Minnesota!

[Chickenchick11]

Hello everyone,

Ralphie, they were hatched last March and i had everyone go into a heavy moltting in December through Febuary, so when they start laying again they are small then will get larger. I have found that just giving layer feed 15-17℅ doesnt create strong chicks. I only feed 20-24℅ to my breeders with only oats as a treat. Scratch lowers the protein to much plus makes them fat and not lay. I guarentee that the CL hen's were breed with 2 CL roosters. I only have LF Cochin Roosters and they are kept with their own breed and color. Plus my Cochins would have flattend those hens like a pancake, LOL. In the 3 years that I had the Cream Legbars I had 5 black chicks for some unknown reason and none survived. I'm at a loss as to why. When I started hatching I had maybe 10% hatch and survive with feeding layer feed with free ranging. I too use a fleet farm incubators. I keep a towel covering to maintain the humidity without ups and downs.

Well I have a
Splash LF Cochin cockerel for sale. $15.00
Cream Legbar Rooster for sale. $15.00

Right now my life is in shambles, I broke my foot in March. Doing chores are no fun. Trying to find an attorney to handle my divorce with no money to pay is stressing me out.
I have 3 Muscovy ducks setting on eggs so when they hatch I will have ducklings for sale.

I'm spending alot of time in the barn for a stress reliver and trying to figure how to make 3 small coops with out any money and dont want to ask my Dad. Hope everyone is doind good.

Sending hugs and prayers your way Triplell.

 

[Triplell]

Sending hugs and prayers your way Triplell.

Thank you.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Thanks Triplell, I thought that was what you said. I was not sure because the one that hatched and died did not look like the pictures I saw, BUT it was so sickly and matted down it just looked weird like a naked robin baby. I did have one of the girls get out when I was working in their coop, but I ran her down right away and put her back.. However, Ole did notice her and wanted to run her down too. Ole is such a horrible horn dog! I can see why EJB got rid of him, I bet Ole likes pigeons too.

I forgot about you telling me about the higher protein, Tomorrow they go to it. I was thinking of doing that anyways. Also coming out of molt explains the egg size.. I really appreciate it.

I gave them a bigger run than I originally planned to, so I think they are happy. They have a 10x65 ft run now.


What do you mean by a towel covering?


I am sorry to hear about your troubles, I wish you well and hope everything gets better. Do not be such a stranger here....and thanks

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Question to you incubators.... what moisture level do you try to maintain? I read incubating 101. I just want to know what you all do... Do you think it would make sense to run a higher moisture level in the hatcher after the bad dry hatch I had?


*********

Well, if you only had one other that was developed, then you didn't lose too badly on this hatch, but I would give them 50-60% moisture to hatch. It will go up as each chick hatches and adds to it, so you have to open the red vents up to let some moisture out then. I also wipe the windows when the collect moisture when using those ones to hatch. It could have been a lack of moisture for the two that had a hard time, but it could have been they were just weaker chicks. It does sound to me that if you have an off-color coming out and Heidi lost all those as well, there maybe something lethal with that color of chick that they don't survive.

I have had my own woes with incubators, or should I say hatcher. I have a cabinet hatcher that I lost almost all of last week's batch, about 150 eggs. I thought maybe I had not cleared the bleach enough when I scrubbed it out, but then I lost all but about 10 from this week's batch of 142 eggs. So, now it looks like there is something wrong with the hatcher and I have to figure out what before this weekend when I have to move another batch to it. So, in all, I have lost about 300. I am frustrated because I have been putting orders off that I wasn't getting enough chicks all at once to ship them, and was excited I was finally getting big batches going. Then this happens and I am feeling terrible that folks are having to wait so long to get their chicks. It is enough to make a woman's hair turn gray! Wait, I was just at the hairdresser last week to take care of that annoying problem.

So, wish me luck that I figure this stupid hatcher stuff out quick.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I can't say what got him. Could have been any thing really. I found no blood or feathers or even anything of him so what ever it was took off with him.

My husband says you are darned if you do and darned if you don't with your DW. He says the same thing about me.

