Geckolady
Counting Chickens B4 They're Hatched
Hello! A friend referred me here to learn about chickens. I bought a small ranch a few years ago with plans for some livestock in the future, and chickens, too.
Yesterday I cleaned out a shed and was thinking about how easy it would be to convert to a chicken coop. All I would need to do is add an outdoor run and figure out what chickens eat. The spots for the nests are already there. I have chicken feeders and waterers that I bought at a yard sale last fall for my future flock, and an incubator, too.
This morning I was getting into my van when a man walked up to me and asked if I'd like some fresh chicken eggs. I said yes, and when I offered to pay for them, he said they're free. Nice. But several years ago I bought eggs from someone with chickens, and three of that dozen had a developing chick inside. There's nothing quite like that landing in your skillet to make a person think twice about omelets for a while. Anyway, I candled these. One brown egg is about 1/3 full, and another brown one and two green ones look like there may be something developing. I set up the incubator, and it's holding steady at around 99 degrees and 47% humidity. I know the chances are against them hatching, but it's fun to try.
If these eggs hatch, I have no idea what to do. Panic sounds likely. Probable. So I'm here to learn about chickens, and if they don't hatch, get chickens in the spring. This probably isn't a good time of year for chicks, but I live in the desert in Arizona, so it's not as cold here as it is in some places.
FWIW, about 10 years ago someone gave me two gecko eggs that were in a store and nobody thought they'd hatch. One did, and she's still with me today, so you never know. The man said he has different types of chickens in his flock. Here is a picture. The two top green ones, the one on the bottom left, and the second from the bottom on the right are being incubated. The bottom left one is the one that's 1/3 full. Edited to add: One of the green eggs has white spots. I've never seen that before. Any idea what breed of chicken that might be?
Oh, and hello everybody. This is my first post.
Yesterday I cleaned out a shed and was thinking about how easy it would be to convert to a chicken coop. All I would need to do is add an outdoor run and figure out what chickens eat. The spots for the nests are already there. I have chicken feeders and waterers that I bought at a yard sale last fall for my future flock, and an incubator, too.
This morning I was getting into my van when a man walked up to me and asked if I'd like some fresh chicken eggs. I said yes, and when I offered to pay for them, he said they're free. Nice. But several years ago I bought eggs from someone with chickens, and three of that dozen had a developing chick inside. There's nothing quite like that landing in your skillet to make a person think twice about omelets for a while. Anyway, I candled these. One brown egg is about 1/3 full, and another brown one and two green ones look like there may be something developing. I set up the incubator, and it's holding steady at around 99 degrees and 47% humidity. I know the chances are against them hatching, but it's fun to try.
If these eggs hatch, I have no idea what to do. Panic sounds likely. Probable. So I'm here to learn about chickens, and if they don't hatch, get chickens in the spring. This probably isn't a good time of year for chicks, but I live in the desert in Arizona, so it's not as cold here as it is in some places.
FWIW, about 10 years ago someone gave me two gecko eggs that were in a store and nobody thought they'd hatch. One did, and she's still with me today, so you never know. The man said he has different types of chickens in his flock. Here is a picture. The two top green ones, the one on the bottom left, and the second from the bottom on the right are being incubated. The bottom left one is the one that's 1/3 full. Edited to add: One of the green eggs has white spots. I've never seen that before. Any idea what breed of chicken that might be?
Oh, and hello everybody. This is my first post.
Attachments
Last edited:
I'm fairly new to chicken keeping, so I wouldn't be able to tell what breed a green speckled egg would be. Perhaps an Easter, Olive or Moss Egger? Have fun hatching!
