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

[Arielle]

Quote:

Yup, I'm looking in the lumber piles, under sheds, under cars, under horse trailers, behind old bikes, Will check the nest when the girl is off for unmarked eggs. Looking . . . actually while looking I realized I cannot find most of the muscovy hens-- where are they?? I'll start at the beginning tonight and take a head count when they come in to roost for the night-- though some are finding new places--the buggers. lol I'm searching in a pattern to be sure all areas are covered. Ahhhh-- horse barn out in the far paddock!!

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

 Yup, I', looking in the lumber piles, under sheds, under cars, under  horse trailers,  behind old bikes,  Will check the nest when the girl is off for unmarked eggs. Looking  . . .  actually while looking I realized I cannot find most of the muscovy hens-- where are they??  I'll start at the beginning tonight and take a head count when they come in to roost for the night-- though some are finding new places--the buggers. lol I'm searching in a pattern to be sure all areas are covered.   Ahhhh-- horse barn out in the far paddock!!

Good luck. We finally just gave up and they almost always showed up with babies a month later.

 

[Arielle]

Now I am wondering if I was over counting the number of muscovy hens I have---
in the mean time, I scoured the front yard that is fenced because the black girl was tap=tapping at the basement window pane while I was down turning eggs yesterday . . . . she clearly doesn't need an open door to fly in!!

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

He he nice.

On a hatch related note I pulled 2 clear duck eggs. I think I have more clears but those were pulled because I needed the space since I laid the eggs down (well all but the 3 with the worst air cells). I just couldn't handle the temps being way off.

 

[lsmith]

I also pulled 1 of my 3 duck eggs. It was clear. And pulled 3 of my polish eggs that were also clear. Still leaves me with 2 duck and 24 chicken eggs in the bator. Candling with my class has been a lot of fun and they are so excited! I just hope they hatch. :/ I was wondering about blood rings. I have 2 that have really heavy blood ringing at the base of the veining. As far as I can tell, the chick is actually developing but the ring is really dark. Ideas? I'll try to get pics later

 

[HEChicken]

lol-- she was on the enest this morning so I risked gettiing scolded--- I placed the eggs next her her and then checked back later-- I can see an egg peaking out. Now worried I gave her too many.

I'm sure she will do her best to work with all of them!!

We have started the search for another pile of duck eggs, THe girls stopped laying in their usual coop, sigh, so the egg hunt is on !!!!! I'm finding SS stashes in the oddest, most clever places . . . but no duck eggs. I need radio tracking!!

LOL!!! Actually, I just gave two more broody turkey hens 8-10 eggs apiece too. Each of them was brooding in a different corner of the coop. I tried to move one last night to the hoop coop. It was 11pm so well and truly dark and I really hoped it would take but this morning she was pacing looking for a way out. I took pity and let her out and she hightailed it back to her corner of the coop so I gave in and gave her eggs there. Took some clean hay and made each of them a clean nest so I wasn't putting eggs directly on the semi-soiled bedding, then put the eggs in. I had to lift them off to do that but they watched me closely, practically drooling at the number of eggs I was placing in their new nests, and as soon as I left, they walked over and started rearranging the eggs to their liking. Within minutes both were sitting smugly on their pile of eggs. I marked the first set of eggs but realized as I was placing the second set that I had forgotten to mark them. I ran back up to the house and back down with my Sharpie but it was too late - she was already sitting and I didn't want to disturb her again. Its not that big a deal as I now only have one turkey laying so if she lays her egg today and it gets added to the nest it will be due the same time anyway, and I will mark the eggs tomorrow.

Re the missing muscovy ducks and eggs….I too am missing eggs. I have 4 ducks and was getting 4 eggs a day consistently but the last few days I'm down to 2 eggs a day. I've spotted all 4 ducks at some point of any given day so they aren't brooding yet but I suspect they are collecting a clutch in a hidden nest somewhere. As long as they're safe, I don't really care and will be happy to see them bring a brood of ducklings in at some point 5+ weeks from now

These 4 ducks seem to be pretty savvy. I had 20 or so last fall and most of them flew down to the pond every evening to sleep there. A fox picked them off one every 3-4 days until I was left with just these 4 and the 2 drakes that were savvy enough to come home and sleep in the safe coop every night. Survival of the fittest, I say. We haven't seen that fox since Dec 1st, so I don't think its in the picture any more and hopefully wherever they are laying, safety is still their number one priority

 

[Alaskan]

Oops!

The broody hen that I just snuck into the house, got excited about the nest of eggs that I gave her in the dog crate I set up, and sang the egg song, IN THE BATHROOM!

How often do broody hens do that?

I rather wanted the broody to remain a secret.

 

[Arielle]

I also pulled 1 of my 3 duck eggs. It was clear. And pulled 3 of my polish eggs that were also clear. Still leaves me with 2 duck and 24 chicken eggs in the bator. Candling with my class has been a lot of fun and they are so excited! I just hope they hatch.

I was wondering about blood rings. I have 2 that have really heavy blood ringing at the base of the veining. As far as I can tell, the chick is actually developing but the ring is really dark. Ideas? I'll try to get pics later

KEEEP the ones with the blood ring!!! I left an egg with a blood ring because I was too disappointed to pull it out--- I was shocked when I later candled and it was dark. I have a beautiful buckeye now. IMO Wait.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I have never sucessfully moved a broody. So at least these girls got new bed linens out of your efforts!!

I haven't seent he fox for about2years now-- DH chased after it screaching like a banshi-- that fox scaled the fence to escape the monster!!

THey coyote cruise thru, very silently, I rarely see them that is a treat. THey usually stay on their side of the fence and continue on down the deer trail.

I did see the 3 hens in the runoff stream bathing and playing with the two dominant males. So they are still around. THen I start looking at last years babies and wonder when they should be doing their jobs of laying. Two males in that group but the roosters seem to be the ones creating all the action. I just don't know what they are thinking--- duck x chicken = a chucken !! I want eggs!!!! NOW!!!!

 

[mlm Mike]

I finally have an incubator for the quail eggs. I set 28 button and 57 cortunix quail today. I previously set 11 chicken.