Chickens Archives - http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/category/farm-animals/chickens/ Fri, 12 Apr 2024 19:06:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/cropped-logo-square1-32x32.jpg Chickens Archives - http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/category/farm-animals/chickens/ 32 32 2017 Hatch #2 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/2017-hatch-2/ Sun, 14 May 2017 03:23:28 +0000 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/?p=8332 Our second hatch of 2017 resulted in Easter Egger, Oliver Egger, White Leghorn, and Delaware chicks.   DEVELOPING Candling an egg on Day 5. This egg looks good. You can see the embryo in the middle surrounded by blood vessels. You can also see the air cell at the top of the egg. Both our …

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Our second hatch of 2017 resulted in Easter Egger, Oliver Egger, White Leghorn, and Delaware chicks.

 

DEVELOPING

Candling an egg on Day 5. This egg looks good. You can see the embryo in the middle surrounded by blood vessels. You can also see the air cell at the top of the egg.

Both our egg turners have quit working. So, I set these eggs right in the incubator and turned them by hand.

 

HATCHING

One egg pipped!

 

CHICKS!

I adore this one. It has a unique pattern for our flock.

White Leghorns

 

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2017 Hatch #1 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/2017-hatch-1/ Sat, 13 May 2017 02:58:39 +0000 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/?p=8245 This first hatch batch of 2017 was in preparation for the Spring Poultry Homesteading Faire. In the past, many people at the Faire have shown interest in Marans. Currently, we do not have a Marans rooster. So, instead I focused on Olive Eggers. I also hatched White Leghorns and Delaware chicks.   Love this! Farm …

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Rigetop Farm and Garden | 2017 Chick Hatching | Hatch 1

This first hatch batch of 2017 was in preparation for the Spring Poultry Homesteading Faire.

In the past, many people at the Faire have shown interest in Marans. Currently, we do not have a Marans rooster. So, instead I focused on Olive Eggers. I also hatched White Leghorns and Delaware chicks.

 

Love this! Farm Girl asked if instead of reading to me she could read to the eggs. “Yes! Yes, of course you can!”
Rigetop Farm and Garden | 2017 Chick Hatching | Hatch 1

 

THE EGGS IN LOCKDOWN

Rigetop Farm and Garden | 2017 Chick Hatching | Hatch 1

 

WHITE LEGHORN

Rigetop Farm and Garden | 2017 Chick Hatching | Hatch 1

 

DELAWARE

I banded the Delaware’s to identify them from the White Leghorns. A word of caution if you use bands: watch them carefully and remove them before they get too tight on the chicken.
Rigetop Farm and Garden | 2017 Chick Hatching | Hatch 1

 

OLIVE EGGERS

Many of our Olive Eggers hatch looking quite similar to our Black Copper Marans – makes sense since many are crossed with Marans hens.
Rigetop Farm and Garden | 2017 Chick Hatching | Hatch 1

 

The egg tooth is easy to see on this dark friend.
Rigetop Farm and Garden | 2017 Chick Hatching | Hatch 1

 

I adore this fluffy little fella. He/she even has feathered shanks. Most of our chicks that have feathered shanks are black, so this one is unique.
Rigetop Farm and Garden | 2017 Chick Hatching | Hatch 1

 

This hatch many chicks do not have feathered shanks.
Rigetop Farm and Garden | 2017 Chick Hatching | Hatch 1

 

But, some do.
Rigetop Farm and Garden | 2017 Chick Hatching | Hatch 1

 

Another successful hatch of cutie patooties.
Rigetop Farm and Garden | 2017 Chick Hatching | Hatch 1

 

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Spring 2017 Poultry and Homesteading Faire http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/spring-2017-poultry-and-homesteading-faire/ Sat, 13 May 2017 02:55:40 +0000 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/?p=8319 It has been a couple years, but I finally made it back to be an Oregon Poultry Swap vendor. OPS has grown a lot over the years and are now known for more than just poultry. It makes for a fun event. There was, of course, many chickens and other poultry for sale. Also rabbits …

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Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Poultry and Homesteading Faire | Spring 2017 | Oregon

It has been a couple years, but I finally made it back to be an Oregon Poultry Swap vendor. OPS has grown a lot over the years and are now known for more than just poultry. It makes for a fun event.

There was, of course, many chickens and other poultry for sale. Also rabbits and pigs. Plants, honey, homemade soap, and craft items, too.

There was a seed swap, activities for kids, and lots of education information.

