Dixie Chicks

[hennible]

Out of three clutches of eggs with Broody hens I got a grand total of two chicks! 2! Healthy but still...
Two sets of chicken eggs in the bator, one batch of ducks, zero problem birds....
I think the volume some of us hatch at just means statistically there is more chance of seeing abnormalities

 

[hennible]

And in my friends case
Not enough info and some less than ideal eggs...

 

[minihorse927]

Out of three clutches of eggs with Broody hens I got a grand total of two chicks! 2! Healthy but still...
Two sets of chicken eggs in the bator, one batch of ducks, zero problem birds....
I think the volume some of us hatch at just means statistically there is more chance of seeing abnormalities

very true. It's taken me over 4 years and literally thousands of chicks each year to see one truly deformed chick.

 

[Alaskan]

I have had two good broodies... tried using a few broodies that clearly weren't gonna be good.. so they didn't get to keep chicks. Luckily none of the broddies went psycho with the being nice one day and killing chicks the next.


My ducks though

my Muscovy rock!

I have only once had a dead duckling, and that was a first time mama (not even a year old) on her first clutch, and all of the eggs got super muddy nasty (mostly the weather fault, not hers) so only one hatched and then I found it dead... I am not sure what happened... but at least she didn't eat it.


Everyone else has been great... first clutches don't tend to have a high hatch rate, but my experienced moms do excellently... they do loose a few because I flock breed... so some of the eggs are several days to weeks behind the ones hatching... but that is my fault if I don't snag them out of the nest soon enough after a clutch hatches.


I had I think 11 ducklings out of the first clutch they had with me (but she was experienced), I think there were close to 20 eggs, but it was super cold, so that was the only time that a few were lost at pip and/or zip... it was below freezing...

Still not a bad hatch rate..

Usually out of 20 eggs I get more like 15 ducklings... and a few of the ones that don't hatch are clears.

Once hatched, the ducklings do great.

 

[Razadia]

I have seen an eyeless chick (didn't hatch) one time in my 25 years of being around and raising chickens. Yep, literally my whole life.

Personally, I know that any number of things can go wrong. It doesn't always mean that the parent stock are at fault. Sometimes it just happens. It's the same with any baby of any species. Anything can go wrong.

 

[vehve]

To put things in perspective, out of the human babies conceived, only about 50% are born. People miscarry without ever knowing they've been pregnant for a moment all the time. Usually it happens in the first days or weeks. I'd say chickens have a lot better rate of seeing their offspring into the world. And during the development process, genetic flaws that would make life impossible for a living thing usually end it's life at quite an early stage. That eyeless chick is a good example of that, it may very well have had a lot more wrong with it that wasn't visible to the naked eye.

 

[perchie.girl]

Ok, all the duckling are quacking now...

so... no Drake?

 

[perchie.girl]

shhh dont tell any one... but I told the owner of our favorite pizza place that my son was looking for a job... He called today and offered him a job on the phone.....

....

My son is stunned.... He goes in tomorrow at three to fill the paper work out and get some training. Hes going to start out in the Kitchen.

Now I have to hold my breath that he doesnt have a panic attack before or during his first day....

deb

 

[Amberjem]

Wow I missed a lot.

and

all around.

I'm just going to jump in and confess to buying 6 more bantams today.

Chicken math is killing me!!!


Cute little cream, lavender-bluish -greenish cuties with feathered feet and 4 toes. Any guesses?

 

[Amberjem]

Someone went to TSC to get chicks right tntchix. Haha it is convenient I get most of my feed there got one just down the road.