INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

@jchny2000
Do you have a goat shed? Maybe you could hang a heavy blanket over the doorway to help keep out the cold and she would sleep in there with them?

 

[JanetMarie]

I'd like to, they are a chunky stocky bird. We had processed a few fellas when I had a full flock, and wow they were so good! Store bought chicken its all white meat. I prefer dark meat, and the taste just isn't there anymore!
Bresse are just as big, and also have a stocky build.

We might raise some for meat. If we do, we will keep a rooster and some hens to have breeding stock.

 

[Faraday40]

3 more chicks hatched to add to the brooder:

Here's our Buff Colombian Orp's chick. Not sure what color to call it. Kind of a smokey yellow - hints of gray. The color makes me wonder if our lav orp is the dad.... but the "ugly-awkward" appearance is telling me she's 1/2 laced orp. (I really love my beautiful laced orps, but man, do they go through a rough & awkward adolescence!)

Next hatched an egg from my blue SL Orp.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Jewel's egg hatched. I think it might be a mauve, but it could also be a blue orp.

...and Here's a comparison pic of my 1st & last hatched. The serama is 3 days older. The orp doesn't have the leg strength to run around yet, so it's laying down. The serama is standing tall next to it.

 

[Faraday40]

So far all the hatched chicks are happy & healthy. Even the one with a red navel (now scabbed) is eating, drinking, & running about.

Hatch update:
I expected most chicks to hatch on Sunday. Since this was just a fertility check, I didn't use my regular incubator. (It's big & was deep in the crawl space.) I think this "back up" incubator I used may have some hot/cold spots. I moved all the eggs into my "good incubator" = a home-made cooler-bator, during lockdown.

2 seramas hatched on day 19 (on time for seramas)
3 orpingtons hatched day 20 (a touch early)
2 more orpingtons hatched on day 21 (on time)
1 last orp hatched day 21 night or day 22 in the early morning (a bit late)

I thought things were done..... Normally almost all the orp chicks pop out within 24 -48 hrs of each other. They may all arrive a little early or a little late.... but never so scattered.


So this morning (Day 23) I certainly didn't expect to find a lavender orpington and 2 pipped Leghorn eggs in the incubator. The Leghorn x orp mixes have since hatched & are massive. As I type, there's another egg that just pipped around 1:30pm this afternoon.
Lavender-ish orp (could be a laced lav orp)

Leghorn x Orp mix

The incubation continues on...
(The 2nd Leghornx xOrp is going to stay inside incubator for another day. The pipped egg will likely hatch - but who can guess if the last 2 eggs will.)

I've never had such a spread out hatch! Am I correct to guess that my incubator has hot/cold spots? The only other difference (besides incubator) between this & my other hatches is the crazy weather during egg collection. We went from blizzard conditions, to below zero, up to 45'F + rain & melt & flooding, then back down below zero in a matter of days. I was collecting for 8 days during all sorts of outdoor conditions. I didn't bother to store the eggs in the basement. The house is a little cool because it's winter, so I simply kept them on the kitchen counter. Any thoughts?

 

[weezerfish]

So far all the hatched chicks are happy & healthy. Even the one with a red navel (now scabbed) is eating, drinking, & running about.

Hatch update:
I expected most chicks to hatch on Sunday. Since this was just a fertility check, I didn't use my regular incubator. (It's big & was deep in the crawl space.) I think this "back up" incubator I used may have some hot/cold spots. I moved all the eggs into my "good incubator" = a home-made cooler-bator, during lockdown.

2 seramas hatched on day 19 (on time for seramas)
3 orpingtons hatched day 20 (a touch early)
2 more orpingtons hatched on day 21 (on time)
1 last orp hatched day 21 night or day 22 in the early morning (a bit late)

I thought things were done..... Normally almost all the orp chicks pop out within 24 -48 hrs of each other. They may all arrive a little early or a little late.... but never so scattered.


