My plan for this hatch, and we all know to never count our chickens before they hatch.

Once the hatch is complete and everyone is eating and drinking, normally by 2 to 3 days I plan on listing them for sale. Silkies are so much easier to sell around here because people looking for silkies know that you cannot tell genders early and do not demand pullets at a few days to a week old. Locally I have not saw anyone offer DNA sexed chicks...it is just not a thing. I have saw a few breeders on the western end of the state offer DNA sexing, but they also have show quality stock.

Anyway, after hatch is complete, if there is any blues, I'm holding them back for myself. I am also having my boss come over to pick out her chicks. She wants at least 4. They will join my blues for me to brood for myself until they are about 2 months old and then she will take them home. The remaining ones will be listed for sale.

If I manage to hatch a few blue chicks I will probably not immediately reset the incubator. I will hold off a week or so to see how easily I can place the chicks. If they place fast I will reset it. If they sell really fast I'm buying a 2nd incubator to use as a hatcher and set it weekly. I need to do that anyway for next hatching season.

Personally, I would be happy with 2 to 4 blue chicks for myself in hopes for about 2 blue pullets. I had also planned on getting some chocolate silkie hatching eggs around the end of June. I still hope to have it happen, but, her chocolate girls are pulling a Poppet. 11 months old and still not laying yet even though her chocolate boy is ready. If they take much longer she is going to not sell the eggs but hatch for herself and grow them out this season and place some in the fall. I may spring for a chocolate pullet in the fall just to say I have that color for myself as eye candy.
Even my physical therapists know about the chickens that look like soft bunnies (Japanese Silkies) that's how well known & desired they are once people see them. I sincerely hope they are a popular seller for your area as they are here.

I never thought I'd care for the non-bearded Silkie but they can see better. The bearded varieties are cute but they have awful issues seeing or targeting their feed & have to be eyebrow trimmed to function well outdoors so why not go for the non-bearded from the start!
Our non-bearded Moorhead Partridge is so endearing w/personality-plus.
KEIKO 7  03-24-2024.jpg

KEIKO 9  03-24-2024.jpg
KEIKO 15  09-28-2024.jpg
 
Even my physical therapists know about the chickens that look like soft bunnies (Japanese Silkies) that's how well known & desired they are once people see them. I sincerely hope they are a popular seller for your area as they are here.

I never thought I'd care for the non-bearded Silkie but they can see better. The bearded varieties are cute but they have awful issues seeing or targeting their feed & have to be eyebrow trimmed to function well outdoors so why not go for the non-bearded from the start!
Our non-bearded Moorhead Partridge is so endearing w/personality-plus.
View attachment 4105793
View attachment 4105799View attachment 4105800
She’s a darling 😊♥️
 
So my chicks finally hatched for the Easter hatch along and one of them is having problems. His legs are stuck out to the side (splay leg most likely) but what I'm concerned about is when he's upright his head goes up as high as it can and he behaves like he can't move it. He also keeps falling over. Is the lack of balance a side effect of splay leg or is it something else?
Sounds like a stargazer (chick wry neck, twisted neck, etc) where the head is so high or behind him he falls over out of balance. A vitamin deficiency that's usually treatable w/patience _ isolate the chick so its not pecked or trampled:
https://www.freedomrangerhatchery.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-wry-neck-in-chickens/
 

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