INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Soon2BChixMom]

Hi guys, been awhile. Life has been crazy busy. I was rather disappointed that I only had two eggs hatch, I left the rest for an additional week. It looked like something happened midway and development stopped. I kept my incubator sealed up and safe, so I don't know. I also have my grandma's farm innovation's styrofoam bator. There will be no more of that.

Then all four of my OEs died (my first ever hatch from November) as did my white Silkie roo I was trying to rehome. I believe they may have froze to death. The five of them refused to sleep anywhere but outside. We had all that rain, and then a freeze come through. I haven't gotten but a dozen eggs since Christmas. I'm just really feeling down with my birds currently.

The FibroFly Ties are a little over a month old, they're still in the house. I'm waiting for the weather to level out before I put them in the garage. My original guess (hope) was two females, I was suggested one male and one female at hatching because of head shape and such. Based on at hatch wing development, it looked like one and one. Now they both look identical.

I don't think I'll be adding any additional birds this year, minus ducklings once the muscovys finally start to lay. Especially since I don't know what my grandma will be taking, or when I'll get a new coop up.

Sorry to hear about your losses. This chicken rearing is hard!
But, wait 'til you get those muscovy babies!

 

[Faraday40]

So far we have 5 chicks from our test hatch.(Today's hatch day.) The 2 strongest that hatched yesterday went under the broody inside the brooder last night. (Yesterday afternoon, she was attacking them, so I tried again after dark.) All seemed OK this morning so the silkie has all 5 now.

Here's my Peck N Play brooder with a supplemental "Mama Heating Pad."

Two eggs from Oopsie hatched the lighter orps. At 1st I thought blue, but perhaps mauve. The 3 silver laced orp eggs hatched out black. I guess the lav orp was the daddy this time. The laced orps have been separated for 3 weeks now, so I expect my next hatch to be more predictable. (My only problem was that GG (Buff Colombian orp) stood next to the tractor with her friends all day as hawk bait. So I had to add her to the laced breeding group. LOL)

Here's the one that may be blue or mauve. The other one of Oopsie's chicsk may be blue or black. It's hard to tell. They are not the usual inky black.

After I started pecking at the food with my finger, the silkie caught on started showing her chicks.

I'll probably get some more chicks. There's one inside the incubator that pipped upside down at the narrow end. It's peeping but not in a frantic way, so I'm leaving it there.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

@Faraday40
What is your brooder set up in?
The chicks are so cute!

 

[Faraday40]

@Faraday40
What is your brooder set up in?
The chicks are so cute!

The brooder (a former playpen) is outside in the detached garage. It has electricity for the heating pad but is outside to keep our house clear of chick dust. Right now the broody can cover all of the chicks, but when more hatch, I'll need the over flow mama. Because we'll probably sell all or at least most of these chicks, I want to keep them separate. (Visitors & their random chicken germs can come into the garage & stay clear of my flock.)

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I'm interested in chicks! I don't know what you have or what your plans are, but was going to ask here if anyone has any before I go ask "strangers" - on Craigslist. Lol.
I only want a small handful though.

Ideas like these make me wish I had never gotten rid of stuff - outgrown dog crates, playpens, etc.

 

[Faraday40]

I'm interested in chicks! I don't know what you have or what your plans are, but was going to ask here if anyone has any before I go ask "strangers" - on Craigslist. Lol.
I only want a small handful though.

Ideas like these make me wish I had never gotten rid of stuff - outgrown dog crates, playpens, etc.

I actually gave our nice playpen away to my niece. She had nothing & her baby's needs were more important.

This horrible thing was $6 at a school resale. It had a slight mold odor (or perhaps or perhaps just long term storage smell) There's no way anyone would put a baby in it, but it was perfect for my needs. The price was reduced to half near the end of the sale, so I got it for $3. I hosed it off & let it dry in sun. No more odor. When chick season is over, I clean it, fold it up, and store it for later. I also got dog crates & rabbit cages for similar uses. Basically, if I stumble across something that may have a future use, I pick it up.

The product I use the most:

If I ever see these panels being sold at garage sales, I pick them. I use them to block off portions of the run when introducing new chicks or as a chicken tractor. (just add some temp roof or clip on netting.) When I'm selling chicks, they spend the day (weather permitting) in the grass and the nights inside the garage. I do have to carry the chicks back & forth, but it beats obsessively cleaning out the brooder. (Pic was from last summer)

I do not know if you're close to me. I'm in the western suburbs of Chicago. Currently, I have English Orpingtons, Dominiques, & Spitzhaubens hatching. Only a couple orps are out now. (Dom & Spitz eggs were from other people)

In my big incubator, I have my daughter's bantams. She wanted to hatch silkies, seramas, and old english game. We purchased the bantam eggs for her birthday. Of course I wanted to hatch some orps from our flock..... the gold & silver laced orps, some lav orps, and the misc. colored orps from Oopsie. These eggs were just started so who knows what will hatch by the end of March. What we usually do is pick a few chicks to keep and sell the rest. The money we get from the chick sales covers the cost of buying & hatching the eggs, plus a little more for feed & shavings.

