How many chicks will you hatch in 2026?

[Kung_pao]

Just "done", or are you "done, done", because there is a difference

Just done lol

 

[2ndTink]

Both haha. I tend to keep more birds if they don't sell but a lot of times it's panic rushing to set them up in a bigger area. For some reason sales cut off realy sharply May/June (at least in my area). Last few years I was feeling optimistic from the spring rush and hatched a ton only to have a hundred or so left over - I'm determined not to repeat my mistakes

@Debbie292d did a fall hatch last year to have grown out pullets available this spring, although I think most of them sold much earlier than planned, but, its a great idea!

 

[Debbie292d]

@Debbie292d did a fall hatch last year to have grown out pullets available this spring, although I think most of them sold much earlier than planned, but, its a great idea!

I do have, I believe, 14 left of 40 or so. It is a great idea, but they don't last like I thought they would. I sort of thought more 4H'ers would be knocking at my door, but these have gone little by little from just silkie lovers. Five more or so are going Tuesday.

I'll probably do it again this fall.

 

[fluffycrow]

Spring time, and as such, chick time is slowly approaching. Rather, it isn’t really, but I much prefer thinking it is, rather than that whole winter-y mess going on outside .

If I am to incubate this year, I need to source eggs before summer temperatures hit. An easter hatch sort of sounds nice, although it may not be possible.

Then I have to think of breeds. The goal is the same. Healthier gene pool, natural brooding, Mediterranean/primitive build and predominantly single combs.
Going with the landraces has been a good baseline. A wild mix of genetics, but with a build that is greatly suited for our weather. The Brahma and Aseel additions to the mix brought broodiness in.

So now I have the following breeds in mind. Araucana, Fayoumi, Dongxiang Lukedanji, more aseel and possibly more landraces. The problem is that the sources are quite limited here. If I get eggs from all these breeds this year, then I’ll be looking to outcross much sooner than if I were to introduce the breeds gradually.

I’m leaning towards araucana as the first addition. Problem is, they also have a pea comb. Right now the birds are quite split, but even a few homozygous pea comb additions would make it the dominant comb type here. But that is the only negative I can see, so it might be worth it.
The Dongxiang might be a better first addition, but I have not been able to find any solid info on them, so it’s much more of a gamble (plus sourcing them might not be as easy).
Recommendations here would be most welcome.

In either case, I reckon around 20 eggs is where we’ll be. As mentioned in my first post here, I really want to count on the broodies this year. They’ll sit on eggs of their own (which would be fifth generation I believe). I’m hoping to try the experienced hen (if she’s kind enough and decides to sit) on 15-17 eggs. Inexperienced adults will get 12. There is only one pullet this year. IF she decides to sit (highly unlikely, since I’m pretty sure she’s 100% Tsouloufati, but she was broody raised so who knows), she’ll get 6-10 eggs, depending on how she deals with them, and the season.

There is no way I’ll be able to guess how many we’ll end up this year (and I am prone to throwing a batch in the incubator if I see that the year hasn’t gone as planned, which is almost always the case), but that should give a rough estimate now that we’re getting closer to hatching season. So, say 20 eggs, and 27 from the broodies at most (very likely that one or none sit), that should be 47 chicks in total. Make it 50 just because it sounds better, and that’s my number for the next three seasons.

I hope I’ve not gone terribly off topic here

 

[Debbie292d]

Spring time, and as such, chick time is slowly approaching. Rather, it isn’t really, but I much prefer thinking it is, rather than that whole winter-y mess going on outside .

If I am to incubate this year, I need to source eggs before summer temperatures hit. An easter hatch sort of sounds nice, although it may not be possible.

Then I have to think of breeds. The goal is the same. Healthier gene pool, natural brooding, Mediterranean/primitive build and predominantly single combs.
Going with the landraces has been a good baseline. A wild mix of genetics, but with a build that is greatly suited for our weather. The Brahma and Aseel additions to the mix brought broodiness in.

So now I have the following breeds in mind. Araucana, Fayoumi, Dongxiang Lukedanji, more aseel and possibly more landraces. The problem is that the sources are quite limited here. If I get eggs from all these breeds this year, then I’ll be looking to outcross much sooner than if I were to introduce the breeds gradually.

I’m leaning towards araucana as the first addition. Problem is, they also have a pea comb. Right now the birds are quite split, but even a few homozygous pea comb additions would make it the dominant comb type here. But that is the only negative I can see, so it might be worth it.
The Dongxiang might be a better first addition, but I have not been able to find any solid info on them, so it’s much more of a gamble (plus sourcing them might not be as easy).
Recommendations here would be most welcome.

In either case, I reckon around 20 eggs is where we’ll be. As mentioned in my first post here, I really want to count on the broodies this year. They’ll sit on eggs of their own (which would be fifth generation I believe). I’m hoping to try the experienced hen (if she’s kind enough and decides to sit) on 15-17 eggs. Inexperienced adults will get 12. There is only one pullet this year. IF she decides to sit (highly unlikely, since I’m pretty sure she’s 100% Tsouloufati, but she was broody raised so who knows), she’ll get 6-10 eggs, depending on how she deals with them, and the season.

There is no way I’ll be able to guess how many we’ll end up this year (and I am prone to throwing a batch in the incubator if I see that the year hasn’t gone as planned, which is almost always the case), but that should give a rough estimate now that we’re getting closer to hatching season. So, say 20 eggs, and 27 from the broodies at most (very likely that one or none sit), that should be 47 chicks in total. Make it 50 just because it sounds better, and that’s my number for the next three seasons.

I hope I’ve not gone terribly off topic here

You sound so organized! I had to read that twice! Sounds neat though!

 

[Chookwagn]

Seeing as my hatching for 2026 starts on 1 Jan and takes a break thru winter then goes right up to 31 Dec .....im not going to know till 1 Jan 2027 what the number will be!


I think I'm just gonna hatch them all!