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

[SilkieSensation]

My straight jacket:

DayGlo Yellow (the kind road workers wear), Lavender stripes, baby blue polks dots, Hair in the classic 80's "BIG HAIR" style & dyed hot pink, jacket worn over black leather skin tight pants with 4 inch lime green heels coated in glitter, Purple lipstick, Olive green eyeshadow and Hunter Orange polish on the toenails peeking from the open toes of the shoes.

 

[Wisher1000]

Well done!

 

[bantambury]

Heck yeah! Join! No rules or regs in this here loony bunch!! We just hope everyone is at least enjoying themselves! That's the one requirement...if you're hating on us you can change the channel, right? Having fun? Perfect. Don't care if you're hatching lizards or ideas for a new paint job in your living room. Have fun.

Your girl is probably going to get up and dance when they hatch after a wait like that...we may require video!!

thanks!

YES will do. I WILL NEED TO CAPTURE SUCH A RARE EVENT!

she will be shocked once that first pip comes around! been broody twice...but this is her first ever hatch! she had NO IDEA what she is getting into! LOL

one question....
once she got up from the nest, one of my layers walked up to it and pecked the egg.....is this bad? or is she just curious? she is a very feisty bird and likes to get into things....she draws blood a lot too. NOT FUN.
also, once marshie got back on her nest she stepped on an egg getting on. I have to day 3 standard eggs under a bantam silkie is a lot...that could be it, but could she break the eggs and ruin them?

 

[SilkieSensation]

Quote:
As long as the shells are as thick as they should be, a little silkie hen stepping on them to adjust herself on the nest won't hurt them a bit. I've had full size hens stomp all over my eggs & never a crack.

As for the hen pecking eggs, same deal...unless the shells are really thin she won't hurt them just by pecking.

 

[mlm Mike]

Howdy all! I will try to join in.

No turkeys though.

Only chickens, and I can't get them all in on the same day. I have some that started today, some will start tomorrow, and after that two more sets.

To sum up:

I just started up the incubator today, more eggs are showing up today (so they will go on tomorrow) one more set of eggs is in the mail, be here hopefully on Saturday, and then one other person is supposed to send me a set, but those aren't yet mailed.

This is not my first hatch, but my first SHIPPED EGGS! I had read all of the warning etc. etc. and KNEW what I was getting into. But it is heartbreaking to see all of the smushed eggs.

The first set, out of 24 eggs, two were only a bit cracked (sealed with beeswax) and 13 were solid. I did have to put many of them briefly in water and wipe off, since some were covered in egg yolk, and I KNOW that is a big no no. But I thought being coated in egg yolk would certainly equal bacterial infection. I don't know.

The packaging was BEAUTIFUL, double boxed, eggs individually bubble wrapped etc. etc. also, the box looked perfect, not mushed or smashed or ANY exterior damage. It was odd really, that any were broken. The only thing that I can think is that they tossed it ever so gently out of a second story window.

Anyway, the first set are/were Dominiques, from a very nice breeder. Pretty birds with small wattles.

Welome, and good luck!

I'm late to this party but I've participated the last two years so....why not this year too?

I have an incubator full of turkey eggs that only have 12 days to go and I just set another 18 an hour ago that will hatch 3 days past the May 5th "suggested date". So I'll hatch-a-long with y'all.

The first group to hatch will be Black Spanish, Bourbon Red and Royal Palm, and possibly some Royal Palm/Bourbon Red crosses.

Welcome back, it's nice to see another "old timer" too this hatch.

Yes, I almost always mark to HOLD- here's why:

The postal carrier is never going to go straight to my customer's door. Those eggs are going to go bobbing along ALL DAY in that little vehicle, bumping along the rural roads in some cases, getting parked for long periods while the carrier walks his route in suburb situations. The parked vehicle doesn't actively have climate control, so the eggs either bake or freeze. I think that a lot of the damage in a shipped set comes from this las leg of delivery, even if the carrier is careful. The won't be going directly there, right??

