LeasureChix and Quail_Antwerp Admitting we have a problem hatchalong...

[LeasureChix]

The emu, zebra & 2 llamas were given to me when their owner was moved to a home. This is their retirement home. I adore watching them. One of the llamas passed away.

I almost ordered another incubator today. Decided to give it time. I have a tendency to jump the gun.

I'm super glad you joined the V day hatch. I've been out most of the day. I'm @ the Nissan dealer, time for my car's first oil change. Gotta love my smart phone.

Are all the kids gone by now?

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

yep, the extra kid has gone home. She was only picked up 2 hours passed the original time I was told she'd be picked up.

Going to turn eggs and then a little bit of a work out before I shower and head to bed.

 

[LeasureChix]

I added 10 LCO to the bator yesterday. I dropped 1 as I was putting them in the turner

It's a little cracked but I'm hoping I can wax it. I couldn't bear to throw it away. I got 5 eggs each from 2 sources.

My SCG eggs arrived yesterday. Rainbow of colors: white, brown, dark brown, green and olive. Those are sitting in a turner in a cool room until Tuesday.

Nothing going on with my silkie eggs in lockdown yet. I saw movement in 15 of the original 17 the day I put them in lockdown (plus my 3). Everything has seemed perfect with them from the beginning so I have high hopes.

I've read so many people have had their hatch rates go way up once they switch to a cabinet bator. I'm very eager to see what arrives next week. Custom Incubators website is back up. I'm a lot more confident now about getting my new incubator.

DId you end up tossing the eggs that weren't doing anything?

 

[sunnyllama]

I just read this thread, you guys are funny! I have to admit that it is super easy to jump on the addiction bandwagon where hatching us concerned. A few years ago, I said I just wanted a few chickens in the backyard so I could know where my eggs come from. I hatched 11 eggs then and got two girls...how excited I was. Who knew, however, that the excitement does grow by each egg you set

. This year I have done 42 so far. Yeah, still exciting! I'm not sure if I am at the cabinet incubator stage yet, but the way its going, Ill probably get there.

What ever happened with that facebook auction post. I would be interested to know the details about that. Do all of you do mostly shipped eggs? I did shipped for the first time this hatch and so far I only have two out of 13 developing, is there a secret to it or is it just the luck of the draw??

 

[LeasureChix]

Hi Sunnyllama! Welcome to our thread. You are so right about this addiction. Heck, I didn't even used to like chickens. Didn't think they were attractive at all and just thought of them as stinky messy.... well, you get the picture.

I am still doing mainly shipped eggs. I originally bought hatchery stock 2 years ago for egg production. Bought all girls and have gotten great brown eggs every day. No roosters = no fertile eggs. I started getting interested in other breeds and found the auction section of BYC. Last spring I was hatching my brains out! Just ask my DH, he'll tell ya. Ended up with a whole lot of chicks. I bought eggs mainly from the BYC auction site but also had some luck with eBay eggs. Sometimes decent luck, usually about 50% hatch rate which isn't too bad for shipped eggs in a styro bator.

Last spring I attended my first poultry swap up in Canby OR. What a BLAST! I had pre-arranged the purchase of some cochins and I took some of my surplus chicks. Sold everything I took to sell and didn't come home with much more than I intended (very proud of that).

Now that I have some good stock laying fertile eggs, I have hatched some of my own silkies.

Back in December I saw that there was going to be a group New Years Day hatch. How fun! Share the madness! Loved it!

This month I'm participating in my first egg swap. I split my cochins out from my egg layers so I could send out some purebred cochin eggs as well as my silkies (now divided into color pens). Taking the addiction to a whole new level!

Two years ago I started with 1 Little Giant styrofoam incubator and quickly got a 2nd. After hatching guinnea eggs (28 day incubation), turning 3 times a day, I invested in turners. I lucked out, found 2 more LG bators on Craigslist so now I have 4 incubators and 4 turners. I am rather tired of some so/so hatches so I decided to invest in a cabinet incubator. I heard other BYC'ers talking about Custom Incubators and a sale they were having last month. I placed my order and (I'll spare you the ugly details) my new cabinet bator should arrive by next Friday. $250. for a 4 shelf unit that will hold my 4 egg turners. Holds less eggs than the Sportsman or Dickeys but for now it should serve me just fine...... for a while.

If you are on FB, do a search for "poultrybid". It is still getting started and so far a lot of silkie chicken people but it is growing. Some of the BYC peeps also sell on eBay. I think the old BYC auction format was awesome! It is greatly missed.


So there's my story. I'd love to hear more about yours!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I've been incubating for almost 3 years now and the first time we incubated was for a science project with my kids. At the time I was homeschooling, so using it as a "science" lesson was a great excuse for me to give my DH hahaha

My first birds were hatchery birds, but I've since worked to get away from hatchery stock except for birds to use as egg layers.

Last year most of the eggs I hatched were from my own stock or my friend BeccaOh's stock. She lives 15 miles away, so those eggs weren't shipped.

