Hatch-Along - Setting eggs this weekend (Jan5/6) WHOS WITH ME!

[fisherlady]

yes wednesday is lockdown for the eggs we have in the bator. sadly though we are down to 4 or 5 out of teh 12 we are having a lot of trouble with our temp this time it wont stay constant. when we candled on friday we saw a progress in the developing but not a lot of mvoement so we aren't too sure of what to expect from these guys. hopefully when we candle on tuesday before lockdown we can some some changes so we know that they are still alive

Hoping they do well for you! It would be great if you could add them in with your other two after a few days so later when they are ready to go to your flock you will have it done all at once instead of having to do it twice in the main coop.... Guess it will depend on how big and hearty the new ones are.

 

[fisherlady]

I think we are in the same boat with our chickens right now. We would like to have enough roosters to go to freezer camp so we don't have to buy broilers. I think a couple of ours are roosters. The ones we still have are all Columbian Wyandotte x Buff Orpington. So they should have good table qualities. It will be our first time processing our own chickens. I told my husband if he can kill them I will process them. When they are dead it's easier for me to view them as meat. I just don't like being the one to end their lives. I had to take processing classes when I was in college and it seemed like every poultry class I took had a mandatory "kill lab." Needless to say, I did not enjoy those days .

Yep, we are moving to breeds with decent egg production, good broody tendancies and larger size (though moderate maturity rate) to allow us to hatch out our own, enjoy them while they grow but be able to cull good meat to freezer camp at our convenience. That's why I want to try out the Dorking and Cochins...may look into heritage Cornish or JGs later on, but am hoping to be able to cross Barred Rock roos with the bigger hens to produce meaty chicks. That would be good for us for it just being a backyard flock, and it's not like we are trying to feed a family of 10, so we have plenty of time to experiment and see what works best for us.
I don't like the butchering either, but am OK with doing it since we use the cone and I make sure the chicken is 'zoned out' beforehand, so no drama and it goes quick, the processing doesn't bother me.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Yep, we are moving to breeds with decent egg production, good broody tendancies and larger size (though moderate maturity rate) to allow us to hatch out our own, enjoy them while they grow but be able to cull good meat to freezer camp at our convenience. That's why I want to try out the Dorking and Cochins...may look into heritage Cornish or JGs later on, but am hoping to be able to cross Barred Rock roos with the bigger hens to produce meaty chicks. That would be good for us for it just being a backyard flock, and it's not like we are trying to feed a family of 10, so we have plenty of time to experiment and see what works best for us.
I don't like the butchering either, but am OK with doing it since we use the cone and I make sure the chicken is 'zoned out' beforehand, so no drama and it goes quick, the processing doesn't bother me.

Since you are so close, I could easily get any excess roos from here to you if you need some meat birds. I actually have broilers & fryers (excess male chicks of any breed available) coming in a couple weeks. They will be pretty cheap if you get them as chicks or if I ship them to you at 3 weeks (so they still fit in a chick box). Just let me know if you would like some & I'll see what I can do. I buy in bulk & sell off the extras...LOL

 

[SusanRenee]

We finally jad a chance to candle our eggs tonight.. that are due starting Friday! My husband discovered that the light on our Samsung phones beats the led flashlight! Out of 42 set, only 3 were infertile and we took them out. All of the rest are looking good, maybe a couple of quitters but nothing we could be sure of. Here comes another giant hatch I hope. Most of this batch I will put up for sale, the ones out of my Welsummer, Ameraucanas and Marans and the couple of eggs from my neighbor I will keep. Maybe 12 chicks in all? I'll hate to see the rest go, but I can say having 29 4 week old chickens in the bathroom is a bit much. The older ones will move out this week to make room!

 

[Outrun Acres]

Here are some pic's of Irma Jean with her chicks.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Here are some pic's of Irma Jean with her chicks.

