Kristen’s Chickens and Farming Ventures

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

One of the few things that bothered me when I moved to my new home: there isn't a town dump as in most communities. Now if you large items to discard you have to pay someone to haul it off for you. There for awhile I had the 1-800-Got Junk guys on speed dial. After over a year I have pretty much sorted out the stuff I haven't touched since I moved in and that really should go away. I'm holding off until next Spring before I call them again so hopefully I'll be done with that. Old tires do make great raised garden beds.

 

[Kris5902]

Morning Kris

This is going to be an interesting hatch... 30 RIW and 34 BH are viable and in lock down. Two external pips a bunch of internal pips and several that are under developed but growing.

Awesome news! Do you glue yourself to the incubator like I do, or are you a more sensible Hatcher? Lol. I’m still confused about today’s # I set them on the 26th in the morning, so I’m thinking today is day 18. Should I set them into lockdown tonight so I can candle, about 8 hours before day 19 starts or do it tomorrow night? It’s all confusing. My air cells are still a little on the small side. I’m still fairly new at this... this is my third hatch, and that I’ve got someone else’s eggs in there really feels like a lot of pressure!

 

[Canuck88]

@Kris5902 I just discovered and read this entire thread!

We are in Chilliwack and are hoping to move to the north end of the big island or else one of the smaller islands in about 5 years when our babies are a bit older. Your island adventures are making me wish we could make the move even sooner!

 

[rjohns39]

Awesome news! Do you glue yourself to the incubator like I do, or are you a more sensible Hatcher? Lol. I’m still confused about today’s # I set them on the 26th in the morning, so I’m thinking today is day 18. Should I set them into lockdown tonight so I can candle, about 8 hours before day 19 starts or do it tomorrow night? It’s all confusing. My air cells are still a little on the small side. I’m still fairly new at this... this is my third hatch, and that I’ve got someone else’s eggs in there really feels like a lot of pressure!

Lock down for you would be tomorrow. This one is going to be confusing for me. I have eggs that look like day 14 next to eggs that are externally pipped. So looks to be a long drawn out affair.

 

[Kris5902]

@Kris5902 I just discovered and read this entire thread!

We are in Chilliwack and are hoping to move to the north end of the big island or else one of the smaller islands in about 5 years when our babies are a bit older. Your island adventures are making me wish we could make the move even sooner!

Welcome @Canuck88 Glad you’re inspired to move to the islands, it really is beautiful here. Ten years ago if you had told me I’d be living on an island and farming I would’ve said you were crazy. The smaller islands are great for families, what I find really interesting is how well all the different age groups get along, the kids here are much less cliquish than in the city, that’s for sure. And my chickens are probably my favorite part of the farm (don’t tell the cows that though!), I’m guessing since you’re in Chilliwack you’ve got some yourself? Feel free to share here about your flock... I love hearing about other people’s chickens too!

 

[Kris5902]

Lock down for you would be tomorrow. This one is going to be confusing for me. I have eggs that look like day 14 next to eggs that are externally pipped. So looks to be a long drawn out affair.

That sounds like how my hatches normally go, as I was telling the person I’m hatching for, sure they are supposed to take 21 days and all hatch at about the same time... but it seems my hatches get spread out over about three days, with some early birds and some slow pokes. I set them at about 7:30-8am on the 26th, but because I want to candle one last time as I put them in lockdown I need to do it at night, around 9-10pm. Would you suggest tonight or tomorrow seeing as I’m doing it late at night, but set them early in the morning? I’m still going to hoof it down to the farm to check on them at least once today, but it’s a long walk and I’m vehicle-less

ETA: just called my mom to go check up on them... remembering my first hatch and my three day early surprise baby lil peeps!

 

[BlueBaby]

@Kris5902 If your lock-down date is supposed to be tomorrow, but you want to also do the candling, then do that tonight. A couple hour's early isn't going to hurt.

 

[rjohns39]

That sounds like how my hatches normally go, as I was telling the person I’m hatching for, sure they are supposed to take 21 days and all hatch at about the same time... but it seems my hatches get spread out over about three days, with some early birds and some slow pokes. I set them at about 7:30-8am on the 26th, but because I want to candle one last time as I put them in lockdown I need to do it at night, around 9-10pm. Would you suggest tonight or tomorrow seeing as I’m doing it late at night, but set them early in the morning? I’m still going to hoof it down to the farm to check on them at least once today, but it’s a long walk and I’m vehicle-less

ETA: just called my mom to go check up on them... remembering my first hatch and my three day early surprise baby lil peeps!

I'd do it today. Depending on your bator, could be dangerous to hatch out early.

 

[Kris5902]

"....and a partridge in a pear tree!" Is what I started thinking as I was reading this!

Can't they even have a designated rubbish spot?

Finding the batteries was a real Easter egg hunt, they were scattered all over the property, tucked under buildings, in sheds, under derelict vehicles (there’s still 4 wrecked trucks/cars that need to have their batteries pulled!). Please don’t tell the ferries, but I also stuffed those broken appliances with propane tanks, because you can only take 1 per trip, even empty, shot through, expired ones are “dangerous cargo”. When it comes time to paint my house (you’re allowed a whole 2 gallons of interior latex paint per sailing) I’m getting a chest freezer too!

Now the scrap metal is mostly arranged in heaps, what isn’t scattered and abandoned through the property, but it’s all “still good” for things and can’t be scrapped, instead we get to watch it rust slowly away... when I had two trucks available I could load the one and use the other for feeding etc, but seeing as we are loaning one out to cover the insurances, I can’t load the other, especially with both Jeeps down until at least Thursday.

 

[Kris5902]

@Kris5902 If your lock-down date is supposed to be tomorrow, but you want to also do the candling, then do that tonight. A couple hour's early isn't going to hurt.

I'd do it today. Depending on your bator, could be dangerous to hatch out early.

Thanks! That’s what I was thinking. It’s not so much the temperature and humidity that’s the challenge, it’s the automatic turner that scares me. I’d hate for someone to be early and get hurt by it. I was just popping in to check the temp and humidity on my first hatch and there he was sitting in the still moving turner, a full 3-4 days early! I think mama had been hiding/sitting on his egg! My last hatch was a bit more consistent, but that was all with my own eggs.

I probably should have set them at night, and had sort of planned for Wednesday, then Thursday, but the egg pick up was later than expected and the kidlet wanted to help set them. She loves the chickens, just not the roosters! Her mom said no to Thursday night because we had a slaughter scheduled for Friday morning, so it was an early day for everyone, and of course the kiddo slept in.

I’m Starting to get that nervous ball of hatching worry in my stomach... it’s such an emotional rollercoaster for me... I was very confident going into my first hatch, and badly shaken by the late humidity issues and dismal hatch rate, along with needing to cull some chicks. That’s when I first found BYC, and It was almost a “never again” feeling. But I need more chickens to be sustainable, and chicks are expensive with shipping, so here we are again!

Fun note... I was just out on the last round of morning chicken chores, and one of Chickie Hawks babies from my June Hatch is crowing!!! (Well, sort of... “Kaw-coo??”) They are all still pretty lightweight... but that’s what I get for starting with hybrid layers that were bred to be super thrifty (small) and lay too many giant eggs...