MakleyAcres
In the Brooder
- May 21, 2021
- 3
- 26
- 36
Hello to who ever is reading this! We are just starting our homestead adventure. We got our first laying hens last year. They follow me around like like raptor dogs and I just fell in love. So this year we planned to add more egg birds for our family and some friends... we raised meat chickens last year for the first time and we've doubled the number this year. We also wanted to start breeding our own meat birds.
We have 6 Barred Rock Hens
2 Silver Laced Wyandottes
2 Golden Laced Wyandotte
3 Easter Eggers
Olive Eggers ( but not sure on the number just yet)
5 or 6 Jersey Giant pullets and 2 maybe 2 cockrel
6 Light Brahma pullets and 2 Cockrel.
The Jersey Giant and the Olive Eggers I'm having trouble telling apart, but I am starting to see the difference now that they are getting bigger.
I've read the heritage meat birds sometimes crush their eggs when they go broody. We want to raise the babies so I want to be able to incubate if necessary. We are currently caring for the chickens of a friend as well ( that's another 25 between their 2 flocks. There are silkies and Indian runner ducks and I think mostly Astralorp?) They have a co ed flock. We had 2 silkie eggs this spring. But we lost one and the other was a dud. I felt like the one we lost could have been saved if I knew how to candle them. I knew some from a friend and school. So I started looking more started talking to that friend from school. One day I got a wild hair and decided I had the opportunity to learn, I needed to take it. So I bought a Farm Innovations incubator and set it up. I was only going to try two, then it multiplied. Then.... came the duck eggs. I didnt know about the extra week incubation.... so now I have 2 incubators. So I can have one on lock down and keep rotating the others. I have some from over a 3 day period. I do intend to pull any that hatch out and put in a brooder when they're dry and active. The humidity is about 80% because I'll be honest. I'm going to meddle. I think I messed up with too high humidity and the air cells look small. I tried to dry them out as best j could, 30%, for 2 days... it helped a bit but it is what it is... I have read about assisting, I feel comfortable with helping if I need to and I feel like I know when that will be.
This is all a learn experience so I can do this right with my meat birds next year.... but now I have hatching anxiety!
We have 6 Barred Rock Hens
2 Silver Laced Wyandottes
2 Golden Laced Wyandotte
3 Easter Eggers
Olive Eggers ( but not sure on the number just yet)
5 or 6 Jersey Giant pullets and 2 maybe 2 cockrel
6 Light Brahma pullets and 2 Cockrel.
The Jersey Giant and the Olive Eggers I'm having trouble telling apart, but I am starting to see the difference now that they are getting bigger.
I've read the heritage meat birds sometimes crush their eggs when they go broody. We want to raise the babies so I want to be able to incubate if necessary. We are currently caring for the chickens of a friend as well ( that's another 25 between their 2 flocks. There are silkies and Indian runner ducks and I think mostly Astralorp?) They have a co ed flock. We had 2 silkie eggs this spring. But we lost one and the other was a dud. I felt like the one we lost could have been saved if I knew how to candle them. I knew some from a friend and school. So I started looking more started talking to that friend from school. One day I got a wild hair and decided I had the opportunity to learn, I needed to take it. So I bought a Farm Innovations incubator and set it up. I was only going to try two, then it multiplied. Then.... came the duck eggs. I didnt know about the extra week incubation.... so now I have 2 incubators. So I can have one on lock down and keep rotating the others. I have some from over a 3 day period. I do intend to pull any that hatch out and put in a brooder when they're dry and active. The humidity is about 80% because I'll be honest. I'm going to meddle. I think I messed up with too high humidity and the air cells look small. I tried to dry them out as best j could, 30%, for 2 days... it helped a bit but it is what it is... I have read about assisting, I feel comfortable with helping if I need to and I feel like I know when that will be.
This is all a learn experience so I can do this right with my meat birds next year.... but now I have hatching anxiety!
and welcome to BYC! So glad you decided to join us! Good luck with your hatch
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