Nankin Bantams

[cobra3073]

Above are some current pictures of the flock.

By the way Dawn, mine are NOT Rosecombs! LOL

~BT

 

[MROO]

Above are some current pictures of the flock.

By the way Dawn, mine are NOT Rosecombs! LOL

~BT

Yup ... I remembered that AFTER I sent that message! So, I'm still in the minority ... which also makes me feel better about my lower fertility and hatch rates. If you ever get "up" my way ... or I get "down" yours ... I have a beautiful single comb rooster who needs a harem of his own ....

 

[cobra3073]

I did “lock down” on this past Friday night, after one last candling which eliminated four out of the eleven eggs. Three of the four appeared to have stopped development. Those three eggs were all laid MORE than a week before going into the incubator. The 4th was only three days laid before going in, so I have no idea what happened with that one.

The First Lady boiled all four so I will see what stage they were at when I remove the shells. She is originally from the Philippines and one of her relatives had a farm where he supplied “baluts” (an Asian delicacy consisting of eggs in various stages of development) for sale in the market places. The finished (boiled) eggs have different names dependent upon how far in the development the chick was. So, she has a “trained” eye. LOL

Anyway, that left seven eggs in the incubator. The picture above shows two chicks that have hatched so far. I am hopeful the remaining five will also hatch.

Dawn, how is the comb on your single comb cockerel? I am not totally satisfied with the combs on my two roosters. For a while, I thought they were looking like rose combs. They are a little over a year old now and their comics have gotten “better.” They both GREAT plumage, although one is going through molt right now.

All of the hens have what I believe are great combs. I understand it is sometimes difficult to get the tail coloring exactly “right” on the hens. I have three hens that are pretty close to correct and I plan on their being my primary breeders for next year. If I can get a really nice rooster from the five “teenagers”, I will probably use one of them. One of the five (that I hope is a cockerel) is REALLY impressive, right now...plumage and tail feathers are looking real good. If it turns out to be a pullet, I will still breed her.

I am pleasantly surprised at the number of eggs I have been getting, usually 2-3 every day from six hens. I have NOT been feeding them “laying mash” as I have come to understand that can be hard on the roosters’ kidneys.

~BT

 

[MROO]

Check out the comb and wattles on my Feisty! The first was last summer, right before I oiled him up, so it's a bit dull and dirty. The second picture is right after his first good conditioning oil - it's a silhouette, but I LOVE that shot. And it shows off his gorgeous tail! The "white marks" in the first picture aren't really there. Those are light reflecting off his very shiny hackles. If I had to fault him at all, it's that I'd like him to be a bit smaller. He meets standard in size, but he's pretty close. All in all, my Feisty is a very good-natured, very pretty boy!

Your new babies are exciting! I hope the last five come through alright.
And you're right about laying mash and roosters. All Flock and calcium grit on the side is a better option, if you can manage it.
And I feel your pain with the molt - it's frustrating! I almost wish mine would start this early, but last year, they waited until late summer ... just in time to miss the Maryland State Fair (six roosters - ONE tail feather!) And the worst part was that the BIS rooster there was one my BIS Yosemite Sam beat at the County Fair. Figures!
Keep us posted on the babies. I haven't started up my incubator again, yet. I need to pass along a breeding pair and rearrange some groupings so I can get the current babies outside, first. I guess I'll have to hatch vicariously through your 'bator!

 

[LarryTX]

My Nurture Right 360 has a turner that will not turn eggs as it should. It will turn manually, but not as it should on the timer. I would appreciate any ideas that you may have. Thanks!

 

[MROO]

My Nurture Right 360 has a turner that will not turn eggs as it should. It will turn manually, but not as it should on the timer. I would appreciate any ideas that you may have. Thanks!

I have the same incubator ... and had the same problem. Contact the company right away, like today, and tell them what's going on - or rather, what's not! I didn't get a timely response from the company, but I bought mine at our local TSC, and they stood by their defective merchandise, even after six months.
In the meantime, candle to make sure you still have viable eggs. If they're still alive, you'll need to finish them out manually, at least until the incubator is repaired or replaced. Good Luck!

 

[MROO]

Check out the comb and wattles on my Feisty! The first was last summer, right before I oiled him up, so it's a bit dull and dirty. The second picture is right after his first good conditioning oil - it's a silhouette, but I LOVE that shot. And it shows off his gorgeous tail! The "white marks" in the first picture aren't really there. Those are light reflecting off his very shiny hackles. If I had to fault him at all, it's that I'd like him to be a bit smaller. He meets standard in size, but he's pretty close. All in all, my Feisty is a very good-natured, very pretty boy! View attachment 1815829 View attachment 1815830

Your new babies are exciting! I hope the last five come through alright.
And you're right about laying mash and roosters. All Flock and calcium grit on the side is a better option, if you can manage it.
And I feel your pain with the molt - it's frustrating! I almost wish mine would start this early, but last year, they waited until late summer ... just in time to miss the Maryland State Fair (six roosters - ONE tail feather!) And the worst part was that the BIS rooster there was one my BIS Yosemite Sam beat at the County Fair. Figures!
Keep us posted on the babies. I haven't started up my incubator again, yet. I need to pass along a breeding pair and rearrange some groupings so I can get the current babies outside, first. I guess I'll have to hatch vicariously through your 'bator!

Babies are outside ... FINALLY. I still need to rehome my D'Uccles, but I'm putting an ad in the local TSC and feed stores. I think I need to start collecting eggs, again!
How did your hatch turn out?

 

[LarryTX]

I have the same incubator ... and had the same problem. Contact the company right away, like today, and tell them what's going on - or rather, what's not! I didn't get a timely response from the company, but I bought mine at our local TSC, and they stood by their defective merchandise, even after six months.
In the meantime, candle to make sure you still have viable eggs. If they're still alive, you'll need to finish them out manually, at least until the incubator is repaired or replaced. Good Luck!

Thanks. I got mine from TSC and will get in touch with them today.

 

[MrsFewtreezy]

Do you all have any recommendations on the ideal Rooster / Hen ratio for Nankins? My chicks are now 8 weeks old, and I’m starting to have a pretty clear idea of how many pullets / cockerels there are (I think we are 10 / 6... maybe 9 / 7). If I have to re-home some roosters, is there anyone in the South Carolina area that would like them? Or recommendations on re-homing? Ours are extremely well socialized — they have grown up with standard sized chicks and have been held every day. I’ll do a count on Standard v. Rose Comb later... but I think it’s probably 4 /2 or 4 /3.

 

[MROO]

I have one coop with a rooster, a cockerel and six hens, but that's a bit high. (We'll be selling the cockerel and one of the pullets, as well as a nice, established pair of two-year-olds, as potential breeding pairs. If anyone is interested in a pair of rose combs, please let me know - they're decent birds!) For two fellas, you'll need at least eight hens. Ten would be better.
It also depends on how much space you have. The more space, the more roos you can keep, as they can claim their own hens an territory. Each "harem" should have its' own roosting spot - separate corners in a large shed or separate coop boxes (either in side or outside the main coop.)
As far as the extra cockerels go, if you can give them a separate coop and run, you can keep them indefinitely. My "Bachelor Flock" (currently at four grown Nankin roosters and about to get two more youngsters) is my favorite - lots of color (lots of noise) and LOTS of entertaining antics! The best part about keeping the bachelor flock, though, is that I get to see how my young birds shape up as adults. That's a good bonus!