If someone has a special circumstance, clearly delivery must be made, but it should be clear to the driver what they carry.

...

That is so true. Normally we are rather early on our postal route. The day my Easter hatch arrived, they had spent about 5 hours on rural roads. Our normal carrier must have had the day off. I can only imagine the extra bumpy ride they had.

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

The Ancona eggs I got today all looked like they were packaged great bubble wrap layer then 10 eggs individually wrapped in bubble wrap with the ends taped. They were just loose but ask of them were good. Then another layer of bubble wrap. And the last 14 were wrapped the same and laying in nice neat rows but somehow one in the middle looked like it had been hit hard on the side. I have no idea what happened

 

[ChooksChick]

to all the joiners, too!

I'm afraid I'm a bit of hit and run right now due to tons of things that get in the way of WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME...but then again I've not earned a life of leisure yet, so

...but it's not really leisure I want, as I'm totally unafraid of hard work...it's that I wants to do what I wants to do!!!

Bantambury, I would just make sure she has an extra deep nest with lots of soft hay or shavings or somesuch, so that if another hen tromps on them while she's doing the eat-'n'-poop, they will take less damage from the stomping. It's always a good idea to leave a couple of golf balls in the nest of preference (not in service for the broody) if you suspect there may be a pecker in the group. Golf balls hurt to peck, so it discourages them.

Off to post my auctions to social media. Whee!!

 

[Arielle]

How about a little gardening conversation?? MOst of the US is finally free of snow-- or almost. We have an erant pile here and there mostly in the cold shadows. BUt . . . . .

THe soil is dry enough to be worked. The kids jumped in and dug the pea trenches. After showing them how to plant 2 10 foot rows, I handed them 2 more packets and gave instructions on where to plant them. Now I know it wan't go like clock work-- they are 10 and 12 afterall-- but I like to show them that I beleive in their abilities. When I checked in they handed me packets still half full!!! Sent them back to empty the pkgs-- just hope they remembered which variety when where!! lol

Mammoth Melting Sugar--4 1/2" edible flat pods on 4 foot vines
Snowbird--3 " edible pods who knows how tall ( bought in honor of SNowbird)
Sugar Snap--eaten whole or shelled, which means I wont waste time shelling

THen went and bought radishes and kale.

And praying birds keep out!!! lol

ANyone else planting to keep their mind off the eggs??

 

[bantambury]

As long as the shells are as thick as they should be, a little silkie hen stepping on them to adjust herself on the nest won't hurt them a bit. I've had full size hens stomp all over my eggs & never a crack.

As for the hen pecking eggs, same deal...unless the shells are really thin she won't hurt them just by pecking.

ok.....HOPEFULLY the eggs are thick. I don't even know if they are developing!!! I get to candle on Saturday so I am excited....but its such the temptation knowing there is a nest of un-candled eggs waiting for you!!!

to all the joiners, too!

I'm afraid I'm a bit of hit and run right now due to tons of things that get in the way of WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME...but then again I've not earned a life of leisure yet, so

...but it's not really leisure I want, as I'm totally unafraid of hard work...it's that I wants to do what I wants to do!!!

Bantambury, I would just make sure she has an extra deep nest with lots of soft hay or shavings or somesuch, so that if another hen tromps on them while she's doing the eat-'n'-poop, they will take less damage from the stomping. It's always a good idea to leave a couple of golf balls in the nest of preference (not in service for the broody) if you suspect there may be a pecker in the group. Golf balls hurt to peck, so it discourages them.

Off to post my auctions to social media. Whee!!

im just worried if I leave gold balls then my broody will go up and sit on them instead....she has golf balls before her polish eggs now.

my coop is not that thick with bedding.......I have two coops to fill so I try and save some for each. I could just pile up some more bedding underneath, but marshie seems to relly like a flat compressed nest and levels it out with the ground

 

[ChooksChick]

Just because.