Set eggs 3/5. Looking for others to hatch with!

[CALI CHICK]

I seriously feel your pain! And I thought your DH was keeping you on lockdown with eggs, LOL!
I move 14 babies from their pen in my garage to an outdoor pen every day with two feeders, one big waterer. I move my adult cochin pair out to an outdoor pen....food/water.....I let my two Serama boys run around the yard and they take 40 minutes to catch back every night. I said tonight they can't go out anymore until I make a chicken tractor for them to keep them contained. I need to rehome them because I don't raise Seramas...free hatching eggs. Then I let all the Lucys out, our RIR chickens, and feed and water them......let out my partridge silkie flock and feed/water them.....move silkie breeding pairs out to outdoor pens if they are coming out that day...again, food and water.....feed the small babies and change out water.....feed and change water on the chickens in housing cages.....get the ducklings out of the barn and feed and water and fill up their pool.....come inside and take care of newborn chicks and check incubators...I keep going back and forth on if I want to build actual houses outside with runs attached, but I'm nervous about not having everyone on serious lockdown every night in the barn. I love being a poultry farmer, LOL!

Maybe I don't have it so bad!

When do you add younger silkies to older ones? And, when do you integrate regular chicks (like RIR) with your LF hens?

 

[wholewheatchicken]

Maybe I don't have it so bad!

When do you add younger silkies to older ones? And, when do you integrate regular chicks (like RIR) with your LF hens?

Here is what I do when I want to integrate and it works good for me.
If they are roughly the same size, I put them in the same pen together and separate the two flocks so they can see each other, but not get to each other. I do this for a while, but do not have a set time. I just watch them to see when they are ready. When I feel like they are adjusting to each other, I will move the divider over some so chickens can wander back and forth and visit, but still get away from each other. When everyone seems to be used to each other and behaving nicely, I take the divider out.
If the chicks are younger than the first flock, I still use the divider and do the same thing. When I move the divider out a bit, I make sure only the younger, smaller guys can get around the divider and they go out and visit with the older ones, but the older chickens CANNOT get into the younger chickens' side. After awhile of the little ones coming into their area, the big guys are fine with it.
I have only done this with juveniles. My juvies are now one flock and they are maturing so I won't add any more birds to that flock until my little ones are closer to maturity as the older ones will try to mate the younger ones and hurt them....at least this is my experience. I don't know about everyone else.
My RIRs will not get integrated until the young ones are the same size as the Lucys. The Lucys are sweet and all, but I do believe they will attack something younger. I just would not trust those guys. Silkies have a way different personality.
That being said, I may not have to integrate the Lucys as I am giving my in-laws some hens and I do not think I am going to put a new roo in with my established roo. We just put down one aggressive roo that took out AJ's eye and I don't want AJ to have to go through anything like that again. I am thinking about taking the roos to the processing plant and see how I like that. I don't think I am as brave as you to process them at home....we will see.
Now, just to throw something else in the mix.....I just put two flocks of babies together yesterday in the barn. They are about a month apart. No one was in this pen before and I put everyone in it yesterday and they didn't care a bit. It was too overwhelming being in a big new scary place and then too much fun to scratch around in the bedding. They are my RIR chicks, bantam Ameraucanas and silkies. The Reds have been living with the Ameraucanas and silkies and are very used to being with them. I made sure there is enough food and water in different areas so no one will be too scared to get to the food/water containers and am just watching them closely. There is also a roost there as most everyone in that pen likes to roost so that also is keeping everyone entertained. So sometimes moving everyone to a new pen where there is no territory established can help. You wouldn't have to keep them in that new pen for long, just so they don't care about each other. You might even try it in an outdoor pen during the day.....start them in the morning and see how they do and then put them up together early that night and watch them and then get up early the next morning to make sure they don't start fighting as soon as the sun comes up.
As you can see, there are a lot of ways to do it. I have never had a problem putting any of the babies together yet.
Also, to distract them, you can throw out some yummy treats...anything that you have leftovers of that you think they might like. I always have lots of eggs from the Lucys so I put scrambled eggs out and then they are busy running after the food to care who is around there too.
Wwweeehhhh...I hope I didn't wear you out with that post!

