sharon b

How exciting to be able to watch first hand :lol:

Do I dare ask what you are going to do with them ?

Lacelady

Not knowing anything about it, why is it so bad to help the chicks and break a bit more shell for them? To me, it seems that if you helped with breaking more shell, they would arrive less exhausted. Is that a bad thing to do?

Rachelcb80

In helping the chick you can often times do more damage than good. If the membrane hasn't separated yet like it should, you can cause bleeding. Sometimes you help a chick that otherwise might not have made it, but most times you should just let nature do what it does best. :) Course an incubator isn't "nature" but the type of hens I have won't set a clutch of eggs, it's just been bred out of them. They're egg producing machines, but they have no interest in setting them.

Last night I had 4 chicks that had hatched, this morning there were 10. Sadly there was one that had partially hatched but had died. That's the part I don't like. :(

redkimba

Course an incubator isn't "nature" but the type of hens I have won't set a clutch of eggs, it's just been bred out of them. They're egg producing machines, but they have no interest in setting them.


sorry - I was reading this one & remembered this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQtkgr3XD8w

I blame not enough sleep & a long-trip weekend..

Rachelcb80

That hen was a little Silkie. Those hens will set anything (literally, as you saw)! Lots of people use them to set other hens eggs who won't set their own (like my hens). I actually have a couple hens that are half Silkie and half Old English Bantam that a lady gave me. I have to fight them off the eggs I collect every day. I tried letting them set some but I only have one hen house and the other hens kept bothering them in the nest box.

BKinCO

Was checking in on chick production :) I'm afraid to ask...but what are you going to do with them???

Rachelcb80

The males will grow up and be food. :) The females will grow up and be layers for awhile. When their production starts to decline, they'll be food. It seems brutal but these chickens live a much nicer life before their death than the chickens that are mass raised for the grocery store. Down the road from me are 4 chicken houses that raise chickens for Tyson, KFC, etc. It is horrible how those chickens are treated from day 1 (and what they feed those chickens is big time gross too!). By raising some of my own chickens for eggs and meat, I am not having to buy from an industry that I disagree with, and I'm getting a healthier food product for my family. Same goes for the beef industry (I hate feed lots), I just haven't convinced my husband to put up the fencing for a few steers yet. :)

As soon as I get all the chicks dry and in the brooder I'll take a picture. Thus far I have 15 that hatched, 2 eggs that I don't think will hatch, and the 1 that died earlier. There's a lot of peeping coming from my laundry room. :)

BKinCO

Ugh. I was afraid of that :shock: I think I'm a little too city-fied to eat little eyes that have been looking at me..................

KBunn

We do the same here. We have a rule that we eat the boys....chickens and rabbits. We also raise a large garden and can alot of veggies and fruit for the winter. The things that are put in store bought food and the way animals are treated is frightening. I dont know about you but my laying hens are about the most spoiled creatures on earth!!

ann clare

Brings back memories of my youth. Thanks for sharing