Too Early for Feb Hatch-A-Long Thread??

[Mylied]

Thanks! She was a little splash Showgirl Silkie that I hatched last year. She lives with a close friend of mine now and she's currently broody! We're waiting to see what kind of fun babies she hatches!

I love showgirls. I have 2 of them and they are the best.

I can't wait till these ducklings hatch... Only 27 more days I feel like it's going to be the longest 27 days of my life.

Yes it will. My ducklings are just hatching. It's day 29, almost day 30. It was so long!

 

[FortCluck]

I love showgirls. I have 2 of them and they are the best.


Yes it will. My ducklings are just hatching. It's day 29, almost day 30. It was so long!

I'm hoping mine will hatch on day 28 (technically they're not mine). I'm having him send me a pic of his ducks so I can see what he has. I'm so excited to see them and I hope all the eggs are fertile.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I'm hoping mine will hatch on day 28 (technically they're not mine). I'm having him send me a pic of his ducks so I can see what he has. I'm so excited to see them and I hope all the eggs are fertile.

They're yours until someone else picks them up! lol

 

[FortCluck]

They're yours until someone else picks them up! lol

Two will be mine because I want to get two of them

 

[Willowspirit]

We have a pip! This is pretty much the earliest day we could expect one. Have everything crossed for healthy chicks!

 

[Mylied]

Another one hatched without all the drama of the first one.

 

[PioneerChicks]

Can I ask? How do you know they have vaulted skulls?

Vaulted skill silkies have more fluff their heads and a sort of bump, at least, that's what I've heard. I can try to post pics, but am not promising anything. Busy day over here, and most of the stuff on my bucket list includes chicks, eggs, and chickens. But they're worth the work!

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

7 chicks have hatched! 4 more pips! The hatched ones are 2 Isbar, 2 Marans (one black, one blue), 2 Blue Laced Red Wyandottes (one blue, one black) and 1 Cream Legbar (female?).

 

[aliciaplus3]

I agree there is a lack of true dual purpose birds. It's the meat size that needs the most work. I commend you both for taking it on. There is a growing market for such bird lines as people slowly return to growing their own food.

we are in an interesting part of the country. we are Forever from anywhere that has folks actually breeding to SOP for anything. Most people in our surrounding area are content with hatchery birds that are pretty and lay eggs and most importantly Never have to face the inconvenience of getting a "oops" rooster. oh and they have to be CHEAP! lol most of what I hatch for me this year I will go through and pick my keepers and "gasp" butcher the rest because folks that want "ready to lay" chickens only want to pay hatchery chick prices for them. ( ok I sound mean but in reality most years folks talk me out of most of my mixed pullets so I don't even get to see what they will lay, sigh)

 

[LilyD]

I agree there is a lack of true dual purpose birds. It's the meat size that needs the most work. I commend you both for taking it on. There is a growing market for such bird lines as people slowly return to growing their own food.

The biggest issue I see is taking things to extremes in any breed even if you're mixing breeds for hybrid vigor. If you go too far to the big breast meat type birds then the bird doesn't have enough energy/ability to lay eggs so you lose the production portion. You have to find the balancing point and look for the best layers in your birds that still show the characteristics you are looking for in breast and leg and thigh meat (Quick growth, muscle mass, health and vigor) as well as feather and body structure. You can only go so far towards making a dual purpose into a meat bird or you lose all the other things that make it desirable and dual purpose.