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

[CluckNDoodle]

Here's all 5. Mama lost 2 to the others mama hen when she got in the nest. #6 hatched but didn't make it. View attachment 1846763

They're so cute! I'm sorry about the 2 you lost! Was the other hen being aggressive toward them or did she just accidentally step on them?

 

[Compost King]

Lock Down commenced (1 day early, air sacs were the perfect size) Hatch day expected Saturday but I will have pippers by Friday afternoon and zipper pippers by Friday evening and likely 1 or 2 will hatch a day early.

Pictures

Just before locking down. I use a cage to separate chickens of different parentage that might look the same as others.

The Parents!

As part of my columbian patterned Dorking project these are the parents of the (Silver Grey Dorking X Red Ranger) x Silver Grey Dorking chicks. This will be my first time hatching these. They are the white eggs in the cage.

The ladies are hiding under the coop today, These are the parents of the giant eggs, Ayam Cemani X Red Ranger chicks. I did this before an impure Ayam Cemani cross. So I am trying again. The eggs may be too big for the chicks to get enough resistance to peck through... fingers crossed that this works.

The female is in the shade, there are 4 females in the entire run, This is my 2nd Ayam Cemani Rooster, the beta rooster. The dominant one got to mate with the red rangers and now I get to change up the parentage in my Ayam Cemani flock I am building. he actually doesn't have as nice of a shape as the dominant rooster but for the sake of Genetic diversity I am happy to breed him too. That blue piece of trash is one of the containers I feed egg yolks to the chickens with. I leave them to compost with the run bedding because it increases the bug population adding to their diet.

And the parents of the Silver Grey Dorking x (Silver Grey Dorking x Red Ranger) Yep there he is will his daughters who weigh more than he does. And he isn't exactly a lightweight. They have the best coop in summer, a small stretch is out in the sun light but most of their run is under my deck where it is always 10 degrees cooler in summer. And yes I do clean out under there, no manure gets wasted here. my nursery needs it. before this was part of a chicken run all my free ranging chickens spent the summer under there. Chickens love that as a favorite hangout spot on hot days.


And the last hatch is now 3 weeks old!

1 Ayam Cemani (to fill out the incubator) and the rest are dorking x (dorking x red rangers) I have patterns coming in from Silver Duck Wing to Columbian but most are that in-between Incomplete Columbian. I will be doing a similar project with Red and Silver leghorns by fall.

 

[Enigmius]

Came home for lunch, and y’all were right! I couldn’t find that pink little glob at the umbilical region.

But boy, s/he is looking skittle rough. It was a tough hatch, but glad it made it.



Final score is:

At start = 16 eggs
Fertile eggs = 11
Losses at hatch = 1
Quitters = 2
Successful hatches = 8
Hatch ratio = 8/11
Hatch percent = 72%

I just want to thank everyone for being there for me and holding my hand throughout this whole staggered hatching process.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Here's all 5. Mama lost 2 to the others mama hen when she got in the nest. #6 hatched but didn't make it. View attachment 1846763

Beautiful babies!!! What breed are they? Wow, so sad that another hen attacked her chicks???

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Came home for lunch, and y’all were right! I couldn’t find that pink little glob at the umbilical region.

But boy, s/he is looking skittle rough. It was a tough hatch, but glad it made it.



Final score is:

At start = 16 eggs
Fertile eggs = 11
Losses at hatch = 1
Quitters = 2
Successful hatches = 8
Hatch ratio = 8/11
Hatch percent = 72%

I just want to thank everyone for being there for me and holding my hand throughout this whole staggered hatching process.

Yeah!!!! Congratulations on a great hatch! You really came through this process with flying colors!!!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Lock Down commenced (1 day early, air sacs were the perfect size) Hatch day expected Saturday but I will have pippers by Friday afternoon and zipper pippers by Friday evening and likely 1 or 2 will hatch a day early.

Pictures
View attachment 1846786
Just before locking down. I use a cage to separate chickens of different parentage that might look the same as others.

The Parents!
View attachment 1846787
As part of my columbian patterned Dorking project these are the parents of the (Silver Grey Dorking X Red Ranger) x Silver Grey Dorking chicks. This will be my first time hatching these. They are the white eggs in the cage.

View attachment 1846788
The ladies are hiding under the coop today, These are the parents of the giant eggs, Ayam Cemani X Red Ranger chicks. I did this before an impure Ayam Cemani cross. So I am trying again. The eggs may be too big for the chicks to get enough resistance to peck through... fingers crossed that this works.

View attachment 1846789
The female is in the shade, there are 4 females in the entire run, This is my 2nd Ayam Cemani Rooster, the beta rooster. The dominant one got to mate with the red rangers and now I get to change up the parentage in my Ayam Cemani flock I am building. he actually doesn't have as nice of a shape as the dominant rooster but for the sake of Genetic diversity I am happy to breed him too. That blue piece of trash is one of the containers I feed egg yolks to the chickens with. I leave them to compost with the run bedding because it increases the bug population adding to their diet.

View attachment 1846790
And the parents of the Silver Grey Dorking x (Silver Grey Dorking x Red Ranger) Yep there he is will his daughters who weigh more than he does. And he isn't exactly a lightweight. They have the best coop in summer, a small stretch is out in the sun light but most of their run is under my deck where it is always 10 degrees cooler in summer. And yes I do clean out under there, no manure gets wasted here. my nursery needs it. before this was part of a chicken run all my free ranging chickens spent the summer under there. Chickens love that as a favorite hangout spot on hot days.


