***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Cjarvis]

Cathie, I'm, pretty sure it takes about 2 weeks *after you put a rooster with hens before you'll start getting fertile eggs from that hen. The others will know if the 2 week window is correct.

Two weeks for a hen to clean out from exposure to a different male, two days when introduced to a male for the first time. It sometimes takes cockrells a little while to figure things out and get it right, Pullets are not always real cooperative with males either.
fertility will be low in short light hours
Some fluffy birds require trimming or plucking to improve natural fertility, some breeds just do better with ai.

 

[Cjarvis]

I have several spare 3 gallon waterers and large feeders if anyone is looking for some, would make a good deal. I will also be selling one metal brooder if anyone is interested.

Then for those looking for a few bantams the following can leave:
1 Breeder Pair Porcelian OE and one young Porcelian OE most likely a pullet.
I will also have a one Blue Wheaton OE cockrell, could make a pair if requested.

PM or call if interested.

 

[Ksane]

Thanks for the info and the picture. I heard Kass (I think it was her) say she was thinking of useing a expired freezer. I too have a large chest type freezer that does not work (gosh, I mean what good redneck dont have one or two of these out back) Which of the 2 breeds require the least amount of warmth? I think if I get into this and use the freezer I will build a false bottom about the hidth of where the ledge is that covers the moter area. If not, leaning in to fetch bugs and clean may be more than back can handle.

To breed they both need around 85-90 degrees. But just to hang out & grow both breeds need above 70. You could always put the breeders in tub somewhere warm or use a heating pad and then keep the males and babies too young to be sexed in the freezer above 70 degrees. People keep a ratio of 1 male to 5-10 females and feed the males. Dubia are the best and fastest breeders (which is what Kass has) and they don't climb or fly. They get several inches, too. Pretty big for a bug. To clean you could always glue or tie the egg flats together and then just lift them (the bugs stay stuck to them), sweep everything to one end and scoop it up with a small broom and dustpan and dump it in a bucket. If there were any stragglers you could just dig them out of the bucket and toss them back in the freezer. Dubia love to be crowded. You could literally keep around 1000 of them in just a 14 gal rubbermaid tub. If you had a freezer full you'd have to buy more birds to eat all the bugs lol

 

[AreYouLoved]

My dad always put the eggs in a egg carton under their big dresser until he was ready to set them in the incubator.
My parents dresser is the type with space under it. So easy to get to the eggs and store them.

 

[Kassaundra]

Yes the freezer was me, I'm still working the "bugs"

out of the plan, and making the crate layers for them to live on. Both require the same amount of heat, much below 65 is deadly, 85-95 is optimal.

Ksane, that set up looks good. You may have some issues w/ the wire pulling through the crates when your colony gets bigger, the weight on the crates is pretty heavy when they are full of "exotic beetles"

Vaccuming the substrate may prove difficult as the babies tend to live in it, they all prefer having some substrate to burrow into (all ages). All the sites talk about not using any substrate for them, but I have found a couple of inches of sand works very well, helps control the odor you may get w/ a large colony, gives more place for the young to hide, and helps keep you from squashing them under the weight of the crates when you move them around. Good idea about the paper towel roll for harvesting, but that way you would have to harvest whatever size is on the roll, I tend to selectively harvest (excess males, all dead ones, then large sub adults trying to pick mostly male if possible) You will definately want to selective harvest at least until your colony is to a good size w/ plenty of adult females.

 

[checoukan]

Carl, I have what I think is a strange, out of my Brown/Red oe's, I have a stange chick! I don't know what to call it other than a sport, can that be?

 

[Kassaundra]

To breed they both need around 85-90 degrees. But just to hang out & grow both breeds need above 70. You could always put the breeders in tub somewhere warm or use a heating pad and then keep the males and babies too young to be sexed in the freezer above 70 degrees. People keep a ratio of 1 male to 5-10 females and feed the males. Dubia are the best and fastest breeders (which is what Kass has) and they don't climb or fly. They get several inches, too. Pretty big for a bug. To clean you could always glue or tie the egg flats together and then just lift them (the bugs stay stuck to them), sweep everything to one end and scoop it up with a small broom and dustpan and dump it in a bucket. If there were any stragglers you could just dig them out of the bucket and toss them back in the freezer. Dubia love to be crowded. You could literally keep around 1000 of them in just a 14 gal rubbermaid tub. If you had a freezer full you'd have to buy more birds to eat all the bugs lol

SHHHHHHHHHHHHH if the girls hear you say that they will put a contract out!!!!! Trust me when I tell you your chickens will never think you have enough, let alone too much.

 

[Sooner]

Is it really that easy to have those bugs? I had planned to use a fish tank with a screened top, it use to be set up for lizzards......

what's in the cups?? Where is the papertowel roll?

 

[Kassaundra]

One cup is for water crystals, I'm not sure what she has in the other probably either dry cat food or fruits/veggies. That is their diet. I have experimented w/ feeding them boiled or poached eggs, that is going very well, but I can't find any info if that has enough of the non veggie nutrition that they need to replace the cat food w/ it entirely. (I don't have to buy eggs unlike the cat food.)

 

[Oakieridge]

Thanks for the info on the rooster and hen thing. My Cuckoo Maran hens haven't been around any rooster directly since they started laying. But my Golden Salmon and my Blue Splashes have been with their mate since last Sat. that I know of. We bought them together so I will just assume that Sat. was the first day they were together. Cuckoo roosters will be very happy boys tonight when I put them in the pen with the girls, lol.

Cathie