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

[lovechicks1293]

I woke up to babies in the 'bator! One Puppy egg has not pipped (and it was one of two that did not have draw down at 18 days). Today is day 21, so I'll give it the rest of the day to declare itself before pulling the plug. (Sorry for the blurry picture.) Everyone is now happily sleeping under the MHP. - Ant Farm

e

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

The place where I'm getting our chicks has these breeds:

Isa Browns
Amber links
Black Sussex (me, probably(2)
RIR
barred rock(brother(1)
Australorps
Leghorns
Aru-Americana(sister(1)
SLW
GLW(twin(1)
Brahma
Buff orpingtons

Then my two nieces are each getting one and my mom is picking one out.

Nice selection! Anything named "link" like the Amber links are sex links. I don't think any other others are (I don't know anything about Isa Browns).

 

[lovechicks1293]

The place where I'm getting our chicks has these breeds:


Isa Browns

Amber links

Black Sussex (me, probably(2)

RIR

barred rock(brother(1)

Australorps

Leghorns

Aru-Americana(sister(1)

SLW

GLW(twin(1)

Brahma

Buff orpingtons


Then my two nieces are each getting one and my mom is picking one out.

Nice selection! Anything named "link" like the Amber links are sex links. I don't think any other others are (I don't know anything about Isa Browns). 

I know! Last year they only had about 8 breeds to choose from! They've up their game because they know I'm coming....

 

[Akrnaf2]

Thanks, I am a Zoologist and work as a Biology teacher in high school.

In my opinion it is the fertility of your breeding stock. Do you give the some vitamins boost,( at least once a weeki) especially at winter? I give my chicken once a week soluble vitamins in their FEED!, l ferment 50% of their feed, they gey every day shredded vegetables especially carrots and green and do on.


I have done that on.... rhinos! Enter to my BYC interview if you want to know more!

I feed a game bird breeder feed this time of year. it has a few more vitamins and minerals than the chicken layer feed does.

The breeding stock does not get table scrapes. Greens are hard to get this time of year. As is sunlight.  I have had them on artificial light since the end of November.  The roosters fertility is what I think it is.  I also think many eggs freeze and kill the embryo.

I have wondered if I could find a water soluble vitamin for them. The risk would be over doing it, or wasting it. My water freezes fairly quickly in the coops most days.

It is just not natural to hatch in the winter in Minnesota. I know in 3 months my hatch rate will soar to 90% plus. but it is depressing this time of the year.

Thanks!  

I assume that the weather condition is also a major factor.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote: I know! Last year they only had about 8 breeds to choose from! They've up their game because they know I'm coming....

 

[Akrnaf2]

I know there is a breed where when you get them as chicks you can tell whether they are a hen or a roo, which is it?

Sex link hybrids
BPR

 

[Akrnaf2]

Is it Sussex?

No.

 

[lovechicks1293]

Well, I'm off to research some things, I'll still be on, watching......mwahaha. Lol

 

[Akrnaf2]

I know there is a breed where when you get them as chicks you can tell whether they are a hen or a roo, which is it?

Those are autosexing chicks, many breeds do that, Legbars  or most other barred birds I think,

What does barred mean?

Bar= a dark line on the plumage.
BPR

Cuckoo Marans

 

[BullChick]

Morning, MC! How's Duckling? 

Barred is a term for a type of inherited feather color pattern that can be different between males and females (depending on how many copies there are).

"Auto sexing" breeds are breeds for which you can tell male from female at hatch. Cream Legbars are a common example. Here is a discussion of auto sexing on the Greenfire site:

https://greenfirefarms.com/auto-sexing-chicken-breeds.html

But there are also many  "sex links" which are crosses between certain breeds that are done in a particular way so that you can tell male from female at hatch. Common ones from hatcheries/feed stores are Red Sexlinks and Black Sexlinks. To understand how to "make" a sex link, you kind of have to go down the rabbit hole of chicken color genetics. There are threads on BYC where people talk about which crosses can give you a sexable hatch - those folks know more than I do by a lot... 

- Ant Farm 

She is fever free! e