HALLOWEEN Hatch-a-Long 2016 w/ Hosts, Mike, Sally & BantyChooks

[mrchicks]

Now that I'm caught up, I forgot who asked.

My duck eggs are Welsh Harlequin. And tomorrow is lock down, I am sooooo excited! And ready. I think.

 

[Cynthia12]

Love the Welsh Harlequin!

 

[mrchicks]

Love the Welsh Harlequin!

Same here! Out of all our feathered kids, the Welshies are our favorites.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

Now that I'm caught up, I forgot who asked.  My duck eggs are Welsh Harlequin.  And tomorrow is lock down, I am sooooo excited!  And ready.  I think. 

Lol congrats !

 

[mrchicks]

Lol congrats !

There you are! Thank you.

 

[junebuggena]

Day 7 for my other broody. Out of 10 eggs set, 2 were clear and one had a very visible blood ring. The rest look good.

 

[eHuman]

One week mark. 68 coturnix eggs get candled for fertility tomorrow. Unlike my last hatch I haven't had to remove any stinkers or cracked eggs at this point. I used an Incubator Warehouse egg turner in my Hovabator Genesis last time, which was responsible for the cracked eggs. Hand turning 4-6 times a day this time.

Eggs represent:
Pharoah
Cinnamon (roux)
Silver
Manchurian
Itallian
A&M

And crosses of the above.

Spooky hatch coming up!

Candled the quail eggs tonight (day 9) and removed 12 infertile/quitters. 56 little ones are getting ready for Halloween!

 

[snywalker]

Thank you! I select for a lot of things that are not the norm. I've gotten A LOT of strange looks over the decades... For instance, on top of the usual requirements...I select replacement rams that the flies don't bother as opposed to the rams who are covered with flies. Eventually I get a flock that's naturally resistant to flies because the flies don't like them...lol. I've even shortened the tails on my sheep (with breeding) so I can see the udders easier. I kept the offspring from my 2016 Jan/Feb hatch, who are first eggs from the first pullets who were chicks last year. These offspring were laying by June1 at 5 weeks, 2 weeks earlier than their mothers' point of lay at 5.5 months.

I'm the one who does the genetic sourcing for our cattle, our sheep and now my chickens. We have a closed herd and closed flocks and bring in only males. All of our female replacements come from out own stock so we've seen what impact this can have years down the road. I've already seen some really positive results in my chickens and their eggs in the one year I've had them and been hatching. I'm a huge proponent of survival-of-the-fittest genetics. Wild animals are so hardy and resistant; only the toughest survive and reproduce. Our selections are based on the same principles; animals that thrive with less work in our climate. Plus, we're getting older... I am really hard to please (yes, I'll admit that ) and I cull ruthlessly, which doesn't mean I don't care for the ones who aren't the best...it just means we don't use them for replacement breeding stock. (They can still produce offspring for slaughter/eggs or be shipped themselves) I have a lot of pets too.

We have a problem with not getting eggs in the winter. I got chicks from breeds who are known for winter laying. But hatching in the winter seems like a good solution. I also like your pullet egg thing. I was always told not to hatch pullet eggs, but it seems like an easy way to hatch pullet who will lay earlier.

 

[harmesonfarm]

Thank you! I select for a lot of things that are not the norm. I've gotten A LOT of strange looks over the decades...

For instance, on top of the usual requirements...I select replacement rams that the flies don't bother as opposed to the rams who are covered with flies. Eventually I get a flock that's naturally resistant to flies because the flies don't like them...lol. I've even shortened the tails on my sheep (with breeding) so I can see the udders easier.
I kept the offspring from my 2016 Jan/Feb hatch, who are first eggs from the first pullets who were chicks last year. These offspring were laying by June1 at 5 weeks, 2 weeks earlier than their mothers' point of lay at 5.5 months.

I'm the one who does the genetic sourcing for our cattle, our sheep and now my chickens. We have a closed herd and closed flocks and bring in only males. All of our female replacements come from out own stock so we've seen what impact this can have years down the road. I've already seen some really positive results in my chickens and their eggs in the one year I've had them and been hatching. I'm a huge proponent of survival-of-the-fittest genetics. Wild animals are so hardy and resistant; only the toughest survive and reproduce. Our selections are based on the same principles; animals that thrive with less work in our climate. Plus, we're getting older...

I am really hard to please (yes, I'll admit that

) and I cull ruthlessly, which doesn't mean I don't care for the ones who aren't the best...it just means we don't use them for replacement breeding stock. (They can still produce offspring for slaughter/eggs or be shipped themselves)
I have a lot of pets too.

I think that's genius!

Love the way you think, makes so much sense!

 

[bullets]

Broodies are so lovely and intense...in such a quiet way.

She's lovely!

Love the way you worded that