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Awww one day i would LOVE to get a rooster and try some breeding but i highly doubt DP will be in on it ;)
I would really love some chicks for the girls to grow with though.
Well HotI got something like 12 eggs while we were away (left thursday) and we got 8 yesterday when we checked them so that's 20 eggs since Thursday... GO CHOOKIES!
See how we go for the next couple of weeks, the girls must be happy enough - might have to start taking some eggs to kinder or something.
ZF thats awesome your getting so many eggs. I'm still yet to get enough for us to eat and have enough to incubate. Ive just had two young pullets start laying in the last few days so soon should get enough. We use alot of eggs in cooking so could easily use 12-20 a week. Also as I let my hens out during the day and they wander over several acres I know they have a few hiding nests so loose some there. We have alot of long grass and machinery, sheds etc. I also discovered 3 hens were laying under a huge pile of wood which was for a bonfire so I lite that a few days ago and got an extra 3 eggs yesterday.
Well my exciting news is after feeling deflated that my eggs were never going to hatch I noticed 1 egg cracked when I got home an hour ago and now it has a tiny hole in it and I can see a beak wiggling inside. So hopefully by tonight I will have my first chicken out. I had 5 sussex which were due out yesterday/today and so far there is no action. Last time I candled them they were all alive so Im not sure whats going on there. The one chick thats has started is an orpington and was placed in 24hrs later. So I still have 16eggs I'm waiting to see signs of hatchment. I hope I get alot of them out. I started with 34 I think in the beginning
hey girls i just had to share
we have gotten 2 very big eggs in the past 3 days!!!
the first one weighed 106 grams and was big as my daughter who is 9 - her palm!!
today we got another whopper which was even bigger at 114grams!!!!
our normal king size eggs we get everyday which weigh over 70grams looked so small against these whoppers!!
they were so big that they didnt even fit in the egg carton!!!
the first one was a double yolker!!!
i am tipping the other one will be as well- will let you know when i crack it tommorow!!!
gotta love this warm weather- my chookies obviously are with such awesome eggs!!
How cool det! Nice work little ladies! I can't wait!
How old we're your Chooks when they started laying everyone?
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Another double! Lol!
Det I am backing that second egg is a double yolker also. I get a few from my Dads that have been but non have gone over 90grams. The ones around 90grams have all been double yolkers. My biggest eggs so far from my girls have not hit 60grams yet with the smallest been 32grams. I have several this week that have all been 36grams but they are from 2 pullets that have only started laying in the last 2weeks.
Bella my 2 little bantun pullets that started laying this past fortnight are 6.5months old. I have a pullet that is 8months that has not layed an egg yet but I think she is close. She has started visiting the nest site and going of on her own just to sit so I'm expecting she will soon. The younger 2 which are now laying are bantums where the 8month old girl is a standard size orpington.
Well I almost want to say my first incubation has been disasterous except I do have living chickens and I know heaps of people who got none in their first attempt so its not completely disasterous. Ive obviously stuffed up the humidity as NOT one chick has made it out of the egg without help and each one has been very stuck to the inside membrane. I helped a few partially and 12hours later they still had made absolutely no progress to get out of the rest of the egg. There all very exhasted and completely stuck. Some I had to use some luke warm water to unstick them. They aren't all pretty and fluffy although most are dry now. Only a few are walking around and the rest look like they will cark it. Ive used a syringe to give them some water which I think helped alot as they seemed more lively an hour later and more vigorous. I did loose one which I think I helped to much and it was very runty. So out of 17 I have 10 alive chicks currently, 1 dead one and 6 showing no signs of doing anything. The first one is strong now and trying to peak everything so I seperated it in the incubator as it was starting to peak the weaker chicks. I'm going to cook them up some egg yolk and offer that to them first hoping to get them to not struggle as much and maybe mix some yolk with water to syringe the weaker few. I hope they make it. I'm not worried about some of them as they are looking stronger by the hour but some are really struggling. As for the other 6 eggs time will tell if they are going to hatch or not.
Go *det* well go her chookies anyway.
I didn't get to weigh our big one as my scales are crap but i bought some digital ones so i can check now.
Our standard eggs are about 65g and i weighed the silkies this morning and they were about 45g so i can't wait to see when we get a bigger egg - no doubnle yolkers here though.
So jealous of you ladies with chicks :(
Those who weigh there eggs do you find they are the same weight from the same chook? One of my girls lays daily and her eggs have only ever been 56grams. Ive got about 12 eggs from her since buying her 2weeks ago and the weight hasnt changed by even a gram. Will have to take some pictures of my chicks and try upload them. 8 are doing really well. No signs of the other 6 eggs and 1 weaker one is improving whilst the other is deteriorating I think. Ive got to give my Dad his 4 sussex chicks so that gets me down to 6 of my own if they all survive. Im going to buy a new incubator. I want an R Com but gee they are pricey. Those who are incubating artificially what incubator do you use?
yup it was another double yolker!!!!
our small eggs are around 70grams - we breed them big here!!!
our chooks were closer to 20 weeks when they started laying
they havent stopped since and we are guaranteed at least 3 eggs- most likely 4 eggs a day
pretty good for 4 chooks hey
so wanna get some more chookys now
Det, what breed do you have?