And the last hatch is now 3 weeks old!
View attachment 1846791
1 Ayam Cemani (to fill out the incubator) and the rest are dorking x (dorking x red rangers) I have patterns coming in from Silver Duck Wing to Columbian but most are that in-between Incomplete Columbian. I will be doing a similar project with Red and Silver leghorns by fall.

Cool projects, and you have quite the setup indeed!!!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Lock Down commenced (1 day early, air sacs were the perfect size) Hatch day expected Saturday but I will have pippers by Friday afternoon and zipper pippers by Friday evening and likely 1 or 2 will hatch a day early.

Pictures
View attachment 1846786
Just before locking down. I use a cage to separate chickens of different parentage that might look the same as others.

The Parents!
View attachment 1846787
As part of my columbian patterned Dorking project these are the parents of the (Silver Grey Dorking X Red Ranger) x Silver Grey Dorking chicks. This will be my first time hatching these. They are the white eggs in the cage.

View attachment 1846788
The ladies are hiding under the coop today, These are the parents of the giant eggs, Ayam Cemani X Red Ranger chicks. I did this before an impure Ayam Cemani cross. So I am trying again. The eggs may be too big for the chicks to get enough resistance to peck through... fingers crossed that this works.

View attachment 1846789
The female is in the shade, there are 4 females in the entire run, This is my 2nd Ayam Cemani Rooster, the beta rooster. The dominant one got to mate with the red rangers and now I get to change up the parentage in my Ayam Cemani flock I am building. he actually doesn't have as nice of a shape as the dominant rooster but for the sake of Genetic diversity I am happy to breed him too. That blue piece of trash is one of the containers I feed egg yolks to the chickens with. I leave them to compost with the run bedding because it increases the bug population adding to their diet.

View attachment 1846790
And the parents of the Silver Grey Dorking x (Silver Grey Dorking x Red Ranger) Yep there he is will his daughters who weigh more than he does. And he isn't exactly a lightweight. They have the best coop in summer, a small stretch is out in the sun light but most of their run is under my deck where it is always 10 degrees cooler in summer. And yes I do clean out under there, no manure gets wasted here. my nursery needs it. before this was part of a chicken run all my free ranging chickens spent the summer under there. Chickens love that as a favorite hangout spot on hot days.


And the last hatch is now 3 weeks old!
View attachment 1846791
1 Ayam Cemani (to fill out the incubator) and the rest are dorking x (dorking x red rangers) I have patterns coming in from Silver Duck Wing to Columbian but most are that in-between Incomplete Columbian. I will be doing a similar project with Red and Silver leghorns by fall.

I look forward to seeing the hatched peeps! Fingers crossed that this hatch goes great! The cross you're working on, what are you hoping to improve? Faster meat production? Heavier weight? I'm just curious.

Came home for lunch, and y’all were right! I couldn’t find that pink little glob at the umbilical region.

But boy, s/he is looking skittle rough. It was a tough hatch, but glad it made it.



Final score is:

At start = 16 eggs
Fertile eggs = 11
Losses at hatch = 1
Quitters = 2
Successful hatches = 8
Hatch ratio = 8/11
Hatch percent = 72%

I just want to thank everyone for being there for me and holding my hand throughout this whole staggered hatching process.

That's a great hatch rate and a well earned happy little duckling! Both you and @Mixed flock enthusiast have been head to head with the super long staggered hatch! I'm glad the hard part is over and you can finally start enjoying the babies!!

 

[Compost King]

I look forward to seeing the hatched peeps! Fingers crossed that this hatch goes great! The cross you're working on, what are you hoping to improve? Faster meat production? Heavier weight? I'm just curious.



I am trying to make light Dorkings, or columbian Dorkings (same thing). Not so much for SOP or show purposes but for color that dresses out cleaner for those who pluck birds. I wanted to use a bird that would improve meat qualities but the Delawares I bought to do this with were skimpy so I figured Red Rangers would be better. I also plan to breed the Silver Duck Wing (silver grey) pattern crosses back to the silver grey dorkings to make them a bit hardier. The adult Dorkings are plenty hardy but so few chicks survive to adult hood. I am getting less than 50% to survive. When I hatch out dozens of them I will find a new one dead everyday for the first 2 weeks. And after that they still struggle to survive. Once they are laying or crowing they are plenty hardy. its an old breed and its quite inbred due to almost dying out at one time. I will have some issues with the legs being a bit too long but since I am not a show chicken type I am more of a production chicken type as long as the meat has that dorking flavor and the breast bone is long I will be happy with them.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Wow!! You just taught me so many things that I didn't know! I didn't even realize that colors made a difference with the end product but that really makes sense! I would love to have a source near me that raises healthy meat birds like you're doing but with as many connections as I have around here, everyone wants egg layers other than turkeys, we have lots of organically raised heritage turkey growers here. I'm too big of a wuss to raise my own meat birds right now, but maybe one day! If I ever decided to do it I wouldn't be able to keep up with the demand...

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Huh, interesting discussion! Do you know how exactly the chicks are fragile? Dying of infectious disease? Something else?