 

RIDGETOP FARM & GARDEN BOOTH

Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Poultry and Homesteading Faire | Spring 2017 | Oregon

 

I brought week old Olive Egger, White Leghorn, and Delaware chicks, as well as a few pullets. I was surprised how quickly the pullets sold.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Poultry and Homesteading Faire | Spring 2017 | Oregon

 

I also brought goat milk soap, hatching eggs, and hand designed canvas totes.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Poultry and Homesteading Faire | Spring 2017 | Oregon

 

Rusty Rooster

Rusty Rooster greeted everyone at the entrance and biosecurity area.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Poultry and Homesteading Faire | Spring 2017 | Oregon

 

The Faire

Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Poultry and Homesteading Faire | Spring 2017 | Oregon

Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Poultry and Homesteading Faire | Spring 2017 | Oregon

Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Poultry and Homesteading Faire | Spring 2017 | Oregon

Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Poultry and Homesteading Faire | Spring 2017 | Oregon

Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Poultry and Homesteading Faire | Spring 2017 | Oregon

A few tables set up with a ton of education material. I loved that!
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Poultry and Homesteading Faire | Spring 2017 | Oregon

After I got all set up, I had a few minutes before the Faire opened to the public. I got a breakfast sandwich from the vendor doing food. So good! I don’t remember the price, but it was reasonable for the huge, delicious sandwich.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Poultry and Homesteading Faire | Spring 2017 | Oregon

Of course we couldn’t leave the Faire empty handed. I found a few chicks from a couple different breeders. Farm Girl was my helper for the day. She picked out a rabbit, that she named Thumper.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Poultry and Homesteading Faire | Spring 2017 | Oregon

 

END OF A GOOD, BUT LONG, DAY

After a very long day of driving, setting up, tearing down and being a vendor, we came home to unknown sheep and goat friends near our goat pen. Thankfully, with a bit of grain I was easily able to catch them. Then, drive around and hope to find the owners. Which, I did.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Poultry and Homesteading Faire | Spring 2017 | Oregon

 

Another successful event in the books. Time to register for the next one.

 

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Black Copper Marans http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/black-copper-marans/ Thu, 11 May 2017 22:00:09 +0000 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/?p=8263 We have had Black Copper Marans for a few years. They are not my favorite breed. However, they do have a place in our flock. We breed our Marans based on the French standard, as well as the APA, which means they have feathered shanks and toes. #1 Reasons We Have Black Copper Marans • …

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Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

We have had Black Copper Marans for a few years. They are not my favorite breed. However, they do have a place in our flock.

We breed our Marans based on the French standard, as well as the APA, which means they have feathered shanks and toes.

#1 Reasons We Have Black Copper Marans
• Dark Brown Eggs

 

5 Facts About Black Copper Marans
• Have Single Comb
• Hens weight: 6.5 pounds. Cocks weight: 8 pounds
• Admitted into the APA Standard of Perfection in 2011
• Black Copper Marans are the most popular Marans breed in France
• Black Copper Marans lay the darkest brown egg of the Marans breeds

Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

 

Coloring

COMB, FACE, EAR LOBES, & WATTLES: bright red
EYES: reddish bay
BEAK: dark horn
BODY, TAIL, & WINGS: black
HACKLE: copper
SHANKS & TOES: slate – lighter on cocks than hens; bottom of feet are pinkish white; feathers are black

Cocks should have copper on the head, hackle, and saddle feathers.

Left: This is a pretty hen with some copper hackle coloring.
Right: This lady is missing copper in her hackle feathers and should not be used for breeding. She still lays a beautifully dark egg, though.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

 

Feathered Shanks
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

 

Chicks

About a week and a half old:
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

 

A little over 2 weeks:
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

 

About 4 weeks:
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

 

Hens

Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

 

They are quite content spending the day foraging.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

 

I’m not going to beat around the bush – Marans are not my favorite chicken breed. They aren’t real friendly, and they get irritated easily. You make one little change to their living environment and they quit laying for what seems like forever.

The two ladies in this photo are broody. In our experience, Black Copper Marans make horrible mothers. I won’t allow them to sit on eggs anymore. Unfortunately, they go broody fairly often during the warm weather months. We break them of it, which then ticks them off, making their egg laying inconsistent.

Even when they aren’t ticked off, they aren’t great layers.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

 

She has a lovely RBF:
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

 

Eggs

Marans Eggs. The gorgeous Marans eggs.

The sole reason I have these beautiful, but bitchy, birds is for their dark brown egg.

