Hahaha...your secret is safe with me! All of my first hatch (RIR's, Red Sexlink, and black sexlink) all came out looking exactly like my Buff Orpington roo. He is very handsome...but I was really hoping for different colored chicks! They are starting to look slightly different now...but still very orange.
It certainly is cool to watch them move around inside their shells. I remember being able to watch until about day 16...then they got too big. You will also notice (depending on how much you handle them) that the weight of the egg will change. They get heavier, and more solid feeling as it gets closer to hatch time. No one told me that...but I found out, and thought it was pretty darn cool!
The Eggs are in The Bator!
Are those chickies your ordered that are being delivered? You will have all kinds of new chickens running around!
They may feel more solid, and the weight does change.
But what actually is supposed to happen is that they
lose weight as they grow. Some people who are
very good at incubating, weigh the eggs first. They also
weigh them at 10 days and at 18 days.
By the end, they should lose about 13% of their weight,
and this indicates that the humidity is correct, and enough
moisture is able to escape the egg as it's incubated. They
use this in conjunction with the size of the air cell, which
should enlarge, in predictable stages, as the chick grows.
And, yes, there are going to be a lot of feathers flying
around here very soon! That's ok with me, as I ordered
enough in case some didn't make it, and some are
supposed to be 'phat' for processing, and all are to
be contributors to my organic rainbow egg assortment
that I would like to sell at farmer's market. The local
organic cafe can't keep organic eggs on the shelves.
If I sold through them, I would need a license. But, if I
sell them directly, I don't.
Sounds like a good plan. I guess you are right..I knew the weight of the eggs were changing...but I am dyslexic also...so maybe I am just backwards! Hahaha...I wanted to do broilers this year...but now I think we are gong to have to wait.
How many chickens did you have before you started
up the bator? What are your plans for those hatched
and on the way? I got the Cochins because they look
so cool, can be used to incubate other's eggs, (supposed
to be very sweet and good broody's) and are fairly heavy.
Pullets I think are about 7 or 8 lbs. The better I get at
incubating, though, I may take away their job! not, I think
they are better suited at hatching their eggs, I'm just a
nervous nellie! so anxious. I'm hoping I can offer some
of the polish or cochins to 4H'rs. Since I am so new to
this, I really don't know what the kids are wanting to show.
may all the princess' hens be broody LOL
We started with some day old chicks last year. We raised them up to about 4 months, and then moved them out. They were all killed (except our Buff Orpington) by the badger. A few weeks later our wedding photographer was coming out to do engagement pics, and said that her sister raised chickens. SHe offered to bring us some...but could only fit 5 in a carrier. She lived 3 hours away..so I wasnt going to push for more. We bought 5 hens that were 6 months old. We decided on more chicks because we were running out of eggs too quickly. We both have huge families...so need more chickens to lay. Hopefully this summer we can start getting some donations to help pay for the feed...but how do you ask family for that? We were giving away at least 2 dozen eggs a week to family!
Well, if they are farm raised, live healthy lives, are
free range or semi organic, those eggs here would sell
for 4 dollars a dozen. Now, I haven't done the math yet,
but I do know that a bag of feed for me costs $9.00.
This is not organic feed, I have not priced that yet. Maybe
you could figure the cost of feed for a season, and
offer that number up to family. I'm sure they would see
the value, and may actually save money.
Maybe you could show them how awfully most production
egg layers live, and the conditions, and they would
offer to support your hens 100%!LOL It's worth a try!
$9! I pay around $13-$14 a bag...and it is not organic. But my chickens dont get any drugs, and are free range...plus they live in the pent house. We have talked about how commercial layers live...and how horrible those conditions are...and a dozen eggs at the store are up to $2 a dozen here! We have tried hinting to the cost of the feed..electricity..plus time to collect, wash, and package the eggs. But alas...it hasnt worked. I feel bad and dont want to ask...but our subtle hints havent worked. I have mostly just quit offering them. I am thinking that if we could sell a couple to non-family that we could just tell them that we dont have many to 'give away' anymore...and then they could donate. Even a dollar would make me happy! With all these new chickens this summer it would really help out.
Maybe i will get brave...but I doubt it. I am a wuss!
DH just paid 16.00 a hundred today for cracked corn. The roads were so bad this morning, we started out to go get feed and I turned around and came back home. I asked him to get corn so we could get through a couple more days without having to go to the feed store. By our living 10 miles off the main road, and they haven't been sanding the roads, it is dangerous to drive on them. Ours don't get drugs either. Right now they won't free range because of the weather. In fact, they don't want to come out of the hen house.
Store-bought eggs around are running up to 2.50 a dozen. And, when the Saturday market is open in the summer, they are probably going to get more for them. I am still selling mine for 1.50 and will continue to do so as long as I don't lose money at that price. I told dh I think we are going to cut down on the amount of chicks we have because we didn't go into it to sell eggs, but to furnish our own to ourselves. By having to buy at least 25, (before I found this forum) we ended up with too many and had to start selling.
