NY chicken lover!!!!

[Gramma Chick]

So given the climate we are in, at what age do you move your little ones out of the brooder and outside. I am thinking around 4 or 5 weeks but really I'd would like sooner rather than later =). These guys have some smelly pooho let me tell you =). right now they are approximately 1.5 weeks old

Yes they are little stinkers ! Try a little Apple cider Vinegar in the water ..It may help ..
What are you using for bedding ?
They can go out when they are fully feathered . Do you have a warm place outside to keep them ?
you can put them out before then if you do ....

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote: It sounds like if you normally have a good hatch rate & you didnt this time I would say it is the amount of eggs you had in there ..
It increased the humidity so much ..it may have been too high for the chicks that hadnt hatched yet ?
Did you open it to take out the hatched chicks or leave them in there for a while ?
I think opening it would release some humidity ..

 

[chick inn]

Sending hellos from the northern Keuka Lake area   

We have just started with chickens and have two sets of chicks that are about 7 weeks apart in age, with the older 6 being 10 weeks old. In total, 13 chickens... 2 Barnevelders, 2 Brabanters: Cream & Gold, 2 Brahmas: Light and Buff, 2 Light D'Uccle Bantams, 1 D'Anvers Blue Quail Bantam, 2 Easter Eggers, 1 Plymouth Barred Rock and 1 Welsummer. We got all our chicks from Nature Berry Farm, and we would recommend them to ANYONE

Would love to talk to other chicken people in my area

I love keuka lake wine trail <3 welcome- I'm just west of rochester

 

[help4me]

Hi,

I just wanted to give a quick update, but first I really want to thank everyone that took the time to respond to my post. I am so thankful for the advice, the encouragement, and support. I have not yet figured out how to include every ones name without going back and coping each user name, and this thread goes fast! So, as those who helped are aware I am inexperienced with candling and did not candle until the end of the 21 days. To the best of my limited experience I was sure one was a dud, and 3 had chicks that I assumed were dead. I will make this short and oh so sweet and post the full story with pictures under the right thread hopefully.

Collette and Ricky have two chicks!

God is so good.

P.S. one egg was not fertile and the other had a fully grown dead chick. I have no idea why it died, I hope it was not because of me,

but I am so thankful for the two. Thank you ALL so much!

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Morning all. Another beautiful day. The brats couldnt wait to get out of the coop this morning. They were like little kids at recess, running out the door to play. Egg songs are going on and the brooder bunch is restless. I may kick them out to the brat coop this weekend. Six of the brats are going to their new home on friday so there will be plenty of room in the coop.

Jlaw---I keep my silkies butts trimmed way down so they stay nice and clean. I dont show so its not a problem. It also helps with fertility and mating. I also give them a bath occasionally to spruce them up and give their feet a good cleaning. Pedicures are a must on silkies as their nails dont wear down like other chickens nails. Its not a lot of extra work and really, your kids should be doing these things if they are going to show them. I enjoy washing and trimming my silkies because they look soooooooo good when they are done drying!

Sally--The humidity shot up in my hovabator during hatching as well. I solved the issue by opening the bator to remove the mostly dry chicks in different batches. My last hatch I had 38 eggs set and 34 hatched over 2+ days. I left the plug out and opened the bator to remove chicks as they dried. Seemed to work well. You are going to try a small number of eggs this time and so you may get different results being a smaller amount of eggs. There may be no issue as there will be so few chicks hatching. Another thought is to add less water at lockdown if you have a large amount of eggs in your bator. Just my opinion of course.

Melbu--I kicked my 20 chicks out to the coop at 4 weeks. It has been in the 30s at night here but they have been fine. They huddle together in the corner of the coop at night. I have another 34 that will be kicked out this weekend at 4 weeks. They have most of their back and side feathers and there are so many of them that they will keep each other warm. They havent had any heat light in the brooder for a week now. I try to back off the heat lights pretty quick to harden them off. Yes, littles are stinky and require constant brooder cleaning until they can go out. Thats why I like it when mommas do the work!

Off to work. Cheeps need feed again. Enjoy the day!

 

[Lynzi777]

Morning All,
Finally back to 3 eggs from the ducks!

Not sure what was going on there for those last few weeks, but hopefully I put an end to any laying that may have been going on outside the coop. Found them across the street again yesterday around 5, which can become pretty busy with everyone returning home from work and what not. I lured them back home and into their pen. They're in there this morning until someone or all fly out. I need to get a duck crossing sign or two.

Bought another incubator. I decided to get another Brinsea Mini instead of the bigger one because with my small flock of sporadic layers I can't see myself every having more than 20+ eggs to hatch at one time. This way I can 12 bantam eggs in one and 12 in the other if I choose or even have that many eggs in a 10 day period. OR I can do chicks and ducks at the same time and not have to worry about the time frame difference.

I've also been going back and forth as to whether or not stick with the sizzles. I refuse to pay $100+ for a hen and that's not including shipping. however if I get eggs (which is what I've been contemplating) for $75/dzn and none hatch or even just 1 or 2 I'd be pretty upset. If more hatch and I end up with 6-8 chicks to grow out I wonder if I'd be able to sell what I decide not to keep at a price they are worth considering the money I spent on the eggs. I don't feel there are enough people up here in my area interested in sizzles. So do I get into the whole shipping thing? I'm just torn I guess. But that's been on my mind - just stick to the Orps and Silkies? Or keep working on the sizzles as well and spend some $$ to get what I want. Ugh Problem with me is I am such an impatient person so I don't know what made me get into silkies in the first place. I hate waiting for their eggs! LOL I'm assuming sizzles are going to be the same way as far as laying goes.

 

[rancher hicks]

I just can not keep up.

