NY chicken lover!!!!

[Pyxis]

Today was a good day. Got the coop cleaned out for the first spring cleaning - NOT fun - but it's done and I feel better now. Also, with a clean coop and the snow in the run finally going away I felt confident enough to move the nearly four month old 'chicks' into the big coop, so no more huge babies pooping up my workshop! I also candled some marans eggs that I had set and there is life in there. And my sebastopol egg has finally gone into dip down so the gosling is getting into the hatching position and I may be able to expect him soon. After all, it's only been 33 days

Did have a scare though. Peeked into my incubator to check on some eggs that were in lockdown and it looked like a bloodbath. One water trough was completely blood red. So I panicked and examined the eggs and one chick was apparently malpostioned, pipped away from the air cell, and nicked a major blood vessel. And it survived. So we'll have to see if it makes it out of there okay. But it was really startling - it looked like a murder scene in there!

 

[Lynzi777]

Morning everyone,
My one chick from my splash hen hatched, had to help it last night and then just left it the shell with a large enough hole in it so it could get out. At 11pm last night it was out and is still just laying there drying off this morning. The other from my lavender hen died. It hadn't moved in over a day, there were no pips, and sounds coming from the egg. So I popped a hole in the air cell area of the egg and it was completely shrink wrapped in there. :-( So maybe dry hatching isn't a good idea for me with the Silkie eggs...maybe I should up the humidity to at least 30-35% days 1-18.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Morning all. Sun is shining and the randy boys all had to take a little run at me this morning. The tiny tots downstairs are raising you know what in the brooder and some escaped this morning while I was giving them food and fresh water. It need to warm up so I can move them out to the empty coop with a lamp. Candled the 40 in the bator and only had to pull two. The rest look good which means lots of chicks for me. Ordered my bands so I can track my hereitage rir as they grow. Trying to keep good records on the two lines.

Lynzi--I was running about 30 to 40 percent humidity up to day 19 then went to 60 and I still had shrink wrapped chicks. This year is a strange one for me and hatching silkies. I used the same bator (my brinsea) last year and did the same things and had great hatches. Not sure whats up. I am keeping close tabs on the bator this time and am hoping that with it almost full (set 20) that it might make a difference. I still have a broody sitting on 5 eggs and hopefully will get chicks from her. Sometimes you have to help a little when they get stuck like that.

JLaw--You should have no problem finding someone to take your silkies. They are a nice color. What colors are you crossing that you are getting black leakage? You may have to use a different roo if you think its from him.

Okay Stony---hock is the word.

Off to the pharm today. I need to win the lottery so I can stay home and be a fulltime chicken hobby farmer. My cheeps and I would love it! Later all.

 

[AQHAchick22]

Quote:
That's what I usually do but this was a picture that a customer sent me Stony--I really thought it was sat on but I don't think so...I'm very good at collecting eggs and if I find one in a strange place I usually set it aside for the dogs. I guess it's possible it slipped in though...

 

[AQHAchick22]

Quote:
Hmmm that could be possible...I would hope I would notice something like that but with 30 girls and only seeing them first thing in the morning when I let them out and when I lock them up at night I could have missed it. I hate not knowing for sure!!! Haha Jlaw--Will you ship the silkies by any chance? I would pay all shipping costs of course.

 

[Glasshen]

Morning everyone. TOB, I have one who lays eggs like yours, with spikes on it, they look painful. I also have someone who lays rumpled eggs. I just took a pic of one and will post it up later.

 

[AQHAchick22]

Quote:
That was my favorite part! I wish I had enough room to hatch this year. It's not so much that I want to keep the chicks but I love the process of hatching and watching them develop.

 

[Lynzi777]

Quote:
That was my favorite part! I wish I had enough room to hatch this year. It's not so much that I want to keep the chicks but I love the process of hatching and watching them develop.

That's kind of what I'm going thru...I'm continuing to hatch really so I can master this hatching process. I plan on keeping all the silkies that hatch until they grow out but the Orps I just threw in are just to test my LG again. Not to keep so many of the chicks. I hope I can sell the ones I don't want to keep. :-/

 

[stonykill]

Okay Stony---hock is the word.

 

[PhoredaBurds]

That's kind of what I'm going thru...I'm continuing to hatch really so I can master this hatching process. I plan on keeping all the silkies that hatch until they grow out but the Orps I just threw in are just to test my LG again. Not to keep so many of the chicks. I hope I can sell the ones I don't want to keep. :-/

Yep. I certainly don't "need" any more chickens. Mostly wanted to follow the incubation process & see if I could hatch any. Will be very happy with a 30-40% hatch rate. And will not be surprised if only a few or none hatch. Fingers crossed tho.