The 6th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[vandamma72]

10 chicks total! Will have to upload some better pictures when my internet is faster. @bamadude

 

[coop410silkies]

I was thinking that given the genders are set in the creation of the female chick, then perhaps the gender bias could be determined by the parents of said chick.
so the manipulation would have to be done before the egg carrier. that would mean a bi-generational jump. in other words you manipulate the breeding pair to create the gender bias chick which then gives birth to the larger number of roosters (seeing as they are more popular). would be an interesting experiment. I guess you would have to also use a rooster that was the product of the same experimental factors else the next generation could revert to random again.
I know I could also be talking a lot of chicken poop too, however there must be some way to predispose one way or the other.
in any case, what is the evolutionary benefit to having so many cockerels? if the mating group is best at 4-1 then why are they not produced at that ratio?
this is not rhetorical, i'd be interested to hear theories if anyone has any?

Well, I was hoping to create more hens - you know, for eggs. You make a good case for growing out your chicks and keeping records of the sexes hatched.

 

[coop410silkies]

21 chicks from 22 eggs. 18 were cockerels so we fed them to the snakes. Hopefully we'll get three decent laying hens.

You are kidding?!

 

[guatemalamom]

We had 30 hatch, but 3 died shortly after...not sure why....The rest are doing great!

 

[prizepete]

Thanks, I think he is walking better if he isn't better by tomorrow i will try to do stuff with it

 

[efamily215]

Happy to report we hatched 9 out or 9 fertilized eggs. We set 12, found out through candling that 3 were unfertilized. Either way, the number of hatchlings is 9.

We wanted golden comets, but NatureBerryFarms, where we picked up the fertilized eggs (if you're in or around Rochester, NY, I recommend them highly - they are extremely knowledgeable and friendly, and are glad to take the cockerels back after your hatch).

Continuing with my story, we wanted Golden Comets, but when we arrived, Mr. NBF didn't have any, so he sold us 12 Black Queen eggs instead for half-price, and told us if they hatch all black, they're pullets, if have a white spot on top, they're cockerels.

My kids almost wanted to turn around and go back home, they were so sad we weren't getting the red sex links we hatched last year.

Making a long story even longer, Mr. NBF also said 'if by chance any golden comets hatch, you can tell the boys from the girls because the pullets will have many colors, and the cockerels will be all one color. With a little wink and a nod, we were so hopeful that he snuck one or two Golden Comets in.

Happy news - we hatched 7 blacks and 2 yellows, with the girl count at 4 black pullets and at least 1 yellow pullet. Yay!!!

Next to convert the kids old play house to a coop - if anyone has good plans for the conversion, we're open to ideas.

Very exciting!!!

BTW, for Rochesterians interested, you can apply for a permit to keep up to 30 hens (no roosters), using the same form you would use to apply for a Junkyard, Pawnbroker, or Scrap Processor permit. One might think the Animal and Poultry license application would have more in common with a dog license application, but there's no accounting for government bureaucratic logic!


Can anyone with an educated eye tell me if the golden comet taking a drink is a pullet? We are so hoping it is. We've named her Skye Penderwick, after a character in one of our favorite book series.

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

Febreeze discovered he is photogenic

He has mastered the handsome goose look. He is sitting on Tide, who only hatched this morning, and therefore has not realized the power of the cute goose face yet...

 

[efamily215]

Say it isn't so!!

 

[capper2013]

Well, I was hoping to create more hens - you know, for eggs. You make a good case for growing out your chicks and keeping records of the sexes hatched.

ah right, that's why we breed chickens... more eggs = more chickens. I can be a right numpty at times, I thought it was about growing the pretty ones =8-D.
I like the idea of record keeping for each hen progeny. I feel an experiment on the way...

 

[Nomibear]

Final count!
41 set.
18 at lockdown.
9 hatched.
7 lived.