May 2020 Hatch-A-Long

[FortCluck]

Someone told me that rose combed breeds have trouble with fertility. Maybe that's true of cushion combs as well. I do know that all the "alt" close-to-the-head comb styles are dominant over the single, V, etc. styles. Hatcheries and breeders throw in a single when fertility seems to be suffering. Soooo, you can by chance get just that rare combination that will express the recessive single-comb trait.

One looks to have a cushion comb... The black one that Kdogg likes. The other does look like a single, but the coloring on it has me wanting to keep it if it is a pullet. I am almost determined to try to vent sex these. I am used to vent sexing ducks and chickens are such a pain to vent sex.

Maybe I will get bored today and vent sex these two to see who is the male because I do not need more cockerels.

I am also wondering if these will ever get the crest like the polish. It will be nice to watch these ones feather out though.

 

[CindyinSD]

The last egg to hatch, #8, which meant it was laid on 4/8, is also the 8th egg to hatch. It pipped yesterday. Today, day 22, it took hours to unzip. The others that I watched took minutes. I was tempted to help, but sat on my hands and said you have to make it on your own.....
And it did! It's out, after about 5 hours of struggle.
So I got 8 out of 9 eggs. I think the remianing egg, which never pipped, is probably not going to, since the others of its breed hatched on day 20.

View attachment 2125218

You are a valiant woman, Sue! Not sure I could have done that without a major distraction to keep me busy. You did the right thing!

 

[Honora]

7 chicks in the brooder now, 1 in the incubator and one zipping. Here are some of the ones that are out!

 

[CindyinSD]

8 chicks out now and 3 more pips! So far it looks like I have 2 blue chicks, 1 yellow, 3 black, and 2 brown. All Swedish Flower Hens. I have 4 eggs with no pips, including all the Buff Orpingtons. I got the SFHs from one person and the Buff Orps from someone else, and I will be really annoyed if none of the eggs from the other breeder hatch. Well, at least the SFHs are hatching well. They are very active too; I think I will have to move the fluffy ones into the brooder because they keep attacking the newly hatched chicks lol

Congrats on the new fluffies! I take mine out as soon as I have 2-3. They seem to fluff up just fine under the brooder panel. I'm sure lights work well, too. I haven't tried hatching Orps, but from my reading here, it's not unusual for some breeds to take longer than others. I would definitely be candling the laggards (because I have zero self-control in this matter) to look for internal pips. Not that it makes a difference, but I just gots to know!!!

 

[CindyinSD]

One looks to have a cushion comb... The black one that Kdogg likes. The other does look like a single, but the coloring on it has me wanting to keep it if it is a pullet. I am almost determined to try to vent sex these. I am used to vent sexing ducks and chickens are such a pain to vent sex.

Maybe I will get bored today and vent sex these two to see who is the male because I do not need more cockerels.

I am also wondering if these will ever get the crest like the polish. It will be nice to watch these ones feather out though.

I've casually tried vent sexing chicks, but haven't kept any record to tell me if I'm right in my rookie guesses. It doesn't seem any harder than waterfowl to do--trickier to determine what I'm seeing, but the main thing--I haven't hurt anyone. I haven't done newly-hatched anything though. I do wait several days.

 

[FortCluck]

7 chicks in the brooder now, 1 in the incubator and one zipping. Here are some of the ones that are out! View attachment 2126962
View attachment 2126964View attachment 2126965

I pick faves and I think the middle one is one that I would keep. It looks like its wearing a mask.

 

[FortCluck]

I've casually tried vent sexing chicks, but haven't kept any record to tell me if I'm right in my rookie guesses. It doesn't seem any harder than waterfowl to do--trickier to determine what I'm seeing, but the main thing--I haven't hurt anyone. I haven't done newly-hatched anything though. I do wait several days.

I was 2 for 3 on my ducklings last time. I call that a win win. I am still not sure if the chocolate duckling is a male, but i don't mind having 2 male ducks when I have 6 females. If the chocolate is a male, he will make me some pretty offspring next year.

I can't seem to tell on chicken chicks what they are. I know what I am looking for, but waterfowl it's pretty obvious when they are a male.

These little polish squirts are ridiculously cute. I am really liking the yellow and silver one.

 

[Honora]

I pick faves and I think the middle one is one that I would keep. It looks like its wearing a mask.

That was the first chick to hatch & he is seriously the most active chick I have ever seen. I like the mask but not sure if he is a superhero or a supervillain

 

[FortCluck]

That was the first chick to hatch & he is seriously the most active chick I have ever seen. I like the mask but not sure if he is a superhero or a supervillain

HMMMM now I think you should call it Thanos

There is always that one troublemaker. I had a quail escape numerous times and I just know that it is going to be a male.

 

[MROO]

I get the eggs three times a day, which I see as a deterrent to broody. I could be wrong, don't the chickens need a clutch of eggs to give them the idea to be broody? I know my Barred Rocks started to complain at me about stealing four eggs, but then they get over it. If I had more than one nest box, I may plant ceramic eggs to see if it triggers one.

I had a little bantam that went broody over just one "egg," ... and it was a GOLF BALL! We finally gave her the only fertilized eggs we had ... mallard ducks ... and she hatched out eight. Have you even seen a bunch of ducklings learning how to scratch for bugs? It's hysterical ... and poor Henny Penny's reaction when they discovered water was priceless! She was never the same again!