NY chicken lover!!!!

[vmdanielsen]

Hey guys! Man, I've been neglecting BYC! I haven't been in this thread since we were on page 980-something.

Hope you are all having a wonderful spring!

I have eggs hatching as I type this....a really messed up (but is doing surprisingly well hatch) of both Coturnix Quail and Easter Eggers. In the beginning of the hatch, I had the temps too low... so I increased them and it threw off my hatch dates. The cots were going...and then I had to open it, and then more cots hatched...and I had to open it...then a chicken...then a day later one more chicken...then a day later two more chickens and more cots. So the bator has been open and shut and open and shut. I have two more chickens hatching now and I hope they're ok.

The other chicks look GREAT. I have a stunning EE roo and I can't wait to see what these chicks grow up to be. The one that was crossed with him and my Leghorn made a white chick. I'm curious to see if that makes me a white EE. The chick that popped out of an EE egg is the fuzziest most bear like chick I have ever seen anywhere. Ahh fun times! If anyone would like EE chicks or Coturnix in the future, send me a PM and maybe we could work out some sort of barter. I'm always interested in Bee products like honey or wax. Or if any of you folks live local enough...maybe veggies for chicks? Just thought I'd throw that out there for some locals.

Anyone also hatching right now??

I have 18 eggs in the incubator now. Most do not look fertile....

 

[Cass]

I have 18 eggs in the incubator now. Most do not look fertile....

Sorry to hear that. It sucks to invest time into something that isn't viable.

I love my colored eggs. I can't truly tell you who laid which, but I can crack one green one and check if it is fertile , thereby knowing that the green egg layer is fertile. And hatch green eggs. Or blue. Or cream. Or tiny cream ones...well, you get the idea. (I have about 6 different colors down there and 3 different shapes)

 

[vmdanielsen]

Sorry to hear that. It sucks to invest time into something that isn't viable.

I love my colored eggs. I can't truly tell you who laid which, but I can crack one green one and check if it is fertile , thereby knowing that the green egg layer is fertile. And hatch green eggs. Or blue. Or cream. Or tiny cream ones...well, you get the idea. (I have about 6 different colors down there and 3 different shapes)

I love having different colors, shapes and sizes in a dozen carton! My leghorn/americauna crosses are 3 months old...can't wait till they start laying!!

 

[Henicillin]

No pips in the three eggs under my fool of a broody - I suspect that they're duds. Figures. I'll give them a couple of days, then pull them and break her in a broody cage. I love the stupid thing, but I am NOT giving her any more eggs. The BOs can do the job.

On the patient front, although the prolapse does keep making an appearance, it's getting smaller each time, and is far easier and faster to reduce. It's also holding in there longer. She hasn't laid an egg, fortunately, so that's helping. She'll probably end up laying tomorrow, though. Good thing her eggs are dinky little things, not huge honkers. She also appears to feel well other than her bum issues, and is eating and drinking normally - she had a nice, full crop when I treated her this evening. The poor thing just rests her head on my arm when I treat her, and doesn't try to escape at all.

Unrelated to poultry, we're filling our above-ground pool slowly (cheaper than paying the water guy to come fill it with a tanker). The gray treefrogs have discovered it, and are getting in there at night. We don't have it chlorinated yet, so they're happily swimming around in there and calling their heads off every night. Those suckers are LOUD. I swear they're louder than roosters, especially when the calls echo from the walls of the half-empty pool.

 

[itsy]

Glad to see everyone hatching! It's so much fun. Sorry to read about all the broody mishaps, though!

VM, what to your leghorn/Ameraucana crosses look like? Are they truly crossed to an Ameraucana or an Easter Egger? Which was the Leghorn?

I only ask because I have an Easter Egger rooster (from a line of Ameraucanas, but he certainly doesn't fit the breed standard). I'm hatching eggs from my mixed flock. One of the girls I have is a Leghorn and the first egg to hatch out of this bunch is white/yellow with orange legs. I'm curious to know what she's going to look like when she's older. I hope they're all she's. lol. Another one of the leghorn eggs just pipped and I'm curious to see if that one is the same color. I was reading somewhere that first generation leghorn crosses are always white, but I didn't know if this was the case if breeding to a muttly bird like an EE.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Morning all. I came here first thing this am because I have good news. My broody silkie, Stripe, hatched out her egg some time last night! When I went out this morning (early because the stupid dog had to go out), I opened the door to check on her and when she moved a little, out fell the new chick! I was only able to get a quick peek before she tucked it back under. She seemed very proud this morning and didnt try to rip my hands off so I think she wanted me to see what she had done and was rewarded with praise and a good petting. The other chick in there, who is a week older, seems to be fine with the newbie as well. I will go out later and really inspect the newbie. I guess I just learned a lesson about being patient and marking the calendar when I let a hen sit! I am so excited! I still have the dividing fence up so dad doesnt try and kill them. I will be building a broody box though as its easier on the hen and less stressful for me!!!

