INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Thunder Chicken]

Coop looks great. Do you have protection from ariel attacks? And your chickens are looking at you taking pictures, saying why don't you do something important, like let us outta here?
I didn't know y'all had bees either. Cool.

Also, funny story about the egg smashed in the pocket. I have carried a few that way, but so far no broken ones. It'll happen if I keep doing it!

Thanks, they are saying that because it was about 7pm and I just locked them in. They were out all day. It is completely covered with 2x4 fencing to keep the hawks out. Squirrels get through though. I saw one having snack in the feeder once.

I was thinking about you wanting yours to go inside at night. Do you have roosts outside that are higher than the ones inside? They all usually try to be on the highest roost. Just a thought.

 

[kabhyper1]

Okay experienced chicken hatchers, here are the pics of the day 6 candling. Not sure how helpful they will be, but it's the best I could get. There are a few with definite movement, a few that look infertile and a few that are a mystery. Could use some input!!!

Pic heavy! Momma didn't like the candling, so I had to hurry.

There is movement in this one.

?? Not sure.

Pretty sure this one isn't fertile.

There is an eye spot in this one, bad pic.

Eye spot left of pencil mark.

Not sure with this one.

Lots of movement in this one.

Infertile?

Dark egg, hard to tell.

This one has an eye spot.

Dark eye spot and movement in this one.

Infertile?

 

[julie0477]

Okay experienced chicken hatchers, here are the pics of the day 6 candling. Not sure how helpful they will be, but it's the best I could get. There are a few with definite movement, a few that look infertile and a few that are a mystery. Could use some input!!! Pic heavy! Momma didn't like the candling, so I had to hurry. There is movement in this one. ?? Not sure. Pretty sure this one isn't fertile. There is an eye spot in this one, bad pic. Eye spot left of pencil mark. Not sure with this one. Lots of movement in this one. Infertile? Dark egg, hard to tell. This one has an eye spot. Dark eye spot and movement in this one. Infertile?

what kind of light are you using? I picked up a $3 LED flashlight at lowes and in a dark room I could see pretty clearly. The clear ones are infertile like you said. It's hard to tell but I think the others are good. Hopefully someone with more experience chimes in soon .

 

[bradselig]

I'd be interested in a Maran or two, and I think you said somewhere, that you had a Swedish flower hen pullet?

I have 2 Marans chicks and a SFH chick, all unsexed. PM me if interested.

 

[kabhyper1]

Quote:
I'm using the little egg candler/ flash light that came with my incubator. The clear ones are some of the silkie eggs, so I will probably incubate the 12 I have in the coop. I think next week when I re-candle I'll use an led. The candler isn't very bright. There are some feisty little eyeballs in some of those eggs though.

 

[danand]

Well I'm with everybody now.... This sure is a chatty group!!! Hard to keep up.

Mr tattoo- what a pretty girl. Favroles are on my want list.

Kab, Farker- I have an EE that looks a lot like your girls. Her name is Betty!! And Farker I have a newer girl that was sold to me as an EE and she might be a welsomer after seeing your Lily. I dint care what she was, just a nice healthy, pretty bird.

Ok so since the dog attack I've been getting 2-3 eggs a day from 15 , of age , girls!! I was getting 10-12 including batam a day before it happened!! And I did get a new roo, a friend had an EE roo, he's kinda young but pretty.

Jchny- I'm so glad Bruce is doing good. I thought he was sweet too , that's why I couldn't send him to freezer camp. The girl I got at the same time is also sweet. I would like to get more of that breed.

 

[gunchief25]

The cooler weather doesnt seem to be bothering my girls any. Since my younger ones started laying I am getting 8 to 9 eggs a day out of 12 hens. Before it was 4 to 6 a day from the older girls.

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

Okay experienced chicken hatchers, here are the pics of the day 6 candling. Not sure how helpful they will be, but it's the best I could get. There are a few with definite movement, a few that look infertile and a few that are a mystery. Could use some input!!!

Pic heavy! Momma didn't like the candling, so I had to hurry.

There is movement in this one.

?? Not sure.

Pretty sure this one isn't fertile.

There is an eye spot in this one, bad pic.

Eye spot left of pencil mark.

Not sure with this one.

Lots of movement in this one.

Infertile?

Dark egg, hard to tell.

This one has an eye spot.

Dark eye spot and movement in this one.

Infertile?

I pretty much agree with Julie, but I really am not good with pictures !!

 

[DarthLayer]

Ugh behind again! Got home from my trip last night to a sick calf :/ figures! Anyway someone had asked over the weekend about a virtual tour de coops so I took some pics this am. Oh and I got to meet Darthlayer this weekend and brought home some pretty EEs ill get pics later


We converted an old mini barn that was on the property to the coop and enclosed the area the former owner had used as a feeding/holding area for cattle.

We still have one more wall to put up to make a second pen in front of this one.

Laying boxes ill probably need another row come spring.

