Halloween Lockdown Day, Anyone Else?

[Cynthia12]

Quote:
Problem? Could it be called, hatching addiction? A few of us have that going on.

I love luckypickins, she is great to work with, and has beautiful birds..didn't know she had silkies, but then I wasn't looking at those..I like the cochins.
You must have a lot of land to have chickens and ducks. I'm always wishing I had a lot of land.

You know what, they are cochins... I had silkies on the brain. Got some of them going too. And we don't have a lot of land... yet. (The place we were looking at just sold today..

I'm pretty bummed.) But we have a HUGE backyard. And wonderful neighbors. We are looking though. I was raised on a farm and want my girls to have that same experience. My parents have a 60 acre farm, but I'm keeping my birds close to me for right now instead of driving out there everyday.
My ducks I'm selling as day olds so they won't be sticking around.

Speaking of ducks.. I candled tonight, for the last time... until tmw.. and my air cells are sloped now.

I did the same with ducks. Wanted the experience..plus..they were sooo cute. I had seen one just hatched, and just said, I want to do that, found a guy that has a lot of land up the canyon from us, and he wanted all that hatched, which was 6 I do believe. Just darling.. keep your humidity up about the same as you would for chicks,,but, during lock down, that needs to go up higher than you would for chicks. I'm sure you have been reading up.
I can look for pics of my baby ducks..didn't have them for long.. Welsh Harlequins...very pretty, even the gals are pretty.

A little close up of one..cute!

 

[Cynthia12]

Quote:
Mine too. I'm a nervous wreck if I let myself think about it too much. I know they're in there now... but I'm worried about them getting out! Post pics when you get somethin'!!

You two, don't worry if your temp is a bit lower now, they are grown, just need to stay warm, it's the humidity that is important. Try not to let it get below 60..I like to keep it between 60 and 65...for chicks.

Wait, anderson, you aren't in lock down are you? keep your temp up to 99.5 until lock down, then if it only wants to stay around 99 you are fine.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

AHHH!! I love those little fuzzy butts! Ducks are my true love. But don't tell the chickens that. My humidity is not at 60... It's at 55. Now you have me nervous. I swear there are so many conflicting humidity numbers on here!

I'll go bump it up a little though!

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

We're going to have are very own little fuzzy butts REAL soon Cynthia12!!

 

[Cynthia12]

Quote:
Yes, tonight is a good time to get things right. I even changed incubators. I am watching my humidity right now. I have extra sponges in this one, because it won't get up to the 60 or over. I usually have mine around 62. That white membrane is so tough, I have found that it is better with my incubator to have it around that..I have them in a Hova now, 1588...love those bators. I can use the red lift off stopper to put water in through the hole when the humidity starts to drop, or, if I notice the sponges drying out before they hatch. Once they hatch, the humidity usually goes up, but then, if no hatches happen soon after, it can drop again, so, we are watching humidity until all those babies hatch.
Yep, I am soo hoping for lavendar cochins!
Oh, and I am happy for you, you will love having those cute little cochin bantams..they are the sweetest little things ever! You have kids? They will love them.

 

[anderson8505]

Quote:
Mine too. I'm a nervous wreck if I let myself think about it too much. I know they're in there now... but I'm worried about them getting out! Post pics when you get somethin'!!

You two, don't worry if your temp is a bit lower now, they are grown, just need to stay warm, it's the humidity that is important. Try not to let it get below 60..I like to keep it between 60 and 65...for chicks.

Wait, anderson, you aren't in lock down are you? keep your temp up to 99.5 until lock down, then if it only wants to stay around 99 you are fine.

Nope, not yet. I'm following advice read that said to increase humidity but not too much over 65. The thread that talked about how a hen would never get humidity much above 65 even in the last few days. It makes sense. It was an old thread from 2009 where the guy had studied chickens when he was young, and followed what he learned that hens do. Pretty cool and made sense to me.

 

[Cynthia12]

Lock down today.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Quote:
Yes, tonight is a good time to get things right. I even changed incubators. I am watching my humidity right now. I have extra sponges in this one, because it won't get up to the 60 or over. I usually have mine around 62. That white membrane is so tough, I have found that it is better with my incubator to have it around that..I have them in a Hova now, 1588...love those bators. I can use the red lift off stopper to put water in through the hole when the humidity starts to drop, or, if I notice the sponges drying out before they hatch. Once they hatch, the humidity usually goes up, but then, if no hatches happen soon after, it can drop again, so, we are watching humidity until all those babies hatch.
Yep, I am soo hoping for lavendar cochins!
Oh, and I am happy for you, you will love having those cute little cochin bantams..they are the sweetest little things ever! You have kids? They will love them.

Yes, I have 3 girls ages 8, 3 and 16 months.. all girls.

I got the humidity up to 60 and holding. Trying to decide if I should lay them on their sides in the middle of the rack or take the entire rack out which would mean all the eggs on their sides until the ducks hatch. OR I could go buy another bator real quick... decisions, decisions.

 

[MamaMarcy]

Being new to this hatching stuff I have staggered hatches going on...

"Pumpkin" is PIP'd (as of 9-10pm yesterday) so I'm expecting her to hatch out today. She's our 2nd white frizzle roo/barred rock hen mix. The other, sweetpea, hatched yesterday morning.

And, 11 eggs went into lockdown today (or the best I can do with 1 incubator and eggs at all stages---live & learn). 7 bantam cochin lemon/blue splits and 4 white turkeys!!!

That leaves lemon/blue split normal size chick eggs, 20 EE's, and several Indian Runners still needing turning.

I might cave and go buy a 2nd bator for lockdown and try to just hide it from DH. "What, you didn't notice it's always been there?"

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Quote:
Yay for pumpkin!!
I'm thinking if I get another bator I might fill it. I'm trying to hold out and see if I can make this work.