Michigan Hatchers! What'cha got cookin?

[gladahmae]

According to my husband they're popping like popcorn this morning. Unfortunately, I'm too sick to go down to the basement and see for myself.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

Awww sorry to hear your not feeling well, @gladahmae. Maybe he can take some pictures or a video on the phone to show you. Hope you feel better.

 

[gladahmae]

I sucked it up and dragged myself down there.

I'm feeling a bit better now, so I'm hoping it's just a 24hr thing like the kids had (it seems like I always get it 3x worse than they do). We're up to 11 chicks, 1st silkie FINALLY made it out of the shell about 20 minutes ago. The 4 eggs I put under my broody aren't doing anything yet....hoping they're just on track to hatch TOMORROW when they're "supposed" to. My sex-links so far are 2 boys, 1 girl. I need a few more girls! I've already got at least one of them sold, and I want a few for myself! (Not that I would really MIND having a reason to set another round of eggs!)

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

Yay! Congrats so far

I've been wanting silkies but since I would have them in their own coop, it will have to wait until we buy a farm.

 

[gladahmae]

I used to keep my silkies in with my layer flock! Never had any problems at all. When we decided to get some boys though, they got their own sub-coop in the layer coop. Going to have to cull one of the boys today since he's such a meanie he won't let the OTHER boy (the one I want to keep) out of the nest boxes. THEN, I'm going to give some "trainer" hens to my marans roo to teach him how to treat the ladies, and THEN it should be about 2 weeks since I got rid of my barred cockerel, so I *could* theoretically start saving eggs for olive eggers in about 3 weeks.....NEXT YEAR (assuming nothing bad happens to my flock) I'm going to have sex-linked OEs.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

Since I have huge BCM roosters and a pretty large EE roo out with my girls , I don't think it would be a good idea. They are hard enough on my poor little leghorn and ee hens. Do you keep the silkies in an uncovered run? I would always be afraid of them getting wet and chilled. I wouldn't mind having a cute little silkie rooster either

 

[mindylee]

Here's my newly hatched expensive breeder birds! 20 in total. All are calico/millie with 2 mottleds and 2 wheaton colored! Some could be frizzled too! Now have my fingers crossed for a hight rate of girls.

 

[gladahmae]

up to 15 or 16 chicks now! the last one was almost completely zipped and 3 of the other chicks pretty much ripped the shell off it "helping it out"

I checked under my broody around lunch time, and she had 1 egg pipped and when I grabbed the other 3 to peek at them they all chirped at me! It's looking like I'm getting a decent ratio of blue chicks too (really hoping for those!!) so hopefully a few turn out to be pullets!!

 

[gladahmae]

OK. This is where I become the crazy chicken lady. We are up to 17, going on 18 chicks in the incubator (will check on the broody's eggs later tonight). I have already sold probably 4 chicks to a friend of a former co-worker, assuming they actually show up and pay me for them. I keep looking at the chicks, because they want "only girls" and basically one of each kind I'm hatching and I can't figure out which ones I'm going to sell!! I only have ONE for-sure girl hatched so far (3 cockerels to 1 pullet from the sex-linked eggs), and I cant decide which of the other chicks I'm willing to sell! I have 3 silkies; one has a lot of gold leakage over blue feathers (want to keep because I have a pullet with that coloring and love it), one is black and has a vaulted skull (want to keep because of THAT), and one that is black partridge (also love that coloring). Ugh. I don't really want to give up my ONE sex-link pullet. And I'm getting a really big variety of colors from my ameraucana eggs, so I want to keep all of THOSE and grow them out and then decide.

So really, the only answer here is to start collecting eggs again and fill the incubator back up by next weekend.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

OK.  This is where I become the crazy chicken lady.  We are up to 17, going on 18 chicks in the incubator (will check on the broody's eggs later tonight).  I have already sold probably 4 chicks to a friend of a former co-worker, assuming they actually show up and pay me for them.  I keep looking at the chicks, because they want "only girls" and basically one of each kind I'm hatching and I can't figure out which ones I'm going to sell!!  I only have ONE for-sure girl hatched so far (3 cockerels to 1 pullet from the sex-linked eggs), and I cant decide which of the other chicks I'm willing to sell!  I have 3 silkies; one has a lot of gold leakage over blue feathers (want to keep because I have a pullet with that coloring and love it), one is black and has a vaulted skull (want to keep because of THAT), and one that is black partridge (also love that coloring).  Ugh.  I don't really want to give up my ONE sex-link pullet.  And I'm getting a really big variety of colors from my ameraucana eggs, so I want to keep all of THOSE and grow them out and then decide.    


So really, the only answer here is to start collecting eggs again and fill the incubator back up by next weekend.  

This is kinda scarry...sounds just like me!