HERE WE GO AGAIN Anyone SETTING Aug 30th - Sept 8th join me!!

I really do believe that the feed and care of the parent birds has a lot to do with hatchability of eggs. I am sure too that what you feed in NZ is of much better quality than what we get here in the US. All the GMO's that are allowed in our animal and human foods are probably not present in yours. I am having a very hard time finding an organic source of feed for my chicks. I have a problem with the soy that we use here in the states as most of it has been genetically modified and it has been linked to increased rates of fertility problems in both humans and animals.
Brookhavens ~ I totally agree with you NO GMO...that is why I am growing my own heirloom and open pollinated veggies. I get my feed from a friend who has all organic feed shipped to her house. I don't know the name of it but I will try to get it for you. It's not cheap but I want my eggs to be good and my chicks healthy. I wish I had the strength to plant huge gardens and grow my own chick feed that would be the way to go.
 
Okeeeeedokeeeeee!!!! What a couple of days ......
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.......... and during this time we're thinking of getting more goats and becoming goat milk suppliers ...... sooooooooooo here's some pics :

Sorry about the iphone pics, but it's the best I could do tonight. Here is our only Black or Blue Copper Marans (somebody can let me know if they know what). I would say this is a pullet, but that may just be wishful thinking ... LOL




Onto the next two. There is one Olive Egger (BCM/Am) and one Super Blue Layer (Leghorn/Ameraucauna). Now to tell which one is which????? Am I really going to have to wait for them to lay eggs??? Any thoughts anyone??





Here is the fuzziest little butt you ever saw .... LOL ....This is a Super Blue (the yellow fluff ball) and a............ wait for it ........ Cuckoo Marans .... I'm telling you this chick came out of a HUGE big brown Cuckoo egg...... I have never seen a Cuckoo Marans chick before but it looks like the 'milk man came visiting' ... LOL




And then there's these three ......Two Super Blues and one Olive Egger (who I'm convinced is a Roo). The Olive Egger is the one with gunk still stuck to the back of his neck.

Awwwww they are all so cute Picanins! Congrats
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Almost there, we are on day 18 and excited for lock down tomorrow! Hopefully we will have chicks by Friday! Started with eight shipped Bantam Cochin eggs for my son's 4-H project. Early on he accidentally dropped one while turning them, cracked it and learned the lesson Mom had been preaching about being very, very careful.
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Then we had a scare of a 104 spike, for who knows how long,
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but we finally got the temps regulated. Ended up disgarding three clears, and have high hopes for the four remaining who seem to be developing well. Temps steady at 99 or 100 and humidity at 60% on the digital combo hygro-thermometer.

Then we have 48 Jumbo Brown Cornix Quail eggs that go into lock down on Friday too that I bought. It was a quick decision when a neighbor said he wanted some to raise. Oh my, it should be very interesting at our house soon!
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So much fun being able to do this with your son! Can't wait to see the pictures soon.
 
Right guys/gals last hatch I used the cooling mode on my mini advance incubator which cools the incubator down for what ever time period u set it to in my manual it says that a mother hen leaves the nest for up to 2 hours a day to eat pooh and drink so I'm thinking I may leave the cooling mode off this hatch what are everyone's thoughts on this u don't start the cooling mode till after day 7 of incubation


What does everyone think ? To my post above
 
What does everyone think ? To my post above

Hey Kel ..... my thoughts need to be filtered through (Nikki is a complete hacker, and although incubated hundreds of chicks, is still a hacker from the backwoods of Africa ...
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) ..... okay, now that's out the way, here are my thoughts : Whatever was happening with your last hatch, it seems that your temps may have been too cool, which is why you had such late hatches. This may have been due to a faulty read on your thermometer - I've read somewhere that a person never got one consistent read from digital thermometers (which is why I suggested using an additional mercury thermometer in your eggs), but it may have been the cooling down effect, cooling the eggs too much. I know that I had an ausie broody a couple months ago and she would not leave that nest for ANYTHING!!! There was no ways she would leave the nest for 10 mins, NEVER for 2 hours. In the end we had to put her food and water near her so that she could actually eat and drink - so I think the times the broody's leave their nests is up for debate as well!! Yay - let's add another variable??!!!
barnie.gif


All that being said, if it was me, I would make sure that my digital temp and hygrometer was reading correctly with additional analogue separate readings, and I would ditch the cooling 'thingie'. I hope my random thoughts help and don't hinder
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Hey Kel ..... my thoughts need to be filtered through (Nikki is a complete hacker, and although incubated hundreds of chicks, is still a hacker from the backwoods of Africa ...
lau.gif
) ..... okay, now that's out the way, here are my thoughts : Whatever was happening with your last hatch, it seems that your temps may have been too cool, which is why you had such late hatches. This may have been due to a faulty read on your thermometer - I've read somewhere that a person never got one consistent read from digital thermometers (which is why I suggested using an additional mercury thermometer in your eggs), but it may have been the cooling down effect, cooling the eggs too much. I know that I had an ausie broody a couple months ago and she would not leave that nest for ANYTHING!!! There was no ways she would leave the nest for 10 mins, NEVER for 2 hours. In the end we had to put her food and water near her so that she could actually eat and drink - so I think the times the broody's leave their nests is up for debate as well!! Yay - let's add another variable??!!!
barnie.gif


All that being said, if it was me, I would make sure that my digital temp and hygrometer was reading correctly with additional analogue separate readings, and I would ditch the cooling 'thingie'. I hope my random thoughts help and don't hinder
tongue.png

I totally agree. Each hen is different on their broodiness. I had one that was just like picanins. She would not get off her eggs for anything. As much as the digital thermometers and hygrometers are nice to use I trust my analogs way more. I calibrate each one before each hatch I do and they are usually dead on from the time before. With digital there is always the chance of something mechanical going wrong and you never knowing it until it is too late. I think we make things way to complicated with all this "new fangled" stuff and the old fashion way is much simpler and better in the long run.
 
Okeeeeedokeeeeee!!!! What a couple of days ......
barnie.gif
.......... and during this time we're thinking of getting more goats and becoming goat milk suppliers ...... sooooooooooo here's some pics :

Sorry about the iphone pics, but it's the best I could do tonight. Here is our only Black or Blue Copper Marans (somebody can let me know if they know what). I would say this is a pullet, but that may just be wishful thinking ... LOL




Onto the next two. There is one Olive Egger (BCM/Am) and one Super Blue Layer (Leghorn/Ameraucauna). Now to tell which one is which????? Am I really going to have to wait for them to lay eggs??? Any thoughts anyone??





Here is the fuzziest little butt you ever saw .... LOL ....This is a Super Blue (the yellow fluff ball) and a............ wait for it ........ Cuckoo Marans .... I'm telling you this chick came out of a HUGE big brown Cuckoo egg...... I have never seen a Cuckoo Marans chick before but it looks like the 'milk man came visiting' ... LOL




And then there's these three ......Two Super Blues and one Olive Egger (who I'm convinced is a Roo). The Olive Egger is the one with gunk still stuck to the back of his neck.


Oh my are they CUTE!!!
 

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