Kentucky people

[Mojo Chick'n]

Well, I managed to see Jr. off her nest when I went to take the dogs out, so I snuck into the barn to check (and count) and she has 10 eggs!!!

it's a good thing they are small eggs or she'd never be able to cover them - but they are all her eggs - no one else laid in there.

Now, I have had three of hers in the bator since 1/29, so maybe my time calculations are off on her eggs in her nest hatching. Might not be til next week. (two of hers have hatched in the bator, so far).

So, I have no idea what her mama is, but her daddy is oeg (and he is the daddy of her own eggs, too). Her mama is some kind of buff columbian banty hen - probably a mix of a few dif breeds, herself. She's pretty, but Jr. is even smaller than Shug (her mama) and Jr.s eggs are smaller than Shugs.

The first baby hatched is definately banty sized - and adorable. The second hatched is still wet, but I think it is darker than Jr.
It might turn out looking more like George.

I'll get pics later (if I ever get the chance to take some pics - I still have to get a pic of the welsumer pullet to post here. been really busy the last few days).

meri

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
I opened the ones I had incubated that didn't hatch and all of them were non fertile, or at least hadn't had any development at all.

I'm wondering if it's because I have the two males/two females thing. I really need to seperate the pairs.

Oh well, I been tossing the eggs, lately, I have so many chicken eggs and jumbo eggs to put in (and now some duck eggs) I am giving up temporarily on the buttons - maybe later this summer I'll try the buttons again.

But the ones I have sure are cute and funny to listen to

meri

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
I checked them at first (the first few eggs) and they were fertile - it could be my temps. I'm havign problems with this hatch going right now cause the humidity dumped on me (lost two chicks - pipped and got stuck and died) but the humidity is up now. The temps were more stable with the fans, but they still didn't hatch or develop - maybe the buttons need to be incubated all by themselves?

meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

That's what these silkies will be used for: incubating eggs. The smaller bantams are small enough to set on quail eggs. Have you tried getting your buttons to set them? A lot of people say that buttons will go broody.

I don't know about keeping the buttons by themselves, but I have heard that they don't do well if you move them. So next time I set some, I'll make sure the incubator they are in is the one they will stay in. Hopefully that will work out better. So far there are still only 2, one silver and one cinnamon, by the looks of them.

 

[kycowgirlchick]

Here is the chicken tractor that I built. What do you think?

The door on the back is to the nest box. Their is a door to the coop and a door to the run.

 

[FrChuckW]

And you built this all by yourself? Nice job! So when are you going to bring your carpentry skills up to Louisville to help me with mine?

Next one you build, I would pitch the roof so that the Slant is towards the back and give some more overhang over the pop door for the nest. This will allow more light into the inside of the coop and better ventilation especially if you face it south.

Gives me some more ideas as to what do with mine.

 

[mahen8622]

Hey yall i am south of Paducah KY and ive been reading a lot of northerners post about their feed stores carry chickens or chicks in the spring do any of OUR feed stores do that?! and if so direct me to one i need to buy them out lol
(thanks mojo for your advice)

 

[kycowgirlchick]

The tractor and the run are built completely seperate. I have them simply sitting next to each other.
And yes I built it completely by myself. I love doing this kind of thing. I have been looking at alot of pictures of other coops.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Hey - the dark chick (well, the light one, too) have brassy brown on them!!! woohoo!!! I may have a brassy back chick !!! Those are so pretty!!!

Way to go George and Jr.

I'll have to keep these two - and I can't wait til Jr. hatches out her other babies that she's sitting on. Would be cool if all of them hatched out. I'd have 12 "George Jr. 2.0" running around the farm.

So far no other action on the eggs in the hatcher - I finally got the humidity up, but I am afraid they all died before pip. I'll leave them for another day or two, to see for sure.

Well, I have 20 more eggs to go into the hatcher on Sunday. Maybe that hatch will turn out better than this one.

But, at least I'm working out what doesn't work on incubating in this process.

meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Oh, I hope they hatch for you!! The ones I hatched weren't as small as I thought they would be. My OEGB and Dutch chicks are smaller, and my little silkie mix I have right now is super tiny! It's about the same size as the quail chicks that are in with it!