chickchickchick

Our last batch of chicks hatched out!

Since I have had several successful batches of chicks, I thought I would do a little post on how I incubate. Successfully incubating eggs varies a lot depending on factors such as your climate and incubator. I am using a Little Giant Foam incubator, which works fine but I saw a comment online about incubators saying the foam incubators had to be watched like a naughty toddler by a swimming pool, which is funny and true because they require quite a bit of fiddling.

I aim to keep the temperature between 100 and 102 degrees, sometimes adjusting it multiple times a day. I have been using a dry hatch method (outlined here)  and it works well, although it can be difficult to keep the humidity low enough during our humid Michigan summers. I tried to keep the humidity around 40 to 45% for the first 18 days and around 65% during lockdown.

This forum has lots of helpful info on all thing chicken http://www.backyardchickens.com/f/5/incubating-hatching-eggs

I couldn't find the breeds I wanted so I bought Silkie and Copper Maran eggs online. My eggs came shipped to me through USPS,  I originally got 19 Silkie and 12 Copper Maran. I candled them at one week and again at 17 days, 10 Silkie and 6 Copper Maran eggs made it to lockdown.

This is how I set the eggs, I hand turn them twice a day about 12 hours apart. I mark them with a pencil, with an x on one side and the date on the other.

 We have two thermometers, a digital one I place on top of the eggs and a digital thermometer/hydrometer to monitor the humidity.  One thing I like about this incubator is the window on top makes it easy to see the temperature without opening it.

On day 18 the eggs go into lockdown, which means higher humidity and no turning. I increased the humidity to around 65% by adding water and arranged the eggs for hatching.

 We have pipping! after the chick pips it needs to rest, but soon it will hatch.

 I use an old metal incubator to dry them off, they need to be totally dry before they go in the brooder. With the high humidity in the incubator I find they dry quicker in here, Also the new chicks have a tendency to crash around and can disrupt the other eggs.You must be careful not to lower the humidity for the remaining hatching eggs if you take out the new chicks.

 cute little things, they are sooooooooo awkward at first.

 

  This is our brooder, they are on pelleted pine bedding,  the cover is to keep the cat and dog from messing with them. Since it is so late in the year they will need to be inside for a couple weeks, usually we let the chicks into the outdoor play cage around a week and a half to two weeks old.

 Closeup of a Silkie chick, they are kinda ridiculously cute

Yay for chicks :)

Morning Chores

I thought today I would take pictures while Smooshy and I did morning chores.

First thing, I turned the eggs in the incubator, they seem to be doing well.

 Next I checked on the baby chicks, most of them hatched out on Monday, they are pretty sensitive for the first couple weeks so you have to be careful the temperature is good and they don't run out of food or water.

 Sadie loves them! She is super gentle with the poultry.

 Nice, healthy baby.

After breakfast I put Smooshy into the Mei Tai, I would never get anything done without it.

We fed and watered big chickens first, here are some pictures of our laying flock. We just added a bunch of new pullets so the mix is quite eclectic, we have Silver, Golden and Blue laced Wyandottes, Ameraucana (Easter Eggers), black Autralorps and some crosses.

 Here is one of the Ameraucana roos, he is cool but I don't think we are going to keep him.

These are the new Blue Laced Red Wyandottes, I really like them. The big chickens stay in their pen for the morning to keep them (the bad Ameraucanas mostly) from laying eggs in the barn, I let them out in the afternoon so they get to free range most of the day.

 Next we went to the small coop to feed and water the little chicks, they are always happy to get their daily greens and I feel it makes a big difference in their health. The larger Ameraucana is a one eyed bird someone gave to us, she gets to play nanny since the big birds pick on her.

 These are some Holland chickens we got in a trade, they are cool but but laying yet and are totally freaked out by people. The roo is supposed to be really mean and aggressive but hasn't acted it yet, they will be transitioned to the big coop soon.

We just finished up painting the little coop, looks nice! especially considering as of this spring it only had three walls.

Joy and Baby Horse waiting for their hay, unfortunately with the drought and paddock stress from having three horses I have had to feed hay much of the summer. They get to go out and graze in the afternoon.

 Poppy and Baby Horse saying "where's our bloody breakfast!"

 Last thing is feeding and watering bunnies, in the summer they get a large amount of grass and fresh stuff, they always have free choice hay. I feel that is especially important for the Angoras as they can get wool block and die.

 This is my cutie pie Silver Fox, she is growing nicely.

So that is it! I let the horses and chickens on pasture during the afternoon and horses get an evening "graining", doing chores in the winter is a little more work.