Halloween/Thanksgiving Hatch-a-Long 2019

[FortCluck]

Nah they’re layers too but they’re pets and most of them are also old. I added 5 new chicks the end of April but the rest of them are turning 4 years old the end of this month. A few of them still lay well but got more to keep up egg production. And because I wanted more birds.

I just meant like strictly laying i.e. no slackers in the coop lol

I’ve been thinking about getting a separate flock to sell eggs with. I could get a little bit of extra money and get more chickens. A win win.

Although that said, if I did that I’d probably get leghorns and sexlinks and I kind of would rather try some more rare/cool breeds and/or color varieties first.

Although I do LOVE my leghorn. She kind of reinvigorated this idea. She’s awesome. But idk if I want a whole flock of them.

I crossed my sex links with my jersey giants because sex links only live 3 years or so and I wanted to add new layers. I'm going to have a retirement flock once mine are too old to lay

I doubt they'll look cool probably just black and blah

 

[ShrekDawg]

I crossed my sex links with my jersey giants because sex links only live 3 years or so and I wanted to add new layers. I'm going to have a retirement flock once mine are too old to lay

I doubt they'll look cool probably just black and blah

Yeah, my current flock will stay here their whole lives! I could never get rid of them. Even if they don’t produce as much, they’re still pets and I enjoy having them around. plus they still earn their keep as fertilizer for the garden and compost turners

And aww that sounds like a neat cross!!!

Hey... maybe I should order some leghorn and sexlink eggs.

 

[BantyChooks]

Sounds like a good idea.



You do both!!! Gotta test hatch rate!!! And some stuff like humidity and stability and stuff you can’t test without eggs!! Lol

I have a hygrometer, and you can test stability by watching it for a few days. Your arguments remain not wholly convincing.
I also do know that it needs to be tinkered with a bit still. I need to swap out bulbs until I find a wattage that doesn't cause as much temp flux.

 

[FortCluck]

Yeah, my current flock will stay here their whole lives! I could never get rid of them. Even if they don’t produce as much, they’re still pets and I enjoy having them around. plus they still earn their keep as fertilizer for the garden and compost turners

And aww that sounds like a neat cross!!!

Hey... maybe I should order some leghorn and sexlink eggs.

All of my pullets were bred with my jersey giants. The barred rock looks like her eggs didn't get fertilized so I'll have sex link crosses and Delaware crosses

 

[ShrekDawg]

I have a hygrometer, and you can test stability by watching it for a few days. Your arguments remain not wholly convincing.
I also do know that it needs to be tinkered with a bit still. I need to swap out bulbs until I find a wattage that doesn't cause as much temp flux.

Darn

All of my pullets were bred with my jersey giants. The barred rock looks like her eggs didn't get fertilized so I'll have sex link crosses and Delaware crosses

That’s awesome!! Sounds like. Nice cross. I love my Delaware.

Although I think I’m starting to like the leghorn more

Also.... they don’t sell leghorn or sexlink eggs

Probably easier to just sell chicks of those breeds or maybe people only want to hatch cool rare breeds. They are also very popular breeds so they probably need all the eggs to meet the demand for them lol

https://www.meyerhatchery.com/productlist.a5w?cat=1030

 

[RUNuts]

I think I have an answer to a kill cone for quail. A condiment bottle or plastic ACV bottle.

I can check when the bottle is empty.

I was informed that a 16 oz Coke bottle worked well as a kill cone for quail.

 

[BantyChooks]

Darn



That’s awesome!! Sounds like. Nice cross. I love my Delaware.

Although I think I’m starting to like the leghorn more

Also.... they don’t sell leghorn or sexlink eggs

Probably easier to just sell chicks of those breeds or maybe people only want to hatch cool rare breeds. They are also very popular breeds so they probably need all the eggs to meet the demand for them lol

https://www.meyerhatchery.com/productlist.a5w?cat=1030

Leghorns are my second favourite breed, scoring just behind Chanteclers. I find them extraordinarily hardy, good layers, active rangers, and intelligent.

 

[muddy75]

Everybody hatching (or previously hatched) -- What bator are you using? Out of curiosity.

i started with janoelle 12 (still use it) added 2 56-egg incubators from amazon in order to accommodate my large quail hatches......for this hatch along i am only running 1 large and the janoelle 12.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Leghorns are my second favourite breed, scoring just behind Chanteclers. I find them extraordinarily hardy, good layers, active rangers, and intelligent.

Yes!! Mine is all of those things! She is so curious and friendly!! She always jumps up on the perch right by the fence to come visit me when I go out there lol and she has taught two of her buddies to the same! Three musketeers.

The other chickens all pace the fence line and get excited to see me, talking and such, but she and her buddies are the only ones that fly up to be at eye level with me!! Sometimes she’s the only one to do it.

And the Delaware mostly ignores me now. Or maybe is too heavy to fly up she was super cuddly as a chick and is still pretty friendly but nowhere near as curious as Little One!

You can just tell she is a super smart bird.

Always has to know what’s going on and always paying attention and watching everything.

Even as a chick she was very alert and curious and had no problems standing her ground with the big girls and charging right up to the feed bowl or into the fray for treats! and they let her! Even the dominant hens.

And she is an excellent layer!! She started laying about 2 weeks ago and I don’t think she’s missed a day!! Or very rarely. Maybe like one or two this whole time! And the eggs are quite large already! Even her first few eggs were 46, 47, and 48 grams!

I forgot to weigh the very first one so those were her second, third, and fourth eggs but still very impressive! My first girls their eggs didn’t even register on the egg scale! Lol

The shell is also very very thick and strong (annoyingly hard to break actually ) and very good yolk color, dark and tasty.

Very good free ranger too.

She is just amazing!! I wish I had gotten more or gotten some years ago lol

 

[FortCluck]

I love olive eggers. I haven't been able to find any though in my area. Hopefully some day I'll have one again.