The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Mumsy]

Woke up early to an incubator popping with chicks. Eight eggs set and seven now out with the last pipped about an hour ago. It appears all eight will hatch well within a twenty four hour period. I sure do like this Genesis 1588. I'm going to like it even better when I can put it into storage.

 

[aoxa]

Woke up early to an incubator popping with chicks. Eight eggs set and seven now out with the last pipped about an hour ago. It appears all eight will hatch well within a twenty four hour period. I sure do like this Genesis 1588. I'm going to like it even better when I can put it into storage.

Glad you are having such great luck with it. So simple yes?

I have 21 HRIR eggs going into lockdown today. I have another 12 (I think 12...) duck eggs that should go into lockdown Thursday going into lockdown today as well because I only have one incubator to hatch in. Not sure how to work around that. My other incubator should have arrived by now but we're still waiting.

 

[delisha]

What a great evening of reading and catching up on here.

Love the videos posted and all the great camaraderie going on today.

It was terribly windy here today!! And after our beautiful 75 degree calm days with all my girls laying - today only 2 out of 5 laid. Temps dropped to 55 and it felt colder with that crazy wind. We lost a portion of our tin roofing on the coop so had to go out and re-secure it. Amazingly enough though, the chickens stayed out in it most of the day. I thought at any moment, I would see one of them blowing past the window. LOL
The babies in the brooder got stir-crazy not getting to go out today. I just didn't have a very protected place to put them outside for the day and it was a little chilly.

55 is chilly? We have not had 55 yet.my baby's are out and loving it. I have even had my week olds out for a while in the sun.

My FF went sour today and I have no idea why. I fed it at 4:30, but when I got home at 8:00, it was slimy and sour smelling. I kept water over it. I'll start over tomorrow. I'll feed them wet feed until I get it going again.

It will be OK..add more dry and water

Ok this is by far my favorite thread but man is it busy it's like reading a book every night lol. Now because it is my fav and you guys are so great I am bringing all my "new egg" questions here. Plus I like the natural routes. Is Chicken Health for Dummies a good book? What book would you recommend as the one and only book to have?

Only one?

Quote: X2

I gave up on my hatching eggs. Only 2 had developed. I'm thinking they died the last few days, maybe when one of the kids knocked the table really hard and everything got moved around. So sad but I'm willing to try again.

awww sorry

Woke up early to an incubator popping with chicks. Eight eggs set and seven now out with the last pipped about an hour ago. It appears all eight will hatch well within a twenty four hour period. I sure do like this Genesis 1588. I'm going to like it even better when I can put it into storage.

woooo hooo!! Congrats..what did you set?

Quote: Good luck!! I know you are going to have a great hatch!..I have my BCM due this weekend. Those have not been candled since I really can't see.

 

[aoxa]

55 is chilly? We have not had 55 yet.my baby's are out and loving it. I have even had my week olds out for a while in the sun.
It will be OK..add more dry and water
Only one?

X2
awww sorry
woooo hooo!! Congrats..what did you set?
Good luck!! I know you are going to have a great hatch!..I have my BCM due this weekend. Those have not been candled since I really can't see.

I have a good feeling about the RIRs.

My turner was broken 1/2 the hatch and I noticed about a week ago. I hope it doesn't harm the embryos. I've had bad luck with auto turners. This is the second one broken in a year.

I moved them to my Sportsman a week ago, so they would have been on day 10. Think I still have a good chance?

I'm more worried about the duck eggs not hatching because of it. They would have been on day 16 when I realized the turner never changed positions. :/

 

[Bulldogma]

Woohoo just moved up I'm now "just hatched" no longer a "new egg"! Sorry had to share

Congrats!

I gave up on my hatching eggs. Only 2 had developed. I'm thinking they died the last few days, maybe when one of the kids knocked the table really hard and everything got moved around. So sad but I'm willing to try again.

Awww - That happened to me a couple months ago. Hope next time goes much better!

Woke up early to an incubator popping with chicks. Eight eggs set and seven now out with the last pipped about an hour ago. It appears all eight will hatch well within a twenty four hour period. I sure do like this Genesis 1588. I'm going to like it even better when I can put it into storage.

(Of course if you don't want to put it in storage, you could always let me take care of it for you in the "off season." LOL!!!

I have 21 HRIR eggs going into lockdown today. I have another 12 (I think 12...) duck eggs that should go into lockdown Thursday going into lockdown today as well because I only have one incubator to hatch in. Not sure how to work around that. My other incubator should have arrived by now but we're still waiting.

I have a good feeling about the RIRs.

My turner was broken 1/2 the hatch and I noticed about a week ago. I hope it doesn't harm the embryos. I've had bad luck with auto turners. This is the second one broken in a year.

I moved them to my Sportsman a week ago, so they would have been on day 10. Think I still have a good chance?

I'm more worried about the duck eggs not hatching because of it. They would have been on day 16 when I realized the turner never changed positions. :/

Ooooh - good luck with this hatch! I hope it goes really well, even with the turner issues!

 

[Bulldogma]

OK - everyone who mixes their own feed, please post your "recipe" here with percentages/measurements etc.

Delisha's article with the recipe for organic chick feed has been very popular and I'd like to compile some info on different chicken feed recipes. You can PM it to me, or share it here (because I'm sure a lot of folks on the thread would be interested!!).

Note: This does NOT have to be an organic recipe. People mix their own feed for all different reasons, so it would sure be great to have all different recipes!

 

[aoxa]

OK - everyone who mixes their own feed, please post your "recipe" here with percentages/measurements etc.

Delisha's article with the recipe for organic chick feed has been very popular and I'd like to compile some info on different chicken feed recipes. You can PM it to me, or share it here (because I'm sure a lot of folks on the thread would be interested!!).

Note: This does NOT have to be an organic recipe. People mix their own feed for all different reasons, so it would sure be great to have all different recipes!

I'd like to know if we can mix it without grinding it.

I don't want to have to buy a grinder

 

[delisha]

Quote: I have never had good luck with duck eggs in my incubator. They are tricky to begin with. They should be fine even with a broken turner.

Quote: I use my blender to grind the feed. I do not blend that much at a time. I blend each ingredient individually and mix it together. It takes me about 5 minutes. With 60 chicks I can make a batch that last the week. I know as they grow it will take more time, however as they grow, I will not blend all the grains.

 

[ssterling1776]

OK - [COLOR=800080]everyone who mixes their own feed, please post your "recipe" here[/COLOR] with percentages/measurements etc.

Delisha's article with the recipe for organic chick feed has been very popular and I'd like to compile some info on different chicken feed recipes. You can PM it to me, or share it here (because I'm sure a lot of folks on the thread would be interested!!).

Note: This does NOT have to be an organic recipe. People mix their own feed for all different reasons, so it would sure be great to have all different recipes!

Yes! Please share

 

[aoxa]

I have never had good luck with duck eggs in my incubator. They are tricky to begin with. They should be fine even with a broken turner.
I use my blender to grind the feed. I do not blend that much at a time. I blend each ingredient individually and mix it together. It takes me about 5 minutes. With 60 chicks I can make a batch that last the week. I know as they grow it will take more time, however as they grow, I will not blend all the grains.

The owner of these duck eggs said the same thing. She had terrible hatch rates in her incubator. Why though?

I have given them all cool off time each day like a broody hen would. My Sportsman needs new water every day. If I don't add water it goes bellow 10% humidity. No joke.

I candled a lot, so they got rotated at least a little.