To those who are new, Hi and welcome to the insanity.

Spring may be here and there is alot to clean up out there. I've broody's all over and have moved a couple to give them special eggs that should arrive today or tomorrow.

The garden needs cleaning up and preparation for plants. It looks as though the Red currants might yield a crop this year IF I can keep the chickens and birds away. I've surrounded the bushes with chicken wire and will put some netting over them.

Now I don't expect I'll need the berries so if anyone is interested in coming to pick them let me know and I'll keep you posted if things turn out good. I have berries I picked and paid for last year in the freezer.

 

[why do birds]

Morning All,
Finally back to 3 eggs from the ducks!

Not sure what was going on there for those last few weeks, but hopefully I put an end to any laying that may have been going on outside the coop. Found them across the street again yesterday around 5, which can become pretty busy with everyone returning home from work and what not. I lured them back home and into their pen. They're in there this morning until someone or all fly out. I need to get a duck crossing sign or two.

Bought another incubator. I decided to get another Brinsea Mini instead of the bigger one because with my small flock of sporadic layers I can't see myself every having more than 20+ eggs to hatch at one time. This way I can 12 bantam eggs in one and 12 in the other if I choose or even have that many eggs in a 10 day period. OR I can do chicks and ducks at the same time and not have to worry about the time frame difference.

I've also been going back and forth as to whether or not stick with the sizzles. I refuse to pay $100+ for a hen and that's not including shipping. however if I get eggs (which is what I've been contemplating) for $75/dzn and none hatch or even just 1 or 2 I'd be pretty upset. If more hatch and I end up with 6-8 chicks to grow out I wonder if I'd be able to sell what I decide not to keep at a price they are worth considering the money I spent on the eggs. I don't feel there are enough people up here in my area interested in sizzles. So do I get into the whole shipping thing? I'm just torn I guess. But that's been on my mind - just stick to the Orps and Silkies? Or keep working on the sizzles as well and spend some $$ to get what I want. Ugh Problem with me is I am such an impatient person so I don't know what made me get into silkies in the first place. I hate waiting for their eggs! LOL I'm assuming sizzles are going to be the same way as far as laying goes.

HI Lynzi,
I've been busy with one of my businesses so may have missed a few posts. Who's selling a hen for $100? The sizzle is just a silkie cross cochin isn't it? We got hatching sizzle/silkie eggs on ebay, about $20 for 9 eggs and 3 hatched, one was a frizzle hen, one was a smooth rooster (that's our Fredo, he's so funny, omg last night he was trying to do some kind of dance in the kitchen and kept slipping and sliding and we were all laughing at him, poor guy). DH goes, "he looks like he's a charging bull but he keeps sliding around!" and the last chick to hatch was a pure silkie. If these guys ever lay an egg I'd be happy to share, I mean, 3 chickens in the kitchen is plenty. Well, gtg, Fredo's crowing like crazy, he probably wants a piece of bread and for me to turn on the tv for him!

 

[Stuffedcritter]

I love keuka lake wine trail <3 welcome- I'm just west of Rochester

Very pretty country up there, enjoyed more then my fair share of wine from the area. Sample Seeds is in that area, get smaller pkg of seeds natural adapted growing in our area. For example okra and broom corn never would of tried growing it before do to zone and limited space. Have fun exploring all the little towns and neat shops up there. Now I'am hankering for a road trip, how does one pack up dogs, rabbits, chickens, and a garden-)

 

[Sally8]

I've also been going back and forth as to whether or not stick with the sizzles. I refuse to pay $100+ for a hen and that's not including shipping. however if I get eggs (which is what I've been contemplating) for $75/dzn and none hatch or even just 1 or 2 I'd be pretty upset. If more hatch and I end up with 6-8 chicks to grow out I wonder if I'd be able to sell what I decide not to keep at a price they are worth considering the money I spent on the eggs. I don't feel there are enough people up here in my area interested in sizzles. So do I get into the whole shipping thing? I'm just torn I guess. But that's been on my mind - just stick to the Orps and Silkies? Or keep working on the sizzles as well and spend some $$ to get what I want. Ugh Problem with me is I am such an impatient person so I don't know what made me get into silkies in the first place. I hate waiting for their eggs! LOL I'm assuming sizzles are going to be the same way as far as laying goes.

I feel the same way. I have a Sizzle hen and no roo. That's what this last hatch was all about, hoping I would get a chick or 2. I don't think I have, it's been a week and I'm not noticing any curly feathers. I never see any for sale on Craig's List. I'd like a few more soooooo badly.

It sounds like if you normally have a good hatch rate & you didnt this time I would say it is the amount of eggs you had in there ..
It increased the humidity so much ..it may have been too high for the chicks that hadnt hatched yet ?
Did you open it to take out the hatched chicks or leave them in there for a while ?
I think opening it would release some humidity ..

That was the frustrating part. I never added any water, ever. The vent's were open the whole time and yes I did open it briefly when I would have 3 or more chicks at least partly dry watching the humidity in the room. None were shrink wrapped. The Little Giant can hold many more eggs than what I had but I think that that was the key. I don't mind small hatches and this was the first time I tried more than 15 or 20. My other question was about the knocking around of the eggs as they are hatching. I read how careful we need to be, turning each egg so carefully and as the chicks are trying to get their footing, eggs are flying around the incubator like bowling balls. That can't be good. I documented every little detail this time, so, I'm going to try to find some eggs that I really want t add to my flock and try with a smaller number. Last year I hatched 3 or more doz poults, putting eggs in the incubator randomly and every one of those hatched over a time period of 2 weeks. With all the info out there, that shouldn't have worked, did everything wrong. Just wondering about anyone else's experiences, Thanks sue