- Thread starter
- #591
Morning everyone! Or evening, as the case may be 
Alright! I’m back, I’ve finally caught up on my sleep, my cat is doing much better, and my hatch is complete... I still need to set up the brooder up here so I can move the babies ASAP, or before anything else can go wrong.
I’m really happy with my hatch, and after my eggtopsies an fairly certain that with the exception of a few chicks the others weren’t near viable, especially the Marans eggs from my probably too young yet girls. (I did get two small, fluffy BCM babies in the end though!
)
So I set 41 eggs and pulled an early quitter when I candled on day 16, not quite a clear but fairly close... a pea sized embryo with a blood ring. I hatched 31 successful chicks, but had to cull one due to a malformed vent. Being as they are so far away, they have been fouling their water with feed and it’s clogging, so I’m seeing some pasty butts.
I was washing one last night and explaining it to our WWOOFer and the little helper about, when between the distressed cheeps of the “why are you making my bum wet! I don’t like it!” Chick and the Giant monster that was looming and grabbing from above we had another loss. The little one was proudly proclaiming how she looks for bad poop, and their bottoms being pasted and all the other things she looks for, when our WWOOFeR said “like that one in the corner” I look up from pasty bum and in a mere minute a chick has spooked and drowned in the corner.
So my priority today is going to be getting the chicks into the larger brooder up here by either this afternoon or tomorrow morning at latest.
I’m looking at my Marans as a separate ill-advised hatch from Chickie Hawks babies, with just 2/7 eggs hatching. I knew Mrs Marans was a bit young, but her eggs are a good size and I just couldn’t resist the though of more Marans! I think I have one pullet and one cockerel... but time will tell.
As for Chickie Hawks spawn... 29/34 eggs hatched, of which I have 27 survivors as of last night. I’m trading some female chicks for the use of some chicken crates to bring in the meat birds for processing, which is scheduled for June 20th. I can guarantee them pullets and just swap out any boys, as they live “in the valley” the most densely populated part of the island, that is similar to a couple blocks of the average suburb, granted some lots are smaller, and others a bit larger than average in the city (1/8 of an acre).
Pictures coming soon!
Alright! I’m back, I’ve finally caught up on my sleep, my cat is doing much better, and my hatch is complete... I still need to set up the brooder up here so I can move the babies ASAP, or before anything else can go wrong.I’m really happy with my hatch, and after my eggtopsies an fairly certain that with the exception of a few chicks the others weren’t near viable, especially the Marans eggs from my probably too young yet girls. (I did get two small, fluffy BCM babies in the end though!
)So I set 41 eggs and pulled an early quitter when I candled on day 16, not quite a clear but fairly close... a pea sized embryo with a blood ring. I hatched 31 successful chicks, but had to cull one due to a malformed vent. Being as they are so far away, they have been fouling their water with feed and it’s clogging, so I’m seeing some pasty butts.
I was washing one last night and explaining it to our WWOOFer and the little helper about, when between the distressed cheeps of the “why are you making my bum wet! I don’t like it!” Chick and the Giant monster that was looming and grabbing from above we had another loss. The little one was proudly proclaiming how she looks for bad poop, and their bottoms being pasted and all the other things she looks for, when our WWOOFeR said “like that one in the corner” I look up from pasty bum and in a mere minute a chick has spooked and drowned in the corner.
So my priority today is going to be getting the chicks into the larger brooder up here by either this afternoon or tomorrow morning at latest.I’m looking at my Marans as a separate ill-advised hatch from Chickie Hawks babies, with just 2/7 eggs hatching. I knew Mrs Marans was a bit young, but her eggs are a good size and I just couldn’t resist the though of more Marans! I think I have one pullet and one cockerel... but time will tell.
As for Chickie Hawks spawn... 29/34 eggs hatched, of which I have 27 survivors as of last night. I’m trading some female chicks for the use of some chicken crates to bring in the meat birds for processing, which is scheduled for June 20th. I can guarantee them pullets and just swap out any boys, as they live “in the valley” the most densely populated part of the island, that is similar to a couple blocks of the average suburb, granted some lots are smaller, and others a bit larger than average in the city (1/8 of an acre).
Pictures coming soon!
Especially on the Marans.
I’m also happy to report that I didn’t scare mama mouse off her nest in my chicken drawer yesterday... I was rooting around for my chicken leg toothbrush and boy, did this mouse go to town on feathering her nest! I went to move it thinking it was empty and out she popped, then the nest started squeaking. She was back with her babies today, so now I feel a little less like a murderer. 
