The Omega Rocks: The Last & Ultimate Barred Plymouth Rock Flock

[speckledhen]

Seventeen days to go until Hatch Day. Thinking about how our power is always going out, I pulled out my Kodiak solar generator and it's ready to keep powering the incubator if that happens, always comes in handy. Not letting a power failure mess with my hatch if I can stop it. I think we could actually hook up to the actual solar if need be, but the Kodiak is charged and would run the incubator for quite awhile.

 

[1muttsfan]

Good idea. Always best to think ahead if you can.

 

[speckledhen]

Good idea. Always best to think ahead if you can

I agree! I try my best to anticipate those things, but sometimes my brain is so full of details, I miss something. Not with these eggs, though! They are too important.

 

[speckledhen]

March 13, 2025 Fourteen days to go until hatch day, four days to go until candling day.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am rooting for a great hatch!

 

[speckledhen]

Me, too! I have the rabbit cage brooder cleaned and ready to go. When I candle, I'll dig out the quart waterer and feeder. Fertility was tested in two hatches by the breeder, he packed those eggs perfectly, they arrived quickly and the P.O. actually followed instructions and called me to pick them up, no bouncing along mountain gravel roads. The incubator is working beautifully and my power backup is at the ready, just in case. I hope to have a decent hatch with these! I'd love to have an extra great hatch.

 

[speckledhen]

It was all humming along nicely when....the USPS strikes again! They seem to have misplaced my shipment from Etsy, those dividers specially made for this incubator. See tracking below. Typical USPS, thankfully they had a lucid, efficient moment and at least got the eggs to me in great shape!
What is odd is that it shows arrival in Palmetto (basically, that's Atlanta, GA), then 10 minutes later, it shows Jacksonville, FL on March 8 and nothing since?? No way, not possible to go from Atlanta to Florida in 10 min, LOL. Why on earth would it go to Jacksonville anyway, coming from Alabama to GA? Grrrr. I contacted the seller on the 12th and he said give it a couple more days and let him know. So I sent a msg to him today. I'm sure he's not happy that the shipment is in limbo and neither am I! I have to have those in about 8 days to go into lockdown or I'll have to scramble to get something rigged up for my three groups. Not sure what he'll do.

 

[speckledhen]

Boy, am I glad that we have that little Kodiak generator. It's set up on the table near the incubator and ready to go. Our weather is becoming nasty this weekend. Tornadoes everywhere, high winds at my altitude, etc. That Kodiak can run the incubator for a day or more and we also have the solar we can directly hook up to just outside the dining area window. Why does the three week period you are incubating always seem to have at least one weather issue? Maybe it's because we all seem to do that in the volatile spring weather.
Since we set these in the early morning of March 6, I could candle later today which is March 15th, but I may wait until tomorrow to get in that full day. Then, I'll buy my chick starter. I think I may do the Tucker Milling Nature Crest Non-GMO starter this time.
Nature Crest GMO-Free Starter/Grower
I've always used Tucker Milling starter/grower and this has the same 18% protein. That's the layer I've used since getting the EE/bantam Cochin group because I found that Tucker Milling sneaked out the animal protein from their Super Layer, now called Show Layer, 22% protein layer. I prefer higher protein feed for these Rocks, but the Nature Crest still has porcine protein, no soy or corn. If it did have the non-GMO corn, it would be much more expensive than it is. I could pick up a small bag of the Game bird grower at 22% (or starter but that has 28% protein, a bit too high for chickens, IMO) at Tractor Supply because it has a see-thru bag to check for mold and get them the higher protein. What would you recommend? Most other feeds have only vegetable protein these days, sadly. I know mine will free range some, but not when they're this young, of course.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Rooting for ya! (I use Tucker feeds too! Always had good luck. They make great feeds!)

Rusty

 

[speckledhen]

Rooting for ya! (I use Tucker feeds too! Always had good luck. They make great feeds!)

Rusty

Thank you, Rusty! Yes,Tucker Milling has been what we have fed for two decades. And the county co-op is less expensive than other places to buy them. I wish they'd kept the porcine protein in the Super Lay 22, but I had to go to some of their other feeds when I found out it was formulated differently. What I like is that they smell nice, unlike Purina feeds that I remember from early years smelling like chemicals.