IA here

[karimw]

I got 58 Iowa Blues in the bator!

I'm especially excited because these eggs are from the first generation of babies I raised myself

Some of them are a bit old but heck, I gotta try! There is a total of 72. It's pretty crammed so I'm hand turning, but that's OK - I get the best hatches doing that.

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

Quote:
I have heated waterers now. Each holds 3.3 gallons. Cost about $40. Before that I used the plugin heated dog bowls. They also have a thermostat built in so only runs when needed. Hold about 5 quarts for <$20. For 3 chickens either would do the job. Set traps or the Coon will be back and you will lose the rest. While a crock pot would work it would use 3 times as much electricity and probably evaporate all the water before the next weekend.
Craig


I have seem them at TS,Theisen,Orchelens,and at Preimier livestock supplies.
Craig

 

[mrandmrschicken]

Quote:
Let us know how it goes! Will a good hatch have you "singin' the blues"?

 

[mrheinz77]

Quote:
Let us know how it goes! Will a good hatch have you "singin' the blues"?

I set 167 chicken eggs and 5 duck eggs yesterday. There were 22 Iowa Blues, 13 Bantam Langshan, etc. I may need to post what I set to show everybody exactly how insane I am.

Here is the list:
So I have my total. 167 eggs if you don't count the 5 duck eggs that went in today. hide
21 Iowa Blue
13 Bantam Langshan
2 LF Langshan
17 Mutt eggs
1 EE
2 BBS Cochin
7 Welsummer x ?
3 Gold Laced Polish
And now the swap/purchased eggs
From Luckypickens
19 Buff Silkie
6 Blue Partridge Silkie
11 bantam RIR
From Allbreeds
1 Silkie
2 Silver Laced Cochin
2 Bantam Ameraucana
2 bantam RIR
From Hot2Pot
7 Light Sussex
1 Cochin
1 Lav Orp
1 SLW
2 Light Sussex split to Coro
7 Buff Brahma
6 Silver Sussex
12 GLW
From Lotsapaint
6 New Hampshire
5 Blue Copper Marans
From Tazcat
11 Olive Eggers and/or Welsummers

I must be crazy

 

[pbjmaker]

Quote:
Let us know how it goes! Will a good hatch have you "singin' the blues"?

I set 167 chicken eggs and 5 duck eggs yesterday. There were 22 Iowa Blues, 13 Bantam Langshan, etc. I may need to post what I set to show everybody exactly how insane I am.

Here is the list:
So I have my total. 167 eggs if you don't count the 5 duck eggs that went in today. hide
21 Iowa Blue
13 Bantam Langshan
2 LF Langshan
17 Mutt eggs
1 EE
2 BBS Cochin
7 Welsummer x ?
3 Gold Laced Polish
And now the swap/purchased eggs
From Luckypickens
19 Buff Silkie
6 Blue Partridge Silkie
11 bantam RIR
From Allbreeds
1 Silkie
2 Silver Laced Cochin
2 Bantam Ameraucana
2 bantam RIR
From Hot2Pot
7 Light Sussex
1 Cochin
1 Lav Orp
1 SLW
2 Light Sussex split to Coro
7 Buff Brahma
6 Silver Sussex
12 GLW
From Lotsapaint
6 New Hampshire
5 Blue Copper Marans
From Tazcat
11 Olive Eggers and/or Welsummers

I must be crazy

That's a lot of pens to build... So what kind of ducks?

 

[mrheinz77]

The old duck is a crested duck from Ideal. I don't know the breed. The drake is a hybrid. The picture shows them on the right and their 2 sons hatched in 2010 by them. I have several others that I hatched this year and I am getting crested offspring finally.

I have pens for some of them done but not others. I have time until they need separate pens. All of the mutts will go into the layer flock. Now the question is, will they hatch?

Since the beginning of October, I have had great development only to have the embryo die after being put in the hatcher. I have scrubbed and scrubbed the hatchers (Styrofoam Hovabators). When I double checked the temp with a different thermometer, the thermometers in the hatchers were running a few degrees low. I hope I have that taken care of now.

My turkeys are mating so I'm hoping it isn't long before there are eggs. They will be mutts, the tom is a Royal Palm and the hen is a dark turkey from Ideal. I thought she was a Narragansett but I don't think so. Maybe a bronze or black? I would sure like a Royal Palm hen to go with this boy. Trish got him at the EIPC Show in the auction and I bought him from her. My turkey started squatting so I put her with him. Usually she wouldn't squat until April or May (last year it was the end of May when she would see me and lay down right in front of me. I hate to tell her, but she isn't my type.

) but it was the first week of December. With any luck I can collect eggs and leave her with fake/dud eggs and when she starts sitting, give them back and she can raise this clutch and another in the Spring. She is a good mom and has hatched chicks before. This year she fought with the Guinea over the nest and ended up killing the keets (I had her on Guinea eggs) by smashing the eggs trying to push the Guinea hen off the nest. The Guinea hen only wanted to be broody the last few days of the hatch. Mama turkey said that she did all of the work up until then, so mama Guinea was not going to take the credit. Mama turkey is in the picture with the ducks too and her and papa have been "busy" the last 4-6 days. Any bets on when I'll find eggs?

 

[pbjmaker]

Next spring? My ducks have been mating on occasion but there are no eggs

Stupid scovies.

 

[karimw]

Quote:
Yeah, I'd say spring too. Last year mine started in about March I think?

 

[karimw]

I gotta story to share. I was on the phone with my mother the other day and as I was talking I was commenting on the Iowa Blue hens that always range so far from the coop - it's probably 200 yards to the road and they follow the fence line all the way there. I have three raised by broodies in the flock that ALWAYS do this. So one of them was out by herself, which isn't unusual, and as I'm watching a little hawk flew over the house and landed on top of the light pole by the barn. My mom is an avid birdwatcher too so I'm describing it to her trying to tell if it's a Coopers or a Sharp Shinned since they look so much a like. It was pretty small, about half the size of the hen, so I really didn't think it would try for her. I think I deafened my poor mother when it hopped off the pole and zipped along the ground to attack her. The hen just looked up calmly from her foraging and when it got to her she flipped upside down and kicked it away. The hawk landed in a heap a few feet away then flew off. The hen shook out her feathers and hustled back to the coop to tell her friends about it. I just LOVE those Iowa Blues!

 

[mrandmrschicken]

Quote:
Thats a great story Kari! Do you suppose that hen is the coop wing wrestling champ by now?

I watched a hawk yesterday, and took some pics, it was on our neighbors sidewalk. A small hawk that was after something in the very low shrubs against the front of their house. I saw the bird make an attempt to fly into the bushes but it popped back out as if it met with resistance. I don't know what was in the bushes. There was a crow acrosss the street in the park alerting all others to the stranger in the neighborhood.

Below is the latest oddity to come from the Orloffs. This one started out cuckoo patterned, then went crele. It is also double the size of the others in its hatch group. It spent most of it's early days with a bare butt cause the butt was beak high to the others and once they start to peck, someone gets picked on!