The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Bulldogma]

Do you have an egg sicky in it? I am awful I do not remember every thing that is in there
What each stage looks like?
What a developing fetus looks like etc?
Before and after pics?
How about pullet size eggs as they progressively get bigger? We have tons of new people who have brand new laying pullets and it might be a great project for someone to do.

I would love to host anyone who wants to take on such a project as a guest blogger on the blog!

I was thinking about documenting egg growth, but I don't want to keep opening my incubator as I have a hard enough time regulating the temperatures when its closed all the time. Maybe someday I'll have a better 'bator and I can do stuff like this!

 

[Leahs Mom]

about 7 days

These are on Brinsea website(below)

Link to the page on Brinsea, please? I looked around and didn't see it on their site.

 

[delisha]

I'll be setting our first group of hatching eggs in the 'bator tomorrow at noon!

I have my $2 dozen of local, hatchery-grade P/RIR, Black Sex Link & Red Sex Link, and a friend sent me 12 Silkie hatching eggs which (sort of) got here today just before noon. Four were broken and only 2 have what seems to be a good air cell. Another looks like the air cell is slightly damaged and a few more have detatched and/or scrambled air cells. They must have had a really bumpy ride with USPS.

I am putting in all the unbroken eggs to give them a chance and I'll cull the non-growers on day 7.

I have the incubator (yes - my cheap-o) in the tiny closet under the stairs with a space heater (with a thermostat) set on 70 to make the ambient room temperature in there as steady as possible. The 'bator seems to be holding between 99 - 101 with rare spikes to 102 that apparently don't last long at all. Usually it's 99 or 100 when I check on it. Since the digital thermometer I'm using only shows full degrees (F) I'm going to say that it's holding right around 99.5 - yay! Keeping my fingers crossed it stays steady for the next 22-ish days!!

You will do great! Good luck and we are all here to support you!

If it is a giant Styrofoam I read the giant sticky of things and they recommend dry hatching to day 19. Lock down to 65% Humidity when doing shipped eggs. I am going to try that next time. I think Mumsy had some great ideas i am going to try also.

 

[delisha]

I will be doing silkys and bantums next time...oh and my DD wants lavender orps..sheesh

 

[delisha]

Her dad told me i can't so it.(her dad is not my DH) So my DH said I should. He is so naughty

 

[SandBsmom]

If you're looking for developing chicks in eggs that are incubating this might be helpful.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-candling-pics-progression-though-incubation

That was a great post! Thank you!!!!

 

[Mumsy]

.


I wanted to mention a bit about FF and new chicks.
I gave the new chicks FF right off. They acted like they might die if they ate another bite at first. Now they eat it like it is honey.

To get mine to eat it I took the dry away and mixed the mother liquid from the bottom of the FF bucket into it until just moistened. You'd think they thought I was trying to poison them! I added more and more FF feed every day. Now they are crazy for the straight stuff.

 

[Bulldogma]

I will be doing silkys and bantums next time...oh and my DD wants lavender orps..sheesh

She can have mine - LOL!
The healthier of my two Lavender girls seems to have a touch of sour crop. She isn't keeping up with the flock, looks hunched up and isn't eating well.
My DD was able to catch her and I took the opportunity to massage her crop and then tried to feed her some yogurt. She wasn't too hungry (weird for a bird that will eat anything... including stink bugs!)... so I put some yogurt in a small syringe and shot it into her beak. Gave her another massage and set her loose.

IMO there is no reason for this bird who is fed FF and free ranges all day every day to have a sour crop. I had already been talking about culling her counterpart, Lady Silvia Runnybutt, this spring... ironically - shabby looking Sylvia seems to be doing just fine these days.

*sigh*

Silly birds! Unless either one gets really sick, there's no way my kids are going to allow me to cull either of them. They are really pretty... I just won't be buying any more I think. Going to stick with my SFH, RIRs and I'll be getting some Dark Cornish in a few weeks. Eggs and meat and not a lot of drama - that's what I'm shooting for!

...oh... and Silkies.

(I have to say - so far they seem hardy, furry, funny and I love the idea of switching over to feather-footed incubators!)

 

[kstaven]

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[cpchicks]

If her spurs are like a rooster's, you can take a pair of pliers and twist the hard outer layer off leaving a grissle (sp?) which is soft. Easy peasy. There is usually very little bleeding but I have styptic powder handy just in case. It takes quite a while for the hard outer layer to grow back.
Good luck