**~~>>Second Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatchathon<<~~**all poultry welcome!

[QuirkySue]

Found some eggs about three hours away that I want to buy and casually asked the hubs if he'd be willing to go on a quick road trip to get some hatching eggs.

Surprisingly, he said yes!!!! I wasn't actually serious, but hey now I might be!

Of course, he's probably just thinking he can fit an opportunity to fish in there somewhere but whatever, I'll take it.

...tiptoeing off to check out distant CL ads.....

 

[Loghousemom]

I am finally caught up! I cannot believe some of you have so many hatches happening?! What do you do with all the babies? Where do you put them?

We currently live on 15 acres, but most of it is I fenced pasture. We have all the supplies and if the snow ever melts we will be putting up some fence this year, but I still could never imagine what we would do with even 100 chicks or ducklings! I have what I think is a pretty good sized coop, but maybe it is not being used efficiently to house that number of birds. I have 9 layers now, 1 roo. We hatched 8 of those in early April, brought home six more mixed layers, and now I took in 2 ducklings that were dumped outside a school in the city. I am considering repurposing my storage shed and garden shed as makeshift chicken/duck housing because I am worried of them getting too cramped.

If those of you who have hundreds of eggs hatching, how do you manage all those babies and flocks? I cannot imagine the feed costs!

 

[SilkieSensation]

In addition to the 4 Bourbon Red eggs, I set 30 gorgeous Welsummer eggs from Soldier and another 40+ project eggs.

I really think I need to turn off my incubator soon. I have a batch of Spitzhauben eggs to be delivered, and after that I think I am going to turn it off....probably.....maybe....darn projects.

Time for another egg bomb! Don't let her turn off that bator!!!!

I am finally caught up! I cannot believe some of you have so many hatches happening?! What do you do with all the babies? Where do you put them?

We currently live on 15 acres, but most of it is I fenced pasture. We have all the supplies and if the snow ever melts we will be putting up some fence this year, but I still could never imagine what we would do with even 100 chicks or ducklings! I have what I think is a pretty good sized coop, but maybe it is not being used efficiently to house that number of birds. I have 9 layers now, 1 roo. We hatched 8 of those in early April, brought home six more mixed layers, and now I took in 2 ducklings that were dumped outside a school in the city. I am considering repurposing my storage shed and garden shed as makeshift chicken/duck housing because I am worried of them getting too cramped.

If those of you who have hundreds of eggs hatching, how do you manage all those babies and flocks? I cannot imagine the feed costs!

Feed is getting outrageous so I have 100 or so birds headed to a swap meet tomorrow morning. I usually hit swap meets at least once a month or so.

 

[wolftracks]

Time for another egg bomb! Don't let her turn off that bator!!!!

Feed is getting outrageous so I have 100 or so birds headed to a swap meet tomorrow morning. I usually hit swap meets at least once a month or so.

I was thinking the same thing!! LOL

When I get enough of my chicks to hatch, I have an ongoing waiting list, plus can usually find plenty of buyers. That being said I have 8 Phoenix chicks from my 2 broodies. I'm keeping 3 and haven't even figured out how to sell the others yet. I may grown them out and then sell them. IDK I bought starter today and a bag of scratch. $42. Not cheap.

 

[DURR]

Woooo i might be getting a 600 egg count incubator!! Egg bomb anyone?! Lol. But seriously, consider it if i get it lol.

 

[debs_flock]

We filled feeders today, 550# of feed. Yikes!

Of course, by we I meant DH

 

[HEChicken]

a nest box will have a different temperature than eggs laid on the ground
your outdoors temperature will also have an effect on it
for example:
lets say you have a broody hen sitting on a nest and you live in Kansas where temps have been in the 40's (just for argument's sake since I don't know what your temps have been)

and I have a broody hen down here in Texas where our days have been hitting in the upper 80's

as the broody hen moves eggs around in the nest some may be on the 'fringe" (pushed out towards the edge of the nest).. my eggs wouldn't cool down as much because the ambient temps were in the 80's.. where yours would get chilled a bit since your temps are in the 40's thus slowing development more than mine would have

21 days is also an "average" since hens can hatch out healthy chicks as early as 18 days or even as late as 23 days..
so for incubation dates they just average it out and call it 21 days for chickens

edited to add.... 25 days for a turkey would be the earliest.. and 30 would be on the late end... with 28 being the average since they tend to average all avian dates.. even house sparrows can vary from 10 to 14 days for incubation

That makes a lot of sense - thank you for the explanation. You were pretty close on KS temps although this has been a crazy spring. We've had 80 degree days, followed by below freezing temps. Thursday it got below freezing even though it is past our frost date (I didn't think that was legal?) and DH just informed me there is snow in the forecast again for Monday. I planted my seedlings today!!!! No - say it ain't so. I suspect we are going to go from a crazy cold spring to a crazy hot summer with nothing in between.

The answer is.................don't be so quick to assume you were in the wrong.

Mine hatched early, I didn't expect them until today.

But to show their resilience, at one point I ran out of turner room and I put two eggs in the bottom of the cabinet and intended to turn them by hand. I forgot them for like 3-4 days, so they didn't get turned at all in the middle. They still all just popped out. The chicken eggs that are due today were on a different shelf, they are just starting to pip (2 are out and a third is pipping, all bantams).

I shouldn't be so anxious - its not like I've never hatched before. But this is my first turkey hatch so its like the first time all over again

One of the 3 has now pipped externally so I think Tazcat may be right that by morning more will have hatched

I'm starting to relax now. Thanks for holding my hand through this....

In addition to the 4 Bourbon Red eggs, I set 30 gorgeous Welsummer eggs from Soldier and another 40+ project eggs.

I really think I need to turn off my incubator soon. I have a batch of Spitzhauben eggs to be delivered, and after that I think I am going to turn it off....probably.....maybe....darn projects.

LOL - we'll find you something. Never fear.

I am finally caught up! I cannot believe some of you have so many hatches happening?! What do you do with all the babies? Where do you put them?

We currently live on 15 acres, but most of it is I fenced pasture. We have all the supplies and if the snow ever melts we will be putting up some fence this year, but I still could never imagine what we would do with even 100 chicks or ducklings! I have what I think is a pretty good sized coop, but maybe it is not being used efficiently to house that number of birds. I have 9 layers now, 1 roo. We hatched 8 of those in early April, brought home six more mixed layers, and now I took in 2 ducklings that were dumped outside a school in the city. I am considering repurposing my storage shed and garden shed as makeshift chicken/duck housing because I am worried of them getting too cramped.

If those of you who have hundreds of eggs hatching, how do you manage all those babies and flocks? I cannot imagine the feed costs!

I think some people who hatch a lot plan on selling a lot of what they hatch so they don't have to raise them. This is my first year hatching a lot - until last summer we lived in the city where I was limited to 12 hens. Now that I have no restrictions, I've gone a little overboard but I *think* I have it under control

 

[wolftracks]

 

[SilkieSensation]

Quote: Bahhhahahahahaha! Spoken like a true hatching addict!!!

Now where did you find that pic of me!!! Could have sworn I burned all of the copies.

 

[wolftracks]

To late! I found it on FB!