First time hatching chicks

[Ilovechickens2525]

That doesn't mean you couldn't slip some fertile shipped eggs under a broody if one should present itself

Ohh hmm that is something to think about! Maybe I should try it lol!

 

[Debbie292d]

Absolutely nothing beats a good broody, the issue comes in when I didn't have enough eggs to shove under all the broodys I had last year...
I'm hoping for a rinse and repeat again this year.

I have had issues with broodies, so now, never again. I said that before, then gave in last fall and had horrible issues. I will never ever again. Yes, silkies are good broodies, but so are my Brinsea incubators.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I have had issues with broodies, so now, never again. I said that before, then gave in last fall and had horrible issues. I will never ever again. Yes, silkies are good broodies, but so are my Brinsea incubators.

I find it intriguing how some folks have zero luck with broodies and others have the best of it. Maybe it's a learned behavior, like if you have a bad broody or two the rest learn that that's the way its "supposed" to be. (This is all just hypothetical of course) For me it started with 1 of my OG's over 3 yrs ago, she was a fierce momma, since then I have at least 1 serial broody a year and they have all been great! Last year was my OE Onyx, she hatched and raised 3 broods, and raise 1 chick order, then my English Orp, Dahlia took then over at 9 weeks and is still clucking to them (they are almost 16 weeks old)

 

[wrathsfarm]

I have had issues with broodies, so now, never again. I said that before, then gave in last fall and had horrible issues. I will never ever again. Yes, silkies are good broodies, but so are my Brinsea incubators.

Sorry to hear that. I had 10 total last year, 8 were first timers.
I had 2 that killed their first born so I had to pull their remaining eggs and break them. Luckily I had plenty of others to put them under.
I'm not sure if it was a first time thing or not yet, I'll try again if they go broody this year.

I like the advantage of complete hands off with broodys other than feeding, no heat required, instant integration, etc.

 

[Slothinc]

I have had good broody silkie moms and bad. One hen that was good at sitting on her eggs but then abandoned her chicks a couple of days after they hatched and the chicks died. Now I have a hard time trusting broodies. I did have a pair that tag teamed last summer and they did great, but at least for my set up, it is hard to have them brood. One of the main problems is that they will be established sitting on eggs, and then if someone lays in the other next box they switch over and leave their developing eggs. Happens all the time!! I think a lot of these things may just be silkie issues though, as they are one of the more absentminded chickens imo.

 

[2ndTink]

I'm setting some Bielefelder and Cream Legbar eggs today

I'm setting some of those two breeds today too!

 

[2ndTink]

That is a really good tip for next time, I’ll turn the incubator up a half a degree next time around. Hadn’t thought about the placement of the thermometer!

These were bielefelders! I’ve heard such great things about them. You are right that I have marans on order though so you were remembering correctly! They were part of my preorder, arriving in March. I just got way too excited and ordered these ones early. Now I think I’m going to actually add on a few more hatching eggs and do another round before March so I have a few more to integrate with my current flock when I introduce my one and only hen that I got this time (chicken math!).

The breeder I ordered from has black, splash and blue marans so I’m hoping for a splash or blue when I do get them. I have two black copper marans already.

My son really wants me to order icelandics, anyone have experience with them??

I've never had Icelandics but I have Swedish Flower Hens and they are super awesome!

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

I've never had Icelandics but I have Swedish Flower Hens and they are super awesome!

That’s great! I ordered a couple of both!

Next order is just between one and three of each breed (my own little surprise box, just a couple of each and we’ll see what I end up getting a hen from!): svarthona, swedish flower hens, silverudds, mosaics, icelandics, and I added on one more bielefelder.

I already have silverudds in my flock, and I have more Swedish flower hens and mosaics included in my March preorder that I’ve already placed. The svarthonas and icelandics this is my only chance at though! My sons wanted these ones.

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

My next order just shipped (meaning she created the shipping label). So they will likely go into the incubator Wednesday or Thursday depending on how fast they get here! (Just shipping from two hours away so last time it just took one day and then got here the next morning).

So these little ones will be about 4 weeks old when the next ones hatch. Obviously I’ll see how things go… but just so I have a rough integration plan what does everyone think…

My little bielefelders are in an extra large tote in the house right now, doing great. I plan to move them out to the larger wooden brooder in the heated garage before the next group hatches, or sooner if they get stinky/dust gets to be too much/or they outgrow it.

I would like to integrate the bielefelders and my next hatch together prior to integrating them with my flock, especially since I only have one bielefelder hen. I’m going to try and find new homes for my roosters before I integrate them with my flock if possible. So with a 4 week age difference between the two groups of chicks at what age do you think this would be possible? Better to integrate once my one hen is on her own or should I keep the boys with her and integrate and then take them away?

I have extra large dog crates too so I can spread them out into multiple groups if needed.

I’m attaching the only pic of my garage brooder I can find but it has since been altered, there are now two separate sides to the lid/roof. So I can split it in half which might help integrate. Put the bielefelders on one side and the new ones on the other for a few days to get them used to each other? Then take the roosters away and keep them in a crate while they wait for homes? Would this work if bielefelders were say 8 weeks and the new ones were 4 weeks old when mixed together? Then integrate them all into the coop when the younger ones were fully feathered?

Or should I get a new dream and just integrate into my flock separately? I just don’t want to integrate my bielefelder girl on her own so at least one rooster would have to stay with her for a while. I don’t have any other roosters so guessing that’s ok. My current girls are pretty nice but they aren’t perfect.

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

My next order just shipped (meaning she created the shipping label). So they will likely go into the incubator Wednesday or Thursday depending on how fast they get here! (Just shipping from two hours away so last time it just took one day and then got here the next morning).

So these little ones will be about 4 weeks old when the next ones hatch. Obviously I’ll see how things go… but just so I have a rough integration plan what does everyone think…

My little bielefelders are in an extra large tote in the house right now, doing great. I plan to move them out to the larger wooden brooder in the heated garage before the next group hatches, or sooner if they get stinky/dust gets to be too much/or they outgrow it.

I would like to integrate the bielefelders and my next hatch together prior to integrating them with my flock, especially since I only have one bielefelder hen. I’m going to try and find new homes for my roosters before I integrate them with my flock if possible. So with a 4 week age difference between the two groups of chicks at what age do you think this would be possible? Better to integrate once my one hen is on her own or should I keep the boys with her and integrate and then take them away?

I have extra large dog crates too so I can spread them out into multiple groups if needed.

I’m attaching the only pic of my garage brooder I can find but it has since been altered, there are now two separate sides to the lid/roof. So I can split it in half which might help integrate. Put the bielefelders on one side and the new ones on the other for a few days to get them used to each other? Then take the roosters away and keep them in a crate while they wait for homes? Would this work if bielefelders were say 8 weeks and the new ones were 4 weeks old when mixed together? Then integrate them all into the coop when the younger ones were fully feathered?

Or should I get a new dream and just integrate into my flock separately? I just don’t want to integrate my bielefelder girl on her own so at least one rooster would have to stay with her for a while. I don’t have any other roosters so guessing that’s ok. My current girls are pretty nice but they aren’t perfect.

Should add that it will be moved away from the mountain of boxes in the background and not by any vehicles and I plan to put cardboard and shavings down! This is just a pic of it right after the initial build!

For scale it’s just over 2 feet wide and a little more than 4 feet long. So it’s a pretty good size but not massive.