Utah!

[RedIII]

Lisa, that's one thing I like about letting everyone run free in the back yard for a few hours. The roos get competitive with their love making, and then I get more fertile eggs Except sometimes I have to jail the boys if they get too aggressive toward the hens or pick on one hen a lot. Sigh :/ It all works out.

 

[Cynthia12]

So NO water at all? During the whole incubation time? Not even in the low 30's? That's where I usually keep it. And yes, I know the goop! A real problem at hatching time. :/
Yes, Mitchaelf just sent another pm saying that he is working on blues. So, I will probably get a blue for sure if I get them to hatch. I just know every time I get dark eggs, they are hard to hatch. Then when I check them, either early or late, the shell is hard, very hard at hatching time.

 

[thebirdguy]

Cynthia, yep, pretty much. I don't know if I should wait until Thursday or not to set. I realized that I have a problem. DH and I will be out of town on the 26 thru the 29, so I won't be here to turn the eggs on those days. They will be close to lockdown. By some wild chance, is there anyone that would be willing to babysit my incubator for those days? All you do to turn the eggs is turn the whole incubator on it's side.

6kidsfarm, I am running out of room in there, also. I can still put some eggs in for you, but it will probably be less than twelve. What say you?

Red... don't worry about turning the eggs those days... I read a university study years ago that actually showed out of thousands of eggs hatched a slight increase in hatching on the eggs they didn't turn at all!! ever since then, I haven't really worried about regular turning on my eggs and have not noticed any difference in my hatch rates..

 

[sundancenbare]

Thank you Diana i love these little guys. I would love to give it another shot when yours start laying and you are a little closer.





Does anyone what some Quail? Send me a pm if so.



Just set 72 tonight! YUMMY!!!!

They are beautiful. JUST REMEMBER NEVER BREED FRIZZLE TO FRIZZLE

 

[sundancenbare]

Dryhatch them for sure. No water til the lockdown. If they are dark and glossy especially! If you use water, then usually the goop, remember that? The membrane is squishy and gel-like, and full of slime. with no water, lots better with the goop.

This guy must be breeding Blue to Blue then, that is awesome--the splash are really pretty, I am hoping for more of those in a month or so when my blue hens are laying better, just one started and then kind of stopped. But the egg was really nice <3!

iTS interesting here in Arizona the Maras optimal hatch is 45% humidity and temperature is 97.5 At lockdown humidity goes up to 70% temp is 98.5 I had a 99% hatch rate. I guess because we are at sea level and a dry desert things need to be different

 

[RedIII]

Thanks Shawn! By the way, good to see you I still love the Icelandics that came from your flock!

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

iTS interesting  here in Arizona the Maras optimal hatch is 45% humidity and temperature is 97.5  At lockdown humidity goes up to 70% temp is 98.5   I had a 99% hatch rate.  I guess because we are at sea level and a dry desert  things need to be different 

I have seen that in Nevada AZ and NM to use humidity...its interesting all the different ways people try to hatch them. Also toward lockdown you can sand around the area where they will pip, that helps sometimes. Yes Cynthia, I use zero water, the eggs themselves provide some humidity and it will hover aroud 20-25 but if you have other breed eggs in there it will be bad for the other eggs.Good Luck Cynthia, whatever you try I hope you have a great hatch!

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

They are beautiful.   JUST REMEMBER NEVER BREED FRIZZLE TO FRIZZLE

Agree! Their feathers break and they end up looking horrible. For my Shizzle project I made one pen with Frizzled Silkie Roo over smooth/Silkied NN girls, and another pen with the Silkied roo over all the frizzled girls. Feathers on the offspring have been pretty soft and nice.

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

Dryhatch them for sure. No water til the lockdown. If they are dark and glossy especially! If you use water, then usually the goop, remember that? The membrane is squishy and gel-like, and full of slime. with no water, lots better with the goop.

This guy must be breeding Blue to Blue then, that is awesome--the splash are really pretty, I am hoping for more of those in a month or so when my blue hens are laying better, just one started and then kind of stopped. But the egg was really nice <3!

I havent been using water at all during incubation either. I find that if I do, they just dont evaporate enough. The part I am still struggling with is lockdown. I always have it too high and I think I lock them down before they are ready. This next time I am going to do it on the eggs schedule, and not on the golden day 18 rule and see if that helps. I feel that my last batch drown at lockdown because they werent ready and then the higher humidity messed them up. Alot also end up goopy so I think that confirms too much moisture. I also keep finding the chicks in odd positions with their feet up by their head and I need to figure out why. Any ideas why they arent getting into the right position? I was thinking I would wait till the eggs are visabily full or internally pipped before I locked them down and then try a lower himidity maybe 40-50's. That way they can absorb everything easier first. What do you think? My silkie eggs are on day 18 today but mine always run a little slow so I dont think they will be ready to even start pipping till this weekend.

 

[sillycmoy]

Wow, I haven't been on in ages, been so busy with work, and right now I'm surrounded by Girl Scout cookies. But I actually got on to see if anyone had any Maran Eggs that I could buy for an Easter Hatch or even some barnyard mixes. My sister in NM just called and asked if I could bring chicks when I go out in April. I'm going out the Monday after Easter so I would need to set them by this what Friday. She is down to 2 Chickens, they had a fox get in their yard. So they now have a Brick Privacy fence around their full acre lot, and from what I heard from my mom upgraded their coop so its predator proof, and she wants some chicks. She really wanted at least 1 Chocolate Egger. I told her that they would all be straight run, and I guess if I do a hatch I might as well do some for me, down fall is they will all have to go to NM with me and then what she doesn't keep will come back home. HeHe. But she also has a really good friend who was interest in a Maran, but was kind of looking for young pullets or even sexed chicks. Told her that one will be a long shot. But thought I would come on here an ask anyways. Not 100% positive what she wants yet. But it looks like she would like me to bring something out, since they get really crappy chicks at the feed store by her. She had at least 10 chicks die last year, and they got 4 to start and they would have 1 or 2 each time they came home die on them, and would have to go back and get more. So she doesn't really want to do that all over again since her kids love the chickens. My nephew was upset for weeks because the 3 they had that got eaten. They were the fattest chickens too, my 7 year old Nephew would run all over the place to catch grasshoppers for his girls.

Anyways, my girls all loved the mild winter. I'm down to 11 My pure white EE disappeared, not sure if she jumped the fence or if something got her. We looked everywhere for her too. And she never came home if she did jump the fence. Starting to get eggs like crazy. Its so weird to go outside to around 8 eggs, after all winter I was lucky with 2.

Hope everyone has had a great winter, I saw all the babies, and its makes me want some fuzzy butts even more. They are so dang cute!