JUNE - JULY HATCH-ALONG!!!!!!!

[crazychickenlady55]

3 days before lock down, I moved the chicks in the secondary brooder to the coop integration brooder, I moved the primary brooder chicks to the secondary brooder, and I am getting ready to clean the primary brooder.
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(Integration Brooder in the background, chicks hiding in far corner beyond the hardware cloth, Older chicks on the outside eventually get moved to a breeding pen or the big free range giant coop)

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(Most recent hatch 2 and a half weeks ago moving to the secondary brooder outside, its large and they can run around, the primary brooder was getting crowded.)

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(Fun! the primary brooder that needs to be cleaned out, as soon as I post this I will be cleaning this out. the brooder plate turned into a poop board as the chicks no longer fit under it after 2 weeks. Half of them did but unlike when they were a day old the brooder plate just isn't big enough for all of them. This winter I will need to find a fix for this or hatch less chicks.)



I am down to 32 eggs from 54 at the start, some were put out to a broody hen, some where infertile (expected) and some died after the embryo started to develop (blood line).

That's a great setup! Cuties

I've got two mamas on eggs right now--first timer hatching, but I've had chickens since 2014! The polish has 13 eggs and the barred rock has 12. Both were surprises-- five years with no shockers, and then two in one week. I was out of town and those watching the flock aren't chicken people and didn't notice. Here's to hoping for pullets

Does anyone have photos of EE x Polish crosses or barred rock x EE crosses? They've each also stolen some leghorn x EE crosses and potentially Wesummer or RSL x EE. I love barnyard mixes so I can't wait for babies!!

 

[Compost King]

Wow! You have your brooder stages down to an art form!!
I use the same Titan heat plates, I love them because they have so many more height options than some of the other brands. The best thing I've ever done to make cleanup easier on the heat plate is Press n' Seal plastic wrap! Once my chicks get bigger they like to hang out on top regardless of the space underneath so this made it super easy to peel off the dirty sheet and replace it with a clean one! Must be Press n' Seal though, the regular plastic wrap doesn't stick and I don't think it would be safe to use.

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Thats a pretty neat way to make clean up easy, I just cleaned my Titan and the poops just popped right off no stick. I kept it on and warm for 2 hours after the chicks were removed so they would dehydrate. cleaning them off wet may have been messy. I will probably keep things they way I do it now until my clean up job gets messy and then I am buying that product you have pictured.

 

[jolenesdad]

I haven't counted how many I hatch out a year, I just know that I have about 200 birds, before I started hatching I maybe had 20. I sold a lot of them. Many died this year due to weather related issues, a few went missing (predators I assume) and I ate a dozen of them. I started hatching April 2018 and did not get successful at it until December 2018 so I have not had very many success hatches until this year. I tend to hatch out about 25 a month now. Some months I do only sex links and humanely gas the males for reptile food which cuts the amount of chicks in half. Sex links are great because you can sell them as Pullets on craigslist although one year some Pure Red eggs got mixed in with my Red Sex Links eggs and I sold some Roos to people. One lady told me and I saved every customers number and called them all to let them know to look for roosters and I replaced every single one with a hen that just started laying.

First of all, that’s a class act of I’ve ever heard one.

And also thanks for being here. Seems so many folks disappear from the forum once they really get going and grow their operations. I totally get it, but so appreciate those with experience being here.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

That's a great setup! Cuties

I've got two mamas on eggs right now--first timer hatching, but I've had chickens since 2014! The polish has 13 eggs and the barred rock has 12. Both were surprises-- five years with no shockers, and then two in one week. I was out of town and those watching the flock aren't chicken people and didn't notice. Here's to hoping for pullets

Does anyone have photos of EE x Polish crosses or barred rock x EE crosses? They've each also stolen some leghorn x EE crosses and potentially Wesummer or RSL x EE. I love barnyard mixes so I can't wait for babies!!

So exciting! I'm amazed you've made it so long without ever having a broody hen!
I have EE mixes but it's across the board what they look like since there is a wide gene pool that EEs come from to begin with. Your Welsummer/EE cross may provide you with an Olive Egger though!

Thats a pretty neat way to make clean up easy, I just cleaned my Titan and the poops just popped right off no stick. I kept it on and warm for 2 hours after the chicks were removed so they would dehydrate. cleaning them off wet may have been messy. I will probably keep things they way I do it now until my clean up job gets messy and then I am buying that product you have pictured.

