Toad Raising.

[ChocolateMouse]

I'd love to see a very light mottled buff color like that for the end result of the birds. There's pros and cons to white birds, but I think for Toads it's more con than pro. I find that all-white birds tend to integrate poorly into mixed flocks and are targeted by predators more than colored birds. That's a big detriment to someone raising even somewhat free-range birds, and the spots in particular would help break up the chicken's shape for predators, giving them good camo. White birds pluck to a whiter, cleaner-looking skin, but that don't mean much to me if my birds are dead because a hawk could spot them a mile away.

 

[duluthralphie]

I'd love to see a very light mottled buff color like that for the end result of the birds. There's pros and cons to white birds, but I think for Toads it's more con than pro. I find that all-white birds tend to integrate poorly into mixed flocks and are targeted by predators more than colored birds. That's a big detriment to someone raising even somewhat free-range birds, and the spots in particular would help break up the chicken's shape for predators, giving them good camo. White birds pluck to a whiter, cleaner-looking skin, but that don't mean much to me if my birds are dead because a hawk could spot them a mile away.

Good points.

 

[Momof3plustwins]

So out of the 6 eggs. I have 4 chicks. One is a late quitter. There was movement in all of them at lockdown and there is no movement and you can see quite a bit of space all around it in the shell so I am pretty confident it quit. Then the other zipped half way around the shell and died before it pushed out. I don't know why. Seems like you can't ever hatch them all.

So,

"DON"T COUNT YOUR CHICKS BEFORE THEY'RE HATCHED!"

True story!

 

[duluthralphie]

So out of the 6 eggs. I have 4 chicks. One is a late quitter. There was movement in all of them at lockdown and there is no movement and you can see quite a bit of space all around it in the shell so I am pretty confident it quit. Then the other zipped half way around the shell and died before it pushed out. I don't know why. Seems like you can't ever hatch them all.

So,

"DON"T COUNT YOUR CHICKS BEFORE THEY'RE HATCHED!"

True story!

The toads are hard to hatch for me. I only get 6-7 out of a dozen. With you having to drive that far and them being jostled, that may affect the hatch too.

What was the humidity at hatch time?

 

[Momof3plustwins]

80%

 

[Turk Raphael]

The toads are hard to hatch for me. I only get 6-7 out of a dozen. With you having to drive that far and them being jostled, that may affect the hatch too.

What was the humidity at hatch time?

While I don't have 'TOADS', I do have perhaps what could be considered 3rd cousins. I have a very good incubator but I have found I get 90 to 95 percent hatches by using brood hens.

This is a fact, except for my Naked Necks, pretty well ALL of my hens are chronic broodies so if I want to keep breeding these meat birds, I live with it. I don't buy or sell eggs any how so I simply leave the bator in reserve. I did consider selling it but it doesn't eat or incur any other expenses while not in use so it's not a problem to leave it in it's garage.

 

[duluthralphie]

While I don't have 'TOADS', I do have perhaps what could be considered 3rd cousins. I have a very good incubator but I have found I get 90 to 95 percent hatches by using brood hens.

This is a fact, except for my Naked Necks, pretty well ALL of my hens are chronic broodies so if I want to keep breeding these meat birds, I live with it. I don't buy or sell eggs any how so I simply leave the bator in reserve. I did consider selling it but it doesn't eat or incur any other expenses while not in use so it's not a problem to leave it in it's garage.

Brood hens always do better.



I have been thinking of shipping toads instead of eggs. Both have merits and maybe even mixing it up sending some toads and some eggs (not at same time).

The reason being shipping toads might get more out there. I worry about the eggs that will be ruined in shipping them. Just a thought after MOM (mom of Many) had only 4 hatch. However, right now I am not getting many eggs, I am going to have to hatch the few I have this week. I assume it means the toads are molting, they look terrible, I thought the roosters had been rough on them and removed two. However, I might be wrong and they are molting based on the few eggs I have this week.

I have a neighbor girl (4H kid) who has 11 eggs I will have to check and see how they are doing.

I only have a half dozen (if that for last 10 days).

 

[DwayneNLiz]

I took a picture of the toad I said was polka dot. I have not noticed hm for a week, He really changed..

No more Polka dots. But cool toad color,



Note he still has toad legs and breast...

He is about a month. Maybe a tad more but not much.

that looks like the milkmans son

So far the world has 2 more toads. Both look to have just yellow down right now. there is one little EE in there running around with them and getting trampoled as it was the last to hatch so far. 4 more to go! Hatching takes SO LONG! I started hearing chirping at 1 am with no pips yet. I am not the most paitent person around. At least not for eggs to hatch!

congrats on the ones you did get!! sorry about the DIS

 

[ChocolateMouse]

On shipping eggs, unless the post office jacks it up somehow, you can get very good hatch rates from shipping eggs if you package them properly. It does take some care and you'll still never hit the 90% under a broody or 70% from an incubator, but you can get much closer with great packing. I always wrap each egg individually in bubble wrap, then newspaper, then place them point down in a box with lots of crumpled newspaper in the gaps. Then I place that box inside the shipping box (I use flat rate boxes from USPS), and fill any gaps with more newspaper. Tape it closed VERY thoroughly, write FRAGILE on all sides in pink sharpie and "DO NOT XRAY, LIVE HATCHING EGGS" on the top. Unless something happens with the post office messing it up, the eggs ship very well this way. And if the post office decides to crush your package or shake it vigorously or something, there's no amount of styrafoam or anything that's going to stop that from messing up the eggs, so giving them as much shock absorption as physically possible is best, and I find that paper and bubble wrap make a great tagteam for this. And the flat rate boxes come with $50 insurance against damages if they do decide to do something stupid with it.

Still, even after all that you'll porbably only get 1/2-2/3rds the eggs to hatch. Shipping eggs is a mess. But it's far cheaper than shipping live birds, so most people find it more accessable.

 

[Turk Raphael]

On shipping eggs, unless the post office jacks it up somehow, you can get very good hatch rates from shipping eggs if you package them properly. It does take some care and you'll still never hit the 90% under a broody or 70% from an incubator, but you can get much closer with great packing. I always wrap each egg individually in bubble wrap, then newspaper, then place them point down in a box with lots of crumpled newspaper in the gaps. Then I place that box inside the shipping box (I use flat rate boxes from USPS), and fill any gaps with more newspaper. Tape it closed VERY thoroughly, write FRAGILE on all sides in pink sharpie and "DO NOT XRAY, LIVE HATCHING EGGS" on the top. Unless something happens with the post office messing it up, the eggs ship very well this way. And if the post office decides to crush your package or shake it vigorously or something, there's no amount of styrafoam or anything that's going to stop that from messing up the eggs, so giving them as much shock absorption as physically possible is best, and I find that paper and bubble wrap make a great tagteam for this. And the flat rate boxes come with $50 insurance against damages if they do decide to do something stupid with it.

Still, even after all that you'll porbably only get 1/2-2/3rds the eggs to hatch. Shipping eggs is a mess. But it's far cheaper than shipping live birds, so most people find it more accessable.

You might not ever reach a hatch rate of 90% but I do. Not consistently but more often than you will ever believe...that's fine.