INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[wheezy50]

On a different note, I had a bantam Cochin go broody about a month ago. After a weeks time I could tell she really wanted to sit on a nest so I gave her some eggs to attempt a hatch.

After 24 hrs another bantam hen decided to sit with her. I had given the first hen ten eggs (which in hind site was probably too many) and now they had the eggs divided between the two. The nest box was pretty good size to begin with and they seem to be perfectly content nestled up together. I put a food and water station in the corner of the coop close and they seem to be using it on their own, although i do usually check on them once a day or two and make them get up and stretch for a min. Sometimes one will have four eggs and the other will have six. Other times they will have three and seven. I even cought one girl sitting on all ten and the other just sitting beside her. I have know idea if this duel hatching method is the best idea but they seem to be doing a pretty good job so far.

This all started two and a half weeks ago, so this Sunday will be 21 days. I randomly chose four eggs and took my first try at candling a couple days ago. I don't know what i was seeing for sure, but they looked a lot like the pics I saw on here of day 12-14 eggs. There was not much to see other than mostly darkness with a vein or two visible. There was definitely a clear bubble/air sac at one end of each egg. Fingers crossed this weekend will produce some new chicks.

 

[julie0477]

Well I have what is probably a dumb question but I candled the eggs under my broody hen tonight she's been sitting on them for a week. If they are fertile what should I be seeing? They all looked like they have a dark mass in them except for one it looked like it was clear. Does anyone candle with a flashlight, if so what type/size? On a different subject I have a new layer today. I found this in the nesting box.The second picture is it compared to one of my other eggs. It looks like one of my banty eggs but they all lay white eggs so I know it wasn't one of them. It had to come from a slw, glw, bpr, rir or nh. Any idea which one lays an egg this dark? Thanks for any help.

I use a little $3 Led flashlight from lowes . Sounds like the ones with dark masses are your baby chicks. The other was probably infertile. Woohoo babies in two weeks!

 

[gunchief25]

Well I have what is probably a dumb question but I candled the eggs under my broody hen tonight she's been sitting on them for a week. If they are fertile what should I be seeing? They all looked like they have a dark mass in them except for one it looked like it was clear. Does anyone candle with a flashlight, if so what type/size? On a different subject I have a new layer today. I found this in the nesting box.The second picture is it compared to one of my other eggs. It looks like one of my banty eggs but they all lay white eggs so I know it wasn't one of them. It had to come from a slw, glw, bpr, rir or nh. Any idea which one lays an egg this dark? Thanks for any help.

I would guess the rir although my rirs eggs arent quite that dark but they are darker than the others. Another possibility is that your barred rock is actually a Cuckoo Maran their eggs are about that dark. Not sure if I am being much help but that is allI can think of.

 

[racinchickins]

I had my first 'incident' tonight. We were out late at a family function, and when we got home, one of our dogs was out, one of the poultry fences was ripped down, and not a turkey in sight. All chickens were accounted for, but no turkeys.

I did a search, and found 7 turkeys on the other side of the yard perched on either a fence line or the leg bar coop roof. I found another perched on the gutter on our barn roof. One is still missing. I haven't found feathers or blood, so I hope she will turn up. I'm pretty sure our dog is the culprit, and he doesn't have any feathers or blood on him, so i wonder if he was just chasing and they got tangled in the fence netting. Guess the morning will tell. I've got all coops shut up tight, and just have to hope the turkeys are ok till tomorrow.

 

[PeacefulWalls]

I've got a question for those of you with both chickens and ducks. Do you let both kinds of birds hang out in the same run or fenced area? What about sharing coop space? We have 16 ducks (still figuring out how many are drakes) and about 40 chickens (only 1 roo). Our birds are in separate barn stalls, but wondered if they would get along if they co-mingled. I've searched some other posts & it sounds like they could get along, but I did read a number of references to roosters trying to breed the ducks & drakes trying to breed the hens. That makes me have second thoughts about them sharing space/a run. Any thoughts?

 

[bradselig]

Awhile back there were questions on how to set up a little giant or similar incubator. Well I got mine cleaned up tonight from previous hatch and getting ready for lockdown tomorrow. Figured it would be a good time to get some pictures. Now I don't incubate in this one. Only hatch.

I place flat rocks in the bottom under the wire floor. I did this to act as a heat sink and help evenly heat the incubator and to get the temperature back up quicker when I open the top. I honestly don't know of it works but it sounded like a good idea lol. Then shelf liner gets placed on top of that. Until the temp and humidity is stable, I have two thermometer/hygrometers in there. The smaller is a remote sensor and the temp and humidity are displayed in my living room for quick reference. The other is placed in the bator so I can read it through the windows up top.

For humidity, I use a food storage container with either a sponge or humidifier wick depending if I'm doing forced air or still air. The forced air uses the sponge and still air I use the wick. I then placed a hardware cloth fence around it to prevent chicks from getting in it and drowning.

To fill the water container I have a 1/4" tubing placed under the sponge/wick and then fed through the top. I just took a pencil and pushed it through a vent hole that was in the corner to enlarge it. This allowed me to be able to fish the tubing through the top.

I fill it with a large syringe.

Lastly, through one of the vent holes, I stick another digital thermometer probe in there.

I've found these guys to be pretty accurate. You find them in both the aquarium aisle and reptile aisle in most pet stores.

And that is how set up my LG for hatching.

 

[barb s]

I would guess the rir although my rirs eggs arent quite that dark but they are darker than the others. Another possibility is that your barred rock is actually a Cuckoo Maran their eggs are about that dark. Not sure if I am being much help but that is allI can think of.