Since I found Dave's, I will be able to either set my own or buy fewer chicks. I am hoping to set my own eggs when the weather is right.
Hopefully, Mel, family will come around to the benefit
of good fresh eggs. I know it's difficult to ask family.
They may just see it as a perk for having a family member
who happens to have chickens. I don't know, I have a
brother who is not a mechanic by trade, but is a very
good one, that in all his years since retirement, I have
only asked him once to help me with my car. I know it's
hard work, and his time is his own, so I wouldn't want
to burden him. Maybe your family will see the value if
you are getting good prices for your eggs elsewhere,
and they aren't getting any eggs at all. "Little Red hen.."
happy thoughts to the princess
2.50 for storebought eggs is pretty close to ours down
here, Granny, but local farms are getting the higher
prices for the better eggs. I think 1.50 is a great deal,
especially for fresh and free range. I think the free range
birds are healthier, and don't need all that medicine.
I bet if you set your own eggs, those birds will be a lot
healthier than those from huge hatcheries, as well.
This message was edited Feb 6, 2008 6:49 AM
I had much better success with candeling last night.
My previous setup was an oval cut in a box some
smaller than the eggs, with a mag light shining through.
This meant I was laying the eggs on their side to look,
and the focus of the light was into the side, not giving
me a very good look. Also, the light was closer to the egg,
and possibly getting too warm if I looked too long.
I took my cue from Mel, and made a candler with the mag
light and a toilet paper tube. Since these eggs are not jumbo
as I thought, but large, too much fit down in the tube.
So, I put a thick layer of gauze around the end, and
used electrical tape to hold it down, giving the eggs
a soft cradle to sit in, in an upright position. Then, used
the same tape to attach it to the light, and seal out any
light from leaking around the edges. Of the sven eggs,
one was collected a day later, and one does not look
viable. but the other 5?!? Wow, little wiggly embryos
are very busy in there! I'm a proud mama!
happy thoughts to the princess
Oh Happy, happy. =o) Way to go! Joni.
Aunt Cookie is so proud!
Glad you are able to see the embryos better. I checked mine again last night...and still doing great! 8 more days for mine to go! I think your quail are due two days afrer my chickens!
It is driving me crazy not being able to candle the
quail. They are cool looking though, as they are buff
with brown spots, but when you candle them, the buff
turns turqoise! My little teensy quail are due the 17th-18th.
They are supposed to be only 2" tall.
I stop turning them on the 14th. Since I can not leave the
turner in for the hatch and Blanca's are due the 20th,
I will take all of them out and lay them on the wire, and
turn Blanca's til they are ready to stop. It works out well as I
can stop turning Blanca's on the day the quail are due.
may all the princess' days be sunny
This message was edited Feb 6, 2008 10:05 AM
That will work out well. I would be frustrated as well not knowing how things are going in there...but I bet they are ok. This way you get a surprise! I am very excited to see what those little quail look like when they hatch! I can hear my chicks now...they are playing keep away with a piece of bread. Those guys sure can move fast!
Are you ok down there? I just heard on the news that there were a bunch of really bad tornadoes in Texas last night!
I'm just fine. If there were storms here, it must have
been in north Texas. Too bad we can't much discuss
current events, I think weather is really relevant to
gardening.
may the princess never know hail
I just wanted to make sure! These chicks sure are growing up fast! I pulled them out clean out their box...and they are having a blast! They have so many feathers. I know at least one is a roo! Or at least I THINK I do. One of them has been 'trilling' several times a day.
They must be so cute. I can picture them playing and
chirping all over the place. They are just happy to be
in the world! I have read that cockerels can start to
(try) crowing and sparring very early. Hopefully you have
just the one? I can hardly wait for my little ones!
may the princess get all pullets in her brood
I'm running out of things to wish the princess!LOL
Mel, have you had a chance to update your site? I want to hear trills....
Hello, hello, Aunt Cookie! Where is everybody this
morning?
may the princess sleep soundly
I havent been able to record the trills yet from this batch of chicks...but I DO have one from my first group of chicks. I will try to put it out there just so you hear hear what it sounds like. It is pretty cool.
=o) Just us chicks!!
I have the video uploaded...but waiting for my host to encode it for me. As soon as it is done I will post the link. If you know my site you can go there and watch it also...it is posted at the bottom of my last page 'Chickypoos'.
I just checked it. It's still encoding...
tapping fingers, here.... tap, tap, tap...
I want to hear chicks trill, too. Maybe when they heard
you trill, Mel, they said 'heeeeeyyyyyy, that's what I'm
supposed to do".
may all the princess' chicks trill LOL
hahaha...could be...but i never did that with the first ones! Marsala was about a week old when he started. I sure wish he was still around. he would sit in my lap and fall asleep...and come when I called him. Maybe I should bond with one of these new chicks...but too affraid that the one I get attached to will be the one we loose.
