I put 42 eggs in the bator this morning and I know all of them will not make it. So I have half oliver eggers and half brown layers to sell to a friend of mine. She wanted some chicks for her dad to raise for eggs and meat for the freezer. He is currently building him a chickenhouse but I haven't seen it..yet. lol..
Everybody keeping warm these days??? How many of you are getting catalogs from hatcheries?? Dreaming of getting baby chicks or what ever in the spring?? LOL...
My grandson keeps asking me about his chickens he has here since he lives in Idaho- he has 4 bantams- 1 white silkie,1 white cochin, and 2 small hens that I don't know what they are..looks like pigeons to me..lol..when he saw them..he says..they are just my size to hold them when we went to Tractor Supply to buy some feed for my bigger chickens and he heard baby ones peeping in back of the store..my daughter and I just looked at each other, rolled our eyes,slapped our forehead thinking--OH NO! and just knew we were coming home with baby chicks and ducks..lol..
I sold the ducks when they got bigger to a guy who had nothing but drakes and I had the females..that was a good sale...
My Hovabator is cooking....
Did you put any Blue Orpington eggs in? I have not checked the Cochin in the last few days but think she is still laying. It is just too early and too cold to be thinking about baby chicks. Are Orhingtons good setters or are they mainly just good layers? I keep my chickens in pens these days because they jump on the plant benches and do damage so any chicken I keep need to set eggs at some time, peafowl eggs will be on the increase.
I have Buff Orpingtons and several of them tend to be broody but not all.
That's like Americanas, if you let the eggs build up more will go broody. A Silkies will lay a clutch and sit, even if you have gathered them every day and there is nothing in the nest. Thanks porkpal.
My Orpingtons will also sit determinedly on an empty nest, none of my Ameraucanas will stay broody if there are no eggs.
Thanks, I always kept a few laying hens for eggs if they sometimes go broody and liked Americans for that reason but looks like Orpingtons will work even better. Again, Nadine, do you have any Blue Orpington eggs in your bator?
Yes I do...kenboy. I will keep the bator going for awhile..I am doing this batch for a friend of mine. Her dad has a brooder inside their garage to keep the chicks warm. I mainly raise alot of Orps cuz they lay right thru the winter and also they are meat birds. he wanted a duel purpose chicken and Orps fit the bill..lol
Kenboy, when would ya like some Orps eggs or I can hatch you some chicks? I have to do another batch for the same people I am doing the first batch later on end of Feb.
My Araucana are more broody than my silkies. What a pain.
Nadine, I just read your thread where you offered to come up and bring your sewing machine, yes I would love that. You could bring some of your Blue Orpington eggs and take back some of these Brugs I have been rooting. We could make a pizza and drink some green tea and have soo much fun. I'm really a simple man, aren't I?
Yes you are..lol..pizza and green tea sounds good to me.. When ya want these eggs so I will know what to do next?
I am in no hurry for the eggs but I would really like to get going on this quilt. The pattern I want calls for using paper backing and that just seems like a pain and I am sure we can figure out a better way and make it work. Also I have never used a machine and want to know all the tricks to using one.
The black Cochin is the one laying and she has 12 eggs and I am going to let her hatch them but then move them to a brooder, it's just too cold for chicks outside, even if they are with their mama. I can't believe I am talking about hatching chickens in January.
Well join the club. I usually start in Jan using my bator..then they stay in a port a crib in my garage up to certain age..then I put them out in a coop beside the house with a light..they stay warm..I keep the front door facing west so the cold wind or rain doesnt blow in.
I will have to come up one weekend with my portable machine to help ya out and look at ya'lls machine. It isn't hard to learn to sew on one. Just don't give me a computerized kind..I am not that smart..lol..I like the old fashion kind that I can repair it myself..lol
Oh goody. Chicks to come. My incubators are not running for now. I have plenty of chicks already and can't wait for spring. It has been very snowey here and plenty cold. Much too cold to get eggs shipped anyway.
I haven't been on here much as having computer problems and lots and lots of things gone wrong in this old house and having to have plumbers and furnace guys and whatnot come and fix them . So looking forward to spring.
Well I will check this coming Saturday to see how many made the first cut..Temps at 99 Humidity staying around 30% to 35%.. I dry incubate my hatching eggs..
oh lord I am so over chicks. I have about 50 in the florida room all winter from 2 months old to about 3 weeks old. Hurry up spring so I can sell them hopefully. I have a broody silkie on eggs and my Sebright is sitting eggs. The others that won't come out of being broody are sitting fake eggs. Everyday I take Ginger off her nest and put her out all day to free range with the others and as soon as I let her back in she goes straight to the nest
Dedication!
