The Great Egg Shipping Experiment!

[LindaB220]

Wowzers! I'm impressed! Honestly I didn't expect you would get a hatch that good when the box apparently had a rough journey before it reached you. I am so happy!

But I think the diet of my breeders might be partly responsible. I mix floating catfish food and alfalfa-based rabbit pellets in with their lay pellets. That gives them meat protein, and the alfalfa gives them tons of great nutrients.

I know the chicks I hatch are very vigorous, and I get reports back of vigorous chicks.

Good going ladycat. I bought catfish food this week. Not sure how much to put in the bucket with the layer feed. I ferment my feed so it's all good. I was thinking 50% layer, 25% scratch and 25% catfish food. Fifteen chicks 11 wks old.
I just got my incubator a couple of weeks ago and put in DMRippy's SBEL's and 9 days later I add 6 Basque and 9 Coronation Sussex. I had a horrible 1st day adjusting my incubator and realized that it had to come in from the super hot storeroom. (even with A/C) it was 100. Spiking all over the place. So far I can't tell what is what. I had one bloodring on the SBEL and they all have nice air pockets. I just can't candle worth a darn. I'm old and the light just won't let me see good. Sometimes I think I see veins, but I don't know. Newbie.
I do have a question though. Should I just leave the SBEL's tilting and not do a lockdown or take out the turner and put in cartons and turn the 2nd batch several times day. Still opening 2-3 times daily. I realize the things I did wrong. But can they be fixed?

 

[Alaskan]

With my staggered hatches I have
1. Stopped turning only after I have seen the first pip (or heard the first internal pip)

2. Then continued turning the rest by hand, as well as I could.

3. NOT upped humidity until after zipping started. And I have been increasing humidity just with a warm wet paper-towel over the first couple of pipped eggs. Usually, once one or two hatch, the chicks drying off raises the humidity quite a bit. Of course, since I have to keep opening the incubator to turn eggs,
I just have a cup of hot water ready to refresh paper towels.

It has been working well I think....

 

[LindaB220]

With my staggered hatches I have
1. Stopped turning only after I have seen the first pip (or heard the first internal pip)

2. Then continued turning the rest by hand, as well as I could.

3. NOT upped humidity until after zipping started. And I have been increasing humidity just with a warm wet paper-towel over the first couple of pipped eggs. Usually, once one or two hatch, the chicks drying off raises the humidity quite a bit. Of course, since I have to keep opening the incubator to turn eggs,
I just have a cup of hot water ready to refresh paper towels.

It has been working well I think....

Thank you so much. I'm so new, I had no idea what to do.

 

[chickadoodles]

Quote: I have been using powdered catfish feed for over a year on my chickens at a rate of only 1-2% it is strong protine at 28-32% if you use to much your chickens heads will turn red from being to hot for them. I use a 32oz. cup and I use 4 scoops of chicken grower finisher feed and a 1/4 scoop of catfish feed. However if I use two full cups of catfish feed in a 5 gal bucket of chicken feed the hens can go thru the molt and still lay eggs the whole time. But that is how I mix mine.

 

[Wisher1000]

Quote: I have been using powdered catfish feed for over a year on my chickens at a rate of only 1-2% it is strong protine at 28-32% if you use to much your chickens heads will turn red from being to hot for them. I use a 32oz. cup and I use 4 scoops of chicken grower finisher feed and a 1/4 scoop of catfish feed. However if I use two full cups of catfish feed in a 5 gal bucket of chicken feed the hens can go thru the molt and still lay eggs the whole time. But that is how I mix mine.

Okay, I'm intrigued. How/why did you all start giving catfish food? Are there any studies on this? Is it an old chicken breeders trick? I am wondering how many are doing this and if there are any reasons NOT to do it.

Chicka, I have to admit that your post made me laugh, out loud, several times!! Those are are some pretty severe affects. I have never heard of powdered catfish feed, I am only familiar with pelletized catfish feed. Where do you buy it?

ETA - I think I will start a thread to gather opinions on this..............

 

[Wisher1000]

I hope everyone had a great Fourth!

 

[chickadoodles]

Quote: I have been using powdered catfish feed for over a year on my chickens at a rate of only 1-2% it is strong protine at 28-32% if you use to much your chickens heads will turn red from being to hot for them. I use a 32oz. cup and I use 4 scoops of chicken grower finisher feed and a 1/4 scoop of catfish feed. However if I use two full cups of catfish feed in a 5 gal bucket of chicken feed the hens can go thru the molt and still lay eggs the whole time. But that is how I mix mine.

Okay, I'm intrigued. How/why did you all start giving catfish food? Are there any studies on this? Is it an old chicken breeders trick? I am wondering how many are doing this and if there are any reasons NOT to do it.

Chicka, I have to admit that your post made me laugh, out loud, several times!! Those are are some pretty severe affects. I have never heard of powdered catfish feed, I am only familiar with pelletized catfish feed. Where do you buy it?

ETA - I think I will start a thread to gather opinions on this..............
I did not know of anyone else feeding it when I started. My husband makes the catfish feed at the mill here and he knows about feed and the ingredients he puts in the feed.
And after reading all the post's from the old time breeders state that the chicken feed does not have animal protine in it I knew were to get some. My husband puts pig meal (ground pig blood and all) in the feed so I knew my chickens would get plenty of good protine. And I have had to change up the amounts to find what works for my birds.
My husband gets some of the feed before it get pelletized and then I mix it into my feed. If you live near a mill you might ask if they will sale you some. But I am sure others just feed the pellets.

I'm glad you got some laughs out of my post but it is true. I can take a pic of my young turkey poults heads to show you. Dh put to much in their feed poor little ones. It will wear off in a few days. lol
If you want to start a thread that would be nice I would like to participate in it.

If you would like to get some catfish feed to try we have a mill here or there is one in Greensboro that is the only ones I know of but I am sure there are others. Or if you want to come here I could give you some to try.

 

[bamadude]

I have fed my chickens floating catfish pellets when i ran out of chicken feed. Its expensive at $22 per 50lb bag tho.

 

[chickadoodles]

I don't feed just catfish feed bamadude I mix it in my chicken feed at a small percentage to boost the protein for the chickens it helps with their molts and egg production and I love the taste of the eggs and so do our egg customers they buy 3-4 dozen at a time.

 

[bamadude]

I will give it a try. I have noticed a major difference in the taste of eggs when i ferment my feed. Alot less waste too