Silkies tag-teaming the 2 batches of eggs.

[electrycmonk]

I'll play.
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Best wishes.

PS - butcher cockerels at first crow. Check them for pin feathers first. Else skin them and make gumbo.

1. let nature take it's course. The hens will leave the nest when they decide to with any hatched chicks.
--- that's the hope.
2. Mark all eggs and remove any new ones to prevent stretching this out.
--- I did that and will edit/add writting tomorrow on eggs for seperation
3. Do you like balut?
--- I'm not sure as I have not partaken yet.
4. Wait until you see draw down starting. Segregate the drawing down eggs from the not yet eggs. Use 2 dog crates. Not sure if they should be close or across the yard from each other to prevent confusion. Out of sight feels right.
--- Tomorrow about noon I'll be:
4A) setting up the other crate
4B) sorting the eggs for "not yet" & "move now"
4c) I can only put in cardboard vision restriction walls inside the crates in the Coop
5. Pull all eggs. Put in incubator and wait. introduce hatched chicks as they dry.
--- not an option as we have none.

Yes, I'll admit to being nutz. But, I'm not ready to be the cranial seperation expert as we have not prep'd for that stage yet, honestly I'm not ready to be there yet either. (VA therapy)

 

[electrycmonk]

Butcher the silkie cockerels at first crow for what? Cup'o'soup? A time sink? I'd rather buy canned chicken from walmart for the time that takes. Silkie roosters are so tame together.

Just make sure if you get frizzles they don't mate with other frizzles or else you can get frazzles(these die) it is about a 25% expression based on my rememberberry.

So a little rooster back story. We started with 1st round of 10+ hatchlings, then a couple weeks later we got a second round of 7+ hatchlings, and then about 2-3wks later my Better-half got 3 more hatchlings (2 white silkies & a Polish). These three groups stayed in their seperate dog crates and yet all were visible to each other all along.

Of the silkies, one Cockerels & 1 hen. The Polish was a cockerel. The Polish started to boss the silkies around and so I created a seperate crate for the Polish to chill out in while finishing the coop.

It seems the silkie cockerel has copied the other roos mean habits. Mean while the Polish too has chilled out. I hope the silkie roo chills out soon.

 

[electrycmonk]

In the five photos, the last three eggs in your 5 photos are closer to hatch than the first two.
Give one hen the 8 to 10 day eggs.
Give one hen the more solid filled eggs like the last three examples. They look to be ready for lockdown.
Give one hen the eggs that are active like the 1st and 2nd. These look to be 15 to 18 days in development.

I am heavily leaning this direction..... See my previous posted reply..... Gawd I have a busy day tomorrow.....

 

[AllenK RGV]

BTW @electrycmonk I love your signature. That is also my favorite book to reread and still highly relevant, but unrelated to your query. Coyote woke me up this night so the girls are all out on patrol and not taking any guff from a pack of mini-me doggies.

 

[aart]

Sorry, just saw this......tho I have no input.
Best of cLuck!

 

[electrycmonk]

@FortCluck here's your tag-in!

 

[FortCluck]

@FortCluck here's your tag-in!

I don’t know what to tell you because I have two chickens doing the same thing. I’m just going to leave them. If they start fighting I’ll pull the chicks. I’m only on a week so far. Whatever eggs have movement but don’t hatch I’m pulling and putting in the bator.

 

[electrycmonk]

I don’t know what to tell you because I have two chickens doing the same thing. I’m just going to leave them. If they start fighting I’ll pull the chicks. I’m only on a week so far. Whatever eggs have movement but don’t hatch I’m pulling and putting in the bator.

How much was your 'bator? Model info? I really don't want to do the knee-jerk reaction and just grab one without a valid educated reference point.....

 

[FortCluck]

How much was your 'bator? Model info? I really don't want to do the knee-jerk reaction and just grab one without a valid educated reference point.....

I have the farm innovator 4250 and it was $130 but I had a coupon for 10% off so it came out to 120 and some change.

I actually have 2 now because I liked it so much.

 

[FortCluck]

I’m hoping mine don’t fight because they are used to chicks in the run. I add all my chicks by 3 weeks in the spring till fall. They always care for them without going mental.