LFG Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 Petee, if it helps, I hardly ever see veins in the eggs, they're just too thick. I candle from the fat end down. I can see the air sack, and if the egg is developing a dark shadow. Infertile eggs will be opaque, and the light will go all the way through the egg. With eggs developing you won't see much past the line of the air sack, especially after day 8 or 9. This doesn't help determine the quitters, but it will let you pull infertiles at lockdown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 Thanks. Candling the dark eggs is really tough. Tonight after dark we are turning out all of the lights and checking them. I have a touch lamp ready. Last night I had a hard time getting the incubator back to 99 after all of the fiddling around. Hubby came in and I had my insulated winter coat wrapped around it. He just looked at me funny and figured I was up to something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I talked to the butcher in Troutville today. Boy can he talk!! He said if you call him on a Monday morning in June, then you drop off your chicken(s) that evening. He does them on Tuesday and you can pick them up a few days later. It figured out to be something like $4-$5 so that's not bad at all. I'm working myself up to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 This is a great video of candling eggs and seeing the movement of the chicks. sapphire 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Hubby and I candled the eggs this evening. Some of them have mottling in the coloring which makes it hard to see past, but I think we did it right. I added a little bit of humidity because it was down to 20 percent and the temperature is holding at 99 degrees. I sent the candling info to Steve to post here. If we're correct, we have three duds and 18 chicks. The duds would be two larger ? eggs and one medium mottled egg. I forgot about listing the shading on a few eggs and of course it was two of these. I hope you can figure out which rooster is doing it's job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Pompeii Posted May 8, 2017 Administrators Share Posted May 8, 2017 Here you go Egg sizes (1).pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 Here you go Egg sizes (1).pdf eggchart2.png Just got to where I could see your charts on PC. You need a job? Pompeii 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 Hubby and I candled the eggs this evening. Some of them have mottling in the coloring which makes it hard to see past, but I think we did it right. I added a little bit of humidity because it was down to 20 percent and the temperature is holding at 99 degrees. I sent the candling info to Steve to post here. If we're correct, we have three duds and 18 chicks. The duds would be two larger ? eggs and one medium mottled egg. I forgot about listing the shading on a few eggs and of course it was two of these. I hope you can figure out which rooster is doing it's job! 18? Wow! That's awesome! I'm so glad I sent the eggs from the young girls. I rarely see the chickens during the week, so I wasn't sure if that rooster was getting the job done yet, but I'm seeing good fertility in my set as well. I did get to spend some time with them this weekend, and it was like Caligula in that pen I'm surprised the big eggs are the ones not developing, but maybe they were more susceptible to disruption during shipping. Maybe those smaller, compact eggs kept the yolks from getting shaken up too much. I really hope you have a good hatch rate. With that many developing, you should at least get the number of girls you wanted for yourself. If you have room to grow the roosters until they are big enough to take to that butcher, BCM are some of the best eating chickens around. The other good news with those younger eggs developing is that rooster is the best I have. He has a great body type, his color is fantastic, and the girls with him have a nice green sheen to their black feathers. You will have Bev Davis show chickens as your backyard layers ETE: When you add water, is it warm? That will help bring the temperature back up quickly, especially in Styrofoam. I may be telling you something you already know, just trying to pass along a trick or two steelnut and Pompeii 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 On those mottled eggs, I get that a lot from new layers. As the girls get older, the mottling will go away, and the eggs will usually be the color of the darker spots all over. The eggs are darkest when they are young, then slowly lighten throughout the season. That's why the small eggs are darker than the big ones. After the first molt, the eggs will darken and start the cycle all over again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Yes, I added water the same temperature as the incubator. I think we just had the incubator open too long. Actually I have a part time job but it doesn't stop me from wanting to do something new. I love logistics. Most people run but I say how the heck can we beat the odds and get this done! I hope many more people will consider adding a small chicken coop to their back yard. It is so much fun to watch them. As a matter of fact we are moving our outdoor seating area and canopy to the shaded area beside the girls so we can enjoy them more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 Yes, I added water the same temperature as the incubator. I think we just had the incubator open too long. Actually I have a part time job but it doesn't stop me from wanting to do something new. I love logistics. Most people run but I say how the heck can we beat