June Hatch-A-Long

[ShrekDawg]

I am not too sad over it, I know I should be but I do not have time to be sad. I have to fix the situation. I'm a doer not a thinker, I believe that is why I have found such a passion for chickens, quail, and plants... You cull the weak so that future generations are stronger. Maybe I am just heartless or I have put up a wall to prevent myself the pain. I believe when I interned at the vet office, my heart learned when to feel pain and when not to... You cant sob over the clients dog because you have to save its life.

That makes a lot of sense!! I think I’ve gotten that way somewhat but still not fully. I’m still too much of a softie. but I didn’t cry over Red or Wilma. Well, I ALMOST cried over Wilma and couldn’t do it at first but then I did it. Didn’t cry over Gator either. I didn’t even cry over my grandma 4 years ago I mean I eventually did cry over both I think but it took a while. Idk, maybe I’m just numb or something now

Granted all of these deaths were a relief from suffering (grandma had colon cancer, Gator had MMM, the chickens, of course, Mareks) so maybe because I watched the suffering first hand and knew it was a relief/end to it that’s why. Idk.

Sorry, idk why I went there.

 

[ShrekDawg]

The chicks now are doing great, the ones that were strong. I made sure to check any of them for signs of whatever this is. I am wondering if maybe the chicks I got from someone else had something because those are the strongest ones, but those were the first 2 that died. Then the others were strong.

I NEVER buy chicks from people, I only do hatching eggs. I guess at least the oldest seem to be the strongest and there are far more of them than the young ones now that almost all the BCM have been culled. Some had curled toes, one had a tendon slipped (at hatch and never went back no matter what I tried), and the others just seemed to have zero energy right from the hatch.

It’s definitely possible they brought something in! And maybe they were immune to whatever it was but yours weren’t or something. That is weird about the BCMs though!

 

[FortCluck]

That makes a lot of sense!! I think I’ve gotten that way somewhat but still not fully. I’m still too much of a softie. but I didn’t cry over Red or Wilma. Well, I ALMOST cried over Wilma and couldn’t do it at first but then I did it. Didn’t cry over Gator either. I didn’t even cry over my grandma 4 years ago I mean I eventually did cry over both I think but it took a while. Idk, maybe I’m just numb or something now

Granted all of these deaths were a relief from suffering (grandma had colon cancer, Gator had MMM, the chickens, of course, Mareks) so maybe because I watched the suffering first hand and knew it was a relief/end to it that’s why. Idk.

Sorry, idk why I went there.

You’re fine... I believe I won’t mind the meat chickens going tonight either because they’re getting too big. They are going to suffer sooner or later

 

[ShrekDawg]

You’re fine... I believe I won’t mind the meat chickens going tonight either because they’re getting too big. They are going to suffer sooner or later

Yeah that makes sense! I think knowing all of them were suffering helped. Like my grandma wasn’t even herself anymore, pretty out of it cause of the mess and she was always sharp as a tack, so I’m sure that’s why. Like I’m sure if any of these deaths were sudden I would have cried maybe. Idk. Oh and I lost 3 at once to coyotes or foxes recently too and I was just like “sucks but it happens”

 

[hysop]

If you want to stop them being broody, just taking the eggs may not do it. If some of them still want to brood, you can put them in the sort of dog crate with a wire bottom (lay some hardware cloth or similar in for them to walk on) and get it up off the ground. With their underside cool, they'll stop producing broody hormones. Or so I've read here...

I may try it myself on a couple I have who can't even bother to consistently sit on the same nest. They are presently sitting, one on fake eggs (usually, when she gets the right nest) and the other on no eggs at all, in any of three interchangeable (to her) nests. I took her eggs early on and gave them to her much more constant friend and will not give them back as hatching approaches. If she's too silly to keep to the nest with eggs in, how can she be trusted with chicks?

Thank you! I actually wanted them to be broody because I love how chicks follow their momma around, but I wasn't expecting all the hens to stop laying even if they weren't broody themselves sitting on eggs.

Someone in my state thread did tell me it could be that since the heat picked up they are adjusting, especially since they are all older hens on their 2nd or 3rd year of laying. So we shall see...

I have their eggs in the incubator for now. They're all different ages ugh! Not how I wanted my first mixed batch to start out. I wanted to actually mark them and stuff, but that didn't happen. Time to play the guessing game of how far along each egg is! ha!

 

[CindyinSD]

Do you have two incubators? (If not, this could be your big chance...) This is what I would do:

1. Put them all in one incubator.
2. Candle them every night.
3. When you see any of them draw down, turn on the other incubator and prepare it for hatching.
4. When any pip internally, put them in the hatching incubator... even if there are already eggs in there.

This keeps the eggs that are farther behind from being exposed too long to hatching humidity levels. It also allows you to feed your developing addiction and hatch insane numbers of chicks and ducks and geese, quail, turkeys, guineas, peafowl, emus, ostriches, giant condors...

​

 

[CindyinSD]

Thank you! I actually wanted them to be broody because I love how chicks follow their momma around, but I wasn't expecting all the hens to stop laying even if they weren't broody themselves sitting on eggs.

Someone in my state thread did tell me it could be that since the heat picked up they are adjusting, especially since they are all older hens on their 2nd or 3rd year of laying. So we shall see...

I have their eggs in the incubator for now. They're all different ages ugh! Not how I wanted my first mixed batch to start out. I wanted to actually mark them and stuff, but that didn't happen. Time to play the guessing game of how far along each egg is! ha!

Has it been awfully hot there? The heat will definitely stop them laying.

 

[wolfwalker]

well, the last hatch for june was 3 days ago. Only 1 LO out of 26 made it thanks to the post office putting the eggs on the wrong truck and taking them around the state at the hottest times. The 2 White Ameraucana hatched 6 days prior and have taken the chick in. I need one of the WA to be male, so of course since i am wanting males, they both will be female.

 

[Knighstar679]

I have my first broody hatched ducklings! Only two out of the five made it through with egg number five having gone missing. One seems to have pipped wrong and all through momma duck tried to save it it didn’t make it.

 

[chickiebaby1]

Yeah that makes sense! I think knowing all of them were suffering helped. Like my grandma wasn’t even herself anymore, pretty out of it cause of the mess and she was always sharp as a tack, so I’m sure that’s why. Like I’m sure if any of these deaths were sudden I would have cried maybe. Idk. Oh and I lost 3 at once to coyotes or foxes recently too and I was just like “sucks but it happens”

I’ve lost so many in the last week to coon attacks that when I lost 3 of my silkies Sunday morning I was just really mad! I did get pretty upset Saturday afternoon when I lost the last of my lavender Orpington chicks to heat stroke! Now I have to order some more of those.