~*Third Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatch-Athon*~ all poultry welcome!

[Arielle]

Quote:
yeah.. but it's still sad to see those clears.. I would rather see little embryos in there!

Granted.

I put a fry pan on to cook up the pulled eggs-- only fit about 5 turkey eggs in the pan. Will need to cook up 3 batches and feed back to the chicks.

 

[Arielle]

Since getting buckeyes and advised by the breeder to use 27% protein feed, I finally found a source. My 3 primary sources of feed only had 22% as the maxx-- not nearly close enough, so I had been supplementing with extra eggs. Hard to judge the added protein but all I could do-- no fishmeal to be had at all either.

We were on our way to a another town and I pressed DH to stop at Robbins, a local farm supply store-- not a TSC which is all modern, but an old fashion dimly lit, everything a bit more helter-skelter, paper bags of potatos on the center table in strange varieties and common ones too. UP and down aisles to stumble upon what I needed. Kids enthralled by the items on the shelves.

Finally I realized no grain bags at all so headed to the desk. Lots of items listed on boards but NO grain. Hmmm . . . the look of bewilderment prompted a clerk to ask if she could help me. I explained what I was looking for: 27% or higher protein for turkeys or pheasants. I knew better by this point to NOT focus on chicken feed, but she kept coming back to chickens and was intent on emphasising nonmedicated vs. medicated.

Apparently she is gun shy after a bad experience with a disgruntled customer, so I surmised. I impressed upon her that medicated or not I could work with either. I needed a high protein feed for poultry. Finally she turned the feeds book around to me and I could read the labels myself. 27% yiPeeeeeee.

Babies are two weeks behind in their growth and yes, I feel very guilty I have let the breeder down.

SHame on me for not finding it sooner.

DH paid for the two 50# bags AND the 4 bags of potatos: DH picked out two varieties, leaving the kids to pick out one each. SOmehow DH didn't begin to think I should have a choice. Granted I don't eat potatos anymore, but I sure do enjoy looking at the varieties and handling a most historical food that made its way from south america to north america to spain to ireland. My kids live on potatos. Breakfast lunch dinner, any time they want fast food.

THe buckeye chicks get ground rabbit pellets for nutritionally balanced greens, ground calf manna, and 27% crumble. ANd they lost their heat light to the newest babies. THe little buckeyes seek the older cornish for hudling and cuddling. Pullet likes to lift up her wings to cuddle the babies now. ANd they run to me for goodies!

I need the poults to arrive soon to save me from the demands of the buckeyes!!

 

[Alaskan]

I have a bunch of broody chickens in nest boxes, and several broody turkeys on nests on the floor.  Last night I tucked a couple of chicks under one of the broody hens, in an attempt to break her broody by switching her to mother mode.  My thought was to tuck them under until she switched to clucking like a mother, and then move her and the chicks to a broody pen for a few days to bond before letting them back in with the rest of the flock.  I tried moving this hen as a broody and nothing doing.  So, I tucked the two chicks under her, and sat and watched for about 30 minutes.  All was calm - she wasn't trying to kill them - although she also hadn't started clucking to them either.  I got called away for an hour but went back to check on them at dusk.  Reaching under her….no chicks.  In the nest box next to her, is another proven broody so my first thought was to check under her to see if she had stolen the chicks.  Sure enough, I immediately encountered a chick under her wing.  So I picked her up and moved her to the broody pen, but realized she only had one chick.  By now it was getting dark so I had to go and get a flashlight to try and find the second chick.  I looked everywhere.  No chick.  No dead body either though.  Looked under every broody hen in every nest box.  Nada.  Looked under broody turkey who is immediately under the nest boxes.  Nope.  Finally checked under the broody turkey in the floor nest on the other side of the coop and there it was.  Somehow it jumped or fell out of the next boxes and crossed the coop to find a mommy.  The turkey allowed it to slip under her so it had settled down for the night.  I retrieved it and moved it to the broody coop with the Mama and other chick, feeling very relieved both to have found it safe and sound and to have found it before the turkey decided she'd hatched something and abandoned her nest of 18 or more eggs!

Wow! A very exciting evening!

 

[JennaLynn122]

Definitely candle again. If you don't see definite veining & a dancing baby (after holding the egg completely still for at least 5 seconds) then it needs to go. I would put it as far from the rest of the eggs as possible even after that & keep an eye on it.

I would but ummmm.........

 

[Arielle]

Dang, I'm terrible at seeing dancing babies in an egg-- if I do I dance with joy, so exciting to see the wiggleing and pulsing. Granted I don't have the best flashlight but enough to get the job done. Some one wrote recently that the difference betweent he eggs incubagted upright vs on the sides makes a huge difference in visibility. I'm still testing this theory.

 

[chicken pickin]

Dang, I'm terrible at seeing dancing babies in an egg-- if I do I dance with joy, so exciting to see the wiggleing and pulsing. Granted I don't have the best flashlight but enough to get the job done. Some one wrote recently that the difference betweent he eggs incubagted upright vs on the sides makes a huge difference in visibility. I'm still testing this theory.

I haven't noticed much of a real difference when candling an upright incubated egg vs. an on the side incubated egg.

 

[Alaskan]

 
Dang, I'm terrible at seeing dancing babies in an egg-- if I do I dance with joy, so exciting to see the wiggleing and pulsing.  Granted I don't have the best flashlight but enough to get the job done. Some one wrote recently that the difference betweent he eggs incubagted upright vs on the sides makes a huge difference in visibility. I'm still testing this theory. 

I haven't noticed much of a real difference when candling an upright incubated egg vs. an on the side incubated egg.

Why would there be any difference?

 

[yinepu]

So many factors beyond fertility . . .

You'll have to keep me updated on the growth rate of those white muscovys . . . I have only had duck a few times in my life and boy, I love the flavor and texture. Better than turkey.

will do!

 

[yinepu]

Dang, I'm terrible at seeing dancing babies in an egg-- if I do I dance with joy, so exciting to see the wiggleing and pulsing. Granted I don't have the best flashlight but enough to get the job done. Some one wrote recently that the difference betweent he eggs incubagted upright vs on the sides makes a huge difference in visibility. I'm still testing this theory.

.... I seriously doubt it!

Now between species yeah.. there is a difference.. duck eggs seem to be a bit more translucent than a chicken egg... but it doesn't make a difference that I ever heard of as to if they were on their sides or upright since the hen's diet, breed and health will determine the shell porosity and color.. and the embryos will only use up a certain amount of calcium either way since they can only grow so fast...

so if there is some super secret method of changing the translucency/porosity/color of eggs just in order to improve visibility by which way they are set.. it's all news to me!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Why would there be any difference?

Sometimes we dont know the whys - - - -

A hen doesn't incubate in the upright position, only on the side for the most part. I looked at the duck eggs today, everyone is on its side. In one layer. Some not fat end up mind you, so I felt compelled to turn them until they were. lol

THe observation and comment was from a trusted source. . .

I just know this is the first year I have seen so many wiggly babies-- maybe it is my eyesight has improved with all the extra vegies this last year!!