Hen--glad to hear your patient is recovering. Hopefully with enough time and treatment, she will have a full recovery and not have it happen again.

Cass--sounds like some interesting crosses you have.

Off to serve the masses again. Getting slammed every day so far because of the holiday weekend coming up. No rest for the weary.

 

[admhotel]

Glad to see everyone hatching! It's so much fun. Sorry to read about all the broody mishaps, though!

VM, what to your leghorn/Ameraucana crosses look like? Are they truly crossed to an Ameraucana or an Easter Egger? Which was the Leghorn?

I only ask because I have an Easter Egger rooster (from a line of Ameraucanas, but he certainly doesn't fit the breed standard). I'm hatching eggs from my mixed flock. One of the girls I have is a Leghorn and the first egg to hatch out of this bunch is white/yellow with orange legs. I'm curious to know what she's going to look like when she's older. I hope they're all she's. lol. Another one of the leghorn eggs just pipped and I'm curious to see if that one is the same color. I was reading somewhere that first generation leghorn crosses are always white, but I didn't know if this was the case if breeding to a muttly bird like an EE.

VM got the eggs from me so I think I can answer. The roo is a Silver Ameraucana, over white leghorns. The chicks come out white because of the dominent white the leghorns have. Most of the chicks have some random black leakage but not alot. The good thing about using a pure Ameraucana is that the pea comb is dominent so all the hens should lay a blue egg.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Glad to see everyone hatching! It's so much fun. Sorry to read about all the broody mishaps, though!

VM, what to your leghorn/Ameraucana crosses look like? Are they truly crossed to an Ameraucana or an Easter Egger? Which was the Leghorn?

I only ask because I have an Easter Egger rooster (from a line of Ameraucanas, but he certainly doesn't fit the breed standard). I'm hatching eggs from my mixed flock. One of the girls I have is a Leghorn and the first egg to hatch out of this bunch is white/yellow with orange legs. I'm curious to know what she's going to look like when she's older. I hope they're all she's. lol. Another one of the leghorn eggs just pipped and I'm curious to see if that one is the same color. I was reading somewhere that first generation leghorn crosses are always white, but I didn't know if this was the case if breeding to a muttly bird like an EE.

VM got the eggs from me so I think I can answer. The roo is a Silver Ameraucana, over white leghorns. The chicks come out white because of the dominent white the leghorns have. Most of the chicks have some random black leakage but not alot. The good thing about using a pure Ameraucana is that the pea comb is dominent so all the hens should lay a blue egg.

I am glad you answered Travis. I was hoping either you or Tab would! While most of the LH/AM X's are white with some black feathering,I have one with some grey and two that are wheaten colored (i think this is what the coloring is called). All except the one with grey on it's back are muffed. The white and grey one is clean faced. All the pullets have pea combs and the cockerels have very funky large, not single, should take pictures comb. Mine have more of a LH personality in that they are rather flighty. I was wondering, If I put the Americaunas with the buckeyes, will they get less flighty? (The americaunas, not the buckeyes?)

Congrats pharmchckrmom!

 

[Lynzi777]

Morning All,
Can someone point me in the direction of the thread that discussing this hatching process? I'm just curious, if I do end up with a Roo, and have a hen that lays some eggs. What are the steps I would take to check if they were fertile, if I wanted to leave them for her to hatch, etc etc. I do not know if I plan to invest in an incubator any time soon, so I was just wondering in case one of my hens (when older of course) became broody and was laying eggs, would I just leave them there? Is there a certain point where'd I'd have to remove them, especially if they weren't fertile? What is the process? TIA

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Morning All,
Can someone point me in the direction of the thread that discussing this hatching process? I'm just curious, if I do end up with a Roo, and have a hen that lays some eggs. What are the steps I would take to check if they were fertile, if I wanted to leave them for her to hatch, etc etc. I do not know if I plan to invest in an incubator any time soon, so I was just wondering in case one of my hens (when older of course) became broody and was laying eggs, would I just leave them there? Is there a certain point where'd I'd have to remove them, especially if they weren't fertile? What is the process? TIA

Lynzi--go to the learning center and click on hatching and raising chicks. You will find all sorts of info on there including how to candle eggs and pics of each days development, which is very helpful when candling. I use it regularly when I am hatching. You can always pick up an incubator cheap on craigs list or on the everything else for sale page on here. My mistake with my first time broody and first time for me having a broody is that I didnt mark down the day she started sitting on the eggs on my calendar. I left her eggs in the coop with her and separated the area off with fencing so the others wouldnt bother her or the eggs or the chicks. Yes, you should always remove the infertile eggs as they will rot and explode if you dont and that ruins the rest of them. I candled at 7 and 14 days and again around the time I thought they should hatch. I was off by a week (hence the need to mark on a calendar!). I hope this helps.