The Plymouth Rock Breeders thread

[uphilljill]

Great questions and answers! Yard, what kind of records do you keep? Pen #, # set, # hatched, cull dates, etc?

Also, I keep my goat breeding records in Google Drive now. Free, excel & doc-type programs in the "cloud" that you can access from any computer/smartphone, and safe if your computer crashes.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Great questions and answers! Yard, what kind of records do you keep? Pen #, # set, # hatched, cull dates, etc?

Also, I keep my goat breeding records in Google Drive now. Free, excel & doc-type programs in the "cloud" that you can access from any computer/smartphone, and safe if your computer crashes.

My records are really pretty simple, more related to the breeding and thoughts for future breedings

For example - Pen 1
Toe punch, inside left
Female #2, male #54
(and I should have similar records to sire/dame of #2 and #54 somewhere)
Comments - good females, poor males. Great vigor

EDITED to say - good idea about the "cloud"....gotta look into that, thanks!!

Scott

 

[DMRippy]

For those of you who are beginning your breeding program in the New Year, would you mind laying out your schedule for the newbies? (Or pointing to where in the thread you’ve already done so) As in,

1. if/when do you separate out breeding pairs/trios/flocks I can't free range my birds, I just have too many and too many predators too. They are in breeding pens from the time the start laying usually. I hatch all year long for different reasons. In the winter it is mostly for my replacements in the spring and some to sell in the spring. the spring hatch has been for for chicks to sell but not going to do that as much unless I have orders for chicks.
2. if/when do you start feeding different/conditioning feed I feed Tuckers 22% layer feed year round
3. ditto light schedule — do you use lights with your breeders/why I don't have electricity YET in my main breeding pens. I do have it for just a few outside. Same as Scott I will add light in the mornings only. I only add it after they have molted and started laying again. I don't push them through molting.
4. when do you start collecting eggs I collect eggs year round
5. how many days do you collect before setting the eggs I collect eggs for a week
6. do you do a succession of hatches I hatch every week. I set eggs on Saturday and put eggs in lockdown on Wednesday or Thursday. It makes hatching a bit easier to have a routine. I used to set eggs every three days.... pretty soon I had 400 chicks at one time.... NO MORE of that!
7. how many eggs per hatch Depends on the time of year. Right now I set between 60-90 BUT some are not fertile and I am just checking for fertility again. USUALLY it ends up being about 30-45 chicks after duds are tossed. In the spring that will go up to maybe 120 eggs a week. I have set as many as 220 eggs at one time (WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?!?!

most of those were older eggs so I didnt get a great hatch) Last spring 180 was the norm per week.

And as the months go on, when you cull and what for, where and how you keep and feed the chicks, when do the breeders go back with the flock (if they do), etc. I sell or cull older breeders in the spring and fall. I sell pullets all year when I have them. Chicks stay in the big shop till they can go outside.

Finally (just kidding, there’s never a “finally”) do you use recordkeeping forms, and do you mind sharing them? I don't have time to do much record keeping. I toe punch all chicks by breed (started that last year) and will change the pattern some every year so I know HOW OLD the birds are in the pen. I band little chicks. With my marans I have a paper work I use to cull with. It has a outline of TYPE on one sheet and all the cull points for that breed. I should make some up for the other breeds too. Marans are a little more work and still need lots of work so for example last year I culled for certain things I wanted and things I wanted GONE. This year it will be different thing I want to remove or add. You have to pick battles. With marans I might let 2 DQ's slide if they are FIXABLE like clean legs or dark eyes. Some DQ's just don't stay like sprigs or wry tail or white feathers. I know wynette keeps a picture in her pens of the type that breed should have. I keep that paper work on the marans. I also keep track of the DARK egg chicks. They get a different toe punch.

Please also let us know if you’re in a northern/middle/southern climate, and any other relevant factors I’m sure to have forgotten. Tennessee

 

[Fred's Hens]

One of the things I'm working on right now is a project to build some hatchers.

We rather like the little Brinsea Octagon 20 for incubating, but really have disliked hatching in them. Ack!!! Hard to clean and no head room. Plus, why tie up an incubator for the last 5 days? At day 17, put those eggs into a hatcher, clean the 'bator and move right along with the next batch. Over the season, this would allow for two extra batches.

We have a third Octagon 20 that we'lll use, if I get these hatchers built.

