The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I hate to persist with this but the eggs under the hens weren't there all the same day so they could continue to hatch for the next week. If I move them to the ground do I move the eggs into a nest there too? I'm still somewhat traumatized over such a failed incubation that I'm hesitant to intervene very much. I have zero experience with a broody hen.

Then, a few weeks ago I had 2 Silkie roo's given to me. I have a Frizzle hen and had been looking for "friend". After quarantine I moved them inside the chicken coop in a large wired dog crate. I opened the door today to let them mingle with the rest. (They've been in each other's company for 2 weeks). I'm surprised I'm not in the news for being arrested for cock fighting. What a battle. The solid black Silkie was absolutely beautiful, all puffed out, hackle feathers up and out and very angry. Where's my camera when I need it? How long do you let them fight it out, do I go through this process every now and again for a while to see if they will ever get along? I'm only keeping 1 and to be honest I know nothing about Silkies but I don't think that these are even a pure one. Naturally, I like the feisty one, He is solid black but the fluffy feathers around his butt and legs are more grayish. The other is black with light brown coloring on his neck but he is also more laid back. Doesn't matter if they aren't pure, just looking for a friend in size for Cecilia. (They look somewhat like the Cochin I raised and culled for the very nasty temper he had.) Any experience or ideas?

If you end up moving her nest, do it in as dark of conditions as possible to keep her in her "trance". I tried to move a nest twice during the day and failed both times. Moved her at night without a flashlight and she took to the new nest and hatched from there. And I agree with Aoxa about your Silkies, no Cochin look to me.

 

[delisha]

Chippendale,

Not offended or taken in anyway..I appreciate all the different ways people raise poultry..I like stressing over my incubator and chicks. I like knowing and want strong chicks. I am nosy and curious and like learning the why's.I feel my knowledge is power and a tool to improve hatching. i want to know why I can put my flocks in an incubator and they all hatch and I put in someone else's eggs and I hatch on a few.

My neighbor gave me 40 eggs last year to hatch for him. I hatched out 14 chicks. I wanted to know why. I asked him all kinds of questions..He did not know many answers and never asked me to hatch for him again.


What I have learned is :

Dirty eggs seem to get more blood rings in them

Waring gloves or sanitizing my hands before egg collection results in lower blood ring

Collecting three times a day keeps the eggs clean and rarely do chickens lay after 4pm

If I can get the eggs to lock down I have a good hatch. 95-100%

My goal is to get more eggs to day 18


On my other thread I was told it was stupid to hatch at this time of year because males semen is not as strong as spring.
I said..they are fertile or not and the health and dying embryos has nothing to do with strong semen.
Any one have any thoughts on this?

 

[delisha]

I did not move the hen..I have another hen gone broody..I am taking her off the nest and letting her just have the live chicks.. and giving what ever eggs are viable to the other broody..

Wish me luck..going to go do that now..

 

[Bulldogma]

I did not move the hen..I have another hen gone broody..I am taking her off the nest and letting her just have the live chicks.. and giving what ever eggs are viable to the other broody..

Wish me luck..going to go do that now..

Good luck!

 

[aoxa]

Chippendale,

Not offended or taken in anyway..I appreciate all the different ways people raise poultry..I like stressing over my incubator and chicks. I like knowing and want strong chicks. I am nosy and curious and like learning the why's.I feel my knowledge is power and a tool to improve hatching. i want to know why I can put my flocks in an incubator and they all hatch and I put in someone else's eggs and I hatch on a few.

My neighbor gave me 40 eggs last year to hatch for him. I hatched out 14 chicks. I wanted to know why. I asked him all kinds of questions..He did not know many answers and never asked me to hatch for him again.


What I have learned is :

Dirty eggs seem to get more blood rings in them

Waring gloves or sanitizing my hands before egg collection results in lower blood ring

Collecting three times a day keeps the eggs clean and rarely do chickens lay after 4pm

If I can get the eggs to lock down I have a good hatch. 95-100%

My goal is to get more eggs to day 18


On my other thread I was told it was stupid to hatch at this time of year because males semen is not as strong as spring.
I said..they are fertile or not and the health and dying embryos has nothing to do with strong semen.
Any one have any thoughts on this?

I have thoughts.. The fertility is lower this time of year. I don't think it affects the strength of chicks though. Definitely does affect fertility.

I count my hatch rate based on fertile eggs only. I may have only 1-5 quitters total in a 42 egg capacity. I usually get quite a few infertile. Mostly from my bantam Ameraucanas. He won't mate them unless they squat, and they like to play hard to get.

I also think the reason they say not to incubate pullet eggs is because fertility is usually low and eggs are usually small. If eggs are a regular size, they should hatch no problem (if they are fertile).

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Quote: Drying the grass clippings for winter use is a great idea. My problem is drying it, in a normal season we get rain quite often, may not have more than a day or two in the open to dry it. I've thought many times to do this and I could really use ideas on the drying part.

 

[aoxa]

Drying the grass clippings for winter use is a great idea. My problem is drying it, in a normal season we get rain quite often, may not have more than a day or two in the open to dry it. I've thought many times to do this and I could really use ideas on the drying part.

Dry some early summer when there isn't a lot of rain.

Last summer we didn't have as much rain as we usually do. Grass clippings dried out fast!

 

[Toast n Jelly]

I'm speechless. I feel very sorry for you. That would be my nightmare!

unless of course, they were big meaty ones lol!

 

[Mumsy]

I have thoughts.. The fertility is lower this time of year. I don't think it affects the strength of chicks though. Definitely does affect fertility.

I count my hatch rate based on fertile eggs only. I may have only 1-5 quitters total in a 42 egg capacity. I usually get quite a few infertile. Mostly from my bantam Ameraucanas. He won't mate them unless they squat, and they like to play hard to get.

I also think the reason they say not to incubate pullet eggs is because fertility is usually low and eggs are usually small. If eggs are a regular size, they should hatch no problem (if they are fertile).

Yes. I count my hatch rate based on fertile eggs too.


I honestly believe one size does not fit all when it comes to good fertility. So many factors play a role and basically it will also come down to where in the world you live "this time of year". I collected first laid pullet eggs for this batch in the middle of January. This is dead of winter here. ALL were fertile.
The quitter I tossed last night was a small egg. But it candled before it went into the incubator with a yolk and good air cell. It quit at day four. The eye of the embryo and vein mass clearly visiable in the eggtopsie. Two questionable eggs that may get tossed tonight are normal sized eggs and candled the same. There are ten pullet eggs showing normal development.

Fertility can be lowered for many reasons. Too much fluff on the bum of a hen or a roo is breed specific. Too fat of either the roo or hen. Good eyesight which is compromised on heavily crested birds. And lack of cordination, experience, or willingness from either sex can play a role.

 

[delisha]

She hatched out 8 eggs..all 4 Orpingtons..she also had two more eggs peeping..I gave them to the other broody..no way can that leghorn raise 8 chicks..she is just not big enough to keep them warm. So for now..the leghorn has 8 chicks and the Orpinging has 2 peeping eggs and two others I did not bother checking. If the Orpington does not kill those 2 peeping egg chicks, I will give her..her own chicks. I did not take pictures..I was so shocked about the quantity of chicks I sort of panicked. Where did she get all of those eggs. I rushed to get every one all warm.