You will notice these egg photos all have a dark brown egg. However, the darkness varies. The dark brown color can be different based on a few factors including the genetics of the bird and the time of year the egg was laid. Also, the lighting while taking the photos can alter the the appearance of the egg in photographs.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

 

I love the addition of the dark brown egg to our egg basket, or in this case, egg bowl.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

 

The inside of the velvety chocolate brown Marans egg is white?! Yep.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

 

A Marans eggshell is white. The brown pigment is added to the outer shell during the laying process. Since this layer is “painted” on it can sometimes be scratched off, like in the middle egg in the photo below.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans

 

Marans Eggs in Paris

While in Paris a couple years ago, we wondered across an outdoor market. Primarily they seemed to be selling birds and flowers. It didn’t take me long to spy Marans hatching eggs for sale. I love that we saw those – combining the love of our farm and our love of traveling. ♥
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Our Flock | Chicken Breeds | Black Copper Marans | Paris | France

 

While Marans are not my favorite breed since they are temperamental and not great layers, I do have an appreciation for their uniqueness. They will be on our farm for quite some time, I’m sure.

 

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What is an Egg Tooth? http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/what-is-an-egg-tooth/ Wed, 10 May 2017 02:35:34 +0000 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/?p=8247 Most birds and reptiles have an egg tooth, which is an essential part in the hatching process. On birds, it is small, sharp, and sits at the tip of the upper beak.   The egg tooth is the cream colored pointy object at the end of the beak of this chick:   While chicks are …

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Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Hatching Chicks | Egg Tooth

Most birds and reptiles have an egg tooth, which is an essential part in the hatching process. On birds, it is small, sharp, and sits at the tip of the upper beak.

 

The egg tooth is the cream colored pointy object at the end of the beak of this chick:
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Hatching Chicks | Egg Tooth

 

While chicks are developing they need oxygen. Since egg shells are porous, chicks receive oxygen through the pores. As hatching day nears, though, the chick gets too large for oxygen to flow well. It is then that chicks use their egg tooth to break into the air cell inside the egg to get more oxygen.

There is a limited amount of oxygen available in the air cell, so soon they use the egg tooth to pip a small hole in the outer shell. Then they rotate and unzip the egg shell.

In the cracked part of the shell the beak and egg tooth are visible in this photo:
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Hatching Chicks | Egg Tooth

 

White Leghorn chick pushing itself out of the unzipped egg shell.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Hatching Chicks | Egg Tooth

 

This Easter Egger is resting after a long day.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Hatching Chicks | Egg Tooth

 

This 2 day old chick still has its egg tooth, but within the next day or two it will fall off.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Hatching Chicks | Egg Tooth

 

HAPPY HATCHING!

 

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Marans http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/marans/ Mon, 01 May 2017 18:39:55 +0000 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/?p=8266 Marans are a heavy, dual purpose bird. They are generally raised for their dark brown egg, but also make a good meat bird. Marans are named after a port town in France. Over the centuries local birds were bred with birds brought from seaman coming to port. The modern Marans breed began development in the …

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Marans are a heavy, dual purpose bird. They are generally raised for their dark brown egg, but also make a good meat bird.

Marans are named after a port town in France. Over the centuries local birds were bred with birds brought from seaman coming to port. The modern Marans breed began development in the 1800’s and was adopted into the French standard in 1931. Black Copper Marans were accepted into the American Poultry Association standard in 2011.

The French standard has nine recognized color varieties:
Silver Cuckoo
Golden Cuckoo
Black
Black Copper
Birchen
Wheaten
Black-tailed Buff
White
Columbian

As of 2017, The American Poultry Association has 3 recognized color:
Black Copper
Wheaten
White

Of these recognized varieties, we have had two. Plus two varieties not in the standards. The information on this page is based on my knowledge of the varieties we have raised.

 

3 Facts About Marans
• Originated in France, about 280 miles SW of Paris
• Named after the French village of Marans
• French standard recognized in 1931

 

 

Chicks

Five Marans chicks

 

BLACK COPPER MARANS

Black Copper Marans are the most popular Marans variety in France.

Marans are bred for their dark brown egg. Black Copper Marans tend to lay the darkest of the these brown eggs.

Black Copper Marans were the first color variety admitted into the American Poultry Association standard. This was followed by the Wheaten Marans, and most recently White Marans.

 

BLUE COPPER MARANS

Because our Blue Marans are crossed with our Black Copper Marans they are genetically known as Blue Copper Marans. The hen in the photo on the left is lacking the copper in her hackles and head, but she is still considered a Blue Copper Marans.

The blue color has been around since the origin of the breed, but is not recognized in the French or American standards.

Blue is an impure color and does not breed true. Breeding a Blue to a Blue only results in a Blue chick 50% of the time. 25% will result in a Splash and 25% will be Black.

 

SPLASH MARANS

Breeding Blue chickens sometimes results in a Splash.