That stinks when you can't even figure out what gets them. But getting them after dark is a real pain and there isn't much you can do when they are on the pond. The bird brains.
You should train your ducks like this guy:

 

[Rhetts]

That stinks when you can't even figure out what gets them. But getting them after dark is a real pain and there isn't much you can do when they are on the pond. The bird brains.
You should train your ducks like this guy:

Minnie that cracks me up!! I SO need to hire that man to teach me how to train my poultry. I am clearly lacking some skills!

Sorry to hear about your hatcher not working. I hope that it is something easily remedied to get you and your eggs back on track!

 

[Rhetts]

I am going to pretend that I do not see that everything is covered with snow this morning. I will keep my hopes up on the forcasted weather that is supposedly ahead.

 

[ejb3810]

The Russian duck farmer is quite competent it seems, but I am sure our own "Professional Chicken Farmer" (Ralphie) could easily teach his birds to do that if he so chose.
Minnie, I don't profess to be of much knowledge with incubation and hatching, but I know that many wash their incubators and hatchers with an Oxine solution after each batch.
Many also dip the eggs in an Oxine solution prior to incubation.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have to admit the duck whisperer is doing a fair job, however, he only gets a C+ . There were a couple ducks off to the side and one straggler. I would never allow that sloppiness from my birds....





Minnie, I am sorry to hear your hatches are not going as good as planned. I feel for you.


I am so unsure with the creamettes, I have to admit, they are beyond me. I was looking at the crested cream forum and it made me even more confused. They have "blonde" chicks. Mine was black-ish. I thought as soon as they were hatched I would know what sex they were. I saw no spot on the head and I saw no bar on the back. When I asked Heidi if they could have gotten to another rooster, I knew it was a one in a million shot. I have seen her set up. it is amazing, I wish I had it. There is no way a bird would get into another pen, I did not mean to imply anything, I am sorry if it came across like that.

It is very possible I did not see any of the sex linked traits because of the way the fuzz was plastered to the chick and never fluffed up. Hopefully, this will not happen again, I have found a pill bottle with no cover on it filled with water maintains an ambient humidity of 50%. That should help. What is the difference between a Rees and a Greenfire creamette?

I should just avoid all the threads that deal with SOP. To me a chicken is a chicken, they all look good.

EJB, I have changed my job, I am no longer a professional chicken rancher. That title was too long to fit in the space allowed for us snobbish "golden feather" members tittles. I am now a Chicken Wrangler. I am currently looking for the perfect donkey.

I have found removing a bad rooster does not solve all problems. Ed is becoming a problem, He is a bully, he bloodied Ole yesterday. Bert is afraid of him and sits on the steps all day. When I put Bert to bed last night his crop was nearly empty, I had to give him extra food. Bert even fights me when I carry him back to the coop. Even Ernie is running from Ed.

As much as I like him he may have to move on. I am going to put him into solitary confinement for a few days and see if that helps the farmyard calm down. I never realized Nameless was the head rooster and maintaining order when I sent him home with the Laotian Godmother double axe murdered. It is too bad nameless was just a RIR and not a bird I wanted.


I had a Kestrel in the tree by the house yesterday. I dread fighting them for another summer. I was going to get 25 CX's soon, I suppose I should get 50 so the Kestel can eat.

 

[lalaland]

ralphie, thats the thing with roosters. more trouble than you expect.

Over the years, I get a yen to have a rooster and forget the troubles they bring....they never last more than a year here. Good for eye candy, I like the crowing, of course fertilizing eggs so the broodies can actually hatch something...., some are good as a hawk warning system, but!

On the down side, they can and do pick out hens they hate (for some reason, I haven't found a rooster that will tolerate the crests of a sulmtaler and I tried 4 different ones), their favorite hen gets worn out and sometimes bloodied, they can be dangerous to chicks, hate new comers, ----and every time I rid the flock of roosters, everything calms down!

Good to remind myself of this as I was just thinking I would like the broodies to hatch something this spring. Will be easier to get fertilized eggs, probably.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have actually come to like Ole. He just runs around the yard looking for hens to mate with (16 hours a day). He is not rough on them and he is almost the bottom of the rooster pecking order ( Bert is below him).



I let Bert out this morning and first thing that happens, Ed comes running over to chase Bert. If Ed keeps this up as nice looking as he is, he could find himself back at Starvin Marvin's waiting for EJB to pick him up again...




I am down to one rooster for every 10 hens, I thought that would stop the monkey business... Oh well... I will keep learning the ins and outs of chicken ranching..