IT HAPPENED!!!

[MochaLatte]

5 weeks and 3 or 4 days till the new babies are here! And hopefully 5 weeks 1 day till some eggs hatch! They will go in the incubator in 2 weeks 1 day! that should help the time pass fast

WOOOOOOOO!!! I hope Ditzy lays a bunch of nice eggs for you during the collection window! When does your incubator arrive?

 

[junior67]

WOOOOOOOO!!! I hope Ditzy lays a bunch of nice eggs for you during the collection window! When does your incubator arrive?

I haven't ordered it yet. I am going to order it next Thurs when I get paid (or think unless I do before then. LOL But I should have it a few days after since we have Amazon Prime. They said to set the eggs March 23 for hatch date of the 13th (think that was the date) so they will be 2-3 days old when my other chicks come so they are around the same age. But my local feed store gets them from a hatchery I think but their order for does say day old... so are they a day old or 2-3 days old? guess a day or two doesn't matter and gives the chicks time to fluff up before the others come..... But not sure I may set them on the 24 to hatch the 14th since mine come the 15 or 16. especially since I am brooding them in the coop I would like to have as many as I can there for the heat and will already have the MHP set up out there. I must say I am getting nervous about brooding in the coop from day 1 though.......... LOL

 

[MochaLatte]

my local feed store gets them from a hatchery I think but their order for does say day old... so are they a day old or 2-3 days old?

The way it works at our local feed store is... the chicks hatch, hatchery sorts and packs them to mail that same day. They spend a couple of days in transit... so they are 2-3 days old when they arrive to the store. The baby chicks have about 72 hours after hatch that they do not need food, since they just finished absorbing their yolk.

I must say I am getting nervous about brooding in the coop from day 1 though.......... LOL

Hehehe - you will be fine! I'm sure you'll check on them frequently, and it will be good for them (as long as it's not too cold!) I've never used a MHP but heard they are just awesome!

 

[junior67]

The way it works at our local feed store is... the chicks hatch, hatchery sorts and packs them to mail that same day. They spend a couple of days in transit... so they are 2-3 days old when they arrive to the store. The baby chicks have about 72 hours after hatch that they do not need food, since they just finished absorbing their yolk.

Hehehe - you will be fine! I'm sure you'll check on them frequently, and it will be good for them (as long as it's not too cold!) I've never used a MHP but heard they are just awesome!

I will be moving the camera so I can see them and the nest boxes hopefully (or move my outdoor camera in to see the chicks. LOL) I work now so it is going to be SOO hard when I work not being able to check all the time. I REALLY hope they come in on the 15th since then I will be able to watch them that day/night and the next 2 days since I don't work Sat and should have that Sunday off, but that is Easter so we will be at my brother in laws for part of the day..... Maybe I need to take a week off for chick maternity leave. LMAO!!!!!!

I LOVE the MHP! I used it with my babies last year and had zero complaints! They were off the heat on their own around 4 weeks and it was barely on (think down to 1 or 2) the week before that. I had 10 under there last year and they seemed comfy but ordered 8 from my feed store, not sure how many will hatch, and hoping to get another 6 from the other feed store that week too........ so thinking I may need another one so it is big enough for 20+ chicks! YIKES! what am I going to do with all of those babies? starting to think I am crazy!

 

[MochaLatte]

I will be moving the camera so I can see them and the nest boxes hopefully (or move my outdoor camera in to see the chicks. LOL)

This is so smart! It will be nice to be able to kind of check in on them like that without having to be there.

Maybe I need to take a week off for chick maternity leave. LMAO!!!!!!

This made me snort. You're too funny
...but also, yes, you definitely need newly-hatched-chick maternity leave.... . . .

so thinking I may need another one so it is big enough for 20+ chicks! YIKES! what am I going to do with all of those babies? starting to think I am crazy!

Oooh ya, sounds like it will be smart to have an extra for coverage of all those babies. Youve also gotta remember that you dont know how the hatch rate will be on Ditzy's first batch... and how many will be cockerels, etc. I think you're at the right number of babies for what you're hoping to end up with!