After these hatches, we don't have any plans to buy more eggs, so only orp chicks from our own flock. The hatch dates will depend on school hatching projects as well as oour broody hens.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Wait, six is an english name.
Are you keeping all these feathered babies?

Haha, I know! When I was marking the eggs, I was going down a list of French numbers and got to that, and it was a bit disappointing, not gonna lie. But oh, well. They're just placeholders until I know who's a boy and who's a girl.

I'm only keeping pullets from this hatch, unless there's an exceptional cockerel in the mix, personality-wise. I'm *hoping* for at least two girls--more would be better, of course, but I'd be content with two considering my usual luck.

I actually gave our nice playpen away to my niece. She had nothing & her baby's needs were more important.

This horrible thing was $6 at a school resale. It had a slight mold odor (or perhaps or perhaps just long term storage smell) There's no way anyone would put a baby in it, but it was perfect for my needs. The price was reduced to half near the end of the sale, so I got it for $3. I hosed it off & let it dry in sun. No more odor. When chick season is over, I clean it, fold it up, and store it for later. I also got dog crates & rabbit cages for similar uses. Basically, if I stumble across something that may have a future use, I pick it up.

The product I use the most:
View attachment 1284826

If I ever see these panels being sold at garage sales, I pick them. I use them to block off portions of the run when introducing new chicks or as a chicken tractor. (just add some temp roof or clip on netting.) When I'm selling chicks, they spend the day (weather permitting) in the grass and the nights inside the garage. I do have to carry the chicks back & forth, but it beats obsessively cleaning out the brooder. (Pic was from last summer)

I do not know if you're close to me. I'm in the western suburbs of Chicago. Currently, I have English Orpingtons, Dominiques, & Spitzhaubens hatching. Only a couple orps are out now. (Dom & Spitz eggs were from other people)

In my big incubator, I have my daughter's bantams. She wanted to hatch silkies, seramas, and old english game. We purchased the bantam eggs for her birthday. Of course I wanted to hatch some orps from our flock..... the gold & silver laced orps, some lav orps, and the misc. colored orps from Oopsie. These eggs were just started so who knows what will hatch by the end of March. What we usually do is pick a few chicks to keep and sell the rest. The money we get from the chick sales covers the cost of buying & hatching the eggs, plus a little more for feed & shavings.

After these hatches, we don't have any plans to buy more eggs, so only orp chicks from our own flock. The hatch dates will depend on school hatching projects as well as oour broody hens.

What variety of OEGs are you hatching? I've always kind of wanted some, but haven't had the opportunity yet to get any. Your chickies are super cute, too.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Haha, I know! When I was marking the eggs, I was going down a list of French numbers and got to that, and it was a bit disappointing, not gonna lie. But oh, well. They're just placeholders until I know who's a boy and who's a girl.

I'm only keeping pullets from this hatch, unless there's an exceptional cockerel in the mix, personality-wise. I'm *hoping* for at least two girls--more would be better, of course, but I'd be content with two considering my usual luck.







What variety of OEGs are you hatching? I've always kind of wanted some, but haven't had the opportunity yet to get any. Your chickies are super cute, too.

Lol. I took two years of french in high school - you think I would remember. But, that was quite awhile ago. At least it is pronounced differently. Lol

 

[Faraday40]

What variety of OEGs are you hatching? I've always kind of wanted some, but haven't had the opportunity yet to get any. Your chickies are super cute, too.

I think they're called silver duckwing. DS really liked the look of Modern game bantams but we had a very hard time finding them (affordably & in a small number). Several people kept telling me how wonderful OEG are as pets, so I found someone who had seramas for DD & OEG for DS.

Sadly: The P.O. ignored the senders directions to hold for pick up. The poor eggs left the PO at 7:30am Fri and bounced around all day in a mail truck. After our mail was delivered at 4pm - still no eggs! I called & they tracked down the carrier who admitted that she forgot to deliver the package. She came to our house with the eggs. I even left a note on our mailbox the day before that we were expecting a very important package. Our reg woman (who's awesome) was not working last week.

On the plus side, the temps were very mild last week and the eggs were packaged the best I'd ever seen. There were a few detached air bubbles rolling around some eggs, but others looked OK. I let them rest for 2 days.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Sigh. This is why I try to pick up eggs or chicks myself.