Incubators Anonymous

[Overoberyl]

you have a lot of chickens i need.

lets talk as the end of may gets closer. there may be a jet ride for some of your eggs

Eggcellent

Not all of my breeds are laying yet tho.

 

[ChickNmamma]

Quote: hm. i see some that look pretty blue/green to me... on the bottom foam mat, far left top egg, top foam mat top row, 3rd from right, 2nd row first egg, 3rd row possibly first two?

maybe it's just the photo.
Oh good - I didn't see any in the incubation photo so I thought the colors I were seeing were just a trick of the light. I didn't realize he had been doing several runs - that is really dedication!

Quote: Yay - didn't leave out my favorite birds from the eggcitement!

 

[ozexpat]

Oh good - I didn't see any in the incubation photo so I thought the colors I were seeing were just a trick of the light. I didn't realize he had been doing several runs - that is really dedication!
Yay - didn't leave out my favorite birds from the eggcitement!

Still on the list are

24 Barred Rock
24 Giant Jersey
24 Rhode Island Reds
24 Sussex
24 Creme Legbars
24 Ameracauna/Aracauna
24 Marans
24 White Crested Black Polish
12 bourbon red turkey
12 royal palm turkey
12 peafowl
24 french guinea fowl
120 Texas A&M coturnix
12 tolouse goose
6 emu
and anything interesting I find on the way

 

[ChickNmamma]

Quote:

 

[Runawaylobster]

I had a mini hatch going this week, it's day 21 today but yesterday two of the three hatched...
They are Black Copper Marans Roo x Hamburg (most likely) or perhaps BCM x redcap or BCM x buttercup...

Anyhow two hatched a day early, i'm thinking because the eggs were very small (hence the suspect
hamburg cross). the third egg hasn't budged yet but it's a BCM roo x cuckoo Marans female..

The thing is both of the chicks so far look just like their dad...

a bcm?? i have 26 more due to
hatch next week. This was really just a test of the new bator and a fertility test for the roo...
so all these chicks are getting sold for cheap if anyone is so inclined.

 

[Overoberyl]

I had a mini hatch going this week, it's day 21 today but yesterday two of the three hatched...
They are Black Copper Marans Roo x Hamburg (most likely) or perhaps BCM x redcap or BCM x buttercup...

Anyhow two hatched a day early, i'm thinking because the eggs were very small (hence the suspect
hamburg cross). the third egg hasn't budged yet but it's a BCM roo x cuckoo Marans female..

The thing is both of the chicks so far look just like their dad...

a bcm?? i have 26 more due to
hatch next week. This was really just a test of the new bator and a fertility test for the roo...
so all these chicks are getting sold for cheap if anyone is so inclined.

BC and cuckoo Marans look very similar at hatch, as they feather in the cuckoo get the barring in but I'm pretty sure they are almost indistinguishable at first. Unless because of the barring maybe the cuckoo have a head spot? DMRippy would know.

 

[Runawaylobster]

BC and cuckoo Marans look very similar at hatch, as they feather in the cuckoo get the barring in but I'm pretty sure they are almost indistinguishable at first. Unless because of the barring maybe the cuckoo have a head spot? DMRippy would know.

yes, I think that the barring will be if it's a boy chick (with a head spot) and the plain will be if it's a female chick, I didn't intend to try this cross but i just happen to have a cuckoo marans (desdemona) in the same pen. Her eggs are not all that dark but she sure lays alot of them.. almost 6 per week.. when i first got Desdemona i was sure she was a dominique, and then one of her marans looking eggs popped out LOL!!!!

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
The cuckoo cross would produce males with head spots.... sometimes it can be tiny, but ANY spot and it is a roo.

 

[ki4got]

Quote: well, give me a holler later in the year if you decide to add red and silver grey dorkings, or bantam cochins (mille fleur, bbs mottled - growing out silver laced)

 

[maryhysong]

Actually as a person who loves chickens I would think it would be difficult to support the commercial chicken industry, where they live horrible, short, miserable lives. When you buy chicken from the supermarket you're essentially supporting that. Every time I process one of my own birds I think about how they have had a great life, living like a chicken should. I never name the birds I know I will eventually process, which makes it easier for me. I will never buy chicken from the supermarket again, simply because I don't want to be part of that machine. You're not alone though, most people simply don't want to know where their food comes from, or they don't care.

I started raising animals to eat just so I could opt out of the system. I'm not totally away from the grocery store but get closer every year. Now that I have so many chickens, chicken meat & eggs are crossed off the list. I do eat old hens and roosters because what else would you do with them. They make really good broth for soup. I don't name most of my chickens anyway, tho some of them have acquired names, usually it is some version of Fried Chicken or Swims with Dumplings

It helps to not name them and decide from the get go that some are going to be eaten. When my kids were little and I had dairy goats all the boy kids were named BBQ, the pigs were always named Porkchops & Bacon, They were only allowed to name their special pet rabbits, not any of the others in the barn. My kids were running around and watching me butcher and sometimes helping from a young age. I think that is the kind of life we need to get back to. Sorry for the off topic ramble