Incubators Anonymous

[ki4got]

WHen the girls are free of the current rooster juice, I'll pick 2 roosters to put in.

i snorted pepsi on that one. hubby wanted to know why so i told him. he's wearing his drink too now.

 

[Arielle]

Nice to see everyone again! Spring must be soon to arrive!

Karen--interesting observation on the half dorking chicks: leg size and chick pattern come thru. Any pure dorking going in the incubator. What planned matings have you decided for the dorkings?

Lilly-- you set eggs !! What kinds? How is the weather in VT? I remember the long winters. Great to hear from you again.

Paramedic--I can't claim to have originated the term "rooster juice", LOL, it sounds a little more polite and a bit funny at the same time. Sorry you lost your beloved rooster. He was handsome. I lost a white EE to a hawk last fall when the juveniles are trying to hunt on their own. DH only saw the white flash by. Hawks and other raptors are protected and DH has worked on projects to improve the survival of Balds Eagles. We have lost a few to coyote and the hawk; I see that as the price of free ranging.

28 EE Eggs is awesome. I love the size of the eggs my girls give; like the color of your rooster--I haven't seen EE in that color.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Arielle! I'm so jealous of your progress on your breeding pens!! I am stuck on a grow out pen in my basement, that needs to be a coop at this point as my chicks are now 6 weeks old!! Arrrgh! I also have 1 week old chicks on my kitchen counter.

Someone needs to take my incubator and HIDE IT!

I haven't been free ranging my big girls as we've had so many hawks. We spotted a bald eagle across the corn field last week (should I hide my Yorkie?) and there's a raptor I can not identify hanging out front. Red tailed, but completely dark otherwise, maybe a juvenile red-tailed hawk? Got LOTS of them.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:

Nice to see everyone again! Spring must be soon to arrive!

Karen--interesting observation on the half dorking chicks: leg size and chick pattern come thru. Any pure dorking going in the incubator. What planned matings have you decided for the dorkings?

all the pure dorking go in the incubator, but until i segregate the bantam hens from the pen, all his own girls' eggs are clear.

working on a 'free range' coop big enough to hold EVERYONE (except the dorkings) but till then that's the only place i could put the girls where i knew they'd use the nest boxes to lay. LOL before that all the eggs were going somewhere else. don't know where, might never find em LOL.

funny thing is, the dorkings are laying an OK sized medium egg... one of the bantams is laying close to a large egg. bigger than the dorkings. i think it's either my rir or the brahma. hoping it's the RIR, the brahma's for sale. don't care for her much.

got a broody cochin, debating what to do with her... i don't need more bantam x dorking chicks, but on the flip, they are kinda cute.

and you asked about dorking plans... I've got red and colored chicks on order from sandhill preservation center, but probably won't get them till june, or later at this rate. so until then i'm waiting for my chicklets to grow up and go in with the big guy and gals, for my silver greys. once they're by themselves (the dorkigns that is) i'll be hatching all i can get. I'm also shopping for red and colored eggs too

 

[fairwindminishetland]

Not sure where to jump into this thread, but I enjoy reading about everyone's full incubators and purchases of eggs! I am afraid I tend to have the same problem. I have a full incubator and will be buying more as I can move eggs groups out. Only the die-hard chicken person would want chicks this time of year....so it's nice to know I am not alone.

I have d'Uccles eggs(First time for this breed and looking for more!)...they will be in lockdown next Tues! Then the following week: Blue/splash langshans....woohoo...also

a new breed.

Then I am following up with 18 bantam cochins! These are all new breeds for me and so hopeful they are the sweet natured birds I've heard about. Would like some for pets!

Nothing like chickie fuzz to perk one up! Just thought I'd introduce myself and say, I am glad I am not alone.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Yeah, all of us hard core addicts drop in from time to time. I am doing the chicken shuffle, trying to move some out of the brooders into grow out pens. Problem is I need more grow out pens. Of course, if I had more coops then I would have my grow out pens emptied out. Heck, I am building coops as fast as I can! I keep telling myself I don't need more breeds, but gee those banties are so cute, and I really should have Dominiques , everyone around here wants some...

 

[fairwindminishetland]

Does anyone have a plan for small and easy to move around chicken tractors to put a few birds in? I'd like to make some for breeding bantams...

 

[Arielle]

I haven't been getting far on the breeding pens , lambing has jumped to the top of the to- do list with 2 more overnight and another this morning. THen I ran to the box company per DH orders for plywood scraps. Like 3 x 3 or 3 x 4 sizes. SOme Luan I could fit in barely because it flexed. Two trips there.

THe 2 month old chicks are jumping out of the brooder at will, I'm finding them over most of the down stairs.

SOmetimes I don't know what to get done next. Need breeding pens, need grow out pens. need chicks out of the house!! And the lambs are taking the heat lamps. DH was kind enough to buy three more yesterday, and they are all up in the lambing barn, one per pen.

I'm keeping to my promise to not hatch until these are all out of the house. I do have a couple people interested in hatching egg though. Hopefuly this storm will not prevent us meeting on Sunday as I'm collecting to day and tomorrow to get her the very best of the eggs. Into the moderately cool basement and turned 3 times a day and then I hope she has a good hatch.

 

[ki4got]

ok couldn't decide where to post, but since this will have to do (eventually) with incubating more eggs...

so i've got 4 ee's that hatched out last october. 2 hens and 2 roos. I think they're orloff crosses but not positive.
the girls...

and the guys...


my question here is, which roo do i keep? and i don't have room for 2 pairs. well i don't really have room for 1 pair. I'd sell both roos if i thought someone would like them.

opinions?

 

[Arielle]

Gee, Karen, they both look promising and very attractive. Any other qualities that might discount one over the other? Do you have other EE pens that could use one of the boys or would influence which male you keep for this trio??