INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: thats precious! Yes, mine were very broody too. I adored them, just not safe for them here.

 

[Faraday40]

Incubation questions:
I've been teaching in several incubation classes lately. Today was day 22 for my current hatch. We got 3 chicks on day 20, 1 chick day 21, & no pips or even wiggles today. I'm a bit concerned. I've never had a hatch this bad when using my chickens' eggs. I usually get a flurry of hatching all within 24 hrs., then done. I suppose someone could have messed with the incubator, but there are 9 eggs left. All looked good on Sunday. I hope we get a few more chicks.

Is it still possible for more to hatch? All eggs were set at the same time. Has anyone had an unusual staggered hatch like this? Trouble-shooting ideas?

1. After setting up the incubator, monitoring it for a day, then setting the eggs, the preschool teacher decided to help by adding water to both channels. It was at 70% humidity for the 1st 24 hrs! I dried up the water & kept it at 20% for a day or two. Air cells looked about the right size on day 18.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Incubation questions:
I've been teaching in several incubation classes lately. Today was day 22 for my current hatch. We got 3 chicks on day 20, 1 chick day 21, & no pips or even wiggles today. I'm a bit concerned. I've never had a hatch this bad when using my chickens' eggs. I usually get a flurry of hatching all within 24 hrs., then done. I suppose someone could have messed with the incubator, but there are 9 eggs left. All looked good on Sunday. I hope we get a few more chicks.

Is it still possible for more to hatch? All eggs were set at the same time. Has anyone had an unusual staggered hatch like this? Trouble-shooting ideas?

1. After setting up the incubator, monitoring it for a day, then setting the eggs, the preschool teacher decided to help by adding water to both channels. It was at 70% humidity for the 1st 24 hrs! I dried up the water & kept it at 20% for a day or two. Air cells looked about the right size on day 18.

Things like humidity can effect hatch. Usually though for just a day it should be fine. Air cells tell you what you need to know. I do get odd hatch patterns also, not often but when we have severe weather changes. I have incubators, brooders etc in an old office trailer and its not well insulated. Drafts and humidity swings. I hope your helpful coworker didn't adjust anything else.
Different breeds, My australorps always hatched earlier than my GLWs, leghorns usually by day 19. I wait an egg out 5 days after its due.. Shouldn't be the issue since its your eggs though. if theres no odors (key thing there! Rotten eggs are

stomach wrenching!) Yep, I smell the incubator. I think I have had 3 blow up and its usually when I was gone more than a few days, and someone else was tending things. I have more issues with bad eggs under broody birds usually.
If nothings changed by tomorrow, maybe the float test, or candle. If there's no odor wait it out a couple days.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Beautiful birds! "...working on their innocent looks" LOL!

Yep, and those two troublemakers need all the practice they can get!

Just caught my leghorns! Oh my goodness you would thought I was killing them! I have never heard a scream like the rooster has, ear piercing! I grabbed one hen off a nestbox earlier today, and got the hen and rooster tonight off the roost in the falling down coop. Aside from 2 backup roosters and 2 guinea cocks, everyone is confined. Now I just have to work on a geese and mallard pen so its predator safe. My mallards hang tight with my geese and have been safe so far.

Yeah, they can sure make a heck of a noise when they don't want to be caught! I remember when my late little sass-mouth, Marama, got lost and I had to catch her. The noise she made in my arms on the way back to the coop was indescribable! Good luck wrangling those Guineas!

Everything I read said Sebrights rarely go broody. Guess my little Sebright, like yours, can't read. Each day I would laugh as I removed a HUGE 2.8 - 3.0 oz egg out from under her. (I have mostly big birds & of course our roo can't possibly mate with tiny Trouble.) After a week of stealing her eggs & kicking her out of the nest, she began sitting on imaginary eggs. That's when I finally broke down & made her a broody apartment. I gave her 2 of the smallest eggs I could find & she's been happily sitting on them for a week now.

Oh my goodness, yes! I don't think the people who write that stuff have ever owned Sebrights! Mine are the broodiest little things! They're lucky they're so stinking adorable! The one I have going broody at the moment is one of my silvers, Scooter. She's rather similar to Trouble, there, as a matter of fact! She's so cute when she's all angry. She puffs out like a little tiny silver laced turkey tom with her tail fanned and her wings spread out! She's not committed enough yet to stop laying, though, so I don't have any justification for broody-busting her. Now, Rosie, my last remaining Golden Sebright, is the one that would go so broody that she would try and cover ALL of the eggs in the egg collecting bucket I used years ago! She hardly broods anymore, but you have to admire her determination when she did.

 

[Faraday40]

Now, Rosie, my last remaining Golden Sebright, is the one that would go so broody that she would try and cover ALL of the eggs in the egg collecting bucket I used years ago! She hardly broods anymore, but you have to admire her determination when she did.

Determined & STUBBORN. These little birds have such big attitudes!
Thanks for sharing. You made me laugh.

