with my new Bator.
They started pipping about 11 a.m. and I have 6 hatched out as of right now and 6 more pipped out of 16 eggs. That is 75% hatch for Araucana eggs if they all make it which is super fantastic. I just can't believe how fast they are popping out. With the LG it was 2 to 3 days before they were all out
only thing worring me is the whole front glass has fogged up now since the chicks are hatching. Hope the humidity hasn't gone to high with the moisture from the chicks
Great news!
Donna can you open the door quickly and wipe off the glass, all that moisture would worry me. I'm sure that just a second to wipe off the glass with a paper towell should not hurt anything...Hay
How are they doing, Donna? I don't to hatching, so I'm living vicariously through you all....
# 10 just hatched. The moisture seems to have gone down and the door is cleared halfway back down. All seem to be doing well.
Hay it is way to cold to open the door. The temp drops quick when you open it up. I was opening it to turn the eggs and temp would go down to 88
Good that you can't open it. The last few pips would dry out fast... You don't have to worry about that humidity.. it's a good thing.
I'm so glad your new bator is working so well!! Congratulations Donna!!!!
Cool Hatching..can't wait to start mine next month..I have to wait until my son leaves sunday so I can put my bator in there..lol..
what you going to hatch Nadine??
My BBS Orpingtons first then my oliver eggers next. I finally got some 1 year old hens(hatched them myself) that lay the dark olive eggs..lol..
Oh was gonna ask..any new babies hatch lately????
yes I have about 40 Araucana chicks right now but this batch was the first from my new bator which ran perfectly. 10 hatched out of 16 which is very good for Araucana. I haven't yet looked to see how many of the 6 unhatched eggs have babies in them. I will later today. That happens due to the leathal tufted gene
I hatched some Heritage Delaware which many died after hatching and I have one with a messed up leg. I tried splinting it and taping its foot flat on a small circle of cardboard but it didn't work. I don't have the heart to kill it. Need to see if it is a hen or roo. If roo I have to kill it, if hen I can put it with my smaller birds and she should be o.k. I think they are to inbred with so many pipping and dieing or dieing after hatch or messed up
I hatched 2 beautiful bantam Black Mottled Houdan Spike and Smurfette but Smurfette just died for no reason I could see. She was about 2 or 3 months old and they are still inside.
I hatched 4 beautiful bantam Black Mottled D'Uccles 2 prs. I will probably sell 1 pr
Do you create your own bantams by breeding down?
no I bought Bantam eggs
Sounds like those Delawares were not cared for all that well.. (no free ranging) or they just started laying.. Those are usually the #1 reason (in my opinion) for a bad hatch, or weak chicks. I wouldn't buy again from that seller if it were me. Delaware are too common to bother with a bad batch. I had 7 out of 7 once with Delawares, I swore they just popped out 1/2 grown! LOL I don't care for them though, so I won't do it again.
I hope this hatch is good for you! Sounds like you got a good lil flock goin now!
ZZ tell me about the Delawares. What was it you didn't like? I have considered getting some as I liked the way they looked and that they are said to lay extra-large eggs,
I am not going to try any more Dels. This was the 2nd batch of Heritage supposedly pure bloodline. If I end up having to sell them because of Roo's I will just buy some Hatchery Hen chicks as I plan to order Brabanters from Ideal in spring anyway. From all I have read the hatchery Brabanters are just as nice as those raising them since there in no new blood and no improvements are being made in them. Some new bloodlines would have to be imported to make improvements from what I understand
see the poor chicks leg.
now getting a big lump at the joint and looks like it is trying to get infected from walking on it.
do you think roo or hen??
PP they are good winter layers too
the 10 Araucana chick begging to get out yesterday
LOVE the 2 blue ones near the front.
Hate you have a chick with a bad leg. My guess is a pullet but it is just a guess. I can't see the beginnings of a comb or wattles but that could be the angle of the pic. Does seem to have a good start on tail feathers already.
This message was edited Dec 29, 2010 10:43 PM
Awwww! New little babies!
Ohh perty little babies..some sleeping so comfy..lol
What I didn't like about Delawares is they eat more than any other I've ever had.. they are total pigs and always act like they are starving.. I dumped the feed to them and it didn't help. They are also aggressive to other breeds. I hated them! They are bouncy healthy chicks and super easy to hatch, but wow.. you'd be sorry when the feed bill comes! Never again for me.
Oh, wow, thanks ZZ. My Orpingtons eat enough as it is; I don't need any really piggy hens, and I hate aggressive ones that can't get along with the others. I'll pass on the Delawares.
the 8 Coronation Sussex Splits are piggies too but they are also huge. At 3 1/2 months old they are as big as my BCM hens were. I only give them 1 big food bowl(about 1/2 gal) a day and thats all they are eating for 9(1 del roo from first hatch) of them and a few handfuls of scratch or other goodies. So far they are not much into the goodies. Just want their food.
The rats eat more than any of them. I just bought a bag of crumbles to see if that slows down what the rats eat. It seems to be working. They haul off the pellets. I'm talking bare bowls in the mornings
oh and they are all as dumb as a box of rocks grrrrrrrr!!!!! Everynight at full dark I have to go out there and put them up in the coop. They all just make 1 big puppy pile on the ground. Seems like after 1 month outside and coming down the ramp every morning they would know how to go back up it. If it is not full dark they will come right back out. When it warms back up they can stay out if they want
Congrats on your babies, Donna! What do you with them all?
I put out rat bait to get rid of the rats here. They were getting very bad. Big creek rats.
I can't really put out much rat bait because of my dogs. They both have incredible noses(squirrel dogs) and if they find anything they think is food they will eat it. I did put some pellets in some deep stump holes around the pens that look like they would be good hiding places that they couldn't get too.
Hi Donna!!!!! I plan to sell most of the babies and some of the Adults to recoup a little of what I have spent on having all the coops & runs built hopefully
That's cool! How many coops & runs do you have?
right now 5 but hubbie is working on a small raisedwire floor coop and will have a enclosed area on the ground too for days when I don't let them free range like when it is raining hard. Plan to make my 2 grandsons swing we built into a big A-frame coop & run since they never use it. It is made from 4 x 4's 10' long. Also plan to redo a used one we bought cheap. Not put together very well. It is also a raised wire floor type. So when all is done I will have 8 and he probably won't allow me any more lol
I have coop envy.
nothing fancy just functional
Donna, how are these babies doing?
super fantastic. Moved 25 outside about 3 or 4 weeks ago to the grow out pen and tomorrow the last 23 go out. I moved the first batch over to the big Araucana cage today freeing up the grow out pen for the other 23. No fighting with the addition of 25 new birds. add 4 or 5 and they get beat up
Great news Donna, keep up the good work...Hay
So what's going to happen to all these beautiful birds, if I am not being too nosey.
I hope to sell some but no takers so far on CraigsList. I am sorry but they are not 10 dollar chickens. All people want down here is RIR, Leghorn, Golden Comets etc.
here is my ad for Mobile since I didn't hear anything for the MS one. Not sure if I am supposed to post it or not. Please remove if not allowed
http://mobile.craigslist.org/grd/2268977408.html
I love the blue bird - beautiful! I hope they get good homes.