Part of why I use it is because I clean it A LOT while the chicks are inside. It might not be a big deal to you in an outside brooder. Almost all of the adjustments I've made to my brooder have been to make clean up easier, lol.
At the very least, the Press n' Seal is very inexpensive and lasts a very very long time. I'm still on my first roll.

 

[crazychickenlady55]

So exciting! I'm amazed you've made it so long without ever having a broody hen!
I have EE mixes but it's across the board what they look like since there is a wide gene pool that EEs come from to begin with. Your Welsummer/EE cross may provide you with an Olive Egger though!



Part of why I use it is because I clean it A LOT while the chicks are inside. It might not be a big deal to you in an outside brooder. Almost all of the adjustments I've made to my brooder have been to make clean up easier, lol.
At the very least, the Press n' Seal is very inexpensive and lasts a very very long time. I'm still on my first roll.

I've had broodies before, but never any that have hidden a clutch of eggs that have gone unnoticed! I can't wait

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I haven't counted how many I hatch out a year, I just know that I have about 200 birds, before I started hatching I maybe had 20. I sold a lot of them. Many died this year due to weather related issues, a few went missing (predators I assume) and I ate a dozen of them. I started hatching April 2018 and did not get successful at it until December 2018 so I have not had very many success hatches until this year. I tend to hatch out about 25 a month now. Some months I do only sex links and humanely gas the males for reptile food which cuts the amount of chicks in half. Sex links are great because you can sell them as Pullets on craigslist although one year some Pure Red eggs got mixed in with my Red Sex Links eggs and I sold some Roos to people. One lady told me and I saved every customers number and called them all to let them know to look for roosters and I replaced every single one with a hen that just started laying.

That's a lot of chicks!! I'm getting there!

That's great! I feel like there aren't enough people that stand behind their word once the chicks leave the house. I think it's great that you made it right for the people that got roos!

I've been pretty successful offering sexlinked or autosexing breeds for a little more for pullets and the roosters for free with them. I haven't had to cull any yet but I do worry that I'll eventually have a handful of roosters that nobody wants. I'm a big sissy but the day will come eventually. I agreed to give my friend's husband a 6-pack of beer to cull a chicken with a tumor for me and I cried when I killed a snake that wanted to eat my chicks. I'm a serious wuss. Lol

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I've had broodies before, but never any that have hidden a clutch of eggs that have gone unnoticed! I can't wait

I can't wait to see pictures!

These are a few of my Easter Egger Mixes.

I don't actually know what which rooster fathered this one but it was definitely an EE egg.

This is actually an EE crossed with a Frizzle/Silkie rooster. She's neither small nor frizzled. lol

And this is a EE under a Marans roo, so essentially should be an Olive Egger as well but she isn't laying yet.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

@jolenesdad I'm laughing so hard right now because I attempted the adorable (I thought) photoshoot of a quail chick in a spoon...not only could I not keep the chick in the spoon long enough to even focus my camera but then it pooped in the spoon! Adorable imagery fail! I'll leave that one to the professionals! LOL!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Isn't it a wonderful "problem" to have that your hatch is going better than expected!? I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding homes for those beauties!
Most of my turkeys are going to their new home today, one poult is going to a friend that wants some chicks as well so I get to love on him a bit longer. The peachicks already have a home lined up as well and will be picked up Thursday! I have 2 people waiting to see how the chick hatch goes and I'm waiting for this last quail to hatch before I respond to a woman that is interested in them. We'll see what's left for me once all is said and done. I had planned on keeping a few. I can always hatch more! Lol!

Wow, you are a hub of activity! You must be so well connected to have all of those people who now what you are hatching!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I haven't counted how many I hatch out a year, I just know that I have about 200 birds, before I started hatching I maybe had 20. I sold a lot of them. Many died this year due to weather related issues, a few went missing (predators I assume) and I ate a dozen of them. I started hatching April 2018 and did not get successful at it until December 2018 so I have not had very many success hatches until this year. I tend to hatch out about 25 a month now. Some months I do only sex links and humanely gas the males for reptile food which cuts the amount of chicks in half. Sex links are great because you can sell them as Pullets on craigslist although one year some Pure Red eggs got mixed in with my Red Sex Links eggs and I sold some Roos to people. One lady told me and I saved every customers number and called them all to let them know to look for roosters and I replaced every single one with a hen that just started laying.

Wow, that’s amazing ethics and service with the pullet mix up!!! I bet that your customers love you!