I have talked my husband into a cabinet incubator, but that won't be ordered for a few weeks. I'm going with either a sportsman or a Dickey.

Julie, I tossed all those Ameracauna eggs last night. No Lav's for me I have two boxes of eggs down at the Post office right now - and we're snowed in!! My Chocolate Ameracauna project eggs from pips&peeps and more Bantam Welsummer from gamebirdsonly.

 

[LeasureChix]

Aly, I'm sorry about your Ameracauna eggs. There is a bantam Lav Am pair available in WA. Maybe they would ship if you are interested. They are planning on going to the Canby swap in May.

At least you know where your egg boxes are. They really should be fine at the PO over the weekend. It won't be super warm and they won't freeze. I got 2 boxes yesterday, I started some and am saving the other box for Tuesday. I think I'll get another box today and have more coming next week. And I too could quit.... anytime I want. Uh huh, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So you'll be out making snow angels today?

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Heck no!! I don't lay in that white mess!! I hate snow. With. a. passion.

I wish we lived further South, where there was little to no snow.

Nope, I'll be out off and on all day rotating waterers, checking combs to make sure no one is too cold, and praying spring gets here fast.

I just bid on some BBS Orp eggs in the 24 hour auction - hoping for a lot of black chicks if I win!

 

[sunnyllama]

Aww, thank you guys! I'm happy to join the thread! Lets see, my story began about four years ago when I :

a.) decided to pursue a more organic lifestyle
b.) met my husband.

I grew up in the city with the most non-nature loving parents there could be. If it was convenient, we did it! I don't even remember actually seeing a live chicken until I was an adult. The only time I ever went to the zoo was once when I was in kindergarten on a school trip. I did see cows from a distance when my mom, sister, and I would go to Amish country for shopping and eating purposes, but we stuck mainly to the tourist Amish area. (you can imagine my surprise when I went to my first livestock auction last year which happened to be in Amish country, that's something I NEVER saw back then) For some reason though, I always knew I wanted to live on a farm. Maybe its because I did a lot of reading when I was young or I don't know. So anyway, at age 23, I went out on my first date with my future hubby and it came up that he grew up on a goat farm. Well, that's exactly what we talked about the entire first date, how I really wanted a chicken...A chicken, meaning one

, but I lived in an apartment with no outdoor space and I really wanted the chicken to be happy and blah blah blah.

Four years later, we are married and bought our first home on 2.5 acres. My chicken adventure started on the day we closed on our house, my father in law let me borrow one of his incubators with a coy grin assuming that I had not spent hours upon hours reading up on how to incubate chicks and making emergency plans for EVERYTHING that could go wrong (but didn't, luckily). I ordered 12 buff orpington eggs from a local hatchery, dropped one, set 11, and hatched 8. I was hooked! I built my own coop which everyone said was too big (except my father in law who said, "Its better to have more room than not enough" with that same coy grin as if to say, "I know your going to get addicted") but I still want happy chickens

. After my buffs settled in, I already wanted more so I bought a few welsummer chicks. It just isn't the same buying chicks though, I knew I was a hatcher right away. And well, now my incubator is on in the other room with 42 eggs in it and I am building an addition to the chicken mansion in the spring...

The funny thing is, I still live in a very suburban area, not a "chicken area". But I really like my little micro farm. I sell my eggs locally, too, so I have quite the reputation in my town. Its very old-fashioned and fun. Just what I wanted for my life. We have even talked about getting a goat or two and so its nice. I run a preschool with my sister out of my home so it has been the best to be able to show the kids first hand where our food comes from and how we can be respectful of the animals that help us live. The children in this area are a lot like me and would not have many opportunities to experience this kind of thing.

So, that's me and I have been really tempted by many of the auctions here but haven't taken the plunge yet, now I may have to. I am eager to check out the facebook thing as well. I haven't sold anything yet but have been thinking about separating my peeps and trying my hand at that. I am still a little new to this so everything is big step

 

[LeasureChix]

Thanks for posting your story! I love it!

Since you've already had success with hatching, why not take the next step and bid on an auction or two? (Says the woman paying more in shipped eggs than a large car payment)

I've had some great hatch rates and other times ended up with nothing. Today I have a batch of silkie eggs due to hatch. So far, 1 of my partridge chicks hatched. There are 15 shipped eggs out of 17 that have made it to lockdown and 2 other homegrown eggs that have a good chance. I set more eggs 2 days ago and dropped one as they were going in. It didn't crack bad so I added some tape and put it in. I'll keep a close eye on it and toss it right away if it doesn't develop. Unfortunately it was a breed that I desperately want to hatch but have had no luck with in 3 other attempts. This time I have 5 eggs each from 2 sources.

I have 4 LG bators with egg turners. By the end of this week they will all be full. My cabinet incubator is supposed to arrive by Friday. The turners will transfer into that unit once it proves it will hold the correct temp & humidity.

Guess I won't be able to bid on any new eggs for a few weeks..... or maybe I just need to buy a few more turners and keep using my LG's.... hmmmmmm