The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

It was really crazy. My setup is where I spend all my time. My house is a cottage. So the room temp is steady and I can babysit the LG all day long. I'm retired. I'm standing looking at the thing and watch the temp gauge and humidity go off the wall! Just out of no where! Weird! The LG has a temp/hygrometer on the top lid and I never use it for accurate readings, but even it was going way too high. I refused to panic and open the bator so I opened the door behind me. Cold outside air cooled the whole room very quickly, as did the cold distilled water I immediatly syringed onto the sponges. Now this is the weirdest part. The humidity was reading 70% and climbing with the 105 degrees! As soon as the bator started to cool, the humidity dropped back down to 63%! I can't explain that. It's been holding at that humidity and a steady 100 degrees on two thermometers ever since. But who the heck knows what's going on inside this LG while I'm sleeping?!

I don't get worried or let incubating get to me. I do enjoy it and it is fun. Even when things go upside down. I'm always learning and gaining experience. But...I don't have patience with faulty equiptment.

I had a spike with an old Hovabator.. It was up to 103 one day and I noticed. I think it was a week from hatch, and I had a really good outcome. I think maybe 2 died because of it.. Maybe I caught it just in time...

The Gensis can't go higher than 103. It's not set to do that. I know because I have to crank it full blast in the basement when I take my turner out. It will hold steady at 98, which is perfect after day 18. Supposedly it does not need to be 99.5 during hatch. I've never had an issue. I fill the well and that's it. No sponges needed... nothing. I have a no-slip shelf liner on the bottom because I had a couple of silkies develop splay leg trying to get the hang of walking on the metal mesh provided.

I have my first silkie zipping..

no other activity

Oh the excitement!!

 

[PeepsCA]

I have my first silkie zipping..

no other activity

Congrats on the zipping Silkie, keeping my fingers crossed for more pip and zip action from the rest of your CatDance eggs

I have keets hatching (incubated in one of my 1588s but moved over into one of my LGs with a PC fan added for hatching). So far so good, 4 have hatched. I forgot how noisy they are compared to Silkies or Turkeys

I keep running back and forth from my hatch to my laptop, keeping tabs on everybody's progress, lol.

 

[armorfirelady]

I am watching for updates on all you eggs/chicks.......I am living thru chicks hatching thru all you guys

You remember how you guys were talking about red feet/legs? Well I have 4 hens and when I went out to give them greens yesterday after work I noticed 2 of them had pink/red on their feet between their toes where it forms a *V*. There legs are still the same color, no leg mites.

I checked them again this morning and they are back to normal coloring. I am wondering if hens will redden with hormones also? Although I dont have a rooster my hens still squat for me. Or it could of been from them walking in the snow? Just curious what you guys thoughts are on it?

 

[aoxa]

I am watching for updates on all you eggs/chicks.......I am living thru chicks hatching thru all you guys

You remember how you guys were talking about red feet/legs? Well I have 4 hens and when I went out to give them greens yesterday after work I noticed 2 of them had pink/red on their feet between their toes where it forms a *V*. There legs are still the same color, no leg mites.

I checked them again this morning and they are back to normal coloring. I am wondering if hens will redden with hormones also? Although I dont have a rooster my hens still squat for me. Or it could of been from them walking in the snow? Just curious what you guys thoughts are on it?

Their legs will get pink/red from the cold, wet and even mud.

I noticed my birds with white/pink legs to start with (orp) had very pink legs like you are describing in the winter.

 

[Leahs Mom]

On the temp spike - could it be an electricity thing? I understand that there are spikes and reductions on the grid regularly. Wonder if that's it?

 

[ocap]

when you are trying to improve your "line" do you limit your rooster to one hen (keeping both separated) so you are sure of the parents of each and every egg?

 

[aoxa]

when you are trying to improve your "line" do you limit your rooster to one hen (keeping both separated) so you are sure of the parents of each and every egg?

There is a term for that.. I can't think of it right off..

I usually breed in trios.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Quote:
My last bator was a Rock-o-bator. She was a great mom until the hawk took her.

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: Thanks Aoxa- They normally have muddy legs since they love to scratch thru the snow to the dirt lol I keep saying they will have to softest legs around

But this is the first time I saw the pinkness in their feet. Must be because they washed most of the mud off in the snow

 

[delisha]

Quote: Line breeding..selective breeding..Progeny breeding..pen breeding.....many many names depending on your plans..trap breeding too



Pullet egg





I do not want to bore you with a bunch of egg pictures, but I wanted to share this pullet egg. She has been laying for a week and already her eggs are larger than her sisters(2). These hens are Cornish and Rock and I sure am glad I tried this breeding. I have two more pullets from this breeding that are pretty young yet.