EDUCATIONAL INCUBATION & HATCHING CHAT THREAD, w/ Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs

That is quite a distance away. Mine couldn't keep them away moved them to quieter spot.
I took the rooster and other hen out before she hatched, but had nowhere to put the Easter day hatch and needed them OUT of my garage so tossed them in. Was worried about them bullying the little tiny thing. No worries. Mom goes out of coop, they run in, she goes in they run out. 14x50 run and they stay away Lol. All still get in at night though. She doesn't have any probs with me picking up chick. Second time broody so I left her eggs. Was setting on a dz or so. I removed her and took other eggs a few days after 'one' hatched. Put them in a big coffee can, had a explosion...lucky I hadn't ate breakfast yet, it was bad and I had to test my stomach muscles
:sick
Think I'll keep her and try her out again.
 
Five, 3 hens two cocks. Four pearls one lavender.
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Nice! I purchased 4 pearl keets. 3 males, 1 female. I "intended" to sell them all but the female started laying about 4 days before the sale. (Very sneaky was she) So she got to stay and I let her pick her mate. I had tryouts. That pair gave me a pearl, a royal purple and a porcelain the first hatch...lol.

Now I've got 13 I think; I purchased two keets turned out to be white (I think, haven't checked) females, a porcelain male, an opaline male, a royal purple female and the rest are pearls. Plus the 3 keets that hatched yesterday. I think it looks like another opaline, a purple and a pearl.:confused:
 
View attachment 1031621 Nice! I purchased 4 pearl keets. 3 males, 1 female. I "intended" to sell them all but the female started laying about 4 days before the sale. (Very sneaky was she) So she got to stay and I let her pick her mate. I had tryouts. That pair gave me a pearl, a royal purple and a porcelain the first hatch...lol.

Now I've got 13 I think; I purchased two keets turned out to be white (I think, haven't checked) females, a porcelain male, an opaline male, a royal purple female and the rest are pearls. Plus the 3 keets that hatched yesterday. I think it looks like another opaline, a purple and a pearl.:confused:
Nice!!!
 
I took the rooster and other hen out before she hatched, but had nowhere to put the Easter day hatch and needed them OUT of my garage so tossed them in. Was worried about them bullying the little tiny thing. No worries. Mom goes out of coop, they run in, she goes in they run out. 14x50 run and they stay away Lol. All still get in at night though. She doesn't have any probs with me picking up chick. Second time broody so I left her eggs. Was setting on a dz or so. I removed her and took other eggs a few days after 'one' hatched. Put them in a big coffee can, had a explosion...lucky I hadn't ate breakfast yet, it was bad and I had to test my stomach muscles
:sick
Think I'll keep her and try her out again.

Mine was a complete surprise I knew she was broody and when due but when I locked up that night she had snuck in the main coop with all 10 chicks. So I thought I'd just leave them. All heck broke loose in the morning and she headed back to the nest area with them. Just a matter of closing one gate and they were safe again.
Yea that explosion would have tested any stomach. :sick
 
Because the little buggers don't stay where they belong. All of white fluff's babies, kept going out in the horse area, so a few got nabbed by barn cats, a few drowned in the goats water bucket, one was found way on the back of the property with it's head ripped off not too long ago because it wouldn't stay where it belonged.

The barn cats go after the half-grown and baby chicks a lot, I probably won't let my broodies raise them anymore.

They could fit through chicken wire when they were tiny, I let my birds free range, and I realize that puts them at risk, but they are a lot happier in the long-run and the stupid ones with a death wish die, and the smart birds, live.

I don't want to have offspring from dumb birds.... so, some of it's survival of the fittest around here. Most of the predators I deal with are barn cats. I've been tempted to get rid of them, but we have so many mice, too that we need killed.

I also lose a lot of birds due to the weather, and heat stroke. We get floods, and flash floods, and heat in the high 104-110 degree weather with 50% humidity. I've done my best to pick breeds who are heat savvy, but the weaker ones just don't make it.

Edited to add : statistically, most of my birds live. I lost 3-4 red sex links in the last 2 years. 2 to prolapse, 1 to drowning after a flood in the canal behind our house, and one to challenging a horse and being stepped on.

I lost all my RIR roosters, due to heat stroke last summer, and have found breeds that do better in the head. My polish crested struggle a lot with the heat and I won't be replacing them. The juvie birds often want freedom, and will do anything they can to excape their grow out pens, and it's often to their detriment. I try to keep them confined until they are older and closer to full sized, but if they are going to find every manner of escape as possible, then i'm not gonna stress about them getting themselves killed.

The smart ones live. I've had enough babies make it to adult hood, who are still alive, who don't get themselves killed off, that those are the ones I breed from.
It is almost impossible to breed from the dead ones. ........
 

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