The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[Arielle]

I started with 4 chickens and now am up to 17 and getting ready to hatch 18 eggs with this hatch along, CHICKENS ARE LIKE POTATO CHIPS YOU CAN'T HAVE JUST ONE!!!!

Sooo true!

 

[Arielle]

I will be setting out my eggs on March 9th in the incubator. My frist time ever hatcing so I hope everything works out ok.

We'll help you!!

Have you read the section with information on hatching? SO you understand the importance of correct temperature, humidity, tracking the air cell, and such???

 

[Arielle]

Can't wait till I get my new bator soon! I feel like a kid on christmas morning! I'll hopefully be hatching 6 Welsummer's, 6 BCM's and 12+ SFH' and a few of my EE's eggs.

Can't wait!!!

You've got that right!!

 

[karimw]

you have 6 vacancies?

Roosters dont count. 36 eggs is a minimum to hatch. you have to factor in hatch rates, cockerels, potential losses to predators. I would hatch 48 just to be sure - I got an A in chicken math.

Too funny!

Morning All!!

Off to a very late start, parent/teacher meeting at 8:05. Good meeting, but don't they understand that some people have chickens?? LOL! Poor babies had to stay penned up late in this unusually nice weather we're having. Funny note, talk turned to chickens (of course) teacher asked if it was too forward of her to stop by one day and have a look. After a looong pause I said "Nope, just make sure you wear crappy shoes". Awww, who else gets to tell company that? Gotta love the chickens!

I'm amazed at how many folks wear white to my farm and want to go tramping around to look at the animals. And mothers who expect their children to stay CLEAN??! Not a chance!

 

[Arielle]

Not a good week for my chickens... More specifically, for Prim and her babies... Last night, my DD found that Prim and her babies had been trapped outside of the whole coop/run. The snow had built up and she was unable to latch the door to the run properly yesterday morning. There was a piece of hardware cloth along the opening of the door to keep predators from getting in through the gap between the door and the frame, but it had gotten torn part-way off (I am assuming by my mini [horse] who insists on shoving his way into the run to see if there is any corn on the ground and mysteriously tore his blanket sometime in the last couple of days). I think Prim got her head caught in the hardware cloth because she has a long cut from the top of her head down the side of her face and is missing a bunch of feathers on her head. She seems to be doing fine, but we brought her and the 5 chicks that were still out in the coop inside to be in the brooder with her 2 chicks that are recovering from foot injuries earlier.

We have been gone until late for the past few days and I hadn't been closely checking the feet of the 2 injured chicks. I had noticed that one of them was moving around more and one seemed to prefer to eat while still resting on the ground. This morning, I picked him up and checked out his feet. This is the chick that Prim saved. My DD calls him Survivor... His feet stink and there is a definite line about 1/2" up the leg from the foot on the right side where above it the leg is yellow, and below it, it is brown/grey. The toes are flat and twisted sideways... I think his feet are dead. The other foot is the same, just not as distinct of a line of demarcation... I am just sick about this. I know I am going to have to put him down.... I am holding off as long as I can, which I know isn't fair to him... It's just another emotional hit that my family did not need right now. I can barely keep myself together this week as it is...

Anyone ever hear of prosthetic feet for chickens??

Never an easy thing to do. I give my boys a chance to say good bye. OFten it is graveside, none the less they can stop by to say good bye. One does, and one doesn't. ((Hugs))

 

[JoyfulPromise]

I found a Guide!







23 to 27 ounce per dozen is 1.9 to 2.25 ounces. A bit above and a bit below will give lower hatch rates.

Once again, large fowl! The eggs should be from a medium large to an Xlarge egg. Jumbos will be harder but Who would not want chickens that lay Jumbo eggs?

Ok yes some would not want eggs that large. I Understand too.

Oh thank you so much! That is JUST what I wanted to know. Hmm, well, I will maybe try a few of the Jumbo Deleware eggs, but try to keep it down closer to the 2.25 oz size if possible. I am also glad to hear the preferred minimum size too, because we have one BCM pullet that I had bought for my sister and she is in with our Ameraucana hens and rooster right now, and I was hoping to possibly try and hatch a few Olive Eggers from her, but though she has been laying pretty decently for February, her eggs are still staying in the Medium range - usually around 1.75 -1.85 oz, with once or twice a 1.90 oz. I am hoping that she will get a little closer to 2 oz for hatching eggs, but we will see.

 

[JoyfulPromise]

Delayed isn't bad, just know that if they don't show up at 21days to give them time. If you want to have more birds that lay these huge eggs, here is you oppourtunity to continue the line. WHere did you get you line, if I might ask??

Hi Arielle, We ordered these Delawares from Cackle Hatchery in Spring of 2011. So they are just hatchery quality, and honestly I haven't really liked their temperaments much. They are beautiful chickens, and seem to lay VERY consistently, but the hens seem to be a good bit more aggressive and bossy toward our other hens and they HATE being picked up or held at all. But they are good size, I think some of the hens are up to 6 lbs and our rooster - Yankee Doodle "Dandy" is close to 8lbs. He too, though, has seemed a bit too aggressive in his "duties" toward the other hens, and we had quite a few barebacks last year despite his being the only rooster in a flock of 24-30 hens! SO, we are planning on probably culling them at the end of this year and we already have a BO rooster ordered to replace Dandy. I am hatching some of their eggs though for a friend of ours who wanted some Delawares for her flock.

Thanks for the tip though, I will be sure to give any Extra Large eggs that I set Extra time to hatch!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Disappointing about the agressiveness. As for the one or two hens with bare backs, these maybe hens that assume the position more often , or are favorites of the rooster. I have a few bare backs too.

 

[mstricer]

HERE IS a great NEW Article written by Marty on BYC! https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/just-the-facts-avain-influenza Very interesting read when she had her NPIP test results!

Very interesting, I just forgot to ask the person I got a rooster from and had it shipped, I was doing some filing and saw my NPIP and said crap I forgot to ask, and low and behold she has no NPIP, he is going to be very lonely until October, unless i can get a test sent to me,
So I can do it myself, and send it in.

 

[CherokeeFlats]

Very interesting, I just forgot to ask the person I got a rooster from and had it shipped, I was doing some filing and saw my NPIP and said crap I forgot to ask, and low and behold she has no NPIP, he is going to be very lonely until October, unless i can get a test sent to me,
So I can do it myself, and send it in.

I looked into getting NPIP for my flock and they dont do it for small hobby farms that only show at fair anymore

Stupid Illinois anyway.