Thank you for your response. She does look an awful lot like the cuckoo marans picture I have been looking at. I will try to get a couple of pictures tomorrow and maybe some one tell me for sure if she is a bpr or cuckoo marans. Thank you again for your help

 

[julie0477]

I've got a question for those of you with both chickens and ducks.  Do you let both kinds of birds hang out in the same run or fenced area?  What about sharing coop space?  We have 16 ducks (still figuring out how many are drakes) and about 40 chickens (only 1 roo).  Our birds are in separate barn stalls, but wondered if they would get along if they co-mingled.  I've searched some other posts & it sounds like they could get along, but I did read a number of references to roosters trying to breed the ducks & drakes trying to breed the hens.  That makes me have second thoughts about them sharing space/a run.  Any thoughts?

I have two female ducks with my mixed flock of roos and hens (about 25). I've never had a problem. I think they would probably be fine. The only negative is that I've read if your ducks have access to a water source like a pond or lake they could pick up disease from the wild birds (from the water) and spread it to the chickens. Sounds like that's not the case though. Mine are baby pool ducks

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Sally Long winded, sorry

A full-grown male turkey is called a tom. An adult female is a hen. Young males are called jakes, and young females jennies. Chicks are called poults.

BBW are BIG, mean, food aggressive birds. I have had several situations they have pecked me, my guinea keets and smaller chickens, grabbing the babies up like they were going to eat them!
One poor little keet I snatched out of a jake's mouth, he was shaking it!! That jake was the 2nd one to go,and that day

They do not free range with my flocks anymore.
I raised the poults the same way I do any other bird here. Integrated with the main flock once old enough to join.
There are young birds coming in to my flock every week from the brooder, as well as birds leaving to new homes (or the freezer). Any mean or aggressive bird is culled, period.
Fortunately my little keet was ok, kept it in quarantine to be sure, just one cut on its neck that healed well.
This jake was very aggressive to me also, and had bit me at feeding time on more than one occasion.
Still have 5 jakes, 2 jennies left, are the same. out of all of them, the one hen I may have kept has a pendulous crop, so she won't have a long lifespan anyway.
I started with 21, have traded some, processed several already. They get BIG, fast. The grow tall and then fill out. Biggest jake is already 3 feet tall.
Will try to get a pic, he is up to my waist!
The BBB are an even larger bird. Will try some next year, to see if they are the same. BBW also eat & act like a cornish cross meat bird. I know you have raised them.
They are fine if you just want a fast growing grocery type bird, still take 24+ weeks to be at processing age. (And keep them away from your regular flock.)
farm raised, they do have better flavor. You also know what they ate and how they were treated.
The plus is they are really easy to clean/pluck, and do produce a large breast portion. They are not quite as stupid as you hear stories about.
I have a heavily producing apple tree a few hundred feet from the coops.
I took them over to it in the morning while I clean the pen and change the water. Now, I just open the gate and they go. Learned in a 2-3 days.
This is a wild apple tree, I usually don't use them, they are bitter. Amazing how fast they clean up the apples

no bees collecting this year!
Heritage turkeys are night and day difference. I have palms and bourbon reds.

Love them! Calm & gentle birds. They grow slower, but its worth the wait for me.
My adult palms are from vickichicki and they are pretty special. We named them Buddy and Lila. Buddy is just that, my shadow, follows me everywhere.
Lila is quiet and shy, but I can pick her up, and she has never pecked once. Buddy is too big and heavy for me to pick up!
Their poults are sweeties, and love to cuddle and trill when you hold them.
My first BR, snoodles 4 mo. old, still sits on my lap and chirrups like a new hatch, just love hm. Snickers is 2 mo., from a different breeder and is exactly the same.
8 months of age would be the minimum to process one for a good bulky bird and flavor to develop. Toms of course get much larger than hens in most cases.
They are much less expensive to feed than the Broad Breasted, without a doubt! they also fly VERY well, so expect to clip a wing if you want to keep them contained.
I don't clip, and one jake likes the barn roof, 30 feet+ up

Only birds I clip are my peafowl.
Once the poults hit around 4-5 months they slow on their food intake, and its not a lot more than a big rooster. I do keep them on 24% chick starter til they reach 4-5 months.
From that point I use flock raiser feed, and give mealies and chopped eggs to help them grow strong.
Turkeys are an easy hatch, poults do well after the first week. They do better with a keet or chick tutor to teach food and water. Keep them warm and watch them close the 1st week.
I may not have got chickens had I started with heritage turkeys! JK

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Hey all you egg hatchers!!! How can you tell if an egg is a quitter? Almost all of the eggs the girls are sitting on are developing, but I can't tell which ones I should toss so I don't get a blown up nasty mess. I have looked at pictures of candled eggs, but I can'r make heads or tails of it. lavender is on her 14th day today and Suki is on her 4th. The silkie is sitting on 15 eggs, so I would like to thin that out if there are quitters. (she snuck some in while we were at turkey run) Lavender is still on 12, but I am pretty sure 3 of them haven't developed.\

(Bumping this, I think it may have gotten lost in the speedy vortex that is this thread.

Odor, you can smell a bad egg. 7 days you should be able to see red veins possibly movement, day 14 will be obvious. But unless they have an odor I leave them.
I haven't used a broody yet, plan to next year tho.
Go to a room thats not got any light or windows. If you can't use a deep box to block light. candle from the bigger end.
The led flashlights work very well. a clear egg at day 14 is definitely a no.
I usually candle at day 14, and at lockdown if that much. The less I touch them, better the hatch goes.

Quote: Indeed