NEED HELP. Starting out Wyandotte breeder.

[Wyandottes7]

#2 is certainly the best comb of these. Coarse combs are not desirable but they do seem to occur especially in large fowl Wyandottes.

 

[Wyandottes13]

When is the best time to hatch chicks?

 

[3riverschick]

When is the best time to hatch chicks?

If you want winter layers, end of Feb. and March.
Yes, Feb. , March and April are all good months. Most people choose the earlier times so their birds are better winter layers in the Fall. Chicks do best when they are able to raise them in the warmth of Spring and Summer. Chicks born after summer are usually smaller because they are born later in the year.
Best,
Karen

 

[Wyandottes13]

This might sound dumb, but after I put my rooster and my hen together in their breeding pen, how long should I wait untill collecting eggs to hatch? And could they be stored for a few days before incubating? If so, then how? Lets say they can, should I start collecting eggs a few days before the current batch hatches so as soon as they do, I can put the other batch in? If I use a really good rooster, how many eggs should I hatch?

 

[Wyandottes7]

When is the best time to hatch chicks?

I generally try to hatch chicks in early January to mid February. This allows the chicks to be mature for summer shows. In my area, most 4-Hers (who I sell birds to) have fairs in July. Birds hatched in January are ready to show then, but those hatched later will be too immature. The January hatched chicks also do well in later September shows.

 

[Wyandottes7]

This might sound dumb, but after I put my rooster and my hen together in their breeding pen, how long should I wait untill collecting eggs to hatch? And could they be stored for a few days before incubating? If so, then how? Lets say they can, should I start collecting eggs a few days before the current batch hatches so as soon as they do, I can put the other batch in? If I use a really good rooster, how many eggs should I hatch?

I'd wait for at least 3 days, to ensure that the male has bred the hen enough. Hatching eggs can be stored for up to two weeks before incubating. I usually set hatching eggs up to 2 weeks old because I don't have a lot of breeders and want to collect enough eggs to make the hatch worthwhile. The fresher the eggs are, the better off you'll probably be, but I haven't noticed any difference in hatching one day old eggs versus hatching 2 week old eggs. When I'm in hatching season (late winter to early spring for me), I set eggs almost continuously. As soon as one incubator is done, a new batch, which I've been collecting during 2 weeks of the 3 week incubation, is put in. The more eggs you can hatch, the better. This allows you to select the best birds from each breeding to keep for show and next year's breeders.

 

[goldenpheasants]

I have a new breed coming out to the standards list in january! Its called a Blue laced Red Wyandotte, they look like this
It took ten years and a lot of eggs but i finally got it, all standards for any wyandottes also including the comb texture

 

[NanaKat]

This might sound dumb, but after I put my rooster and my hen together in their breeding pen, how long should I wait untill collecting eggs to hatch? And could they be stored for a few days before incubating? If so, then how? Lets say they can, should I start collecting eggs a few days before the current batch hatches so as soon as they do, I can put the other batch in? If I use a really good rooster, how many eggs should I hatch?

If your hen has been with another cock before penning her with this new male, you should wait to collect eggs for at least two weeks. This should help insure that the sperm from the previous cock is out of her reserve.
I like to store clean eggs in an egg turner in a cool room...I use the extra bedroom. I store eggs up to 10 days.
Like Wyandotte7 suggested...hatch as many as you can to provide you with enough juveniles to make good selections. I try to hatch 100 chicks per flock pen.
Single pairs, your numbers will depend on how many your hen is laying and how many are fertile and make it to hatch.
When I incubate, I mark sets of eggs with not only the pen number and lay date, but also a mark for the set... X, /, #, =....anything to show which eggs go together. I keep notes in a tablet as to date set, the mark, date candled and due date. By doing this I can stagger my settings.
I use a separate Hovabator for a hatcher and move eggs from the incubator to the hatcher for lockdown.

 
When is the best time to hatch chicks?

I generally try to hatch chicks in early January to mid February. This allows the chicks to be mature for summer shows. In my area, most 4-Hers (who I sell birds to) have fairs in July. Birds hatched in January are ready to show then, but those hatched later will be too immature. The January hatched chicks also do well in later September shows.

If you plan to show your birds, then this is a great schedule.
I have the facilities to house chicks thru the winter and therefore can hatch longer. I start in December and quit collecting eggs in June when temps above 90 degrees affects the fertility of the cocks. Specialty birds that are housed in the barn with a swamp cooler can have eggs still fertile for hatching up to July.
I watch the chicks as they develop thru the winter and supplement their diet with greens and vegetables.

 

[Wyandottes13]

Okay so summary: Wait a couple (3) days before collecting eggs from breeding pen.(I dont have any rooosters) Mark eggs with set symbol and date. ex: #,4. store in cool place. Continue for 2 weeks. Set eggs in incubator. record # of eggs, date gathered, date put to incubate, set symbol, dates candled, temp. spikes or drops, etc. On day 9, begin collecting eggs again, mark date and new set symbol, and store. Keep first set until day 23 so all late chicks can hatch. Set chicks in brooder, set eggs in incubator. Record all info. Repeat until roughly 100 have been hatched. Keep sets separate, to conclude which date may produce the best chicks.
By this method, to produce 100 chicks, 8 sets would have to be hatched, which would span 6 months. So hatching 100 chicks would be nearly impossible with 1 hen. However, by starting in late February and going into May with last hatch hatching in June, 5 sets could be crammed in. This would result in 70 eggs at best, and 52.5 at 75%, only half of reccommened amount. So, yeah.
Calculated last frost date is in March. Do you think the chicks would be fine outside? There is no way they could be brought inside the house, and I don't have any barn with heating that could keep them warm. What would you recommend?

 

[NanaKat]

Sounds like you are developing a breeding plan......I have quads...three hens with each cock so collecting enough eggs to reach 100 chicks per pen is much easier.
Wyandotte7 suggested hatching as many as you can
With a pair you might get 25 to 30.

Housing in summer can be hard, but winter can be difficult. Chicks need protection from the elements until they have fully feathered. There are all kinds of creative ways of making a brooder to provide sufficient heat for hatchlings as they grow those feathers.

Without a barn, how will they be housed?