First time one seen this! Figures the boxes were full today I got 1 egg on the roost yesterday and I had been getting 9-11 a day!!

Chickie

And the cows

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

I like what you did to your barn! I hope you enjoy the EEs and your sick calf gets better

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

Since you guys and gals, were taking about shipped eggs I thought I'd post this here.

I ran across this article about shipped eggs and thought I 'd post it.
Great to know for anyone thinking of buying shipped Eggs

There are problems that can be caused by shipping and some that have nothing to do with shipping.

Shipping can cause:
eggs to appear not fertile(JUST BECAUSE AN EGG DOESN'T DEVELOP DOESN'T MEAN IT WASN'T FERTILE)
scrambled eggs
loose air cells
floating bubbles...
quitters
misshapen air cells

Shipping will not cause:
fully developed embryos not pipped
fully developed embryos pipping and dying
infertility
chicks dying after hatching

So if you have a dozen eggs shipped and not one develops, they were likely damaged in shipping although appearing not fertile. But if you have a dozen eggs and 1 hatches but there are dead chicks in the other eggs, this is an incubation problem and has nothing to do with wether they are shipped or not





But, for most people, mail delivery can still be a little dicey. In my case, I'm one of the last stops of the day.
So, if this sounds like you or you just want to take a bit more control of the situation, request that your egg packages be sent Priority as "Hold For Pickup." (edit)
Then when it arrives, be prepared to go get them. This may be inconvenient, but it is important.
That way, they don't spend all day bouncing around in a hot delivery van, or sitting on the porch until you get home to collect them. Better they sit in the back room of a cool (hopefully) P.O., waiting for you.

- Have your incubator running and stable before the eggs arrive.
This is sublimely simple, but more than a few people make this mistake. Make sure you know it works, too. It can be disconcerting to add eggs to the incubator and then watch as the temperature falls off - if you didn't know that would happen. Do your experimenting before you have eggs in hand, always.



It feels to me that there are a lot of things that can go wrong with shipped eggs.

- temperature spikes, high and low
- low pressure, if flown
- x-rays
- lots of jostling, from the truck and from being thrown around

If anything happens to damage the air sac, that can have a definite effect on end development.

ALL shipped eggs go thru a significant stress in travel. this stress always contributes to more difficulty for the developing embryo, some survive the process and some do not.



UNDERSTANDING what goes WRONG with SHIPPED EGGS

The yolk of an egg is held in place on each end by what is called Chalaza. These are delicate cords that keep the yolk centered in the egg. When you crack open an egg, you notice a white stringy thing on the yolk, this is the Chalaza. When eggs are shipped they encounter postal handlers that toss the packages, sorting machinery, bumpy vehicle rides, temperature changes and possibly X-ray Machines! So by the time the eggs get to you they are pretty much scrambled inside. So if you are going to buy eggs and have them shipped to you, be aware that the viability drops TREMENDOUSLY. There are rare instances when they ALL arrive safely but it is always a gamble.



For rolling, detached or disrupted air cells (cells no longer at fat end of the egg but like a bubble level on the long side, rolling or saddle shaped cells), you’ll need to change your hatch plan. They need to sit 24 hours NO TURNING, pointy end down in a Styrofoam Egg Carton with the bottoms cut out for ventilation to possibly reattach air cells. Allow eggs to sit in a moderately cool, somewhat humid place for 12-24 hours before you begin to incubate them. Basements are great. Moderately cool means 65-75 degrees with the fat end UP. After settle period SET Shipped eggs in the incubator in the carton with bottoms cut out as pictured below, do not turn for 36-48 hours to help air cell re-attach. I personally have found that any shipped egg that survives to day 18 lockdown has an awkward but re-attached air cell so I lay my eggs down for hatch. Please refer to day 18 lockdown for more information on why laying eggs for hatching after day 18 is the best way to go. After 36-48 hours begin turning or hand turn by laying the eggs side to side 3 times a day, as in the image below. REMINDER~ Never Set COLD eggs in the incubator.



SADDLE SHAPED AIR CELLS are very COMMON with shipped eggs!

Saddle shaped is when one or both sides have a large "dip" in the air cell. A lot of times with saddle shaped cells the chick doesn’t position correct for hatching and their feet can easily get stuck behind their head and “smoosh” the chick so they can’t move, it can also force the yolk sack and everything more north in the shell.... Keep a close eye on these eggs and its VERY important to pencil mark Air cells!



CRACKED EXPENSIVE IMPORTANT EGGS

If you do receive a cracked egg and it’s an expensive egg you can try to hatch it, but beware of bacterial explosion and

good possibility of ruining other eggs. It is possible to hatch a cracked egg by sealing the crack with candle wax/crayon wax or finger nail polish. Try to place the egg in a cup or protected place well away from other eggs. If viable to hatch, keep a close eye on where the pip mark will be in case the chick cant get through a fixed area.