She looks like a Columbian Wyandotte. Did I guess right

 

[Outrun Acres]

She looks like a Columbian Wyandotte. Did I guess right

Great guess! She is a Columbian Wyandotte. This was her first time going broody and she sat on her eggs religiously and has been a great mother hen so far. She even adopted 8 other chicks that were not hers.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Great guess! She is a Columbian Wyandotte. This was her first time going broody and she sat on her eggs religiously and has been a great mother hen so far. She even adopted 8 other chicks that were not hers.

That's great! I just got 2 Delawares & other than comb they look identical. I had to look up the differences to see which I had so that's how I had a pretty good idea of what she was. The only others that really look close are Columbian Rocks (which are essentially the same bird as the Delaware with a slightly different cross used) & Light Brahmas. Brahmas are feather legged. The pea comb gave her away.

 

[FeyRaine]

Candled last night. It was only day 5 on most but I had a stinker.
Acutally I found several cracked eggs & it was odd that I had not noticed they were so bad when I set them.
They were from my own too, making it extra weird.

Anyway, found a bunch of clears. (My new Trio is not settled in yet apparently, Roo not doing job since arrival, although did prior as the _oldest_ 2 eggs are developing & on of those was layed on the drive to here - glad I set it, thought it was almost silly to do so at the time, but now I'm really glad b/c I know they CAN make fertile eggs, they just aren't at home here enough yet...)

I also had 2 obvious blood rings I removed, so all total I tossed 16 eggs, but I still have 68 set in 4 batches across both LGs.
First hatch date being 3/9.

I'm feeling a little impatient, but I need finish building the new Guinea pen started this wkend, & also 1-2 new brooders b/f 3/9 so I shouldn't try to rush things as I have plenty to do.

So who on this threat is UP NEXT on a hatching???

& keep the chick pics coming they are great, that last broody hen set was excellent, esp the last shot of them peeking out of her tail feathers like you can't see us back here ;>

 

[Outrun Acres]

Candled last night. It was only day 5 on most but I had a stinker.
Acutally I found several cracked eggs & it was odd that I had not noticed they were so bad when I set them.
They were from my own too, making it extra weird.

Anyway, found a bunch of clears. (My new Trio is not settled in yet apparently, Roo not doing job since arrival, although did prior as the _oldest_ 2 eggs are developing & on of those was layed on the drive to here - glad I set it, thought it was almost silly to do so at the time, but now I'm really glad b/c I know they CAN make fertile eggs, they just aren't at home here enough yet...)

I also had 2 obvious blood rings I removed, so all total I tossed 16 eggs, but I still have 68 set in 4 batches across both LGs.
First hatch date being 3/9.

I'm feeling a little impatient, but I need finish building the new Guinea pen started this wkend, & also 1-2 new brooders b/f 3/9 so I shouldn't try to rush things as I have plenty to do.

So who on this threat is UP NEXT on a hatching???

& keep the chick pics coming they are great, that last broody hen set was excellent, esp the last shot of them peeking out of her tail feathers like you can't see us back here ;>

I think I'm probably next. Tomorrow is day 20 for me. I have 21 eggs in lockdown. Two of those were under my broody hen I candled them and it looked like there were developing chicks inside. I am unsure about those two but the other 19 looked pretty good to me. I started out with 28 eggs and had a lot of clears I had to throw out. I calculated my flock fertility and it seems like my roosters really aren't doing their job very well. I have 2 roosters to cover 9 hens. I wonder if all the nasty weather we have had could effect their fertility? All I know is that was worse than the first hatch. Oh well, it's all a good learning experience I guess. I wonder if that is what is going on with your trio?

Does anyone know if chickens will molt this time of year? I had a strange experience with my Welsummer. She stopped laying for about a month and half. She just started up again and her eggs are much darker than they were before. She didn't lose any feathers that I was aware of. Could she have just stopped laying for some unknown reason? None of her eggs even made it into the incubator. During the first hatch all of her eggs ended up being clears anyway and I don't think I have ever seen a rooster try to breed her.