the odds and get this done! I hope many more people will consider adding a small chicken coop to their back yard. It is so much fun to watch them. As a matter of fact we are moving our outdoor seating area and canopy to the shaded area beside the girls so we can enjoy them more. I love just hanging out with the chickens at the end of the day. They are just happy creatures, without a care in the world. They don't require a ton of room, either. Free ranging is nice, but with just a few birds and no rooster you are just feeding the local wildlife. A 10x10 dog kennel would be more than enough room for 8-10 birds. I usually shoot for 10 square feet/bird in a permanent pen, but most of my pens are closer to 20. I will let them out sometimes in the afternoon if I am home, but they are perfectly content in their pens steelnut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 I'm working on an idea to get them out to fresh grass every day possible without them running loose. It should be fun interacting with the girls to make it work. steelnut and LFG 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass100 Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 I did not find chickens fun when I was in high school but they were not pets for us. Every morning collect eggs before school, I should have been a football kicker because I got good at punting. One Sunday a month was slaughter day, we only did 25 to 50 and it really did not take too long but I hated it. If you do slaughter your own chickens I can say hanging them upside down on a line to dispatch is much easier and it is quick when you are doing a large amount at one time. They will not be flopping on the ground and getting dirty. LFG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 I did not find chickens fun when I was in high school but they were not pets for us. Every morning collect eggs before school, I should have been a football kicker because I got good at punting. One Sunday a month was slaughter day, we only did 25 to 50 and it really did not take too long but I hated it. If you do slaughter your own chickens I can say hanging them upside down on a line to dispatch is much easier and it is quick when you are doing a large amount at one time. They will not be flopping on the ground and getting dirty. I use a "killing cone". Less messy, and keeps the meat from getting bruised. I don't do it often, and like someone else said, it's too easy to get them at the store, but after punting a rooster for the 7th or 8th time... bass100 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 I'm working on an idea to get them out to fresh grass every day possible without them running loose. It should be fun interacting with the girls to make it work. I have a portable run that I made from 2x4s and bird netting. I can move it from pen to pen, let them out for a bit in the afternoon, then they go back up when it's time to roost. Half of my garden is planted just for the chickens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 #5 definitely bit the dust today. It developed a crack and was seeping. I checked it when I disposed of it and it was not fertile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted May 10, 2017 Author Share Posted May 10, 2017 Dang, I can't believe so much trouble with the big eggs. I'm glad I sent the small ones as backup. Just over a week left Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Maybe he wasn't wearing the right aftershave? Bon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted May 10, 2017 Author Share Posted May 10, 2017 Maybe he wasn't wearing the right aftershave? I don't think he's real big on seduction. If he were human, he would be prosecuted hipower and Bon 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted May 11, 2017 Author Share Posted May 11, 2017 One week to go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 I swear they even feel different when I roll them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted May 12, 2017 Author Share Posted May 12, 2017 I swear they even feel different when I roll them. They are getting heavier on the bottom You locking down Monday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Not sure, I'm not at my hatching calendar but it's definitely getting to be time! Better get the pine chips and tote ready for occupancy. LFG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 I have the Lockdown scheduled for Tuesday. I can't believe how much different they feel when I roll them. If anyone here raises chickens for good bloodlines and will be hatching out in the next year, then please let me know and I'll reserve a chick or two for you. Otherwise they will probably be going to 4H kids. I can't keep more than 5 because my coop isn't that big. One old biddy will be in the stew pot in June so that will be my maximum of 8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass100 Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 I have the Lockdown scheduled for Tuesday. I can't believe how much different they feel when I roll them. If anyone here raises chickens for good bloodlines and will be hatching out in the next year, then please let me know and I'll reserve a chick or two for you. Otherwise they will probably be going to 4H kids. I can't keep more than 5 because my coop isn't that big. One old biddy will be in the stew pot in June so that will be my maximum of 8. Thanks for posting and I find myself looking forward to the next posts. I find these timeline posts interesting and educational. steelnut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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