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

[WVduckchick]

Sign of higher intelligence

My hubby is a lefty too. We know how smart he is... He married me!

 

[silkiecuddles]

Sign of higher intelligence

What a coincidence! I'm a lefty as well, no joke!

 

[silkiecuddles]

My hubby is a lefty too. We know how smart he is... He married me!

 

[WVduckchick]

Hey, what are you laughing at?

 

[RubyNala97]

It's funny you mention Alaskan. I just asked him about it on the black copper thread

blackbirds just said the same about dry incubation. I just can't do it. Amy would never let me hear the end of it
Might as well candle every day...
And assist....
Maybe we should do parades at 50% for BCM

I'm probably going to do it. It's all trial and error for me. I'm setting again tomorrow or Thursday. Right now, dry, my Octagon runs around 28%. You think that's worth a shot?

I haven't finished catching up yet, so forgive me if it's been said, but after reading the post about BCMs not loosing moisture as easily and seeing the size of your giant chicks (lol), is it possible that air cells were too small and therefore the chicks grew so big? Honestly, I know I have the mini but I can't do 40-45% without getting sticky chicks. Best was 30-35% for me. Just a thought. Back to reading

 

[silkiecuddles]

Hey, what are you laughing at?

The way you worded it. Smart man indeed, to marry you

 

[sideWing]

14 total hatched, but two culls. I will give the gory details when I get to the big computer. No more pips in the remaining eggs, so I don't expect anything. Will totally shut down tonight. This is one of my worst hatches in a while. I will do the eggtopsies tonight. I don't know if it is something I did, the eggs were too small, or if it is just harder to hatch the BCM

I have heard over and over that BCM are hard to hatch. Sounds like you've had a good outcome.

I'm a big guy with a strong arm. There's a large oak tree in the back yard...

Also, what would be the best thing to read on BYC on how to process a single chicken? Like if there's a spare rooster in the yard that you want for Sunday dinner.

This guide is amazing.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-eviscerating-cutting-up-your-chicken-graphic

It will happen. If you keep hatching, it will happen eventually.
The other thing I found out this year is if you are breeding a lot, you'd better have a plan for the roosters. I wish they would hatch in the proportion we need them to, 15 hens for every rooster

Man that would be sweet.

My luck is 15 roosters for every hen, lol...
I used that thread for my own... just butchered out a Sulmtaler... have more Meatballs growing up too...

Me and two other buddies have 77 meatballs growing up right now. The last 5 were delicious and inexpensive.


Did your friend ever comment on the Self Blue genetics question I posted?

I'm probably going to do it. It's all trial and error for me. I'm setting again tomorrow or Thursday. Right now, dry, my Octagon runs around 28%. You think that's worth a shot?

I have heard of folks lightly sanding off the dark brown on the BCM eggs and getting a better hatch rate. It makes sense if you think about it. The dark on the shell is a paintjob not the actual shell. In EEs the blue is egg shell and not paint. A paint job will fill in the porous shell and cut of the oxygen. My guess is that you have a bunch of almost full grown chicks DIS that ran out of oxygen when they started using more oxygen in their late stage. Since you don't have to pay for the eggs I would try washing a batch just before I put them in the bator. Just lightly with luke warm water until the color comes off.

 

[Poka Doodle]

GOOD MORNING ALL!!!

 

[WVduckchick]

The way you worded it. Smart man indeed, to marry you

Well thank you! I almost smacked you, thinking you were disagreeing with me! Heehee

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Hi there everyone. I am fairly new to BYC and raising our first flock. We have 8 pullets that half are just starting to lay eggs and 7 ducks, 3 hens (all are laying) & 4 drakes. We got them as day old babies hatched 5/2/15. I want to hatch some duck eggs before it starts getting cold here in Northern Michigan. I recently stopped collecting eggs in hopes they would be sat on. But that hasn't happened yet. There are now 20 eggs in the nesting box and no one seems to have any interest in sitting on. So should I go buy an incubator or continue to wait? Decisions, decisions and I dont know what to do. I dont want the eggs to go bad.

Welcome to the page and the thread!! I'd go with an incubator.

14 total hatched, but two culls. I will give the gory details when I get to the big computer. No more pips in the remaining eggs, so I don't expect anything. Will totally shut down tonight. This is one of my worst hatches in a while. I will do the eggtopsies tonight. I don't know if it is something I did, the eggs were too small, or if it is just harder to hatch the BCM

Send some up here and I'll show you how to do it....lol You can even have the babies back...lol I want to hatch!! lol

ok. I get the picture. Someone was saying scissors. That just seems

to me.

Scissors is the most common one that I have found in my research for hatchlings with "wringing" their neck being the second.

Amy will be in tears this morning...

Not quite. I can handle the topic. I don't know if I could ever do it myself. I guess if I had a real deformed suffering one I could. Other than that I see myself calling for help. Sick dying chicks and culling is understable. Killing a chick/bird because it doesn't meet some man made standard is what will get me. If I had to do it/when I have to...yes, I will be blatting like a baby.

Maybe we should do parades at 50% for BCM

Can we????? I think we should. Hey if they are that hard to hatch.......

I can just hear Amy now. "sc's running dry

. See, I told you

. Have you read my blog?

"

Not true!!!

you're a lefty?

That was my reaction...lol

Yup, that's us too! Dry hatch all summer, I add a little water in winter...

I wet a sponge in the winter and it keeps it right at that 30% that I shoot for.

My hubby is a lefty too. We know how smart he is... He married me!