I know Scott has a big cabinet and those really, really allow him to meet his goals of early hatching. Awesome.
A breeder of heritage, slow growing birds feels under the gun to hatch early. April and May hatched chicks just cannot mature in time for fall shows or laying before the dark days of autumn catch up with them.

 

[DMRippy]

One of the things I'm working on right now is a project to build some hatchers.

We rather like the little Brinsea Octagon 20 for incubating, but really have disliked hatching in them. Ack!!! Hard to clean and no head room. Plus, why tie up an incubator for the last 5 days? At day 17, put those eggs into a hatcher, clean the 'bator and move right along with the next batch. Over the season, this would allow for two extra batches.

We have a third Octagon 20 that we'lll use, if I get these hatchers built.

I know Scott has a big cabinet and those really, really allow him to meet his goals of early hatching. Awesome.
A breeder of heritage, slow growing birds feels under the gun to hatch early. April and May hatched chicks just cannot mature in time for fall shows or laying before the dark days of autumn catch up with them.

I have a chicken friend local that built me one.... I have not wired it up yet but am VERY EXCITED about it. This was built with scrap from custom closets he builds for a living. It took him about 4-5 hours. He made it to fit the hatching baskets I use. They came from Deals or the Dollar Tree. I am going to use FlexWatt for most of the heat but might need something else to bump it up a bit. I am going to put a pyrex casserole dish on the flexwatt for evaporation. I have a digital thermostat I got off Ebay for like 12 bucks. I am HOPING to get it wired this week and can post pics when done.

This is the top for ventilation






He put a hole for cords in the bottom.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Here's the hatcher boxes. Nothing original or special about 'em. I'm simply following the best guidance from watching 20 or 30 YouTube "How To" videos. Here's the start of #1. Hope to get three of these built between now and hatching season, Feb 1.
Just waiting for my eBay thermostat controllers, probes, gauges, computer fans, etc to come in.







18 egg carton prop just to show size of this box's interior.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

One of the things I'm working on right now is a project to build some hatchers.

We rather like the little Brinsea Octagon 20 for incubating, but really have disliked hatching in them. Ack!!! Hard to clean and no head room. Plus, why tie up an incubator for the last 5 days? At day 17, put those eggs into a hatcher, clean the 'bator and move right along with the next batch. Over the season, this would allow for two extra batches.

We have a third Octagon 20 that we'lll use, if I get these hatchers built.

I know Scott has a big cabinet and those really, really allow him to meet his goals of early hatching. Awesome.
A breeder of heritage, slow growing birds feels under the gun to hatch early. April and May hatched chicks just cannot mature in time for fall shows or laying before the dark days of autumn catch up with them.

Fred....the big cabinet is nice, but I really don't like hatching in it unless I have to....it makes a mess

I use 2 small hovabators (ebay buys) as hatchers and sure would like to find one more CHEAP

 

[Fred's Hens]

Donna, you have a wonderful and very talented friend. I'm stealing the vent idea, LOL. Already mentally adapted it for these freezer chest boxes. Wonderful.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

I have a chicken friend local that built me one.... I have not wired it up yet but am VERY EXCITED about it. This was built with scrap from custom closets he builds for a living. It took him about 4-5 hours. He made it to fit the hatching baskets I use. They came from Deals or the Dollar Tree. I am going to use FlexWatt for most of the heat but might need something else to bump it up a bit. I am going to put a pyrex casserole dish on the flexwatt for evaporation. I have a digital thermostat I got off Ebay for like 12 bucks. I am HOPING to get it wired this week and can post pics when done.

This is the top for ventilation






He put a hole for cords in the bottom.

Donna

The set up looks great, but a quick word of caution (due to my experience in the flooring business, LOL)

Appears that the materials are laminated MDF....be sure to allow plenty of room for expansion/contraction due to the humidity. MDF will soak it up like a sponge.....might try putting a dish of water in there and a small portable heater and check it to see what happens....just speaking from experience

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Here's the hatcher boxes. Nothing original or special about 'em. I'm simply following the best guidance from watching 20 or 30 YouTube "How To" videos. Here's the start of #1. Hope to get three of these built between now and hatching season, Feb 1.
Just waiting for my eBay thermostat controllers, probes, gauges, computer fans, etc to come in.







18 egg carton prop just to show size of this box's interior.

Fred....what do you put water into in these?