She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[NTBugtraq]

Run space. (Not coop space.) Even though they don't free range, they need room to dust bathe, run around, get away from the bullies, practice flying, preen, stretch, sunbathe, scratch in the dirt, etc.


I now have 9 chickens in a 400 square foot run, and I wish I had more space for them! I can't free-range either or they would be coyote food.

I don't know how you tell you have to little space, any thoughts on that would be appreciated. I was in the run today to feed them, and there were many dust bathing. I didn't see anyone doing stuff I would consider weird, but maybe I should be looking for other actions??

 

[NTBugtraq]

Essie, pretend we are in that uber maran thread and you're going to give me a thorough critique...pls, help me understand. The best advice I've ever gotten included some form of; "Your an ***!"

 

[FridayYet]

I don't know how you tell you have to little space, any thoughts on that would be appreciated. I was in the run today to feed them, and there were many dust bathing. I didn't see anyone doing stuff I would consider weird, but maybe I should be looking for other actions??

No, if you have 24 chickens in a 208 square foot run, they are probably happy. I'm just saying if you plan on putting 4 times that many in the same space, they won't be. Feather picking, fighting, stress, illness, death can result from overcrowding.

It's not a hard and fast rule, the size and temperament of the birds makes a difference, as does your climate. But in general, the more space per bird, the better.

 

[NTBugtraq]

No, if you have 24 chickens in a 208 square foot run, they are probably happy. I'm just saying if you plan on putting 4 times that many in the same space, they won't be. Feather picking, fighting, stress, illness, death can result from overcrowding.

It's not a hard and fast rule, the size and temperament of the birds makes a difference, as does your climate. But in general, the more space per bird, the better.

Well, that's a given, totally agree. Ok, so thanks, as I grow the main flock I will keep my eye out for those bad actions, thanks.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I think they need to see the little pieces of dry food on a light surface first. (I tapped with my finger so the crumbles would move around a bit.) Mine did, and at first they would only eat off the paper plate until they realized the same stuff was in the feeder. Took about a day, then I took the paper plate out.

Maybe it's because you have wet food???

I have never had a problem with my chicks finding the food themselves and going to town.

Essie Frock/Amy, I got a question about the Brinsea.

So the expected delivery date is next Tuesday. Let's say its ready to put eggs in next Wednesday. I have 2 choices, start 40 anew in the Brinsea, or transfer the 41 from the Styrofoam bater into the Brinsea (they will be on Day 9), and put 41 anew in the Hovabator. I have to try and get the 2 bators in synch, its a long and expensive process for me to get to the meat processing plant and I want to do it with 2 sets at a time, albeit of different ages. I had thought too be taking 2 sets with 4 weeks age difference (say 9 and 13 weeks, or 10 and 14 weeks). I have to make 2 trips, each two-way, 50 miles to process meat birds. It means I might have 50-60 in the brooder at one time...hmmm, I'm rambling now...;-]

I quoted intending to give you my opinion but SC gave you my opinion....lol

All planned already WalnutHill, but thanks for the reconfirmation. I track all egg weights on a jewler's scale (to 0.01 grams), and in fact did my last hatch using a gram scale. Nobody was ridiculous far away from the ideal. But your 15% conflicts a little with Amy's 13/14%, and another person's (Pete55?, Sally Sunshine??) 16%. Isn't it wonderful to have a number that nobody agrees upon, but none of which are wrong...

I never weighed the guys once they were chicks, cause I had no point of reference any more. Every egg is numbered, so unless I take them out as soon as they finish hatchin (and before they dry), I have no way of knowing who was whose original weight.

According to the hatching 101 thread it's 13-14%. I don't weigh. I have neither the desire or mathematical patience to deal with something like that. I keep an eye on my air cells...it's more fun.

There's not much in hatching that anyone agrees on. I think sometimes people make things harder than they need to be. That's why my motto is "find what works for you regardless of how others do it."

I would put the 40 anew in the Brinsea, then you can compare the results directly to what happens in the hovabator

xs 2

I have a question for someone on another thread. Shipped eggs, day 11, I believe, air cell fixed in the pointy end. All have live moving chicks in them. Pic has been posted. What the heck?? I'm at a loss. Anyone have any advice??

