The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[LFchixranch]

To Chickeneer and Razadia..

So, would it be safe to assume I could keep all roo's for around 16 or so weeks with out having to give them up just yet? If we do end up keeping one, I want to pick the best roo of the bunch. What would happen if I kept a silkie roo and a rir roo? Would the RIR possibly kill the silkie roo?
I really don't think we will keep any roos, but I'm honest with myself and animals can REALLY pull at my heart strings not only that but david wants to keep a RIR roo, and I told him I just don't know yet. I assume we will end up with roos of both breeds if enough hatch.

Is anyone else a little weirded out about eating fertile eggs? lol

I have 42 chickens, 12 Roo's all raised together all LF. They are 19 wks old today. For the most part they all behave well together, I get the normal spats of setting pecking order but no blood drawn. My EE Roo's just started to do the dance this week, the RIR and BR's are just hit and run types, no show, and not very gentle on the girls. They along with my sex link rooster all win free trips to Kenmore camp. My Cochin, DC, SLW, and BO Roo's show no interest yet but I have at least one hen for each. Eventually they will end up in their own tractors.

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Razadiya::
Originally Posted by mstricer

Happy Spring
We should have informed the weather gods that today I'd the first day of spring. Woke up to 29* again this morning. AHHHHHHH
Yesterday HAD to have been the first day of spring here. The termites came out of the porch.

 

[TheH Klan of 10]

Morning all!!!!!

Ok yay it is now spring lol
We have a winter storm watch for tomorrow
And Sunday !!! What's up with that!!

Happy First day of Spring everyone!  Today is hatch day for me and I can hardly stand it!  There are rocking eggs, chirping eggs and one pip!  New life, a great way to start the Spring!

Yay!!!! I couldn't get anything done for 2 days while mine hatched!!

I guess it's not for everyone. I had 2 chicks like that. It was a great learning experience for me. Now I know that the humidity was too high at the end of hatch. For this hatch I can adjust the humidity at lockdown for a better hatch rate. To see the ones that fail, can help us determine ways to keep future chicks from the same fate sometimes. Just my 2 cents.

My last and very first hatch I had 10 eggs that didn't hatch but were alive b4 lockdown and I opened them .... It's not fun but I don't want to keep loosing chicks that late and I when I opened them they had drowned cause the humidity got way too high during the hatch
This next hatch I will be able to do things to try and keep it down.

To Chickeneer and Razadia..

So, would it be safe to assume I could keep all roo's for around 16 or so weeks with out having to give them up just yet? If we do end up keeping one, I want to pick the best roo of the bunch. What would happen if I kept a silkie roo and a rir roo? Would the RIR possibly kill the silkie roo?
I really don't think we will keep any roos, but I'm honest with myself and animals can REALLY pull at my heart strings not only that but david wants to keep a RIR roo, and I told him I just don't know yet. I assume we will end up with roos of both breeds if enough hatch.

Is anyone else a little weirded out about eating fertile eggs? lol

It don't bother me to eat a fertile egg ... I have a friend that sells eggs and she won't keep any Roos cause she doesn't want fertile eggs
Cause they eat them .... I guess it just depends on the person.

 

[chicken pickin]

Fertile eggs dont bother me either, my family eats them even the kids who know they could be babies but only if they go in the incubator. Otherwise we see the eggs as just regular eggs that taste the same with the potential of becoming a baby if we decide. When collecting the eggs my kids ask where to put them, because they can go 2 ways, to the fridge or stored for hatching.

But I do understand why some people are put off. Before I had chickens the idea of fertilized eggs grossed me out too lol

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Quote:
What would be the % humidity that you would try for this hatch? What was the rate for the one that was too high?
Newbies will benefit from this info.

 

[LFchixranch]

Well I just candled again, yes I know I wasn't suppose to but hey its my first hatch and the 4 chicken eggs I got from my neighbor were the day after she lost half her flock to a preditor. All look good, movement in some, veining in all. My sole duck egg being very active. What are the chances of a mallard duck adopting this chick after the hatch? We have 3 females running around, this is the first of their eggs ever.

 

[gryeyes]

I think people are far too quick to toss eggs. What might be a blood ring could also be veining. And if any veining is visible the chick is still developing. The fact of matter is if the egg doesn't smell then there is no need to toss it. The fear of eggs exploding is real but very much overwrought for few occurances. Again, you can smell a bacteria filling egg long before it explodes.

. What Egghead_Jr said.

 

[Shellz]

What would be the % humidity that you would try for this hatch? What was the rate for the one that was too high?
 Newbies will benefit from this info.

I think it differs in every region. You just have to be very observant & take notes. What I observed with mine, humidity was at 70% at start of hatch. 2 chicks hatched fast & furious! Humidity will naturally increase at this point no matter where you are. Once humidity reached 72%, the other chicks hatched out much slower, & 2 didn't hatch at all once humidity reached 75%. From what I observed, I will now make sure my humidity reads between 60-65% at lockdown. Conditions here are similar from first hatch of mine, so I can't foresee any other adjustments to be made.

 

[mstricer]

To Chickeneer and Razadia..

I agree with this. Although, I do raise American Game and I have 2 cages with one hen and roo in each, but the roos are still very young. One is a breeding project and the other is basically quarantine. The big game pen has 8 hens to one roo. RIR pen is 4 hens to one roo. I haven't had a problem with over breeding and I have some pretty darn good roos. They treat their girls right. Yep, I don't throw anything out if I can't tell whats going on and they don't stink. Yesterday HAD to have been the first day of spring here. The termites came out of the porch.

So, would it be safe to assume I could keep all roo's for around 16 or so weeks with out having to give them up just yet? If we do end up keeping one, I want to pick the best roo of the bunch. What would happen if I kept a silkie roo and a rir roo? Would the RIR possibly kill the silkie roo? I really don't think we will keep any roos, but I'm honest with myself and animals can REALLY pull at my heart strings not only that but david wants to keep a RIR roo, and I told him I just don't know yet. I assume we will end up with roos of both breeds if enough hatch. Is anyone else a little weirded out about eating fertile eggs? lol

No there is nothing wrong with them. Added protein. Lol

 

[Caitlin_VT]

My two newest additions, to tide me over until the eggs start hatching