May 2023 Hatch-a-long

[Dinoroar]

OMG I have ANOTHER broody!!!!!!!! One of my buttercups that when you look them up they are not known to go broody!!! That gives me 3 right now and I just broke one the beginning of the week as well. time to break out broody jail AGAIN!

Tis the season for broodies I had 3 starting up last week but I caught them in time and all it took was moving them to a different coop. Now im wishing I had left one in case I end up wanting to keep some of the chicks from my may 5th hatch. I have 3 people wanting to ‘buy all I have’ from that hatch plus a few others that want smaller amounts of chicks. But there are some really fun crosses. If I’d kept a broody I could hold on to a few and not worry about having to raise them at the same time I have quail & ducklings.

 

[Kwoka]

Dang, I just sold 8 chicks from my March hatches. It’s always bittersweet, but I REALLY gotta balance the chicken math equations lol. I sold my only Isabella Leghorn pullet love how the breed looks, so beautiful, but the flightiness sucks imo, absolutely unhinged semi-wild birds lmao. I prefer my sweet Bresse, who greet me at the gate every time they hear me coming, and like being held and snuggled eat out of my hand, etc.

I’m still trying to figure out how to keep the broody safe with her chicks after they hatch. I don’t think they can go up the ramp to the main coop but I don’t want to completely separate her from the flock, either. i was hoping to avoid building something but I don’t think I can avoid it

 

[junior67]

Tis the season for broodies I had 3 starting up last week but I caught them in time and all it took was moving them to a different coop. Now im wishing I had left one in case I end up wanting to keep some of the chicks from my may 5th hatch. I have 3 people wanting to ‘buy all I have’ from that hatch plus a few others that want smaller amounts of chicks. But there are some really fun crosses. If I’d kept a broody I could hold on to a few and not worry about having to raise them at the same time I have quail & ducklings.

oh def the season but damn this made #7 I think since beg of March! and like 4-5 in the last 2 weeks! LOL I can't WAIT till I have my 2nd coop to move them to! getting the wood today to start the framing of the run addition and new coop! will be SOO much easier than having to set my crate up in the coop! it takes up a decent amt of coop space that I hate doing. so I leave it up while broody is in it, obviously, then let them out and leave it set up for a couple days in case they decide they aren't fully broke. then I take it down. I think the rest wait till they see I took it down then decide to go broody since they all start with in a couple days after I take it down! LOL I had it up Sun-Thurs am. broody was in it Sun till I think Tue am maybe Mon afternoon I can't remember since I put her in it after she was in the nestbox for 1 night. so took it down Thurs am and Thurs afternoon 1 went broody and Fri night the other did or think since she was in teh box from 6pm till my girl that does NOT like sharing her box removed her. Need to check the camera to see if she went back in.

 

[junior67]

Dang, I just sold 8 chicks from my March hatches. It’s always bittersweet, but I REALLY gotta balance the chicken math equations lol. I sold my only Isabella Leghorn pullet love how the breed looks, so beautiful, but the flightiness sucks imo, absolutely unhinged semi-wild birds lmao. I prefer my sweet Bresse, who greet me at the gate every time they hear me coming, and like being held and snuggled eat out of my hand, etc.

I’m still trying to figure out how to keep the broody safe with her chicks after they hatch. I don’t think they can go up the ramp to the main coop but I don’t want to completely separate her from the flock, either. i was hoping to avoid building something but I don’t think I can avoid it

yes always bittersweet! I can only add about 8 this year from hatches. So basically 1 of each breed/color that I want to keep and maybe spots for another of them if I fall in love. So I have been trying to sell some as early as I can as straight run so I don't have a ton of roo's to find homes for once I pick my pullets. So if I hatch 5-6 of one breed I will sell 2-3 of them and PRAY I ended up keeping at least 1 girl. LOL I am down to 6 of the 6 week olds, keeping 1 or 2 of them I think. and 11 of the 3 week olds. think keeping 2 of those but depends on what I get for pullet vs cockerel for each breed.

 

[junior67]

so I got the CCL eggs and she gave me some isbar/CCL mix eggs. I got 16! wasn't expecting that many figured it would be like 6. LOL so think I will give a bunch to my broody and some in the incubator JIC. hopefully get some to hatch.

 

[junior67]

OMG so I put my buttercup in broody jail.... a dog crate with the bottom facing up as it has bigger holes so didn't want their legs falling through the bars... Well she jumped OUT the holes in the top!!!!!! They are NOT big at all! so she is back in the nest box tonight until I can deal with it tomorrow and put something over the top. AND while I was carrying her to broody jail she was biting my sweatshirt AND holding onto it after she bit it! YIKES! Oh and with the way those nest boxes (the ones she is in) are set up they are out the back of the coop under the poop board so instead of going under the poop board since I have to crawl under it and getting her to have to crawl back out I took her out the door into the yard and walked around to the run and into the coop that way..... so I put her in jail and 2 eggs fell out that she must have had tucked up somewhere!!!! One was the fake and one was an egg laid in the box today..... what a brat she is!!!!

on a hatch-a-long note. I put 6 of the CCL and ice cream bar (CCL/isbar cross) eggs in the incubator and gave 10 to my other broody. fingers crossed that this works!

 

[junior67]

oh for those that do staggered hatches (thought there were some) in the same incubator. how do you work it with humidity. These eggs will be on day 2-5 when the others are in lockdown. So I think I should have it lower for a bit after the others hatch to "even it out" but what should I keep it at after? and for how long? I will hand turn them as much as I can while waiting for pips. I may see if anyone local has an incubator that I can borrow for like a week so I don't have to worry about that. And do you clean it after one set hatches if you have others in there????

Then I need to figure it out since I told someone I would buy eggs around the 11th so these will be on around day 12... I already changed the date on her by a week since I was going to be away if I got them around the 5th after the batch that is ready to hatch next week hatches.... UGH! I need another incubator. LOL But thinking after getting some of the wood for my expansion of the run and new coop it isn't a good time to get one. LOL

 

[Iluveggers]

oh for those that do staggered hatches (thought there were some) in the same incubator. how do you work it with humidity. These eggs will be on day 2-5 when the others are in lockdown. So I think I should have it lower for a bit after the others hatch to "even it out" but what should I keep it at after? and for how long? I will hand turn them as much as I can while waiting for pips. I may see if anyone local has an incubator that I can borrow for like a week so I don't have to worry about that. And do you clean it after one set hatches if you have others in there????

Then I need to figure it out since I told someone I would buy eggs around the 11th so these will be on around day 12... I already changed the date on her by a week since I was going to be away if I got them around the 5th after the batch that is ready to hatch next week hatches.... UGH! I need another incubator. LOL But thinking after getting some of the wood for my expansion of the run and new coop it isn't a good time to get one. LOL

Maybe check if you have a Cooperative Extension office near you? Mine will let you rent an incubator for $20 for educational purposes (can say 4H, child/grandchild project, or school) once a year. It’s a cheapo one, but will keep your eggs warm for a few days.

 

[junior67]

Maybe check if you have a Cooperative Extension office near you? Mine will let you rent an incubator for $20 for educational purposes (can say 4H, child/grandchild project, or school) once a year. It’s a cheapo one, but will keep your eggs warm for a few days.

Hmmm never heard of that

 

[Iluveggers]

Hmmm never heard of that

They have them all over NY, it’s like a farm education source that runs 4H & has displays at county & state fairs. Maybe MA has something similar?