I am trying to get that video encoded...not sure what is taking so darn long!
When I adopted gentleman Davey, predators had
snatched all the people's other chickens, except
him and a fuzzy chick I named Pebbles. I became very
attached to Pebbles, and she me. If I stepped off the porch
she would fly after me to catch up. She would hop in my
hand if I put it down for her. She was killed by a hawk soon
after going off with the other chickens. I miss her, but would
not trade the experience, or getting to know her. I don't
regret that part.
health to princess Tammy
Yeah...I suppose it is kinda like the 'better to have loved and lost...' idea. Maybe I will take one of the next batch to befriend. Our OEGH came from our neighbor (who we have since ended any relationship with). She is odd...and quirky. Mabye I will pick one of her chicks if they hatch. Oh...getting excited again! I could just stay home and raise chickens all year!
That was the crappy neighbors, right? Good thing to
lose them. Can you translate the OEGH orpington?
something? sorry, I don't know all the acronyms..
I would find it hard to attach to many, but maybe one
or two. They are so sweet- Pebbles was anyway. I
think my leghorn hen Blanca attacks me because she
see's me steal her eggs. Wish she was sweeter?
may sparkly things rain down on the princess
Well, I did it...I marked three eggs with a pencil line so we would know which ones I am letting our broody hen(s) sit on. We definitely have one (or possibly two) that has gone broody. I set the marked eggs down away from her and she reached over and brought them to her and then moved them just in front of her so that her body weight wouldn't crush them. I figured since she wasn't laying anyway, why not let her set and see if we can hatch some naturally. I know it's still really too early and cold, but I figure she can keep two or three warm. I got my chicks last year in the early part of April and they did fine. But, of course it is only February. So, we shall see.
Funny...yeah...those are the neighbors we dont like. I try to not even look in their direction when I am coming or going. Were we live now we cant see them...but the site for our main house will be above theirs...so we will be able to look down on their property. That is why I wanted to plant all the evergreens!
OEGH...Old English Game Hen
If you scroll to the bottom 3, she looks like these guys...
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.the-coop.org/heywood/assets/Blu_oe_hen1L.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.the-coop.org/heywood/&h=404&w=500&sz=17&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=IlQ6L3YpeAoXWM:&tbnh=105&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2527old%2Benglish%2Bgame%2Bhen%2527%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den
My Buff Orpington is very nice looking...this is the man! Although this is the most recent picture...he was only about 5 months old! He is HUGE now..and has longer tail feathers.
Sounds like even if you may not be ready..she sure is! Last year I tried getting a couple hens to sit...and no one would!
I GOT it! Ok...so the video STILL isnt working, but my sweetheart managed to do something with it. If you click on where it says "Or click here" at the very bottom...and then wait for a few minutes. Let me know if it works! But that 'trilling' is the first crow my little chicky made when he was a week old!
Great news, granny! You are smart to let her hatch
just a few. Easier to keep things under control that
way! May all you chickies be pullets...LOL Hopefully
your weather will stay respectable til Mama can
keep them war.
Mel, he's a nice looking man. Bet all the ladies love him.
I'll check out the vid tomorrow, I am beat. and on dialup
which takes sooooo long to see anything.
may the princess sleep with sweet dreams
I culled one of my eggs last night. It was obvious when
I candled it that it looked different from the others.
When I cracked it open, the yolk was huge, flat and
spread out on the plate. It wasn't fertile. Yea. So glad
that I made a good call. So, now I have 7 that are
fertile, and that makes about 87% fertlity. Yes Mel
and Granny, Davey is doing his job! LOL I may cull
the late collected egg. I don't know yet- I don't really
want a late hatcher...what do you think?
(((((princess tammy)))
Was that egg put in the bator late? Or just collected late and put in at the same time as the others? I ended up having one chick 'Gimpy' hatch 3 days after the others...and he is doing great now. He is smaller...but they all get along find. What is your biggest concern?
Well, I guess putting it in the bator one day late
is not too bad, if Gimpy came along so late and is
doing ok. It was collected a day late and went right in.
(((((tammy))))
This message was edited Feb 7, 2008 10:24 AM
Well, they may be ready, but we got 13 inches of snow yesterday and they are predicting below zero temps this weekend. That's why I only left them three and dh says there are definitely two brooding the same three eggs. So hopefully they will not stop in the middle if we waited late to set them. I think the second hen just got broody maybe the beginning of this week. They share the nest every day.
I think it's really neat how the hormones or length of
light? changes them into mommy mode. Nature sure
does know her stuff.
Sorry to hear about your impending weather. Are your
broody hens setting in a coop or outdoors? Will the bad
weather make them stop? I hope the coming chicks can
take your mind off the weather. I know my projects have
worked on some worries for me.
may the sun always shine on Tammy