So this morning (Day 23) I certainly didn't expect to find a lavender orpington and 2 pipped Leghorn eggs in the incubator. The Leghorn x orp mixes have since hatched & are massive. As I type, there's another egg that just pipped around 1:30pm this afternoon.
Lavender-ish orp (could be a laced lav orp)

Leghorn x Orp mix

The incubation continues on...
(The 2nd Leghornx xOrp is going to stay inside incubator for another day. The pipped egg will likely hatch - but who can guess if the last 2 eggs will.)

I've never had such a spread out hatch! Am I correct to guess that my incubator has hot/cold spots? The only other difference (besides incubator) between this & my other hatches is the crazy weather during egg collection. We went from blizzard conditions, to below zero, up to 45'F + rain & melt & flooding, then back down below zero in a matter of days. I was collecting for 8 days during all sorts of outdoor conditions. I didn't bother to store the eggs in the basement. The house is a little cool because it's winter, so I simply kept them on the kitchen counter. Any thoughts?

I know exactly zero about hatching eggs, but the whole process seems like an adventure. If I had more room out back, I'd be getting myself an incubator!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Kind of a stretch, but were the first Orp eggs that hatched smaller than the ones that hatched later? And the Leghorn eggs larger than those? I understand smaller eggs tend to hatch sooner, so I assume it's possible that larger eggs hatch later.

If not, then yes, I would guess that there are hot and cold spots in your incubator. I don't think the temp swings when collecting the eggs would make that big of a difference because it hasn't for me. My experience with incubation is pretty limited, so I definitely could be wrong.

Adorable babies, by the way! I'm getting ready to set some eggs myself, from my OEGB pair. I was planning on Thursday being set day (after a few delays leading to that chosen date ), but Sybie didn't lay an egg today as I was expecting her to. She's been faithfully laying every other day until today, which meant she would lay today and Thursday to put me at 6 eggs total to set. Hoping she at least lays tomorrow so I have 5 to set on Thursday. It's killing me because I need some little tiny OEGB babies!!

 

[Faraday40]

Kind of a stretch, but were the first Orp eggs that hatched smaller than the ones that hatched later? And the Leghorn eggs larger than those? I understand smaller eggs tend to hatch sooner, so I assume it's possible that larger eggs hatch later.

If not, then yes, I would guess that there are hot and cold spots in your incubator. I don't think the temp swings when collecting the eggs would make that big of a difference because it hasn't for me. My experience with incubation is pretty limited, so I definitely could be wrong.

Adorable babies, by the way! I'm getting ready to set some eggs myself, from my OEGB pair. I was planning on Thursday being set day (after a few delays leading to that chosen date ), but Sybie didn't lay an egg today as I was expecting her to. She's been faithfully laying every other day until today, which meant she would lay today and Thursday to put me at 6 eggs total to set. Hoping she at least lays tomorrow so I have 5 to set on Thursday. It's killing me because I need some little tiny OEGB babies!!

The 1st 3 orp chicks were from pullet eggs (7.5 mo old birds), but the rest of the orps were all x-large hens' eggs. The Leghorn eggs (some of the last to hatch) came from Tillie - a pullet - and were smaller eggs than the orps. Soooo, other than the 1st few, it was pretty much random. Although I do agree that smaller eggs - like bantams - will hatch a little sooner, and jumbo birds - like a Coronation Sussex - may take longer than 21 days.

I also have interesting results from this fertility check. One silkie gave fertile eggs but the other silkie's eggs were not fertile. Likewise, our serama's eggs were fertile but the OEGB's was not. They all live together with our silkied serama rooster. (Or to be more precise: The rooster sleeps in DD's room, & he visits the hens during the day when she's at school. LOL) I don't think 4 females is too many. There are 3 older chicks in there (from a December hatch) but Teddy seems to leave them alone. Any idea why 2 hens are giving me clears? Can silkies have fertility issues with too much butt fluff?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

@jchny2000
Do you have a goat shed? Maybe you could hang a heavy blanket over the doorway to help keep out the cold and she would sleep in there with them?

