First Timer: UPDATE: 12 Days After Hatch: Roos to Hens?

[gryeyes]

Quote:
That's a GREAT idea, thanks!!

I wanted to share how clever my little hatchlings are: less than a full day old and they all already know how to use a nipple waterer!

They are SO tiny!!!

Another at the nipple waterer.

Found the food!

 

[Cattitude]

Ohhhhh! *sigh*

 

[Morgan7782]

They are BEAUTIFUL Linda!! What a wonderful hatch! Those are such good odds I always thought shipped eggs were hard to get a good hatch from but yours was great! Yaaaaay for the new babies! Now I will keep my fingers crossed for ALL of them to be girls

 

[chuck12]

They are very cute.. I bet you are so proud... Nice job and congrats on the chickies.

 

[gryeyes]

All rightie. The five chicks are now 12 days old. One of 'em came out of the egg with a miniscule comb: 5 little itty bitty points just barely visible. Figured that was gonna be a roo for sure.

Now, suddenly, two more have "sprouted" combs. Some of the chicks have pea combs, some have straight combs. Another straight comb looks like it's developing boy clues, and one pea comb looks suspiciously roo-ish. So I may, or probably, have 3 roosters in this hatch of 5 surviving chicks.

Two of them have slightly feathered shanks, but no feathers on their toes. All of them have bi-colored feet, that is, the feet change color partway down the toes. These are "olive egger" chicks. Two are quite dark - mostly charcoal black - and the other 3 are lighter colored grey.

Hatching eggs has been wonderful. I've set two more batches of 7 eggs now: bantam cochins in one 'bator due to hatch Sept 6th, and blue orpingtons (large fowl) in the other, due to hatch Sept. 9th.

 

[SkyWarrior]

They're Beautiful!

 

[DerbyChook]

Quote:
You have TWO 'bators now? Did you get another Brinsea ADV? Congrats on the chickies. More pictures please!

 

[gryeyes]

Yes, I bought another Brinsea, but I splurged and got the Mini Advance EX - with the humidity pump.

After setting it up (what a BOTHER) I'm kinda sorry I went to that level.... the Mini Advance is perfect for me.

Here are the two major differences: no day count-down with the EX version. THAT'S stupid, I think! It also means the auto-turner is either on or off, and you have to stop it on day 18. (Both those features were selling points for the MiniAdvance.)

Also, the "rigid tube" one must push through the base of the incubator into the center water reservoir is LARGER than the holes provided. You have no idea how long I futzed with it until I just got out my power drill with its hole-starting drill bit - forgot what those are called - and made those two holes just the tiniest bit bigger to get the tube through 'em.

On the other hand, because there is no standing water in the water reservoir cups, just the evaporative paper stuff dampened with water from the humidity pump, chicks will never drown in the reservoir.... hmmmmm..... Okay, so it was a PIA to set up, maybe I should give it this hatch and wait for results before complaining about it any more.

But that auto-date and auto-stop the turner thing is wonderful in the Mini Advance!

I'll post a photo or two later.

 

[DerbyChook]

The Mini ADV seems like the best all-round bator from that series. I am liking the ECO for the kids. They get to handle the eggs everyday, they are learning responsibility since they must care for the eggs daily, and the price, particularly on sale, was excellent. The problem, I was thinking it might be fun to do a hatch in one of their classrooms, but can't with the ECO. Also, we can't go away for a couple of days without getting a neighborhood kid to eggsit. But that may be a plus. I REALLY should not get anymore chickens. Really.

I see that the ADV is still on sale. I could buy that, then sell my ECO on ebay in the spring when everyone has hatching fever or maybe pawn it off onto one of my homeschooling friends.

Hatching eggs is such a great science lesson!

 

[steffpeck]

So cute!!!! Where did you get the nipple waterer??