July Hatch-a-Long (including 4th of July hatch-a-long)

[AgnesGray]

And my red brand hwc is in fedex's hands already! Yay!!

 

[CindyinSD]

For sure but idk what to do now. Just an X or a date or? Cause Idk which ones are from yesterday. Or I guess I do since he told me except there’s two white ones now lol

Put on the date of the middle or last eggs. It's approximate anyway, depending on how your hen incubates. If you have several hens sitting, I also put on the name or description of the hen. (for example BA if its a Black Australorp or "Cass" if the hen is named Cassidy). You probably don't need more than the date, though. That way you'll know whether it's a good idea to give Isolde's eggs to Cassidy if Isolde is not proving to be smart enough to stay on the correct nest, etc.

Actually, it's a very good idea for SO many reasons to provide each broody with her own small suite--both for brooding and for the chicks' first month or so. That way you can keep the other birds from stealing the chick food (they seem to love it best--at least mine do) and keep the little family from going out on wet mornings/days and so on. A dog crate and a tiny run will suffice. I built this one and need to make a couple more:

To put in the food and water I just lift it up and slide it under the run. I was going to make a wire door but I kept putting it off--I've decided I like it better this way. More secure, easier to add feed, etc., easier build, less hardware & won't slice up my arm using it.

 

[TheBajan]

I suspect HWC cloth, like nearly EVERYTHING, is currently made (or more likely ATM, *not made*) in China.

My understand is that it's (one of the few) items made here in the U.S. The issue is that during the Covid crisis, the steel mills were shut down and that has created a back-log of all things steel being out of stock. Hardware cloth is not on the top of the manufacturing priority list.

 

[CindyinSD]

Interesting how so many crosses are looking the same!

I have four little pullets, all mixes, all black, one with a cute jaunty little short comb, all newly laying tiny eggs @ 16 weeks. Aside from the one with the saucy headgear, I can't tell one from the others. One is laying blue, one green & two pinky brown.

 

[FortCluck]

Even the mealworms I buy for the wild birds comes from freakin' China!

They are easy to do on your own and cheaper!

 

[CindyinSD]

So I guess my early July hatch will have to be considered a late June hatch. Day 21 is not till Thursday and I already have 27 chicks hatched and the rest are pipped! All look healthy so no complaints about that. The only thing weirder about this hatch is I used a flat turner, the kind that rolls the eggs and 20% have pipped at the wrong end. In all the chicks I’ve hatched this season I’ve only had one chick do that and it made it out fine. I have at least 3/4 right now that are pipped that way, one even has a little blood on it but I’m a let nature take its course kinda girl so I guess we will see.

I have a flat turner also, and of 35 eggs in lockdown, only one pipped on the wrong end. I'm not sure what causes that, but I don't think it's the horizontal position. Maybe genetics? To me, the flat turner makes sense (at least for non-shipped eggs) since that's the way they lie and are turned in a broody nest.

 

[AgnesGray]

They are easy to do on your own and cheaper!

#goals

I need to do this!

 

[FortCluck]

Interesting how so many crosses are looking the same!

I need to get a pic of mine so you can see how similar they are. Only difference is mine has splashes of random gold here and there. But you cannot tell unless she is right in front of you.

 

[CindyinSD]

Don’t tell her to bug that hen again

I agree. I wrote this before reading all the harassment stuff.

 

[FortCluck]

I agree. I wrote this before reading all the harassment stuff.

Chicken Paparazzi