Lewis is broody...

I was going to wait until after exams but me is broody, wants chicks and kind of have 4 hatches on the go...

The 2 broody sisters are in a couple of ma broody coops in Tub Trugs!

Annie on the left is on 3 developing eggs which are due to hatch next weekend
Dorothy (Red on right) is on 5 developers due the week after!

Got 6 Call duck eggs in my new Brinsea Mini incy I bought from Cotswold Chickens which are due to hatch in 3 weeks time.

Also have 12 eggs ready to go in my Octagon 10 incy in Aber - Frizzles, Booted Bantams and German Langshans!

May try and hatch some Organic quail eggs just to see if they're fertile, friend is after some more so be a bonus if they do hatch!

CLB hatched!

I was just about to go out to school Leavers ball and the Cream Legbar has hatched!!
Not sure if its a girl/boy but the other has hatched (under broody) and they both look different but have the pale male dots

The Araucana has pipped pretty much all the way but isn't out yet, and nothing from the Barred Dotte yet, but it wobbled at me .. not due until today anyway

Will get photos later :)

New Incy + eggs

Have borrowed schools Covatutto 24 auto incy that we used last time to hatch the chicks, and am getting some more eggs off a friend :)

Its sitting dowstairs warming up and just checking it, but its been perfect temp since its been on, so all good so far :D

Should have the eggs early/middle of next week :P

Electric hen

Have finished making the electric hen :)
Cut the wood up, screwed it together and put i few coats of varnish on so I can wipe it down when it gets covered in chick poo! Stuck the heat mat on with gaffer tape. Screwed in the hook eyes.
Sorted
The top, which will be suspended at an angle by chains and hung in the brooder:

The heat mat which the chicks sit underneath:


They use a lot less energy compared to a heat lamp, so less cost, and they're more natural so the chicks can get used to daylight hours etc.
Apparently chicks feather up faster under them, but don't know as yet :)

Day 11: Candling

We have 7 or 8 developing eggs :D
A neked neck, all 4 polands, dark brahma, SL dotte and the pekin X poland :P

Have tried to take photos but they haven't come out very well!

Eggs set ...

I have set the eggs!!!

I put them in 2 egg trays in the end, so can just tilt the whole tray and they'll all be turned.
They need to be turned 3 times a day - an odd number so that each night they're on a different side.

21 days and counting ......
;)

Have my eggs!

I have my eggs! :D

I have......
4 Transylvanian Naked Necks
4 Silver laced (frizzle) poland bantams
3 Lavender araucana
Silver Sussex
Lemon Pyle or Dark brahma
Buff X Black Orpington
3 Barred Wyandotte bantams
Silver laced Wyandotte bantam
Pekin X Poland bantam
Welsummer X FCB maran (meat bird)
- Seem to be posting the same list everywhere! xD



They won't all hatch (because of going through the post and not being fertile), and won't all be girls either. I'm planning on raising the boys to be table birds, and the ones that aren't suitable for that will try to re-home :)

Mom really wants a 'zebra chicken', Barred Wyandotte, and dad really wants the Oprington to hatch.
I want a Naked neck, Brahma, Wyandotte and Araucana the most ;)

Incy back up

The incy has been back on overnight with the 40W bulb in it and it seems to be holding the temp ok.
Have been adjusting it with a mat over the top and think its in the right place now :)
It does go up + down a bit as the temp of the room changes, but it should be ok *fingers crossed*
Thought about getting a new thermostat or a reptile one, but it seems to be holding ok.

Eggs are being sent out today, next-day delivery, so should get them before 1pm tomorrow :D

Incy broke!

The incy has died on me! :(
Have been away for the weekend so switched it off and then back on when we got back and it has died.
I tired to find the problem, rewired it and stuff but can't see why :(

Have put a 60W bulb in and it got too hot, so replaced with 40W and it seems to be holding ok

WIR roof

Put the roof panels on the WIR today, haven't put the corrugated plastic on yet though.

Got the incy back today (and 2 infra red bulbs 8) ) so its switched on downstairs to check it all still works - getting ready for the eggs in a few weeks :)

New Candler

I've bought a new pen-candler.
It was only £5 off the internet. You use it to look inside eggs while they're hatching so you can tell if the egg is fertile and if there is an embryo developing inside it.

If the egg is fertile, when it's candled you can see the blood vessels inside the egg.

It's a lot smaller than the one I made, so it's easier to use.

Huge

The chicks are looking huge now, they are nearly 3 weeks old.
They are still in the brooder, and are eating chick crumbs now, not turkey crumbs, just because they don't sell them in the shop we went to.
There is one little one, which is 1/2 the size of the others! but he/she is the best one.

You can start to see which ones look like girls and which ones look like boys, but I'm not 100% sure yet.

The adult female's head has healed well, and I'll keep them with the male in the day, but not over night.

Fighting

The adult male has been a bit too rough with the girls and ones head is bleeding. I've separated him into a rabbit hutch outside, annd left her inside with the other girl.

I'll leave her a few days to recover and then re-introduce them in the rabbit run in the garden.

Growing Up

The chicks are huge compared to last week, and the adults look even bigger now next to them.

The adults are about 9 weeks now, and should be layin soon. I've put a lamp next to them, on in the morning and when it gets dark, so that they have 14 hours of light, and to encourage them to lay.

The male has been chasing the 2 girls round, trying to mate, so hopefully they'll start laying soon.

The chicks have grown loads since last week, they're 9 days old now. They are still eating Turkey Crumb, and will do for a few more weeks. Most of their wing feathers are grown, so they are hopping up and down in the brooder and jumping about.

:(

The umbilical cord chick has just died :(
I wasn't expecting it to live but it's still a shame.

More...

We're up to 8 chicks now.

I've just dampened the shell down, and got the shell off the stuck egg, but it is stuck to the umbilical cord! :S

Up to 6

The 6th chick has just hatched :D

The one I helped isn't looking good :(

Up to 5

There was one more chick born after I got back from school, so we're up to 5 now!!
I tried to help one out that has been stuck in his shell for over 24 hours, but it was a bit stuck to his shell, so I left it half in its shell and put it back in the incubator.

Hatched

I've got 4 chicks in the incubator!

We got back after the christening, and nothing had happened, and then within 2 minutes 1 hatched, and then 3 others followed :D

A video of one of the quail hatching

The 1st egg to chip still isn't hatched.

Pipping

I woke up and Dad said they were pipping, 1 of the eggs was cracked a bit, and 2 others at the back are wobbling.
We're going to christening, so I'm going to leave a camcorder on them incase they hatch while wa are out.