INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[kittydoc]

Update on my first hatch. So far, I have four lavender Orp chicks and one black/lav split Orp chick. Another black/lav split didn't quite make it. It pipped, then died. When I removed it to check, it had an open yolk sac. Bummer, but it happens. There was nothing I could have done. I still have I think another 6 or so eggs to go that haven't even pipped, but I can hear most of them cheeping or hammering away inside. I don't think any more will hatch until tomorrow. Photos when all are out and dry!

I can already tell one of the lavs is a cockerel. The little guy was very vigorous, sneaked out while I was napping, and has a comb already!

 

[bradselig]

There I was, bragging on my pellet stove! Auger stopped working in the middle of the night, now I have to hand feed pellets into the fire AND my kitchen pipes froze for the first time since living here! Lawrence County is under travel advisory and Husband still went to work in the little Mazda truck..he left and hour early for the 20 minute drive though!

Good News- Husband decided we MUST have more chickens..has anyone order the meat n eggs special through Murray McMurray or the Hungrey Man Special through Cackle? I am going to wait a while to see how everything goes with a new batch of chickens in the neighborhood before getting my dream flick set up.

I havent order either of those specials, but I have been VERY VERY tempted to get the Cackle Hatchery's Hatchery Surprise (http://www.cacklehatchery.com/page10.html#hatcherysurprise). Cant beat that price especially if you are wanting an assortment of birds anyway including waterfowl and turkeys.

 

[bradselig]

So I had Cuckoo Silkies due to hatch today. Woke up with 5 chicks out. The last 2 eggs had externally pipped. Left for work at 8am and came back home at 6pm. Found the incubator up to 120F and all the chicks dead! Just when I thought Id have a 100% hatch rate with shipped eggs! This was with the new Little Giant model 7300 I believe with the forced air fan (digital controls and thermostat). That thing will be going in the trash! I had been planning all winter to buy a sportsman, but decided last minute to hold off and just use the little giants as I didnt want to go crazy on hatching as Im not home as much as I was last year due to new job. After this, I think I will be changing my mind and getting the Sportsman on order!

 

[bradselig]

I'm toying with putting in an order with Sand Hill Preservation Center if anyone wants some super rare breeds but can't meet the 25 chick minimum.  Let me know if you are interested in adding to my order!

I'm looking at getting some Salmon Favorelle, Black Dorkings and Wheaten Marans.

They have a pretty cool list of birds available.

http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/pages/poultry_catalog.html

Very Tempting! By the looks of it, you dont know when they will ship until they contact you correct?

 

[ChickCrazed]

Very Tempting! By the looks of it, you dont know when they will ship until they contact you correct?

I am not sure but I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. It is more about preservation and isn't a big hatchery. I've read it is a two family member team. Luckily I never go anywhere because of all my animals so it doesn't matter to me!!!!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Scratch grains = Chicken crack    Have to say, my girls have never been all that impressed by or enthusiastic about meal worms, at least not the packaged/dry ones - haven't tried the "real" deal.

Definitely! I don't think I'm willing to try the packaged dry ones and I know I will not try the live ones, so I guess the grains will be my girls' candy source. Or crack, if you will.

Editing to add: I'm personally not going to try them, either, but what I meant was I don't want to try them with my birds.

Oh and our water valve has frozen 4 times today!  

This summer we will be bringing the bladder tank inside to the basement, not outside in an underground bunker.

It is CAAAAAREEEEEPY down there...and gross!

Sorry to hear that! It's pretty nasty out there! :/

It may be creepy, but the important question is this: once the bladder tank is out of it, can it be converted to a coop?

Candy for my girls is bananas.  They practically attack me when they see bananas (Ieap straight up to try to get at them before I can even peel them and break them into pieces).  I think they love bananas even more than tomatoes.  They're bananas for bananas (sorry, had to do it!).  The more overripe they are, the more they love them.  There is no fruit they don't like, but 'nanners are definitely the best.

I've never tried bananas with my girls, either! We really like our bananas here, and the ones that do go overripe go into banana bread. We do have to fence our tomatoes, though, or none are left for us. They inevitably go for the the ones that we've been watching closely because they're just about ripe. Next thing we know, there are beak-shaped bites out of them!

I'm toying with putting in an order with Sand Hill Preservation Center if anyone wants some super rare breeds but can't meet the 25 chick minimum.  Let me know if you are interested in adding to my order!

I'm looking at getting some Salmon Favorelle, Black Dorkings and Wheaten Marans.

They have a pretty cool list of birds available.

http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/pages/poultry_catalog.html

Oh, I know I shouldn't! But those Dorkings... ... But I can't! ... But they have Colored Dorkings, too... ... But I really don't have the room...

 

[SallyinIndiana]

So I had Cuckoo Silkies due to hatch today. Woke up with 5 chicks out. The last 2 eggs had externally pipped. Left for work at 8am and came back home at 6pm. Found the incubator up to 120F and all the chicks dead! Just when I thought Id have a 100% hatch rate with shipped eggs! This was with the new Little Giant model 7300 I believe with the forced air fan (digital controls and thermostat). That thing will be going in the trash! I had been planning all winter to buy a sportsman, but decided last minute to hold off and just use the little giants as I didnt want to go crazy on hatching as Im not home as much as I was last year due to new job. After this, I think I will be changing my mind and getting the Sportsman on order!

About the links to the specials it sounds like it might be fun.

For the sportsman I got mine from Kemps coops at the best price but their website is http://www.poultrysupply.com/

For those of you that use the cabinet incubators, do you buy the GQF sponges or is there a cheaper alternative?

 

[ChickenLady2014]

So I had Cuckoo Silkies due to hatch today. Woke up with 5 chicks out. The last 2 eggs had externally pipped. Left for work at 8am and came back home at 6pm. Found the incubator up to 120F and all the chicks dead! Just when I thought Id have a 100% hatch rate with shipped eggs! This was with the new Little Giant model 7300 I believe with the forced air fan (digital controls and thermostat). That thing will be going in the trash! I had been planning all winter to buy a sportsman, but decided last minute to hold off and just use the little giants as I didnt want to go crazy on hatching as Im not home as much as I was last year due to new job. After this, I think I will be changing my mind and getting the Sportsman on order!

Oh so sorry for loss, I had the same thing happen with this unit, it is junk.

 

[raisinemright]

Had 3-1/2 dozen old eggs. Didn't want to throw away and waste all them so I cracked/crushed all of them into a bowl. My wife was cooking also (yes I was in the way) but her scrape greens I threw into the mix as well. Put about half the mixture into a muffin pan and baked until done. The other half went to the hogs for a snack. The muffins will be chicken snacks tomorrow! I'm sure they will love the bits and pieces in each muffin!!
What diff things have you done with old bad eggs?

I think if they did not have the broken shells I would have tried one lol

 

[bradselig]

About the links to the specials it sounds like it might be fun.


For the sportsman I got mine from Kemps coops at the best price but their website is http://www.poultrysupply.com/


For those of you that use the cabinet incubators, do you buy the GQF sponges or is there a cheaper alternative?

I have the auto waterer still from my homemade cabinet. I do t see why a humidifier wick wouldn't work. They appear to be identical. You might have to trim it down to fit, but I'd take the measurements of the gqf ones or just bring one to the store and match it up. I know at Lowes we had a 4 pack for around $10. Not sure of the size was close enough or not.