Are they candling from the round end down into the egg from where the air cell is?? Or should be??

LOL... This question came up in my house! As long as the egg is not fertile no, it doesn't bother me. Good protein!

Ok, I missed the original question but if it is the argument that giving a chicken egg is cannibalism it's far from right. Unless you are incubating the egg and letting the chick start to develop before you are feeding it to them, the chick is eating what it was eating before it hatched, only not cooked. An unicubated egg does not contain a chicken. And chicks absolutely LOVE boiled or scrambled eggs.

My 3rd and final polish just pipped!!

YAY!!!! Keep em coming!!

 

[WalnutHill]

According to the hatching 101 thread it's 13-14%. I don't weigh. I have neither the desire or mathematical patience to deal with something like that. I keep an eye on my air cells...it's more fun.

There's not much in hatching that anyone agrees on. I think sometimes people make things harder than they need to be. That's why my motto is "find what works for you regardless of how others do it."

Amy, just to be clear and to refresh my memory, that 13-14% is measured at time of lockdown and last candling, right? Another three days in the incubator should yield an additional slight loss, which we can see with drawdown, but with increased humidity it should not be dramatic.

I think total weight loss at time of hatch (shell chips are pretty small, but the chick and shell together should be in the expected range) would show if humidity is dramatically low despite indicated humidity. Maybe I am going a little too far with diagnostics, but that's just me...and it definitely improved my last two hatches.

 

[caesargirl]

You sound very much like me. I just upped my humidity to the upper 50s cause my one out of 4 originals is 2 days from hatch but shall let it fall back into the 40s tomorrow. I candle every other day after 10 days old and set the first 4 on the 22nd then 2 more the 25, 1 the 27, two the 30th and one from the first.  Out of the first 4 two were infertile and one died about 5 days ago, prolly from a spike during a high 90s day that caused the incubator to go up to 104 But for my first independent hatch in my first homemade incubator I think I'm doing great. Grew up with my dads incubators. He started with a decent sized round metal one and then eventually got a big 200 egg chest one. AS this is my trial run I figure any hatches are a bonus. My next try I shall be hopefully doing turkeys and then geese

What are you hatching? ( I didn't read back, too PIA on a phone!) what day are you on and what are you hoping for, humidity wise, on lock down? And, are you in a staggered hatch? I've ne ver incuhatched, and, without trying, managed to make this one heck of a challenging adventure for myself!!!!!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Amy, just to be clear and to refresh my memory, that 13-14% is measured at time of lockdown and last candling, right? Another three days in the incubator should yield an additional slight loss, which we can see with drawdown, but with increased humidity it should not be dramatic.

I think total weight loss at time of hatch (shell chips are pretty small, but the chick and shell together should be in the expected range) would show if humidity is dramatically low despite indicated humidity. Maybe I am going a little too far with diagnostics, but that's just me...and it definitely improved my last two hatches.

Yeah. I'm pretty sure it is. Like I said, I don't weigh..lol I only know what I read...

 

[NTBugtraq]

Amy, just to be clear and to refresh my memory, that 13-14% is measured at time of lockdown and last candling, right? Another three days in the incubator should yield an additional slight loss, which we can see with drawdown, but with increased humidity it should not be dramatic.

I think total weight loss at time of hatch (shell chips are pretty small, but the chick and shell together should be in the expected range) would show if humidity is dramatically low despite indicated humidity. Maybe I am going a little too far with diagnostics, but that's just me...and it definitely improved my last two hatches.

WalnutHill, all I have read is 13-14% at day 21, so there's a known ideal at Day 18.

 

[NTBugtraq]

WalnutHill, all I have read is 13-14% at day 21, so there's a known ideal at Day 18.

And lets be honest, making adjustments during lockdown is hard. That's why I said earlier that having 2 bators at lockdown might be a good idea. Those that are on target go into one, those that are under, another thing. Keeping eggs that haven't lost enough weight at low humidity, assuming no pips, makes sense. Putting all other pips into another bator with high humidity, makes sense.