[The Shire] Our growing flock!

Pics
Why are they in a carton in the incubator?

They were shipped, so I’m letting them settle per the sellers’ instructions! 🥰 There’s no way to turn off the auto turner when set to the proper day sadly if the egg racks are in, so I’ll be putting them on the egg racks on day 4 so they can start to be turned! 🎉
 
I just got back in from hanging out with the big coop babies. 🥰 Hubby and I are working on fixes in there but needed some hydration and a breather. I get to go back with like 7 bags of bedding for us to add more. 😂
We definitely will have to rehome some of these angels as we’ve… definitely got a lot of cockerels in here, but we’re wanting to find best personalities as they start to get older before we rehome too early - especially as if there’s any potentially aggressive roos, we want them to go right into the pot and never be given to another home to deal with.
I got to take some pics!
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Remember Brutus, the eye-pecker? Now BREAKS UP fights and is always gentle with the smallest of the chicks. 🥰 Skittish still, but I’m hoping as he gets older I can win him over to be more accepting of handling (for health checks) but more than happy to give him his personal space. Him? I’m assuming him due to the obvious POOF on our non-wattled Polish, but Brutus is also not showing wattles yet while one of our others (presumed male) is. 🤭
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One of our still unnamed EEs! So pretty. 🥰 I don’t THINK this was the chick mislabeled in the RIR bin? Or maybe it was. 🤭 Regardless, a sweet little loaf!

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It’s hard to see in this pic, but she’s grey with red coming through all over her body. Really pretty!

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Judgemental chicken (Cauliflower). Cauliflower is so sweet! But looks so silly. 🤭 Time to learn how to trim head feathers!

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Grimm (left) and her(?) currently unnamed mini-minion of darkness.

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Tolblerone (male?) looking wise while the Phoenix pullet zooms around behind him.

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Salsa! All of our Buff Orps have gotten ingredient/herb/sauce type names. 🤭 Salsa is the first to run up when I enter the coop.

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Our Lakenvelder making sure we know he’s really pretty.

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Gadget and her friends! (Please be a her 😂)

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Gizmo (EE) and Oregano (Orp)!
 
They were shipped, so I’m letting them settle per the sellers’ instructions! 🥰 There’s no way to turn off the auto turner when set to the proper day sadly if the egg racks are in, so I’ll be putting them on the egg racks on day 4 so they can start to be turned! 🎉
Ah so the incubator isn't on - they are just resting for the 24 hrs that's typical, I was wondering - I'd never seen anyone put a carton in a working incubator haha
 
Ah so the incubator isn't on - they are just resting for the 24 hrs that's typical, I was wondering - I'd never seen anyone put a carton in a working incubator haha
I was told to turn it on by the breeder aha! But we’re trying to figure out how to properly divide it so it’s easier. I was thinking straws but then thought twice because of heat. 😬 they use cartons their whole hatch! Their eBay reviews were impressive. So many, all 5 star! 😳 I have seen it before myself in videos! But only for shipped days just to give them the extra “settle” time, but never TOO long so they don’t stick. 😂 Plus I figure those aren’t… great cartons, so a couple days sure but I wouldn’t trust them in there the WHOLE time with humidity.
 
I've never seen that here in any of the forum posts I've read re: incubating. Very strange and interesting.

I'd just buy an incubator with an auto-turner, most of them have that now - otherwise you're slave to turning them and that ain't my bag hahah

lots of people do manually turn though Good luck on the hatch, it's the most fun thing ever, seriously!
 
I've never seen that here in any of the forum posts I've read re: incubating. Very strange and interesting.

I'd just buy an incubator with an auto-turner, most of them have that now - otherwise you're slave to turning them and that ain't my bag hahah

lots of people do manually turn though Good luck on the hatch, it's the most fun thing ever, seriously!
Oh yeah, ours both have one! 🥰💙 Maticoopx 30 for both! I was just told egg carton to keep upright for the first few days and start turning between days 3 and 5 in the auto-turner baskets. I would be too worried I missed an egg without an auto turner. 😂 I went with 4 as the happy medium - hoping at least one egg will show some progress too but I know it’s still early to tell really well. I’m SO excited! We’re expecting 0 to hatch since they’re all shipped eggs and it’s our first time, but it’ll be a great learning experience and we can always try again! REALLY really going to be excited if an egg hatches (or more!)

My son REALLY really wants a frizzle buff laced Polish to name Dandelion. 🤭 So once we get decent at hatching I would love to try buying some as eggs to try to hatch since it’s been so hard to find them from breeders that ship. Hatching eggs looks addicting. I’m in trouble. :gig Hubby last night mentioned still toying with the idea of a bachelor pad. I’m glad he’s all in with all the chickens. 🤭
 
I almost forgot too: REALLY HAPPY UPDATE! Fruzzle, the Silkie who was not using one leg hardly at all for about a week, is now running around again with no signs of injury! 🥰💙 I’m so proud and relieved. We had to help take him to the feeder and waterer every hour or two for about a week, then he started limping again and now is back to running! :celebrate He’s made a fantastic recovery! His wings look a little silly, really spread out/almost a tiny bit curled outwards, but I’m hoping some more vitamins will get him back on track. I’d rather give him a drop of nutridrench or poultry cell a day and make absolute certain he’s fully out of the woods before assuming he’s totally good to be off them just yet. But genuinely so relieved he’s okay.
 
I heard the same thing about shipped eggs, not to turn them the first few days. One of my hatches, I had some shipped & some local, so I took the turner out and hand turned the local eggs for the first few days. I think it’s so the air cell has a chance to stabilize in the right spot before turning?
 
I heard the same thing about shipped eggs, not to turn them the first few days. One of my hatches, I had some shipped & some local, so I took the turner out and hand turned the local eggs for the first few days. I think it’s so the air cell has a chance to stabilize in the right spot before turning?
Yeah, that’s what the breeders I bought from told me! I think there’s so much variation on what works for people. I know some folks say “if it’s scrambled, it’s scrambled - throw it in there on the turner immediately” with others saying “it needs to rest as it can help it reorient” etc etc. So it’s hard to know really what’s what, but I felt safer erring on the side of caution and resting it. 😂 I think everyone ends up finding their groove on what works best for them and their results, so I’m going to try things a little differently each time until I get really good results and try sticking to that to see if it’s reliable or was just lucky. 🤭 I think we will get a lot of use out of these incubators…
 
Officially day 2 of incubation! Losing my mind - I want to candle them so bad. 😂 Once the timer says 18 days tomorrow, I’ll be moving them to the turners. 🥰 I’m going to see about some makeshift dividers to make it easier for when candling time comes and such. Might try that straw trick I saw. 🤔

Still keeping a very close eye on our new Tolbunt cuties. Wondering if we’ve got a second frizzle in hiding! Man, we’ve got so many Polish. 😂 Not a bad problem to have at all!
 

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