***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[CLSranch]

Don't you just love country dogs? I kept calling mine and she finally came running carrying this rat. Good girl!

My pups pulled up half a rattlesnake the other day. Then I killed a little cottonmouth in the yard and haven't seen any sign of it since. Hopefully they start on the mice and rats.

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

No luck with pictures from my phone this morning.

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

It is a BIG dog kennel that I got years ago for my 98 lb mastiff puppy.

I have a second hen that has now been broody for 2 or 3 days. If she continues, she will be at a week or so when they hatch.

Do either of those pieces of info change your advice?

Thanks!

Okay, a transition chick is more for giving the single chick a buddy...safer for the single chick.
...if she loses the single chick, she will break her broody state and won't take any chicks. The transition chick would give her a chick to continue her attitude.

As for "will the hen adopt new chicks 10 days younger than her chick question" ....adding the new chicks may go both ways. It all depends on your hen. Some will...some won't.
Since she is in the dog crate with little room to avoid them, she could allow them to cuddle under her for warmth or she could refuse them to protect her chick's territory.

Keep a very close eye on her and have a brooder ready just in case.
I like your friend's suggestion too.

Thanks Nana. As it gets closer to hatch time (Tuesday), it seems like I have more and more questions:

1. There are 6 silkie eggs in the incubator. They are so much smaller than the rest. I think I should probably put them in the same corner of the incubator and make some sort of divider to keep the bigger chicks from running over them. Right?

2. Humidity has been between 45-55%. I have to go to prom at 10 PM tonight, and would rather not go in and start lock down before that (plus my car is stuck in the mud at a friend's house waiting for the ground to dry a bit). Can I wait until early day 19? They are in a turner and incubator with a fan if that matters.

3. My olive egger seems pretty intent on staying in the nesting box. She will have only been sitting for 8 days or so when they are due. She is pretty docile. I am going to have my husband bring another dog kennel home and lock her in there with her golf balls tonight. If she adjusts well to the move, could I try to give her some babies (or even some eggs that are close to hatching?


I don't mind brooding chicks myself, but it seems like the transition to the flock is so much easier with a momma. Any advice on a good game plan would be great.

 

[NanaKat]

@Sooner Magnolia
Question 3: two hens able to take chicks is definitely better. If one refuses, the other may take them all.
The second hen might be more willing if you wait to give her chicks until the chicks are a few days old...already eating and drinking. That gives her a longer stay on her "eggs" to cement her broody attitude.
Question 2: yes, you can wait until day 19.
Question 1: I hatch large fowl and bantam in the same incubator. Is you question more about the size of the chicks as they hatch or the fear that the bigger chicks will play football with the smaller eggs? Set the six Silkie eggs in a six section paper egg carton with a hole poked in the bottom of each cup to allow air to circulate. The egg carton will hold the eggs in place and protect them from being knocked around. The chicks are not bouncing bundles at first hatch...they take time to dry and fluff up and absorb their yolk. The will naturally huddle together in the hatcher.

 

[Okla-doodle-doo]

Yeah I'm back into chickens! Well sort of, I got 20 pullet chicks at our local TSC. They got an over order in and dropped the price to $1 a chick! I just couldn,t resist. lol Got 4 RIR,6 white leghorns,and 10 sex links. I'm thinking one leghorn may be a roo as it has not started tail feathers yet. I actualy hope it is. For some reason as I have gotten older I really think the white leghorns are a beautiful breed. Even tho I don,t like their flightiness. Anyway, I'm tickled to have chicks again.

 

[NanaKat]

Yeah I'm back into chickens! Well sort of, I got 20 pullet chicks at our local TSC. They got an over order in and dropped the price to $1 a chick! I just couldn,t resist. lol Got 4 RIR,6 white leghorns,and 10 sex links. I'm thinking one leghorn may be a roo as it has not started tail feathers yet. I actualy hope it is. For some reason as I have gotten older I really think the white leghorns are a beautiful breed. Even tho I don,t like their flightiness. Anyway, I'm tickled to have chicks again.

Congratulations Wayne! Leghorns are a very pretty breed. Handling them while young does reduce the flightiness just a tad. Hope you got a roo too. Those sex links are egg laying machines. I enjoyed the Rhose Islands when I had them. They are curious and personable.

 

[dunnmom]

My

I like Cackle, too. Drove by there once on I-44 in Lebanon MO, and wished I could stop. Very nice, responsive staff. The unusual thing about them is that you can actually get some harder to find breeds in a timely manner. The wait times at McMurray are pretty long.

I know some swear by McMurray, obviously a fine established place, because they feel their breeds are more pure, etc. One fellow I know claims other hatcheries have less pure strains of things like Marans. Interestingly, the Marans he raises now, he got from me. I got them from Cackle. I've never had a sick or dead chick from them. They also have a nice selection of ducks.

My 10 babies (4 SLW, 6 BO) came from Cackle Hatchery. They are hardy and seem perfectly healthy so far. They're supposed to be all pullets, but I think we may have gotten a couple of roos. Still a little early to tell for sure, though. They're 5 weeks old now. I'd love to visit the CH storefront at some point, but I'm not allowed any more chickens yet, and I know I'd want to bring home more babies. I'd love to add a couple of Marans to my flock. I could swear brown eggs taste better, so the browner the better, right? Lol!

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

@Sooner Magnolia
Question 3: two hens able to take chicks is definitely better. If one refuses, the other may take them all.
The second hen might be more willing if you wait to give her chicks until the chicks are a few days old...already eating and drinking. That gives her a longer stay on her "eggs" to cement her broody attitude.
Question 2: yes, you can wait until day 19.
Question 1: I hatch large fowl and bantam in the same incubator. Is you question more about the size of the chicks as they hatch or the fear that the bigger chicks will play football with the smaller eggs? Set the six Silkie eggs in a six section paper egg carton with a hole poked in the bottom of each cup to allow air to circulate. The egg carton will hold the eggs in place and protect them from being knocked around. The chicks are not bouncing bundles at first hatch...they take time to dry and fluff up and absorb their yolk. The will naturally huddle together in the hatcher.

Last night I carried the OE (Marshmallow) in her nesting box to the dog kennel and gently dumped her out so she could have a slightly bigger one. She sat puffed up on the floor, but moved in and sat on her "eggs" within 5 mins. When I left about an hour later, she had retrieved the one golf ball that had rolled out earlier and was talking to them. This morning she was standing by the door of the crate. I added some food, she ate, and then went back to her nest. I think that is a pretty good start.

I'm going in to start lockdown today. I refigured, and today is really day 18.

As far as the sizes go, I was more concerned about the silkies with the bigger chicks once they hatched. I won't be keeping the silkies, so I guess it really doesn't matter.

I had 39 still going after we candled day 14 (or 13).

Current questions:

Should I put everyone in cartons for hatch as you described in previous posts?

Do I need to candle today, or just remove any stinky ones?

 

[ashtree]

@Sooner Magnolia I usually candle at day 14 and that's at. Everything that looks good at day 14 goes into lockdown. But that's just my preference!

Good luck and happy hatching

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

@Sooner Magnolia I usually candle at day 14 and that's at. Everything that looks good at day 14 goes into lockdown. But that's just my preference!

Good luck and happy hatching

I went ahead and candled. 2 quitters. I heard peeping and one egg looked like it had already pipped but on the wrong side. That one went in the Bator on its side. All the rest went in cartons big end up. I added water and left. Crossing my fingers.