How many chicks will you hatch in 2026?

[2ndTink]

Planning on it. Hoping for auto sexing with green eggs. Will do a hatch-a-long. May needs Ma's help with that. Depends on if and when I get a double hip replacement about the same time as we get fertile eggs. Later another one with the Niederrheiner roo on Legbar hens. Niederrheiners are also borderline autosexing.... Might get some interesting mutts that lay nice large to extra large eggs.

I am looking forward to the hatches you do! Those are really neat mixes you are doing.

Best of luck on the hip replacements, I hope they bring you a lot of relief

 

[2ndTink]

Umm, you asked for it, so here goes . . . https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...nus-broody-and-everything-thereafter.1672919/

My current hatch starts on page 131... I ordered hatching eggs from 3 different sellers on Ebay. Two orders have arrived and are going in the incubator(s) tomorrow, the 3rd will take at least another 2 weeks to get here since they were back ordered.

ETA: These are the only eggs I plan to hatch this year. I went a little chick crazy last year and didn't really get to enjoy the chicks because I had to deal with integration issues since they were all different ages. If anyone goes broody that doesn't count, right?

That's a great start! I hope the shipped eggs do really well.

Broodies don't count in any way, except toward the awards in those thread. So if anyone in your life asks if broody hatched chicks counts, the answer is a big NOPE, but here, you might make that Doctorate in Chicken Math

 

[Nomadicus]

We do have a continuously broody hen that hatched out 4 boys and I think she is going to wait until they crow before she gives them the boot. She no sooner cuts the apron strings until we find her on a nest with other hens eggs. Her last brood was supposed to be 5 cinnamon queen pullets that turned out to be bantam Cochin. We put the chicks under her a couple of weeks after she started setting and she took them for her own.

 

[redinator]

Oh wow! What a fun cross.

Since both Cream Legbars and Bielfelders are autosexing, do you think the chicks will be sexable at hatch with this cross? If you do a hatch-a-long or anything of the sort please share on this thread so we can follow along!!!

I'm getting Cream Legbars (Blue Shells) and Crele Penedesenca (Dark Shells) hatching eggs. They are both auto sexing breeds so I plan to cross them both ways. I'm curious to see if how they're crossed makes a difference in down color for auto sexing.

 

[2ndTink]

I'm getting Cream Legbars (Blue Shells) and Crele Penedesenca (Dark Shells) hatching eggs. They are both auto sexing breeds so I plan to cross them both ways. I'm curious to see if how they're crossed makes a difference in down color for auto sexing.

Ooh, for science! These ones also don't count outside of this thread.

 

[redinator]

Ooh, for science! These ones also don't count outside of this thread.

That breeding experiment won't happen until next spring. The eggs aren't even in the incubator yet, lol.

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

My rooster is a Hmong and I love him! He’s been a perfect gentleman and is so gorgeous. Keep us updated on that Hmong egg!

She sent me a bonus Hmong egg so I’ve got two to try! I’ve got them in the incubator now, can’t wait to see what I hatch!

 

[redinator]

Umm, you asked for it, so here goes . . . https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...nus-broody-and-everything-thereafter.1672919/

My current hatch starts on page 131... I ordered hatching eggs from 3 different sellers on Ebay. Two orders have arrived and are going in the incubator(s) tomorrow, the 3rd will take at least another 2 weeks to get here since they were back ordered.

ETA: These are the only eggs I plan to hatch this year. I went a little chick crazy last year and didn't really get to enjoy the chicks because I had to deal with integration issues since they were all different ages. If anyone goes broody that doesn't count, right?

I got busted!

My son (23) saw the hatching eggs I ordered in the incubator and he realized they weren't from our chickens, ours are all brown and the ones I ordered are dark (Marans and Crele Penes) and blue (Lav Ams).

He asked, "Why not just hatch the over 40 eggs sitting on the counter."

I said, "Because these are different breeds that lay different colored eggs."

He looked puzzled, "Do they taste different. .are they healthier. . .?"

Me. . ."Um, no . . I don't think so . . . they're just prettier"

Him . . "Are we gonna need another run?"

Me . . ."No, that's why I sold half the chickens we had, to make room for these."

Him . . ."Are you planning to buy more?"

Me . . ."No, these are the last ones I'm buying, until I need new genetics."

Him . . ."Alright, I'm holding you to that."

Me . . . "Ummm, there's still more coming, they're just delayed"

Him . . ."I don't even want to know . . . " and walked away . . .

 

[2ndTink]

I got busted!

My son (23) saw the hatching eggs I ordered in the incubator and he realized they weren't from our chickens, ours are all brown and the ones I ordered are dark (Marans and Crele Penes) and blue (Lav Ams).

He asked, "Why not just hatch the over 40 eggs sitting on the counter."

I said, "Because these are different breeds that lay different colored eggs."

He looked puzzled, "Do they taste different. .are they healthier. . .?"

Me. . ."Um, no . . I don't think so . . . they're just prettier"

Him . . "Are we gonna need another run?"

Me . . ."No, that's why I sold half the chickens we had, to make room for these."

Him . . ."Are you planning to buy more?"

Me . . ."No, these are the last ones I'm buying, until I need new genetics."

Him . . ."Alright, I'm holding you to that."

Me . . . "Ummm, there's still more coming, they're just delayed"

Him . . ."I don't even want to know . . . " and walked away . . .

So busted!

 

[Echelontheory101]

I want 8 new pullets and 1 new cockerel so I'll probably incubate 20 to try for that many pullets. If I dont get all the way to 8 I'll do a smaller batch the following year to get my total keep flock size to 20 not including extras in the grow out pen pending processing or sale.