Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[bzarz23]

HELP! Day 24 and no signs of anything. I thought I heard peeping on day 22 but may have been wishful thinking. Should I candle or do the float test? I need them to hatch because it's for a science project and I'm super upset and nervous for them! What should I do! They were shipped eggs and I have them in still air incubators around 100 degrees. For the first 18 days I turned three times a day with 40-50 humidity then stoped on day 18. On day 18 I also raised humidity 65-75 percent.

 

[vehve]

HELP! Day 24 and no signs of anything. I thought I heard peeping on day 22 but may have been wishful thinking. Should I candle or do the float test? I need them to hatch because it's for a science project and I'm super upset and nervous for them! What should I do! They were shipped eggs and I have them in still air incubators around 100 degrees. For the first 18 days I turned three times a day with 40-50 humidity then stoped on day 18. On day 18 I also raised humidity 65-75 percent.

The incubating and hatching forums might be a better place to ask, but to be honest, doesn't sound too promising. Have you candled to see if they're still alive? The humidity sounds a bit high to me, I'm afraid they may have drowned in there. That being said, some can take up to 24-25 days to hatch. First timers easily calculate wrong too, and start counting from day 1 when you should actually start from 0.

Hope you get some hatchlings from them still. Good luck.

 

[ozexpat]

I just here for another week or so. I need to get back to the USA unfortunately.

we candled eggs yesterday.

looking viable

8 blue laced red wyandotte
12 Ameraucana
16 cream legbars
10 mystery eggs from Kevin. he never tells me what they are but last time they were the ayam cemani cross.
2 from 4 BCM. hoping I get a pullet.

I have some very interesting mixed breeds at the moment. if I was unscrupulous, I could market them as crested Swedish flower hens. there are 3 pullets and a roo. once they start laying, I will give them a small coop and see what the offspring look like. they are actually new Hampshire polish barred rock and RIR. we may have created the "coco breeze" lol

the laborer is here digging a new puso negro (black heart) the local word for a septic. the piggery septic tank is a single chamber so I am upgrading it to a double chamber.

Ariel has just come down a coconut tree. its been raining coconuts for 20 minutes. he is not wearing the harness we supply as he says they are small. he reserves the harness for those over 60 feet. what can I do? he will revert back to this behavior as soon as I leave. at least he is collecting copra and will have a couple of hundred dollars in profit share one he got back to school.

the trailer needs a new floor. I my goal is to get that some today.

I just ordered semen from Luzon for our first "coco swine genetics" born gilt. she is a beautiful landrace girl. she will get the best grade landrace semen and her daughters will be the beginning of our "multiplier" generation of the best landrace sows in southern Negros.

We have 4 of her female cousins with the same sire that are 60kg (130 lbs) at 16 weeks. I expect them to weigh 120+ kg at 7 months and ready to breed. I will use 2 to cross with large white to produce a second sow line that will be 75% large white 25% landrace. the other 2 will be crossed with Hampshire for a few generations.

pig 4, the last of our Duroc Pietrains sows has grown into a monster pig. she stands 6-8" taller than the landrace. She was bred to a large white/Duroc boar and is due on May 4.

pig 2, a landrace and the mother of the 60 kg growers, is due may 8 to a Hampshire/Pietrains boar due on May 8

pig 3, a landrace who's piglets all sold (except the one we ate on Saturday) is crossed to a Pietrains boar due May 8

Mozza will begin training this week. I ordered her nose ring to be delivered tomorrow. she has 2 months left to become useful to the farm or she will be sold.

The goats are doing well. Chabichou is less fearsome than upon arrival. he has a better attitude now with handling. the doelings are Houdinis. the electric fence may come out of storage soon.

I have access to Napier grass that will grow to 15 feet in 4 months. I am going to use the gray water from the pig septic to water about 30 plants as a trial. its a very good tropical cut and carry feed for ruminates. if it does well we can increase to 200 plants that, along with other forage trees, should carry the animals for our goat dairy.

my wife has an aversion to us growing rabbits but I remain convinced that a hutch of 4 does and a buck will produce a steady supply of almost free meat for our farm. mulberry leaves are a great source of most of the nutrition they need. a little Napier grass and an ounce of a pellets will keep them healthy. a week of fresh coconut meat will make plump fryers. 4 does will give us at least 2 bunnies a week to eat. the maintenance cost is less than 75 cents a week total. the hutches will be about 10 dollars each. a great return on investment.

