Lock up your birds

@Jordhandeson how is the ground of your run so green?! You must have very well-trained birds!

 

Hi basson. Normally before the bird flue lock down they run the whole paddock and have all been penned up together, but as of the past two weeks they have been split up into there breeding groups, I have Barred Plymouth, Black Copper Marans, two female Jersey Giants, I am still looking for a cockerel for them, and Light Sussex. The grass will only be like this for approx 3-4 weeks then they will be moved again onto fresh grass, its a bit of hassle but I do like them to be as clean as possible. I hope to start incubating in 2 more weeks. From the 31st I shall be opening each pen on a different day to give them some play time out.

 

I have to rethink my incubating program as had a notice pushed through the door from the power company today, saying there is going to be a loss of power in middle of April something to do with the transformer repair or rework. I will now have to start my incubating the day after the power is back on. Im so glad they now inform us beforehand that could have been disastrous.

On a plus note it gives me more time to tweak my diy incubator a bit more.

 

Were my chooks happy today or what

Sussex out this morning Copper Marrans out in a few mins

 

Here are a couple photo’s of some my breeding chickens These are some of the Barred Plymouth



and these are some of the Copper Maran,



I also have a couple of Jersy Giants but as yet they dont have a mate, at the moment the are running with a mishmash of mothers hens that keep the family supplied with eggs.

 

Beautiful birds @Jordhandeson . I don't suppose you have welsummers too? I've been looking for a welsummer hen to add to our flock for nearly a year now with no joy, they seem to have gone out of fashion a bit

 

Hi basson, sorry I dont have any but if your prepared to travel or if you have any relatives near them there are some listed on preloved. There a bit like the Jersey Giants more popular up north at the mo

 

Hi all I have been busy with a few other things so havent posted for a while, just thought I would upday you as to the egg incubation. As you know I couldnt start incubating till I was past the power down day, 18 days ago I placed in the incubator 190 eggs mainly Light Sussex then Copper Black Marans and a small number of Barred Plymoth.



Now from what I have red all over the internet, one shouldnt incubate eggs that are over 7 days old as the hatch rate isnt very good, but as I had the eggs from before the power down day, the oldest egg being 30 days old and they have all been stored between 48 and 50 farenhight and turned regularly, my thinking is dont throw them out as I have nothing to lose, and more to gain plus I will gain my own experience. I have candled them at 7, 14, and 18 days and over that preiod I removed 3 quiter eggs (eggs with nothing happening). Now it is day 18 and in lockdown (no turning of the eggs)



I am left with 187 eggs all looking pritty good. Fingers crossed till day 21.

I will post the results

 

The results are in and I am so glad I didn't go with what I have read the internet regards how long to store eggs before hatching.

I will keep the incubator running to see if there any late arrivals, its the end of day 22 and my gut feeling says they are done.

I spread the 187 eggs over the 4 incubator trays the lowest shelf was the newest or freshest eggs and the top tray was the oldest eggs. Here are the results

47started on bottom tray 39 hatched

46 started on 2nd tray up from the bottom. 45 hatched

46 started on 3rd tray up from the bottom 34 hatched

47 started on top tray 3 removed not fertile 29 hatched.



My conclusion is if you have to store them longer than normal, make sure you keep the storage room temperature in the low 50’s and turn at least 4 times a day. I found the garage concrete floor the coolest spot.



Overall considering how old some of the eggs were 147 from 187 fertile eggs I consider it a good result

 

As I said yesterday I left the incubator on for another day and yesterday’s gut feeling that they were done was wrong, as this morning there were another 3 chicks hatched, they sound chirpy and look healthy, I quickly whipped them out of the incubator and are now in with the rest, in the brooder pen all doing great. Because I called it wrong yesterday I have decided to leave the incubator on till probably tonight before I clean it out and give it a wash down and disinfect it. Oh I nearly forgot these extra 3 chicks came from the top shelf the oldest eggs. Grand total now stands at 150 hatched from 187 eggs. No I am not going to say I think there done now. Ha ha