Wow,Donna..that hen is really loves to sit on a nest!!..Okay for the count of after I had candled my eggs this morning-12 didn't make it..all clear-..I had few that were iffy cuz the are olive color shells..will check again on Wed. So I am down to 30 eggs..after ths batch, I will only have Orp eggs since I will put a trio in a coop all by themselves again...Blue roo w 2 black hens..hoping to get all 3 colors again. black,blue and splash.
Well Kenboy, ya better get to making that pizza cuz I will be coming up soon as I found out about the dates at work..LOL...of course after my babies hatch and get cozy in their port a crib pen.
Ok, kenboy, The Orps eggs will be pure after this Saturday. They are in the coop and I will take those eggs until Saturday. Then will collect them as I go for the next 2 weeks..lol..until it is time for me to drive up on Feb 18th.
All is well and the eggs are still cooking....this saturday will mark 14th day inspection...mmmm
good luck Nadine
I have come to the opinion that Araucana are more broody than silkies. Good greef they won't come off the nest and it has been about 2 months. I still have 5 1/2 sitting lol. Ginger is almost broken from the nest
LOL..well I got maybe 2 doz or more coming from a friend of mine who has cochins,marans and something else..can't remember what she said...around Feb 22. she wants me to help her incubate these and I can keep some for myself...I do have 1 white silkie hen that belongs to my grandson when he comes down to visit that that is trying to be broody to 1 wooden egg..just might put her in a coop to help me with some eggs..also a white bantam cochin(grandson's) who is learning as well to sit on a wooden egg..lol..
Well I candled all my eggs and 3 more didnt make the cut on the olive eggs..sometimes it is really hard to see those.
So I now have 27 eggs cooking..hatching date should be Feb 5th..
So you are bringing me a bunch of eggs on the 18 of Feb and then on the 22 some is bringing you more eggs, you are going to be over run with chicks this year,lol. There is someone near me that has some beautiful Phoenix and I am wanting to get some fresh blood from his birds. I stopped selling birds a few years ago because I always need to take off work early to ship. If I only have a bird or two, I loose more money from lose of work than I make from the birds. If I can sell more birds at one time and only ship every few weeks It makes it worth taking off work a little early. I built my pens large so I can raise peafowl, chickens and pheasants all in the same pen. This way, with 8 pens, I can raise 8 different types of all three.
Can't pheasants and chickens cross-breed?
Chickens are pheasants, bred up from a subspecies of Green Jungle Fowl, so yes they sometimes do. It is rare that it happens and there are species that do more than others.
Kenboy, That is ok cuz I have some friends who are trading with me..They bringing me some stuff for my garden and I am giving them some chicks..lol..so we are bartering..The lady I am getting more eggs from wants chicken saddles and diapers for her show birds..so that makes a real good deal for me! And she gonna come down in the spring to get some plants as well..lol..
I am getting ansty in the pantsy for my babies to hatch!!
Do you need a pep rally? Cheering squad, pom-poms etc?
When is the hatch date? rah rah rah!
Ya'll can be my cheerleaders!!! Hatch date is Saturday. Will have my chicken TV turned on after they all hatched and get dried..I got my 5 gal fishtank ready for viewing...then they go to the port a crib brooder which is ready as well..after they turn a week old...will post pics...
Be there or be square!!...lol..
I'll be there.... I'm not havin chick withdrawl anymore.. so I think I can be nice. LOL
Nadine keep that generator ready to roll in case you loose power. I would be on pins and needles being that close to hatch and the weather that's moving in
Donna, My generator is in my garage ready to plug in. I also hav 20 gals of gas (in shed) in case I loose power. Been thru too many hurricanes..lol..
I do know the feeling!!!! DH cranks ours 1 x a month and lets it run a few minutes to make sure it is ready when needed
My yard guy been using it as he is building my henhouse which is on hold until weather get better..lol..
AACCKK!!!.. I checked on my bator and I see one pipping!! so get your pom poms out and start cheering!! Doesn't it know to hatch on Saturday?? Will keep ya'll posted.. It is a olive egger..
edit to correct spelling..lol
This message was edited Feb 3, 2011 5:18 PM
Rah! Rah! Sis boom bah! Pip those chicks, pip those chicks, pip them all out! (Enter scantily clad girls with pom-poms.)
LOL porkpal! I'm adding my cheers too and waiting for updates, how exciting!! Go Chickes, Go Chickes!
ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats Nadine. Glad everything is going well