 

[Faraday40]

Things like humidity can effect hatch. Usually though for just a day it should be fine. Air cells tell you what you need to know. I do get odd hatch patterns also, not often but when we have severe weather changes. I have incubators, brooders etc in an old office trailer and its not well insulated. Drafts and humidity swings. I hope your helpful coworker didn't adjust anything else.
Different breeds, My australorps always hatched earlier than my GLWs, leghorns usually by day 19. I wait an egg out 5 days after its due.. Shouldn't be the issue since its your eggs though. if theres no odors (key thing there! Rotten eggs are

stomach wrenching!) Yep, I smell the incubator. I think I have had 3 blow up and its usually when I was gone more than a few days, and someone else was tending things. I have more issues with bad eggs under broody birds usually.
If nothings changed by tomorrow, maybe the float test, or candle. If there's no odor wait it out a couple days.

The ones that hatched 1st were dead center, so perhaps there are cool spots in this incubator. It's a borrowed Hovabator with fan that was formerly used to hatch reptile eggs. The preschool teacher is enjoying these classes so much, she plans to order a school incubator for next year. I'm just hoping for a better hatch this year.

 

[Greenthumb83]

Ironically everyone I talk to ask why did I leave paradise for Indiana lol it's just ugh lol

This is true lol. I think eventually I just embraced the "blah". Happy to finally have the slower pace. I lived in Rockville for about a year once and I really didn't like it. If I have to deal with people, I want the luxuries of the city. Otherwise, put me out in the sticks! Not sure if that's where you are, but maybe you will be happy near something bigger (if you stick around blah Indiana)

 

[chick rookie]

I was just wondering how you were doing. Sorry you had to walk away from the house, but glad you didn't get stuck with it. I wish you the best in finding a new one.

Are you trying to stay near TH?

TY and Yes as close to TH as we can. The house was 20 miles away, dont want to get any farther away due to work and family of course.

A question for free-rangers that don't have an outdoor pen.

For the first time since moving the birds to the pole barn I'm going to be integrating new chicks. The barn doesn't have an outdoor confinement pen attached so they are either in or out on range.

At my hen shed there is an outdoor pen that can be divided so the adults could go out to range and the kiddos could stay in a covered kennel pen until older and "safer" from hawks.


So... How do those of you that don't have an outdoor pen work on integrating the kiddos into the flock? I don't like mine out in the "big world" until they're pretty large and it pains me to think of having these kiddos inside with no outdoor time for that long. How do others handle that?

I'm contemplating ways to make make them an outdoor pen but it's hard to get them from their indoor pen to the outer door in the barn. So in the meantime, looking for ideas of how other folks do it!

we built a small covered pen and that is what I use.





it has worked out real well. and as raised 6 groups of chicks and next week it will see the 7th group. lol

This sucks. It's hard enough finding the right piece of this earth, without introducing the human element into it.

Wishing that loser the absolute worst that life has to offer.

My wife says things like this happen for a reason so something better can come along, or to avoid some peril you didn't know was there. I have a tough time believing that, but some folks do.

Thats what everyone keeps telling me also and like you I just don't see it!! but life as got to go on. I guess. Sorry I'm just still a little bitter. I hope that S__________ gets his, just my luck I wont see it!!!!

Last call, I'm stopping chicken hatching this season. Have had a few folks that's not followed through, and thankfully will have coops for the extra chicks... But what I have hatched is more than I had planned to keep for our needs. Will be hatching a few more Bourbon red turkey and geese, otherwise shutting off the incubators this year. I still have started BBS Sumatra, Some chocolate orpington available. Please pm if interested.

Cocoa, my Nubian doe kidded a baby buckling last night. Exhausted..she has had issues. Mother and baby boy are fine so far, but we have learned she does not like to be milked. Hand milked her to be sure we don't have issues with mastitis and the buckling got colostrum. . Udder was way too full. The milking pump frightens the doe. My lil buckling is precious and a huge little guy! Cocoa is not allowing him to nurse very long, certainly not long enough to sustain him. I keep bottles, milk and colostrum on hand for this very reason. This reminded me why I just don't normally keep this goat breed. She was re homed here and already bred when we agreed and took her in..She is normally a very sweet doe, so I will have our vet look over whar's happening.

I have had that happen but they were first time mommy's, the 2 nd went much better. This year I had to hold mom while the kid ate, it was a pain but after about 10 times she got the picture.

Everything I read said Sebrights rarely go broody. Guess my little Sebright, like yours, can't read.


Each day I would laugh as I removed a HUGE 2.8 - 3.0 oz egg out from under her. (I have mostly big birds & of course our roo can't possibly mate with tiny Trouble.) After a week of stealing her eggs & kicking her out of the nest, she began sitting on imaginary eggs. That's when I finally broke down & made her a broody apartment. I gave her 2 of the smallest eggs I could find & she's been happily sitting on them for a week now.

I so miss my Seabright, but they just dont make it here. She is beautiful.


I want to thank all of you for letting me vent and all the kind and encouraging words. I'm still in the " I want t kill " phase But I'll get over it at some point, I have to right.?

DH has been trying to get my mind off it by bringing home babies. ( which he is NOT supposed to do anymore. ) But who could turn these down??? So I didn't throw too big of a fit... lol


couldnt get the rest of the pic's to load will try again latter
ya'll have a great day.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Determined & STUBBORN.  These little birds have such big attitudes!
Thanks for sharing.  You made me laugh.

Oh, yeah, full of attitude! They're big birds in teeny-tiny bodies, I swear. I don't think Rosie even realizes how tiny she is, she's a little spitfire.

"Don't touch me!"

 

[HelloChickies]

Hi! Wecome to BYC and our thread!

Thanks for the warm welcome!!