The 7th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-A-Long!

[chicken pickin]

Feeding frenzy
Worse than sharks!

Oh my goodness lol.

 

[chicken pickin]

Does anyone put leg bands on their chicks/chickens? And if so what kind, size etc.

I don't prefer doing actual leg bands on chicks I don't find it as simple as some do to get them on or off. I prefer multi colored 4" zip ties. I use nail clippers to cut them off when needed.

I have used both zip ties and spiral numbered leg bands on the larger chickens, both are ok. I think I have the size 9 for my pullet/cockerel Barred Rocks. The cockerels once they are fully mature may need size 11 which I have but haven't used that size yet.

Because zip ties do not have any flexibility after they are on, always be certain to check the zip tie to be sure its not too tight.

 

[chicken pickin]

Good Morning everyone. Skipped hundreds of posts but I am here now!
Valentine's hatch went well, now I'm trying to decide what to set for the HAL. Hard to narrow it down!

Happy Friday

Happy Friday! Cute chicks! What kind?

 

[Happy Chooks]

EMU Egg update!

I weighed the eggs last week and they have all lost about 15% of their original weight. I had to use a different scale though as I think the first one I used was rounding the weights up to the nearest 50grams which is throwing everything off. I was able to calculate what the original weight of the eggs most likely was using a formula I found online.

In any case, the eggs are rolling along nicely. Sure wish I could candle them, but I'm fairly certain I have viable eggs. When I turn them now I notice that they try to rotate back to the position they were previously in. Based on experience with my chicken eggs, I believe this is because the growing embryo inside weights the egg as it settles which causes it to want to stay in the same position. So, I have to prop them up a little bit to keep them from rolling back. I take this as a good sign that all is well and I have baby Emus in all of my eggs! (just a theory..

lol)

My younger son came in with some duck eggs a few days ago (we have three Rouen ducks, 1 drake and 2 hens) He asked if we could try and incubate the eggs so they are now in our spare incubator! Timing wise they won't hatch on Easter, but what the heck!

We had our chicken coop decimated the day after New Years. A dog got into the coop and gorged on our chickens. We lost all but two. Luckily the dog left the ducks alone and our beautiful Royal Palm turkey flew away to safety. It was a hard blow and the kids were super upset. So when my son asked to hatch a couple duck eggs, how could I say no??

On a sorta semi-sweet note, the night the dog killed our chickens I found one lone egg in the nesting boxes. I heated up the incubator and hatched the little sweetie. We are calling her "Legacy" in remembrance of our lost chickens. Not sure who her parents are, but she looks like our old EE roo and maybe the golden laced hen we had.
She's darn cute no matter what!

So that is the EMU egg update and a little more....

All sounds good with the emu eggs! Thanks for the update! I hope your duck eggs do well!

I'm so very sorry to hear of your flock loss, that is a tough one for an adult to take, let alone children.

I will call her Breeze. As @GitaBooks suggested. She suggested that on a very breezy day. I had just been out there taking care of the chickens, and there she stood, with those ruffled curley feathers just blowing this way and that! I was just chuckling at her. I will call her Breeze, Breezy.. remember the tune for Cover Girl? Easy Breezy Cover Girl? Something like that. She's my little Cover Girl... She doesn't need the makeup though!

Perfect name! She does look like she's strutting down the runway.

Hi I'd like to join! I'll be setting my own eggs on March 5th, from a variety of hens paired up with CL & EEs roos. I'll update with pic/quantity on set date. Also I'm using an old incubator that I've had great success dry hatching in, put the eggs in, do nothing, 21 days later out pop the chicks

Welcome!

Think I'm going to join in, as long as I can find some eggs! Been crazy temperature swings here in Central New York. I know I can get some Wheaton Ameraucanas locally, but no success in finding non-hatchery, utility bred Wyandottes that I really want.

Welcome!

There were emu eggs at our feedstore when I went earlier this week. Just as well that we don't have anywhere near the room for emus--doubt I'd get one of those gorgeous eggs to fit in my incubator

Fertile emu eggs? Or for painting? I know emu eggs are used for painting/carving.

My coops are still crowded. I moved chicks,hens and roos around. I really need more space. One of my older hen keep pecking the juveniles so I put her with a pair of my mixed. The coop was a 8x6 with nesting boxes and place to hide if needed. All was great. The next morning when I went to feed is couldn't find my hen. She was hiding all hurt. Apparently she was attacked by the other hen.
Lily's head is now swollen and she can't open her eyes. I feed her 3 or 4 times a day. I put iodine on her head. This happened two days ago. Today she finally stand and open one eye. I think she's going to make it.
My question is Lili hatch 2 months ago and chick, it is a tiny one that I keep with the newly hatch. ( I think it's a female) she is awesome with the babies. Warms them teaches them to eat and all, but when I put my hands in the brooder to change feed or water she attacks me. It's so bad that she pecks my hand that she stays hanging when I put back.
Should I keep he? After what happened to Lili I'm not sure what to do with her.

