Westford, MA swap Sun. ****april 11TH

[chickn]

Quote:
when i open her cage she runs out and i cant reach her out there so i touch her feet and she stomps runs in and then i can pick her up, is it a game? its a pain

LOL sounds like she is playing with you, believe it or not some rabbits do in fact have a sense of humor.

maybe thats it!! because once she is back in she lets me pick her up.

 

[gypsy2621]

Quote:
Temperature related?

I did post in the incubation forum on this. Everyone felt it's the luck of the draw. I just had really bad luck.

More than one person posted if I hatched 100 or more chicks then my ratio would be closer to 50/50. I'm not sure I want that many roos.

It may well be a temperature issue.
If you think about all the animals that lay eggs. they build their nests for the needs of the echo system.

Alligators and Crocodiles lay eggs in a nest built either for hotter or cooler, I cant remember which produces more females to male and vice a verse
I am going to look it up and get back to you.
I know something was said on Animal Planet about how breeders regulate which sex of gator is born using temperature.
and IF chickens are actually Dinosaurs in disguise like the Alligator and Crocodile it would make sense.

I found this really interesting study, it may or may not give answers specific to chickens but it is definitely food for thought.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1629050/

 

[keesmom]

Quote:
I did trade in my old LGs for some Brinseas, and I still hatched more roos.

Maybe this means next year I'll have all pullets.

 

[gypsy2621]

I was going to trade up my LG for a Lyons but cant see the point in it now.
the way thiings I have gone I have totally lost interest and will be concentrating on the plants.

 

[keesmom]

Quote:
I'll have my own eggs to hatch next year, so I had to upgrade to a better bator. The house temp fluctuates widely
in the spring, which messed up a lot of hatches early on. I don't have to worry about it with the Brinseas.

I had such a bad plant year last season I'm cutting back on that the next growing season. Except for the aloes.
Can't keep them from multiplying! I have 3 more plants I need to split come spring.

 

[chickn]

Quote:
i have this cabinet inc. and thinking i want to step back, but i already miss "hatch day"

dont get pushed around, move threw them, go over top if you have to, LOL they will get bored and move on
that type always does

 

[gypsy2621]

Quote:
i have this cabinet inc. and thinking i want to step back, but i already miss "hatch day"

dont get pushed around, move threw them, go over top if you have to, LOL they will get bored and move on
that type always does

If I work on anything feather relaed it will only be the Jersy Buff Turkeys and those I wont need to go anywhere other than westford to sell, if I sell any that is , where they are so endangered I will be putting only the best of the best up for sale and the rest will go into the freezer.

We will be turning the big coop into a greenhouse and using the smaller ones for the turkeys and the smallest one for a grow out pen.

Oh I am not being pushed around for anything or anyone, I have just decided like I did with rabbit shows and such that not dealing with people is healthier for them.

Forgotto ask which one of the cabinet incubators do you have?
I have heard good things about the Dickie.

 

[chickn]

Quote:
i have this cabinet inc. and thinking i want to step back, but i already miss "hatch day"

dont get pushed around, move threw them, go over top if you have to, LOL they will get bored and move on
that type always does

If I work on anything feather relaed it will only be the Jersy Buff Turkeys and those I wont need to go anywhere other than westford to sell, if I sell any that is , where they are so endangered I will be putting only the best of the best up for sale and the rest will go into the freezer.

We will be turning the big coop into a greenhouse and using the smaller ones for the turkeys and the smallest one for a grow out pen.

Oh I am not being pushed around for anything or anyone, I have just decided like I did with rabbit shows and such that not dealing with people is healthier for them.

turkeys, cool, could have sold all if you were selling in plaistow last weekend. everyone was asking for turkeys
should have a pen of the cheaper type and a pen of the expensive type! LOL i have never done turkeys, i think they would need way more room than i have and dont they eat a ton?

 

[keesmom]

Sandhill has several interesting sounding turkey breeds (including Jersey buff). Sweetgrass, silver auburn and chocolate sound nice, I'm tempted to order some every year. I just don't know where I'd put them.

 

[gypsy2621]

Turkeys are fun to grow but can be just as frustrating as not.
there are a lot more diseases you have to be mindful of. black head being one of them. devastating.
then poults, ugh tiny chill, dead poult, too close quarters, dead poults, rain, dampness, again dead poults.
very fragile as poults but once you get them past the critical stage,( in about 6 months) then not much affects them health wise.

I made the mistake of putting them out on a n ice warm week, that weekend cold chilly rain, lost 3 buffs and my bronze and one hen jersey have colds from hockey sticks that nothing is clearing up. they will be knocked down and sent to freezer camp.

Personally I always lean toward the rare and endangered breeds. they are challenging to work with but the rewards of saving an endangered breed doesn't compare to anything I have experienced.
One of the reasons I breed endangered rabbits, the feeling of accomplishment is huge.