer. I do not free-range my flock. They are protected in a coop with a completely protected run that is attached to the coop. My roo Charley is a good boy and is not aggressive, so he has been having a good with my hen's. He's the roo that is shown in my avatar.

How is the meat production on these and do they actually taste better or do they taste normal?

 

[Matieus27]

So I just candled my dom eggs and my ayam cemani eggs and my ameraucauna eggs and I am pretty sure I see a double yolker in one of my dom eggs my wife is excited to have twin chickens I’m also very excited to have twin chick if it is a double yolker

 

[BlueBaby]

How is the meat production on these and do they actually taste better or do they taste normal?

I haven't butchered any of mine yet, but I was told that these mixed ones are less greasy tasting than the pure Breese are. I know that they are bigger too, because I also have 3 of the pure Breese hens. I am doing another cross breed on my NN/Breese mixed ones too, and that is with the CCLB hens. I like how they are turning out. I did that cross to get some green egg layers. The NN/Breese mixed hens lay more eggs than a CCLB, plus they are bigger sized eggs.

 

[Compost King]

I said in November that it was my last hatch of the year, I was wrong. Some hens started laying in November and I am eager to breed my Dorkings for the first time. Started the incubator an hour or 2 ago with 14 Black Copper Marans over Production Red Hens (actually part of my an elaborate long term Olive Egger Sex Link project) , 11 Silver Grey Dorkings, 5 Silver Grey Dorking over Red Ranger hens (For Meat and an attempt to make Columbia Patterned Dorkings long term). 6 cuckoo Marans (not pure because the Rooster has a BCM father and I am trying to darken the eggs of the Cuckoo Marans, this is also part of my Black Olive Egger sex links project.. I want to make my own black and red Sex links with Olive Color eggs) 2 Serama Eggs and 5 Red Sex links (production Red Rooster over Columbian Wyandotte Hens and Delaware hens) If I put up the correct numbers that is 42 eggs... The good news is that each variety will look different than the others as chicks so I might not need my incubator cages or leg tags... I try my best to avoid leg tags as forgetting them can destroy the quality of life for a chicken.

 

[Compost King]

I am using a Hovabator 1602N with an egg turner and Fan. It works fine but it had an issue with operator error the first 5 times I used it lol. I hatch over 50% and ever hatch is slightly better than the previous

 

[Matieus27]

I am using a Hovabator 1602N with an egg turner and Fan. It works fine but it had an issue with operator error the first 5 times I used it lol. I hatch over 50% and ever hatch is slightly better than the previous

As long as your getting better hatch rates your learning and that’s what counts

 

[BlueBaby]

I said in November that it was my last hatch of the year, I was wrong. Some hens started laying in November and I am eager to breed my Dorkings for the first time. Started the incubator an hour or 2 ago with 14 Black Copper Marans over Production Red Hens (actually part of my an elaborate long term Olive Egger Sex Link project) , 11 Silver Grey Dorkings, 5 Silver Grey Dorking over Red Ranger hens (For Meat and an attempt to make Columbia Patterned Dorkings long term). 6 cuckoo Marans (not pure because the Rooster has a BCM father and I am trying to darken the eggs of the Cuckoo Marans, this is also part of my Black Olive Egger sex links project.. I want to make my own black and red Sex links with Olive Color eggs) 2 Serama Eggs and 5 Red Sex links (production Red Rooster over Columbian Wyandotte Hens and Delaware hens) If I put up the correct numbers that is 42 eggs... The good news is that each variety will look different than the others as chicks so I might not need my incubator cages or leg tags... I try my best to avoid leg tags as forgetting them can destroy the quality of life for a chicken.

I had thought of getting some of those SGD's before, but as a pure breed they won't do well over where I am at in our hot summer heat, as someone else who tried it let me know. That person said the the one's that she had mixed with the NN's though did well, and had good meat on them.

 

[Matieus27]

I had thought of getting some of those SGD's before, but as a pure breed they won't do well over where I am at in our hot summer heat, as someone else who tried it let me know. That person said the the one's that she had mixed with the NN's though did well, and had good meat on them.

What are SGD’s?