We've figured out she appears to be afraid of the dark! We are trying a small light in the goat house tonight.

We might raise some for meat. If we do, we will keep a rooster and some hens to have breeding stock.

I will try to get a new picture of Beefy, they are a heavy compact body, very muscular.

So far all the hatched chicks are happy & healthy. Even the one with a red navel (now scabbed) is eating, drinking, & running about.

Hatch update:
I expected most chicks to hatch on Sunday. Since this was just a fertility check, I didn't use my regular incubator. (It's big & was deep in the crawl space.) I think this "back up" incubator I used may have some hot/cold spots. I moved all the eggs into my "good incubator" = a home-made cooler-bator, during lockdown.

2 seramas hatched on day 19 (on time for seramas)
3 orpingtons hatched day 20 (a touch early)
2 more orpingtons hatched on day 21 (on time)
1 last orp hatched day 21 night or day 22 in the early morning (a bit late)

I thought things were done..... Normally almost all the orp chicks pop out within 24 -48 hrs of each other. They may all arrive a little early or a little late.... but never so scattered.


So this morning (Day 23) I certainly didn't expect to find a lavender orpington and 2 pipped Leghorn eggs in the incubator. The Leghorn x orp mixes have since hatched & are massive. As I type, there's another egg that just pipped around 1:30pm this afternoon.
Lavender-ish orp (could be a laced lav orp)

Leghorn x Orp mix

The incubation continues on...
(The 2nd Leghornx xOrp is going to stay inside incubator for another day. The pipped egg will likely hatch - but who can guess if the last 2 eggs will.)

I've never had such a spread out hatch! Am I correct to guess that my incubator has hot/cold spots? The only other difference (besides incubator) between this & my other hatches is the crazy weather during egg collection. We went from blizzard conditions, to below zero, up to 45'F + rain & melt & flooding, then back down below zero in a matter of days. I was collecting for 8 days during all sorts of outdoor conditions. I didn't bother to store the eggs in the basement. The house is a little cool because it's winter, so I simply kept them on the kitchen counter. Any thoughts?

Beautiful pics! The eggs on the counter should be ok. I bet you have hot/cool spots in the bator.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Put 75 tomato and pepper seeds in a flat Saturday! I sprouted lettuce, kale and chard for the chicks. They love it. My indoor garden has 3 sugar pea pods already! I'm hand pollinating any blossoms I see, its working! The tomato plant also has 3 blooms. Lots of chives going I might get an early spring salad yet .
My niece Hannah will be showing 3 of our cows this year. I'm thinking Elsa the Hereford, and Daisy the Jersey. She will show KC the Jersey again in dairy steer class. The Jersey enroll tomorrow so they will go to the fairgrounds. This was Hannah and our KC last summer, he's about 500lbs heaver now. Very proud of this energetic young woman, she is going to be a large livestock vet.

Getting several eggs a day now, but many are cracked and frozen this week. Temps have been awful. Noticed my guinea boys are fighting, and Muscovy are too. Springs not far. Daylight savings this Sunday!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

The 1st 3 orp chicks were from pullet eggs (7.5 mo old birds), but the rest of the orps were all x-large hens' eggs. The Leghorn eggs (some of the last to hatch) came from Tillie - a pullet - and were smaller eggs than the orps. Soooo, other than the 1st few, it was pretty much random. Although I do agree that smaller eggs - like bantams - will hatch a little sooner, and jumbo birds - like a Coronation Sussex - may take longer than 21 days.

I also have interesting results from this fertility check. One silkie gave fertile eggs but the other silkie's eggs were not fertile. Likewise, our serama's eggs were fertile but the OEGB's was not. They all live together with our silkied serama rooster. (Or to be more precise: The rooster sleeps in DD's room, & he visits the hens during the day when she's at school. LOL) I don't think 4 females is too many. There are 3 older chicks in there (from a December hatch) but Teddy seems to leave them alone. Any idea why 2 hens are giving me clears? Can silkies have fertility issues with too much butt fluff?

Fluffy buts may very well be it, trim away!