First Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatchathon- Join us! Set Day: Easter

[superchemicalgirl]

I have got to find a recipe that uses at least a dozen eggs.

Luckily the biddies only laid 17 eggs today, but I am OVERRUN with eggs right now. I was pushing them on people this weekend like some kind of psychotic drug dealer. My straightjacket is doing double duty this time of year.

Sad to say, but I can't wait for the broody bug to hit. Only have 3 broodies right now (my broody monsters) and as much as it's a pain in the butt (because they take up all the nesting boxes then the girls start to lay in odd places) it'll cut down on my egg issues.

Maybe I have too many chickens. Naaah...

 

[Arielle]

This is my first time posting and my first time incubating, I'm glad I stumbled across this hatchalong, thanks for having me.
I am using a friend's Brinsea Octo 20 for this hatch, I fit 24 turkey eggs in it! I am most proud of the cabinet incubator I just built for experimentation, I wanted to play around and tweak it this year so we wouldn't have to buy poults from the hatchery next year. I set 30 turkey and 3 guinea eggs in it on April 2, I had very low expectations since some of the eggs were 17 days old and it was my first attempt. I candled them on Sat (day 12) and 24/30 and 3/3 were developing! I can't believe it, I prepared myself to be happy if at least 1 hatched. My expectations were also low because my temps fluctuated more then I would have liked the first week, I still can't believe how well they're doing, I can't wait to candle this batch! I had no idea how addictive incubating would be, I'm glad I built a cabinet that could hold 15 doz eggs! As I write this I have another 18 turkey eggs sitting next to me on the table waiting to reach room temperature, then into the bator! I'm building the hatcher this week and I bought 2 more turkey hens last week, so that makes 5... I think my husband is starting to get concerned I attribute most of my success to the wealth of knowledge I've found on this site but I also blame it for my addiction

Welcome to the new addiction and you are welcome to pop in over at Incubators Anonymous if you feel the need of a little help!! Enablers one and all!

 

[debs_flock]

I have got to find a recipe that uses at least a dozen eggs.

Luckily the biddies only laid 17 eggs today, but I am OVERRUN with eggs right now. I was pushing them on people this weekend like some kind of psychotic drug dealer. My straightjacket is doing double duty this time of year.

Sad to say, but I can't wait for the broody bug to hit. Only have 3 broodies right now (my broody monsters) and as much as it's a pain in the butt (because they take up all the nesting boxes then the girls start to lay in odd places) it'll cut down on my egg issues.

Maybe I have too many chickens. Naaah...

I almost don't let the UPS & FedEx drivers get away without a carton of eggs tucked under their arms. On my way to work this morning, I stopped at the neighbor's house. He works from home. When he came to the door, he was on a phone call on a headset, I shoved a dozen eggs into his hand, waved and walked away.

I was trying to sell eggs at work and it took a couple of months until I got the first order. Once that first order was filled, word of mouth now has me getting repeat orders. I try to fill their first order with nothing but jumbo eggs. It's like selling crack, give em the good stuff until you have them hooked

I can't imagine what it will be like once all the teenagers reach POL. I'm currently growing out around 120 chicks with another 79 in the incubators.

Of course, many of those are destined for Camp Kenmore. Plus the turkeys! Oh, and 17 bobwhite quail.


But my 15 girls are currently giving me around 13 eggs per day. There's only the DH and me. I do keep my DS supplied and my masseuse (I'd do ANYTHING to keep her happy).

Deb

 

[Arielle]

Holly crow! 150 ?? Let's see, 75 x 4 / 12 = 25 dozen ! I hope my math is off!

Have you considered putting out a cooler for customers passing by ?

I met a new customer as I was refilling the cooler. He's from a neighboring town but passes everyday. Used to have chickens, got tired of them but stayed hooked on the fresh eggs.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Oh I sell at work and have pretty good word of mouth about my eggs. There are others that sell at my workplace, too, though, so I do have competition. Two of my bigger customers didn't buy last week so that left me with an extra 6 dozen eggs from their usual orders. Darned vacations.

I'm thinking about making some of this: Rita's Eggs Strata although it only uses 8 eggs.

 

[mrheinz77]

Its a good thing I have hatching egg customers and found out how hot my breeds are at swaps. I took 4 NN cockerels, got there 2+ hours after it started, and the NN were sold before I was even set up. The NN come from my laying flock. They were hatched NYD so not big enough to eat yet. I threw more layer eggs in the incubator for the next swap on Mother's Day. I tried selling eggs at work last spring and was told $2 was too much for eggs because the gas station sells them for $1. I said these are fresh and got into a debate about being able to tell the difference. I just may need to give some eggs to the mail lady. She is great.

 

[Arielle]

Mr H, What other breeds do you raise, besides the NN?

 

[dsqard]

Welcome to the insanity hatchalong HappyAcres. Have you sent a PM to Chookschick to let her know you are joining (it's not anything formal, it's just so you get your name on the first post) If it is already there, I apologize, I started typing without looking and I am feeling lazy and don't want to start my post over again.

You alsmo must report your preferred color and size straight jacket. It's OK we're all wearing them.

I am looking for the poultry yoga poses BTW. I believe SCG promised some duck shennanigans!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Welcome to the insanity hatchalong HappyAcres. Have you sent a PM to Chookschick to let her know you are joining (it's not anything formal, it's just so you get your name on the first post) If it is already there, I apologize, I started typing without looking and I am feeling lazy and don't want to start my post over again.

You alsmo must report your preferred color and size straight jacket. It's OK we're all wearing them.

I am looking for the poultry yoga poses BTW. I believe SCG promised some duck shennanigans!

Sorry SCG has too many chores and not enough sleep. After I've cleaned multiple brooders, feeders, and waterers, watered seedlings, moved them inside and out, candled the turkey eggs and put together a work presentation for tomorrow with almost no notice (and it's even better that I have a massive zit on the tip of my nose for this presentation to the hospitalists tomorrow - I thought zits were supposed to stop when you hit adulthood? But I digress...) it's time for bed for both the poultry and myself. I'm off on Wednesday since I worked the weekend and I hate to say it but BF says he's going to take the day off too so we can finish the garden hoop house and start on the chicken hoop house. As much as I want it done I was hoping for a day of leisure and poultry yoga! I'll try and get a yoga action shot tomorrow after work. If it's shenanigans you want, you should have seen the duck idiots tonight trying to eat my fingers instead of the grapes. Amazing how they can get my entire finger in their mouth and almost down their throats in 0.0005 seconds.

 

[mrheinz77]

I raise the following (all non hatchery and many are SQ)

Bantam Black split to White Langshans

The rest are LF
Black Langshans
Blue/Black Ameraucanas
Welsummers
Cuckoo Marans
Iowa Blue
Heritage RIR
BBS Cochins
Golden Laced Polish
Olive Eggers
Easter Eggers (F1)
Icelandics

Guineas
Crossbred crested ducks
Cot Quail
Embden/African geese
Royal Palm x Standard Bronze Turkeys

For 2013
Sizzles
Light Sussex
SQ Speckled Sussex (if they hatch)
Sillkies
Jersey Giants
Delawares
BCM
Buff Orpington
Bantam Black Wyandottes and BLRW
Hopefully RP turkeys


I had to give up my dairy herd (Registered Brown Swiss) in 2011 do to the price of feed and lack of price of milk so I needed something to fill the void. I still have a few cows but not what I did have.