SOOOO I have a big ol greyhound dane mix dog who is so amazing with my chickens he truely loves them and even watches over the baby chicks they hop all over him. He just LOST IT looking out into my backyard, I look out to find out what he as freaking out about and I see a Bobcat come out from where my chicken coop is. I DONT DARE TO GO LOOK. Kaysen (the dog) is still barking and hubby is asleep, I may go wake him and make him go look.
I already lost 1 flock I dont know if my heart could take another whole flock gone. I wish my rooster would just crow or something to let me know they are ok...
So, adding water to the incubator today, day 20, and i hear a peep. So i'm thinkin ok they will probably get started this evening and hatch sometime tomorrow. Wrong, come back from putting my girl on the bus and i have a pip, check humidity an hour later and 2 more pips. I'm thinkin she'll get to watch them hatch when she gets home from school.
ALL CHICKENS ALIVE AND ACCOUNTED FOR THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!
After we lost our last flock we tried very hard to make sure NOTHING could get into the coop at night. Apparently we did good. There were scratch and deep claw marks on the outside of the door and under a window, but we had put chicken wire over all of the windows and around the door frame so nothing could dig the door frame open. We also reinforced the door with a lock at the top bottom and a latch in the middle. I think all that work finally paid off.
I had a prayer answered this morning, THAT WAS SO STRESSFUL
You are welcome to join us, but we can only count your eggs in the total set if they are set within +/- 2 days from the set days. See post #1 for the set dates for each type of fowl.
I set: 34 eggs including a cracked, frozen egg AND the one I dropped
(just to see...lol!) 22 eggs made it to lockdown, all showed quality movement at 18 days. 13 chicks hatched, two I put down this morning.
- One Silky chick, wry neck with no response to care (and yes the SAME darn line as the rooster)
- One white chick, who zipped most of the way then made no progress. I did finally assist, but the chick never stood up and didn't respond to care. 11 viable chicks to date!!
*Please note that between this week and last week alone I was gone 4 days where the eggs were only turned in the morning...and not turned again until the wee hours of the next day. (I turn the eggs manually)
Of the eggs that dropped out...there were no discernable connection between ages of the egg; dates at the beginning of gather and days closest to set were affected. One egg was still alive this morning, but was in a gooey mess and the chick would have had issues with curved, stiff legs. It would not have been viable so I called it.
I had a higher than normal percentage of malpresentations; breach being the most common. A few of the early chicks pipped and zipped despite being breach. A few of the eggs that were left and did not make it were breach and one was malpresented in the way the chick had it's wing/head/legs.
This chick popped out a full day before being due and before any other chick.
I was shocked when I stopped to check and he was bootin' around in the 'bator.
I was also shocked when black chicks started showing up...lol.
('cause you all know how much I LOVE black!!)
The blackest chick is out of a green/olive egg, so it would be from the one black hen we have.
A quick look back confirmed I had "Mr. Rock" in with the girls for two days in January.
I guess he works.
And works well....
My valentine's day present were these last week...
We were only an hour away from a lady who breeds heritage poultry when we went for hubby's knee last week. So I managed to connect with her that day on super short notice...and bought these two cartons of eggs.
I specifically picked her because of her biosecurity measures. And, well, I took in 4 purebred Silkie roosters last fall from a wonderful lady who couldn't keep roosters. These roosters are from this breeder. I've been very happy with these roosters.
Top carton is 5 eggs from her hybrid olive egger (based from her Isbars I believe) and 7 Vorwerk
Bottom carton are a mix of Sussex, Australorp, Red Cuckoo, Icelandic, Bantam Cochins, a Bantam Wyandotte and a red Jungle fowl.
I'm SO excited!!
They travelled well on the way home, they've rested, air cells look good...and I'm hoping to get them in by tonight once I disinfect the incubator.
Only thing now is...the bator will have these eggs in when it's time to set for the HAL.
Make another bator??? I have the parts. I haven't decided yet what I'm doing.
I have 80 of my own eggs on deck after I set the two dozen purchased.
I would like to participate but want to know if I can set ends the Friday or Thursday March 3rd or 4th. I am a teacher and would like the eggs to hatch during the school week.
I successfully hatched chickens in my class last year, I think this may be a fun contest for my class to be a part of.
ALL CHICKENS ALIVE AND ACCOUNTED FOR THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!
After we lost our last flock we tried very hard to make sure NOTHING could get into the coop at night. Apparently we did good. There were scratch and deep claw marks on the outside of the door and under a window, but we had put chicken wire over all of the windows and around the door frame so nothing could dig the door frame open. We also reinforced the door with a lock at the top bottom and a latch in the middle. I think all that work finally paid off.
I had a prayer answered this morning, THAT WAS SO STRESSFUL
ALL CHICKENS ALIVE AND ACCOUNTED FOR THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!
After we lost our last flock we tried very hard to make sure NOTHING could get into the coop at night. Apparently we did good. There were scratch and deep claw marks on the outside of the door and under a window, but we had put chicken wire over all of the windows and around the door frame so nothing could dig the door frame open. We also reinforced the door with a lock at the top bottom and a latch in the middle. I think all that work finally paid off.
I had a prayer answered this morning, THAT WAS SO STRESSFUL
Oh and are the "small" eggs at the market from bantams or just weirdly small eggs from leghorns? I am looking to hatch some market eggs and i think it would be cool to have some bantams too.
I already lost 1 flock I dont know if my heart could take another whole flock gone. I wish my rooster would just crow or something to let me know they are ok...