 

[junior67]

Oooh ya, sounds like it will be smart to have an extra for coverage of all those babies. Youve also gotta remember that you dont know how the hatch rate will be on Ditzy's first batch... and how many will be cockerels, etc. I think you're at the right number of babies for what you're hoping to end up with!

ya out of the 8 ordered I will only keep 5 of those. The extra 3 are more if any are cockerels or if any don't make it. then the 6 from the other store are only because that is the min they will let you get. I only want 3 from there..... so have 3 extra from there. And as we all know I am praying for 2 splash pullets from Ditzy so may have to hatch LOTS to get those. LMAO! so guess I will be giving away lots of chicks! haahaa. If I know for sure some of Ditzy's are not splash I may give them away at a couple days old so I don't have to worry about pullet/cockerel and just do a straight run, will save on food, space and getting attached. So from her eggs I will just keep any that may be splash at least till I can tell for sure or see what sex they are.

 

[MochaLatte]

@junior67 I'm sending good egg laying vibes to Ditzy ~~~~ so she provides you with good ones to incubate! Today is possible day 2 of collecting, right?

 

[junior67]

@junior67 I'm sending good egg laying vibes to Ditzy ~~~~ so she provides you with good ones to incubate! Today is possible day 2 of collecting, right?

Thanks. Yes I collected yesterdays egg but today is her day off. I think she will lay Fri and Sat though. she seems to be 2 on 1 off. so if I counted right it should be 10-11 eggs in the 2 weeks. But the first weeks from what I read may be kinda iffy... but I should have 5 or 6 from the week before I set them depending on if I start them on Wed the 23 or Thurs the 24. My chicks that I ordered should come on a Fri or Sat...

 

[junior67]

Why do my chickens keep making me nervous! First Annabelle went 4 days with out laying but was still in the box for 2 days with a day off. Now it is 2 days with out laying. She will lay, then the next day go in the box but not lay, then the following day she doesn't go in at all, then it starts over. LOL So I figure she is just doing her thing so more relaxed.

Well Mon Marshmallow laid an egg in the a.m. then Mon night she laid a shell less egg on the roost around 10pm. So I wasn't expecting an egg Tue from her because of that since she basically laid Tue egg on Mon night.... That would have been 3 in a row (the one before she did 4 in a row but she is still new so no true pattern yet). Then yesterday (Wed) she didn't go in and lay so ok. Well today I saw her in 2 different times once for a normal laying time once was about 30 min. When I got home and checked the box there was no egg from her.... So nothing since Mon night at 10pm which she has only ever taken 1 day off between since she started laying. so now I am a bit worried since it has been a bit and she hasn't laid since she laid the shell less egg....... I was 100% pos she would lay today. Thinking maybe I should go out and search the run JIC......

 

[MochaLatte]

Why do my chickens keep making me nervous! First Annabelle went 4 days with out laying but was still in the box for 2 days with a day off. Now it is 2 days with out laying. She will lay, then the next day go in the box but not lay, then the following day she doesn't go in at all, then it starts over. LOL So I figure she is just doing her thing so more relaxed.

Well Mon Marshmallow laid an egg in the a.m. then Mon night she laid a shell less egg on the roost around 10pm. So I wasn't expecting an egg Tue from her because of that since she basically laid Tue egg on Mon night.... That would have been 3 in a row (the one before she did 4 in a row but she is still new so no true pattern yet). Then yesterday (Wed) she didn't go in and lay so ok. Well today I saw her in 2 different times once for a normal laying time once was about 30 min. When I got home and checked the box there was no egg from her.... So nothing since Mon night at 10pm which she has only ever taken 1 day off between since she started laying. so now I am a bit worried since it has been a bit and she hasn't laid since she laid the shell less egg....... I was 100% pos she would lay today. Thinking maybe I should go out and search the run JIC......

Zoingo had bouts of soft-shell eggs and a couple shell-less eggs, too. (When she did more than one egg a day like Marshmallow). She would usually take a little extra time off before resuming. She hasn't had one now in months... it was mostly in her first 8 weeks of laying.

It's crazy and makes you worry, but totally normal!