 

[ozexpat]

wow

where did everyone go? lol

we sold the final cull sow yesterday as pig 1 left for the spam factory. the pigs are now where we want them

genetic material was ordered for pig 17. it will ship tonight.

the constructed guy digging the new septic did not return after lunch. maybe because the "panday" that was supposed to help him did not show up at all. monday-itis perhaps. we are now looking for a new panday. the steady turn over or day laborers continues

on the other side, Toto Ompoy/Florencio and Dodong seem to be OK together so far. I enjoyed watching them problem solve a task I gave them.

I am off to the city to attend my brother in law's wedding.

 

[mickmeek]

I just here for another week or so. I need to get back to the USA unfortunately.

we candled eggs yesterday.

looking viable

8 blue laced red wyandotte
12 Ameraucana
16 cream legbars
10 mystery eggs from Kevin. he never tells me what they are but last time they were the ayam cemani cross.
2 from 4 BCM. hoping I get a pullet.

I have some very interesting mixed breeds at the moment. if I was unscrupulous, I could market them as crested Swedish flower hens. there are 3 pullets and a roo. once they start laying, I will give them a small coop and see what the offspring look like. they are actually new Hampshire polish barred rock and RIR. we may have created the "coco breeze" lol

the laborer is here digging a new puso negro (black heart) the local word for a septic. the piggery septic tank is a single chamber so I am upgrading it to a double chamber.

Ariel has just come down a coconut tree. its been raining coconuts for 20 minutes. he is not wearing the harness we supply as he says they are small. he reserves the harness for those over 60 feet. what can I do? he will revert back to this behavior as soon as I leave. at least he is collecting copra and will have a couple of hundred dollars in profit share one he got back to school.

the trailer needs a new floor. I my goal is to get that some today.

I just ordered semen from Luzon for our first "coco swine genetics" born gilt. she is a beautiful landrace girl. she will get the best grade landrace semen and her daughters will be the beginning of our "multiplier" generation of the best landrace sows in southern Negros.

We have 4 of her female cousins with the same sire that are 60kg (130 lbs) at 16 weeks. I expect them to weigh 120+ kg at 7 months and ready to breed. I will use 2 to cross with large white to produce a second sow line that will be 75% large white 25% landrace. the other 2 will be crossed with Hampshire for a few generations.

pig 4, the last of our Duroc Pietrains sows has grown into a monster pig. she stands 6-8" taller than the landrace. She was bred to a large white/Duroc boar and is due on May 4.

pig 2, a landrace and the mother of the 60 kg growers, is due may 8 to a Hampshire/Pietrains boar due on May 8

pig 3, a landrace who's piglets all sold (except the one we ate on Saturday) is crossed to a Pietrains boar due May 8

Mozza will begin training this week. I ordered her nose ring to be delivered tomorrow. she has 2 months left to become useful to the farm or she will be sold.

The goats are doing well. Chabichou is less fearsome than upon arrival. he has a better attitude now with handling. the doelings are Houdinis. the electric fence may come out of storage soon.

I have access to Napier grass that will grow to 15 feet in 4 months. I am going to use the gray water from the pig septic to water about 30 plants as a trial. its a very good tropical cut and carry feed for ruminates. if it does well we can increase to 200 plants that, along with other forage trees, should carry the animals for our goat dairy.

my wife has an aversion to us growing rabbits but I remain convinced that a hutch of 4 does and a buck will produce a steady supply of almost free meat for our farm. mulberry leaves are a great source of most of the nutrition they need. a little Napier grass and an ounce of a pellets will keep them healthy. a week of fresh coconut meat will make plump fryers. 4 does will give us at least 2 bunnies a week to eat. the maintenance cost is less than 75 cents a week total. the hutches will be about 10 dollars each. a great return on investment.

I am excited what would be the mystery eggs.

Btw Oz, my Easter egger pullets if mate with Easter egger roos do their offspring will have green eggs too?

 

[ozexpat]

hey mick

the easter eggers will lay blue to green eggs. the color genetics should pass on to offspring

 

[mickmeek]

hey mick

the easter eggers will lay blue to green eggs. the color genetics should pass on to offspring

Awesome, out of 10, I got 2 pullets. 1 black and 1 that looks like lavender with muff.

 

[Phage]

Awesome, out of 10, I got 2 pullets. 1 black and 1 that looks like lavender with muff.

Are you certain?

Easter eggers can be very difficult to sex. Please post pictures.

 

[mickmeek]

Are you certain?

Easter eggers can be  very difficult to sex. Please post pictures.

Yes I will post pictures on wednesday once I get back in my hometown.

 

[ozexpat]

I agree. they are not a rooster till they start crowing.

the pen has a white Ameraucana, a lavender Ameraucana and a black copper Marans roo along with a mix of colors in hens.

rose combs should be most common and there are a couple of girls laying blue eggs in there that have black rose combs.