So I candled again tonight, lol! I think I can see movement in 16 ou of 18 eggs! Very exciting! It is almost like watching a heart beat in them but I can't possibly be the heart beat I don't think. It is quite a large area that seems to move in proportion to the eyes that I can see.
I can't remember who asked, but I am using a brinsea 20 something or other. I borrowed it from my bff's sister and it seems great! It has an auto turn cradle and it also works without that. I have never noticed the temp to change on it more than by .10 when just left alone. It also heats up quickly.
So girls who have done this before. When do you toss the eggs that u think are clear? I am day 7 now.....
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I tosse out at day 12 with my first batch which hatched 2 days ago. I didn't get any rotton eggs blew up in the machine lol. My 2nd batch is on day 12 today and I'm yet to discard the clear ones (which is more then half this time) I'm going to toss them out tonight. My 2 incubators are side by side and I have been so obsessed with the ones hatching the 2nd batch have been left alone for the past 3days except when I turn them (semi auto)
So I got 11 living healthy chicks from my first effort. I know where I went wrong. I was naughty and opened the incubator after day 18 and I think I let the humidity out which caused the chicks to stick in the eggs. So I wont do that next time. I stuffed up as I had eggs in which were 24hrs behind so had to open to turn the younger ones so I definately learnt from that error and wont do that again. I'm putting eggs in tonight some are duck eggs from my parents so this is another first.
Det that is awesome big eggs. I'm yet to crack 60grams from any of mine but I guess as they get older they will lay bigger eggs. Good news on them laying at 20weeks also. Im feeding my young ones on a turkey mash which apparently will make them grow and then lay faster as its got a higher protein content them a chook one. I noticed my 3week olds have a growth spurt as soon as I gave it to them so it must work. I also get about 3 eggs a day someimes more. Ive got 2 old girls that dont lay at all and then 2 pullets which aren't laying and 4 that are. So I avergae 3 a day from 4. Although its like an easter egg hunt here trying to find where they layed them.
We have two chicks in the shed! so now its bound to rain! haha every time we hatch/have newly hached chicks it RAINS
Thanks for the info midez, I will restrain myself when it is my turn!
How do u girls about increasing the humidity towards the end?
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I'm not exactly sure how to increase the humidity. I brought a thing that measures both temp and humidity but it doesn't arrive until next week. I assume you increase the humidity by adding more water and I think the temp comes slightly down at day 18. I brought mine down to 37.5. The higher the temp evaparates the water faster and if you dont keepo topping it up quickly the humidity will decrease. Well so im told. I guess its trial and error. My eggs are at day 12 today (counting the 3rd Sep as day 0) and I put 25 more in yesterday. Almost all of those don't belong to me but.
mildez I did some research about the humidity and a few people recommend immersing a sponge into water and then dip that into the edge of your water and allowing it to help increase the surface area of the water so more evaporates into the air. makes sense as long as you keep the door closed I guess
Thanks for the tip Bella. I may have to steel some sponge from DH stash. My eggs are day 13 today so another 5days for my humidity thing to arrive so I can tell exactly what the humidity is doing. Once they go in lock down I wont be opening the lid until Im taking chicks out with any luck. I did my final candle last night and will check on day 18 when they go in for the finale. I've only got 9 this time (last time I had 17 and currently have 10 chicks from the 17) Ive got 4 rhode island reds, 3 buff orpingtons and 2 light sussex. Then I have another 25 eggs (only about 6 are mine) on Day 2 and I told my Dad I will do one final incubation in 1 week and that will be it for a while. 3 of the 25 are duck eggs. Would be so cool if a duckling hatched but I'm not counting on it. Do you still have 16 going strong at your last candle?
Out of the 16 I think maybe one has something wrong with it. Maybe a bacterial infection, I'm not sure. It just looks different. It has a bit of a ring around it, which I have read can be an indicator. I will check it again tonight and see if it is ok or not.
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How are those eggs coming along Bella? Mine are day 21 today. So far I have 2 out and another 3 making their way out or trying anyway. All by themselves so a much better result this time then my first time. The 4 rhode island red eggs are yet to do anything unfortunately. I paid $25 for a dozen and only 4 were fertile and so far I don't even have 1 chicken. I hope something hatchers atleast. And also my trio of speckled sussex arrives today. Im very excited.