How are your Trader Joe babies doing? How is Buffy taking to motherhood today

 

[Ryan Moorefield]

There is a part of me that wants to say I am shocked, but it is a crazy world in which we live in these days! I'm glad you got some more to hatch. What breed/s did you get? How are the duck eggs coming along!

Well I am getting a bunch of breeds and I won't know until I know they hatch so I will let you know then. My duck eggs hatch Friday and I am taking them to sell.

 

[wholewheatchicken]

Well I am getting a bunch of breeds and I won't know until I know they hatch so I will let you know then. My duck eggs hatch Friday and I am taking them to sell.

Please keep me posted on the ducks eggs! Ducklings are so adorable. You are going to be having fun!!!!!!

 

[Ryan Moorefield]

Please keep me posted on the ducks eggs! Ducklings are so adorable. You are going to be having fun!!!!!!

How long does it usually take them to hatch and should I worry that none pipped today? They are supposed to hatch today or maybe I am off by a day.

 

[wholewheatchicken]

How long does it usually take them to hatch and should I worry that none pipped today? They are supposed to hatch today or maybe I am off by a day.

I haven't been on much this weekend and missed your post. Did they hatch????

 

[Ryan Moorefield]

I haven't been on much this weekend and missed your post. Did they hatch????

I think I was off by a couple days so we will see later in the week. I am expecting Tuesday or Thursday. Do you have any advice? Also a bit of good news I found out that our FFA chapter has 3 incubators so I will be on a hatching frenzy for about 3 months wish me luck.

 

[wholewheatchicken]

I think I was off by a couple days so we will see later in the week. I am expecting Tuesday or Thursday. Do you have any advice? Also a bit of good news I found out that our FFA chapter has 3 incubators so I will be on a hatching frenzy for about 3 months wish me luck.

Sorry, I have none!!!! I have never incubated a duck egg. I am excited for you though!
Three incubators????? You are going to be on a hatching frenzy. I was thinking you will be showing some this summer? What fun you are going to have.
Did you ever come up with an idea who stole your chicks?
I have some to go into lockdown this week. I am really hoping the MF d'uccles hatch! Then right after that I have some buff silkies. I have porcelain silkie eggs to arrive in a few days and I have some blue/black MF d'uccle eggs and Serama eggs to set and I want to put in some of my silkie eggs and cochin eggs! Hoping to have a brooder full of cuties soon myself, LOL!
I hope someone with duckling experience comes along soon to help you.....or you can go over to the duck section of BYC. They are extremely helpful over there.

 

[Ryan Moorefield]

Sorry, I have none!!!! I have never incubated a duck egg. I am excited for you though!
Three incubators????? You are going to be on a hatching frenzy. I was thinking you will be showing some this summer? What fun you are going to have.
Did you ever come up with an idea who stole your chicks?
I have some to go into lockdown this week. I am really hoping the MF d'uccles hatch! Then right after that I have some buff silkies. I have porcelain silkie eggs to arrive in a few days and I have some blue/black MF d'uccle eggs and Serama eggs to set and I want to put in some of my silkie eggs and cochin eggs! Hoping to have a brooder full of cuties soon myself, LOL!
I hope someone with duckling experience comes along soon to help you.....or you can go over to the duck section of BYC. They are extremely helpful over there.

Thanks for the information, I checked the duck eggs today to see if they were okay and I saw them move

. I think that is really cool to see them move and I am expecting them tomorrow or Thursday. I getting some silkie eggs soon to incubate. Do bantams take just as long as chickens.

 

[wholewheatchicken]

Thanks for the information, I checked the duck eggs today to see if they were okay and I saw them move

. I think that is really cool to see them move and I am expecting them tomorrow or Thursday. I getting some silkie eggs soon to incubate. Do bantams take just as long as chickens.

Bantams are pretty much like regular chicken eggs and take 21 days. I did set some Serama eggs yesterday and I read they can be anywhere between 19 and 21 days. Same humidity...same everything else....
Cool seeing the duck eggs move....here's to hoping you have an awesome hatch!!! I would love to see pictures of your ducklings.....ducklings are the most adorable little things!