The Dorking Breeders thread

[MacCana]

I need help guys. Not sure if ya'll will appreciate a post like this here, but I have *got* to ask people who I know have experience before I freak out to the point of spontaneously combusting...I have 15 SG eggs on day 21 (due to begin hatching tonight) in my bator. It's a really amazing incubator, & has held a 67% humidity since lockdown started. I dry hatch, until lockdown bc my environment naturally makes my indoor humidity between 40-44%. I get home from working 8 hours to find the humidity has dipped to 48%. It must've decided to run out of water while I was gone I corrected it & now it's back up to 69%, but now I'm worried damage has already been done & the chicks will not be able to break through the membrane & will suffocate. Am I being too paranoid, or are my concerns founded? If there's anything to be done, what can I do?
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ki4got]

I need help guys. Not sure if ya'll will appreciate a post like this here, but I have *got* to ask people who I know have experience before I freak out to the point of spontaneously combusting...I have 15 SG eggs on day 21 (due to begin hatching tonight) in my bator. It's a really amazing incubator, & has held a 67% humidity since lockdown started. I dry hatch, until lockdown bc my environment naturally makes my indoor humidity between 40-44%. I get home from working 8 hours to find the humidity has dipped to 48%. It must've decided to run out of water while I was gone I corrected it & now it's back up to 69%, but now I'm worried damage has already been done & the chicks will not be able to break through the membrane & will suffocate. Am I being too paranoid, or are my concerns founded? If there's anything to be done, what can I do?
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been dry hatching all my Dorkings, with just ambient humidity (rained all last week so it was UP there!) hatched 12/12 at about 35% humidity with 0 problems. I also dry incubate between 5-15% generally.

 

[kimberly35042]

MacCana, sorry for your mutt dorkings. How frustrating. I wouldn't cull down to just one of those cockerels. I'd save both of them and if they are equal, use both. Extra cockerels are not a bad thing.

I do not know what quality Dick Horstmann's SGs have. I can tell you that his Reds that I got from him this spring are really pretty good. I think I'm going to have several to choose from when I set up my pens. I do not know if he ships eggs. I can't recommend shipped eggs. Better to put the money into chicks. Dick will ship as few as 15, if money is an issue. Get on his list for early spring shipment.

My Reds really are developing nicely. I'm not going to get the size out of them that I might have. I didn't get them separated soon enough. A few elk flattened my pens. That's what happens when you think you're going to calmly move them out of the area they've gotten themselves into. You build a nice sturdy structure and then find out its not elk proof. So it goes. I got some of them moved, but not all of them. The rest are moving in the next week.

Jennifer

Jennifer, I'm not sure if I remembered to tell you but when I spoke with Rudy earlier this summer, he had shipped Mr. Horstman 4 red Dorking cocks early this year as he was having a problem of some sort with his pens. I don't remember what it was. So the one chick you coaxed into hatching is at least partially related to your Horstman birds. How old are they now? Still looking good?

 

[LindaB220]

Ive loved my silver grey dorking flock of 4 roosters and about 25 hens, but Im looking to add a bit of color to my flock - does anyone have any colored dorkings for sale or can refer me to someone that may have birds other than the silver? Im located in TExas - also, how is everyone marketing their birds?

I've got SG Dorking eggs coming on the 25th. So excited. Where in TX? I'm in NW La out of Shreveport. I wondered about the heat affecting the dorkings. So you've had no trouble? I'd be interested in hearing about the marketing also.

 

[LindaB220]

I've been dry hatching all my Dorkings, with just ambient humidity (rained all last week so it was UP there!) hatched 12/12 at about 35% humidity with 0 problems. I also dry incubate between 5-15% generally.

I am so glad to see this. I've been dry hatching for a couple of months. New to this. Normally is stays between 25-38%. I keep both vents open and add water daily. At lockdown I tried to keep it 45-50% Am I doing this correct? I just want to make sure before my dorkings arrive in a couple of days.

 

[ki4got]

Quote: it would depend on what's working for you. I'm not adding ANY water to the incubator or hatcher. this only seems to be working for the Dorkings though, my cochins and sfh do like a bit more humidity at hatch.

 

[MacCana]

I need help guys. I've got a sickness in my flock that has already resulted in me having to cull all of my young stock. I can't find anyone knowledgeable to help me.

 

[MacCana]

^^^ Realizing the last time I was on here I started out with the same sentence & in a predicament....I really should expand my vocabulary.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Describe the problem.

 

[MacCana]

I'm dealing with a resp. disease that symptoms include wet nose, sneezing, lethargy, loss of apetite, and swollen sinus down near the corner of the eye closest to the beak. I only allowed one chick to progress this far. I just culled everything in my chick pen (except a bby guinea) yesterday. They were cooped seperate from the adults, but the adults free ranged, and since I moved the chick pen daily, they could have been exposed to some pathogens/germs. I'm keeping an eye on everyone, but had to pull a rooster earlier today bc he had a wet nose. Right now, all I'm trying to do is guess what I'm dealing with & whether or not our guineas & turkey are at risk.
This has been a hard lesson learned on bringing in outside birds. I had to cull 5 SG pullets that were my spring prospects. I don't care to do the right thing, and I am sending the rooster I pulled out today off for a necropsy tomorrow as well as some poo sample to see if my adults are infected.
Are these diseases transmittable across species to turkey & guineas? I'll be absolutely sick if I lose my lavender breeding pair.
Any thoughts on what I am dealing with here are appreciated.