The splash color looks dirty white, with irregular black marks on the white plumage. This coloring breeds true, meaning if you cross a Splash cock with a Splash hen you will always get Splash chicks.

Like the Blue’s, Splash varieties are not listed in the French or American standards.

 

CUCKOO MARANS

Cuckoo Marans were the first and only Marans in the U.S. for many years.

The Cuckoo appears white with black, but actually the Cuckoo has black plumage with irregular barring. Cocks are lighter colored than hens.

 

MARANS EGGS

Marans eggs are dark brown in color. The darker the better. Of course I don’t notice a difference in taste compared to our other farm eggs, but I love the variety dark eggs add to our cartons.

Marans eggs are decent sized. They are classified as extra large, sometimes even jumbo.

Marans do not have a high lay rate. Personally, this means all our other breeds lay more eggs than our Marans. It is said that since a dark egg receives an extra layer of pigment it takes longer for the hen to produce the egg, resulting in fewer eggs. Interesting statement, but I’m not sure this is a scientifically proven fact.

 

Marans eggs are a beautiful addition to your egg collection:

 

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White Leghorn http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/white-leghorn/ Fri, 07 Apr 2017 19:07:24 +0000 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/?p=7958 White leghorns are another of my favorite birds to have on our farm. They are a basic, no nonsense bird. They rarely cause any trouble. They eat. They lay eggs. They are on the flighty side, so aren’t the best choice for a pet chicken. But, as part of our barnyard flock they are perfect. …

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Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Chicken Breed | White Leghorn

White leghorns are another of my favorite birds to have on our farm. They are a basic, no nonsense bird. They rarely cause any trouble. They eat. They lay eggs.

They are on the flighty side, so aren’t the best choice for a pet chicken. But, as part of our barnyard flock they are perfect.

 

3 Reasons I Love our White Leghorns
• Great egg layer
• We have never had one go broody
• Low maintenance 

Our birds are not American Poultry Association show quality birds. They are, however, fabulous backyard birds for egg laying & meat purposes.

3 Facts About White Leghorns
• Can have Single Comb or Rose Comb (ours have a single comb)
• Hens weight: 4.5 pounds. Cocks weight: 6 pounds
• First admitted into the APA Standard of Perfection in 1874

 

Chicks

White leghorns are the super cute, pale yellow, fluffy chicks that you can’t resist at the feed store.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Chicken Breed | White Leghorn

Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Chicken Breed | White Leghorn

 

Coloring

Comb, face, & wattles: bright red
Eyes: reddish bay
Ear lobes: white
Beak: yellow
Shanks & toes: yellow
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Chicken Breed | White Leghorn

 

Hens

Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Chicken Breed | White Leghorn

 

These two are enjoying a refreshing summer drink from our pond.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Chicken Breed | White Leghorn

 

White leghorns are good foragers.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Chicken Breed | White Leghorn

 

Of course, they also like kitchen scraps.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Chicken Breed | White Leghorn

 

Roosters

We have pretty good luck with well behaved roosters on our farm. This guy, however, is on my shit list. He has attacked me.

Outside of his bad attitude, I think he’s quite a handsome fella.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Chicken Breed | White Leghorn | Rooster

 

Eggs

The #1 reason to have White Leghorns in your flock is their large, white egg. They are great egg layers, producing 4 or 5 eggs each week. They are such great layers that they are the breed commercial egg producers use for a typical carton of eggs sold to grocery stores.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Chicken Breed | White Leghorn | Egg

 

White Leghorn Bonus

On a personal note – an added bonus the white leghorn has going for it is that it originated from Tuscany, Italy. Swoon! I love to travel. I have made it to Italy once… but not to the Tuscany area. It is a part of the world that is on my must-see bucket list. Maybe I need to go there to do chicken research…
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Chicken Breed | White Leghorn

 

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Candling Eggs http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/candling-eggs/ Thu, 15 Dec 2016 02:09:55 +0000 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/?p=6684 Candling chicken eggs is an exciting part of the incubating process. I don’t always candle them, but I usually do. Candling the egg gives you a glimpse at what’s happening inside. When I use an incubator to hatch eggs, I typically candle them a couple times within the 21 developing days. I don’t bother candling …

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Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Candling Chicken Eggs

Candling chicken eggs is an exciting part of the incubating process. I don’t always candle them, but I usually do.

Candling the egg gives you a glimpse at what’s happening inside.

When I use an incubator to hatch eggs, I typically candle them a couple times within the 21 developing days. I don’t bother candling them until at least day 4 because I can’t see anything before then. And, I don’t candle after day 18 because the eggs are in lock down.

