Who's Incubating in Nov. 2011 ?

[EM Squared Farms]

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That's a nice enclosed chicken grow out area ?

We're trying to decide what we need for our "chicken barn" to encompass all our chickie needs. Mostly grow out in separate cages (it's difficult with mixing standard sized chicks and bantam chicks).

Then we also need cages for conditioning birds for a show. And also cages to put breeding pairs in.

I guess raising chickies is becoming part of our lives now, since we have done pretty good selling the chickens.

I just want the process to be a little more like clockwork. One incubator and 2 bins and 1 cage in the house isn't ideal.

How long ago did you build your grow out area for your birds ?

We have "breed" pens, but as you know, most people just want the hens. So we are always left with cockerels. They usually live with "the 10" he's allowed to keep for that breed (parent stock, good quality pullets or cockerels that he's banded).

We've been trying to move along the cockerels, but it's a slow process.

Well, still have some time to plan and talk to others for ideas on our one and only multi-purpose chicken barn.

Thanks for your pic. I really like it. It's so much better to "see" than hear about it.

 

[EM Squared Farms]

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Do you mind posting a pic of a lavender and a porcelain ? I don't know off the top of my head what those colors look like. They sound nice !

PQ = poor quality ?

How much of a price difference is there between SQ and PQ ? My 12 yr. old has been setting the prices on his chickens. We haven't sorted each breed into SQ and PQ yet in terms of prices. Something he'll need to figure out (marketing of his birds) for himself as part of running his own chicken business.

That must be fun to raise all Silkies.

My only chickens (a whopping 7 of them) are all Splash. I just love them to death. I suppose I would love the white ones too, but splash have a little more variety in their color, not just one color.

 

[EM Squared Farms]

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Can't wait to see all your Silkie chickies of so many colors !!

Will you promise to post pics ? Let's see...21 days from now would be....Dec. 3rd ? I'll have to remember to check for your pics then, right before my vacation.

Thanks !

 

[EM Squared Farms]

Quote:
Can't wait to see your chickie pics as well !

What are you hatching ?

 

[Ma Noob]

hello. Have been away with no computer for the last few days and i really really needed it!

Thought i had a disaster the other day when i get home to see the temp in the incubator at 39.9!! I freaked out straight away and tried to candle but couldnt see anything, great i thought, ive cooked the bloody lot! Had a bit of trouble of the next day or so getting the temp right, the temp here has been up and down and it has been hard to get settled. But i think im bak on track now.

Candled them tonight and got a much better look. Out of the 11, 1 im 99% sure wasnt fertile, but am leaving it for another little while to see what happens. 2 was quite dark and hard to see, but i think i saw movement. another 1 was also quite dark and i dont think i saw movement in it. But again hard to tell. So will have to wait and see. 1 has a detached air sack. So i have it proped up one end trying to get it to settle. Bubs is alive at this stage, but i guess its wait and see. So that gives me 6 at least which im happy with for a first time.

But.......... I have been quite busy and hardly home in the last week, And with my hubby away too, i havent had much time to go out and get the eggs. So i have a look in the yard today only to find one of the chooks missing, and i find her in the house sat in the egg crate, i just thought she was laying, until i go out again about 3 hours later, to see her still sat there as the others are settling into bed. So i start to wonder, Went out later again well after dark when all the rest are perched on top of the chook house and she is still sat there.

So it looks like I have a broody hen!! I would imagine she is sat on quite a few eggs and i havent been out most of the week, So it looks like we could have quite a big family!!

 

[Melissa Rose]

Quote:
Aw, your chickies are cute !

What are Polish Top Hats ? A special kind of Polish? I named my vaulted skull Splash Silkie "Top Hat".

Our Marans parents are copper black hen x copper blue splash roo. We have one blue Marans pullet growing up. She's so beautiful.

I think my Marans chickies are about the same age as yours, maybe a little older. I don't think they have any chickie fuzz left, but I still call them chickies.

Yeah, our summer in FL was pretty dry for a while there. Almost had no pasture area for the goats left ! Luckily the chickens have plenty of shade from the large laurel oak tree anad their houses/plants.

I think Polish and Top Hats are the same just different names! I just had some blue marans chicks hatch but I have been cementing around the bottom of my coop and run to make it safe for my chicklets and my poor hands are totally brutalized so posting pics will have to wait till they heal a little

I just hatched some silkie chicks that have vaulted skulls and I did not realize what they would look like and when the started to hatch

I thought they were two headed at first

 

[EastCoastSilkies]

Quote:
Do you mind posting a pic of a lavender and a porcelain ? I don't know off the top of my head what those colors look like. They sound nice !

PQ = poor quality ?

How much of a price difference is there between SQ and PQ ? My 12 yr. old has been setting the prices on his chickens. We haven't sorted each breed into SQ and PQ yet in terms of prices. Something he'll need to figure out (marketing of his birds) for himself as part of running his own chicken business.

That must be fun to raise all Silkies.

My only chickens (a whopping 7 of them) are all Splash. I just love them to death. I suppose I would love the white ones too, but splash have a little more variety in their color, not just one color.

The PQ is Pet Quality where it might have been born with six toes or the feet did not feather out enough for it to be show quality. I will take pics as soon as they come out of the hatcher. I can count right at 30 Silkies that have hatched already and about 75 of the White Leghorns. As chicks I sell mine for 5.00 each except for the Lavender and Porcelain they are a little higher. We enjoy doing this and just want people to be able to own them at a resonable price.

 

[draye]

Quote:
Aw, your chickies are cute !

What are Polish Top Hats ? A special kind of Polish? I named my vaulted skull Splash Silkie "Top Hat".

Our Marans parents are copper black hen x copper blue splash roo. We have one blue Marans pullet growing up. She's so beautiful.

I think my Marans chickies are about the same age as yours, maybe a little older. I don't think they have any chickie fuzz left, but I still call them chickies.

Yeah, our summer in FL was pretty dry for a while there. Almost had no pasture area for the goats left ! Luckily the chickens have plenty of shade from the large laurel oak tree anad their houses/plants.

I think Polish and Top Hats are the same just different names! I just had some blue marans chicks hatch but I have been cementing around the bottom of my coop and run to make it safe for my chicklets and my poor hands are totally brutalized so posting pics will have to wait till they heal a little

I just hatched some silkie chicks that have vaulted skulls and I did not realize what they would look like and when the started to hatch

I thought they were two headed at first

Polish is a breed. Top Hat refers to any breed of chicken that have a top knot on thier head. Crevecouer, German Spithauben, Brabanter, Polish, maybe others.

 

[OldChurchEggery1]

I just put 18 in the incubator last night. 4 are from my laying flock and were just put in to balance out the tray. They could be a mix of Blue Jersey Giant or Wheaten Marans over Australorp, Black Jersey Giant, or Black sex-link. It'll be a wild card, for sure. The other 14 are from the auction I won here on BYC from "bargain" in Georgia. I'm excited! I've never hatched this late in the year, but thought it would be good to have a few fresh faces for spring laying.

 

[dwegg]

Quote:
Can't wait to see all your Silkie chickies of so many colors !!

Will you promise to post pics ? Let's see...21 days from now would be....Dec. 3rd ? I'll have to remember to check for your pics then, right before my vacation.

Thanks !

Mine are actually due on Dec. 1...I am so excited for this hatch as they are from a top SQ breeder and I paid $$$$ for them...but I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch! I listened to my NEW hygrom/thermometer last hatch and it was off I I had a horrible hatch...so this time...I am not even using one...my bator is awesome and I know if I stick to what I know it should be good...so i do not even have a hygrom/thermometer in there!