NY chicken lover!!!!

[thetajmahalcoop]

Hello all! It's all your faults! I wasn't going to order ANY chicks this year as I have too many chickens to begin with but seeing all your posts of course weakened my resolve!

I stopped at the local feed store and they were ordering chicks for people through Murray McMurray, who I did an order through last year and was VERY happy with. The feed store is taking orders for a min. of 6, I called my Aunt and told her and we decided to just do our own order like we did last year, as we knew we could come up with a list of 25 we wanted ourselves! Well........34 chicks later our order is complete and arriving May 17th.

I ordered 12 light brahmas and 5 white jersey giants for her.

6 easter eggers, 3 mottled cochins, 3 partridge cochins, and 3 partridge rocks for myself. I told her we can split the exotic chick in half ha ha. I already have one each of the chicks I ordered for myself above (except the mottled cochins) and love the colors on them, so they are more eye candy than anything. Although the cochins I have right now have wanted to go broody since I got them last fall so that will be useful!

I am seperating out my cuckoo maran hens this weekend to start collecting fertile eggs soon. I need advice on how long before they are ummm "cleaned out" so I can add the cuckoo maran rooster in? Then how long do I wait before collecting new eggs? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I think I will go ahead and seperate out my giant blue cochin tommorow too, I have had alot of interest in people wanting fertile eggs from them too, too bad I only have one blue cochin hen.

thanks in advance for the advice!

p.s. one more thing I need to ask you all, I think something tried to get some of my chickens a few weeks ago when the DH had the bad habit of leaving the coop door open overnight ( No I did not kill him but I threatened!) some of my chickens and roosters look like someone took a pair of sciccors to them and cut the tops off their tail feathers....very strange haircut indeed...any idea what animal would do that?

amy

 

[Joyryder]

It's all your faults! I wasn't going to order ANY chicks this year as I have too many chickens to begin with but seeing all your posts of course weakened my resolve!
We're all in this together.

Well........34 chicks later our order is complete and arriving May 17th.
6 easter eggers, 3 mottled cochins, 3 partridge cochins, and 3 partridge rocks for myself. Very Nice

I am seperating out my cuckoo maran hens this weekend to start collecting fertile eggs soon. I need advice on how long before they are ummm "cleaned out" so I can add the cuckoo maran rooster in? Then how long do I wait before collecting new eggs? I think it's 3 weeks, but I'm not sure. I just separated my roosters last weekend.

p.s. one more thing I need to ask you all, I think something tried to get some of my chickens a few weeks when the DH had the bad habit of leaving the coop door open overnight ( No I did not kill him but I threatened!) some of my chickens and roosters look like someone took a pair of sciccors to them and cut the tops off their tail feathers....very strange haircut indeed...any idea what animal would do that? No Idea!

Joanne

 

[thetajmahalcoop]

thanks for the thumbs up, I'm still blaming you all though

 

[Chickens14]

oh I hear you guys I am surprised they haven't come up with a therapy group for...
chickaholics

lol
I am so over run now with chickens... wouldn't be so back if I didn't always seem to get
roosters...
I really am into the Faverolles & are hatching more...

Jen

 

[chicken stalker]

Quote:
I have the same incubator. I usualy put a few on top to rotate in if there is any duds on bottom. I stand the eggs up in the little wire holders and stuff a little wax paper in the end to keep them upright. The ones on top are postioned, laying down on top of the wax paper wads. If they are small eggs I sandwich (between the egg and top of 'bator) a little wad of wax paper on top of the "extra" eggs so they down slide/move around. I have't lost one yet being on top. Once I candle and toss any clears or duds I fill the gaps with the extras.....so far it has worked out perfectly......knock on wood.

Wax paper wads - got it. That's what I will do.
Another question: Do you hatch them in the Brinsea. My first hatch I took the chicks out when they were dry. The second time I waited for more than a day. 12 had hatched and it seemed really crowded. Both times there were 22 and 24 eggs at lockdown. How do you time moving them? I know the humidity stayed in the range better the second time around.