Could she be going broody?

For her eyes, I'd really recommend getting opthamalic ointment. It's pricey at about $30 for a little tube, but I've had great luck with it with birds that got scratched in the eye.

Does anyone put leg bands on their chicks/chickens? And if so what kind, size etc.

I have used them on chicks, the spiral kind. I don't like them, as a chicks legs are fragile and I have a hard time getting them on by myself. And an even harder time getting them off. You have to change them as they grow or the band can grow into their leg. I switched to the kind that snap on and off and I like those better, but I don't band them unless I have a reason to.

I do use them on adults. I choose a color a year. Yellow was for 2014 hatches, red for 2015 hatches, etc. I use the cellulose kind, which can be tricky. I have had some Houdini's get out of them. But most of the birds have no issue with them.

I hadn't thought about the polish matching! It's total coincidence, I put the polish on about the 8th, way before the hatch. That's kinda cool though.


I've never seen or heard of Vorwerks. But I didn't realize they were rare. Although now that you mention it, their eggs were one of the pricier eggs...lol!
After reading her description of their temperament, I thought they sounded like they would fit in nicely with my flock. It's nice to hear that you are familiar with them AND love them! Helps ease my mind...lol.
I love the eggs...SO easy to candle! And I like that they've been laying Jan/Feb. Between the Vorworks and my EE's...I should have steady eggs all fall/winter.

"IF" I'm successful at hatching some of the eggs, I want to see how the different breeds do against each other. I thought it would be the quickest way to make decisions on which breeds to bring into the flock to outcross.

I look forward to seeing pictures of them! I've seen a couple bantams at shows. Never large fowl.

 

[Lapeerian]

Any Wyandotte breeders in this crazy group?

 

[TJordan]

Any Wyandotte breeders in this crazy group?

I just got my first 2 Wyandottes yesterday. Found them at the local feed store and one had a very unusual color compared to the other chicks in the group. I had to snatch her up fast. Where all the others were really dark she was a dusty brown. The lady was even confused as to her color but I looked her over, checked that she was a she

and got her and a second pullet of normal color. I need some info on them. I grabbed because of the crazy color but I know next to nothing about their personalities. Calm? Hyper? Good with kids? Ect. Here are pictures. See that color difference. All the chicks were pushing around the feeder when the little brown one came out of no where and jumped up on the feeder and looked at me. I was hooked

 

[dolfi]

Happy chooks who do you think might be getting broody?

 

[Sahwithchicks]

Oh I am excited. I just got done making a fun soap for a hatchalong prize... it has egg in it, so I figured all you poultry folk would enjoy that. I can't post a picture until I cut it, and I can't cut it for a day or so...

 

[Hurley]

I don't prefer doing actual leg bands on chicks I don't find it as simple as some do to get them on or off. I prefer multi colored 4" zip ties. I use nail clippers to cut them off when needed.

I have used both zip ties and spiral numbered leg bands on the larger chickens, both are ok. I think I have the size 9 for my pullet/cockerel Barred Rocks. The cockerels once they are fully mature may need size 11 which I have but haven't used that size yet.

Because zip ties do not have any flexibility after they are on, always be certain to check the zip tie to be sure its not too tight.

I use zip ties, too. Lots of color choices, can put multiples on each leg, gives lots of variety for marking chicks any way you want. I snug them down fresh out of the hatcher, making them just barely small enough that the foot can't come through. Then I swap them out as the chicks age or switch to a wing band when they are a little older. I've wing banded chicks fresh out of the hatcher, too, but have one every once in a while that will get it over the end of the wing and entrap it, so now I wait a couple weeks. The leg bands get me through until then, keeping chicks identified for lines.

On my adults, I used to use 9s for pullets and young cockerels, 11s for big roosters. Now everyone is wing banded, but I'll put a larger zip tie on any individuals I want to tag for some reason and just keep a log with notes on what color/side is which bird.

 

[Hurley]

Oh I am excited. I just got done making a fun soap for a hatchalong prize... it has egg in it, so I figured all you poultry folk would enjoy that. I can't post a picture until I cut it, and I can't cut it for a day or so...

Sounds awesome! Can't wait to see it!