Joanne

I wait until about half of them are hatched and dry before I remove them. I look in one side and most of the chicks will come over to see "mommy", that way they are all together. I check for any large pips, if there a lot then I wait until they are almost done zipping or hatched. I put a shoe box right next to the incubator, I lift open the top and "hover" the lid. There just enough room for me to quickly pull out the babies. If there one or two aren't all the way dry, I leave them in their to encourage the others to hatch. Sometimes if my sponges are dry I toss a warm one in. Replace lid and I take the babies over to the brooder and transfer them in. This all takes about 30 seconds. The prep work takes longer

I'm sure it would be fine also to leave them in there, though I do notice they get a little rambuncious and knock eggs over. But it would be tight under a mother hen.

 

[Joyryder]

Quote:
Thank you, That's closer too what I did the second time, but not as quickly. I like the shoe box idea. My DH was afraid they would suffocate the bottom chicks, as they were all in one big pile ontop of hatched and unhatched eggs. I guess he was mommy?

I didn't know that hatched ones encouraged others to hatch. A good reason for not taking them out to soon.

Did you ever have a couple of chicks get stuck in the rails?

Joanne

 

[Cydney83]

Hi..This isn't really a reply to your post, but I am not sure how to do this and I am new to the forum, but I love to read the posts and see the auction things. I have a question I have two incubators..both a Brower one from the 70's and the other I just got...may e a mistake, it is a Top Hatch..the temperature I thought was ok after running it for 3 days before I placed my eggs in it....I then realized I put it together wrong the turner that is ...it crushed one of my rosecomb eggs! My wonder husband fixed it for me and we put the eggs back in....dropping one...now down 2! well the temperature dropped to 96. I slowly started to turn it up....after a day..I took the eggs out and put the in the 1970's one which was at correct temp...I was getting it ready for Barred rocks...and then turned it UP! Well it got to temp...put eggs back in...do you think I will lose the eggs? and what is the thoughts on a tophatch...I called the company and they ensure me I will love it! Right now I have standard cochin and rosecombs in the tophatach and 5 dozen Barred Rock and a few Cuckoo's, wyndottes and leghorns in the 1970's incubator..I have had great luck with it...but you have to hand turn the eggs...by the way I have heard you need to turn once a day to 4 times a day? Any thoughts out there! Thank you so much for any thoughts!

 

[Joyryder]

Quote:

I wouldn't worry to much about the drop in temp. I lost power at night for about 6 hours. I had a good hatch anyway, just delayed slightly probably about 6 hours. If you have great luck with it you were probably turning them the proper number of times. I've always heard 3 times a day, but mine is automatic and continuous. So when is your hatch date? Mine is April 3rd.
Joanne

 

[ancona91]

Hello, Cydney83!!!
First, welcome to BYC and to this thread!!! I don't know how to make those cute little "smiley faces" and chickens jump, shout and run about....so you'll have to settle for this simple, but sincere, welcome(smile).
I honestly think your eggs should be OK as long as you maintain the proper temp and humidity from here-on -in. I've had eggs recently come through the mail that were nearly frozen.......8 out of 11 hatched for me. The only incubators I've personally used are the Genesis 1588 by Hovabator, and have had fantastic luck with it. I'm sure the top-hatch bators are fine....I've just never used one. Right now I'm running 2 Genesis bators......and hand-turning all the eggs. They should be turned at least 3 times a day.Sound like you have some really nice breeds incubating!!!! Good luck with your hatch!!!! Keep us informed!!!
Kathy

 

[Omani]

Cydney83...

After reading alot of posts I have come to the conclusion that it's the operator not the incubator.
I have read that if you hand turn the eggs that it needs to be an odd number. I don't know why. Not an issue because I used an egg turner. Is it me, or is it more of an egg rocker?

Taj: Somewhere in all these posts, I remember seeing that a rooster only has to visit a hen every three days. If that is the case, I would think that two weeks would be long enough to wait. And yes, I want eggs. I NEED eggs. I can't go on without hatching eggs of my very own. Their sight, their sounds, their smell. I am totally desolate without them!

OOPs, sorry. I got a little carried away there. Just send the little gold statue USPS.