Most often if a broody hen is sitting on eggs I don’t candle them. I leave the broody to tend her eggs. The exception is if I think her eggs aren’t good. Before taking them away I will candle them.

 

MY CANDLING METHOD

My incubators came with candling tools, so I use those. But, I’ve also had success with a flashlight. I go in a dark room, hold the candling tool to the egg, and inspect the egg.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Candling Chicken Eggs

 

DAYS 1-7

The first couple days there is little to see when candling. Usually on days 3 or 4 is when the veins just become visible. By day 6 those veins should really be easy to see.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Candling Chicken Eggs

 

DAYS 8-14

The embryo starts to grow & fill its shell, but still has room to wiggle around. Often you can see the shadow of the embryo moving inside the shell. It’s absolutely great to see.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Candling Chicken Eggs

 

DAYS 15-21

Days 15 – 18 the chick is filling most of the egg. When candling, nearly the entire egg is black except where the air cell is.
Do not candle the eggs past Day 18, as they need to be in lock down and not disturbed.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Candling Chicken Eggs

 

EGGS THAT AREN’T DEVELOPING CORRECTLY

Sometimes the eggs don’t develop into a hatched chick.

Left: This egg is clear – meaning it never started developing. It’s possible that it was never fertilized. If I think an egg is clear, I leave it in the incubator and check it again a couple days later. If it’s still clear, I take it out.

Right: This egg has a blood ring. For some reason, the embryo started developing, then quit. This one gets taken out of the incubator.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | Candling Chicken Eggs

 

Some hatches I candle more than is recommended. Some hatches I candle 2 or 3 times & some hatches don’t get candled at all.

It is recommended to candle only 2 or 3 times within the 21 day period. That really is all that is necessary to check the development of the eggs. But, some hatches I’m more antsy and curious about what’s going on. So, I candle more often. Hands-on experience is how I learn best. Candling more versus candling less, hasn’t changed my hatch rate. Although, I could see how messing with the eggs more than necessary could be a bad idea. So, please use your best judgement when deciding how often to candle your eggs.

 

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2016 Hatch #3 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/2016-hatch-3/ Sun, 16 Oct 2016 14:15:19 +0000 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/?p=6510 The previous hatch did not go as expected. I wrote the company from where I ordered the eggs. Their policy is no refunds, etc. since they can’t control what happens with the eggs after they leave their farm. Understandable. I still wrote them, though. Number one, as a company I would want to know when …

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Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch 3

The previous hatch did not go as expected. I wrote the company from where I ordered the eggs. Their policy is no refunds, etc. since they can’t control what happens with the eggs after they leave their farm. Understandable. I still wrote them, though. Number one, as a company I would want to know when things didn’t go as planned with one of my products. Number two, I was wondering if they had any tips on how to have a better outcome if I ever decided to order hatching eggs again.

I was pleasantly surprised when the company offered to send me a replacement batch, free of charge. I graciously accepted.

When the eggs arrived I let them rest a bit longer this time before placing them in the incubator. Then I placed the 19 shipped eggs and 2 eggs from our farm into the incubator.

Well… long story short. I didn’t have any better outcome this second time around.

Of the two eggs from our farm, within the first week I knew one wasn’t developing. I don’t even think it was fertile. So, I took that one out. I was left with one of our eggs. It hatched just fine.

Of the shipped eggs, not many even made it to lock down. One hatched. A Cream Legbar this time. The last time a Black Copper Marans hatched. So, at least I got one of each.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch 3

Cream Legbar at 5 days old. Pretty cute!
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch 3

Cream Legbar & Olive Egger x BCM at 3 weeks.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch 3

Hatching eggs shipped across the country apparently isn’t going to work for me. It must work for some people. But, my experience was crummy. Out of 38 total eggs shipped, 2 hatched. Not good. Not good for me mentally, not good for my pocketbook and certainly not good for the chicks.

Live and learn, I suppose.

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2016 Hatch #2 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/2016-hatch-2/ Tue, 11 Oct 2016 18:53:15 +0000 http://www.ridgetopfarmandgarden.com/?p=6508 Warning: this is not a happy hatch day post. If reading about the bad days doesn’t interest you, you should probably skip this post. Cream Legbars have been a breed I’d been wanting for awhile. The timing never seemed to work out and there aren’t many breeders nearby. This summer I finally decided to take …

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Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch #2

Warning: this is not a happy hatch day post. If reading about the bad days doesn’t interest you, you should probably skip this post.

Cream Legbars have been a breed I’d been wanting for awhile. The timing never seemed to work out and there aren’t many breeders nearby. This summer I finally decided to take the plunge and order hatching eggs from a company in the Midwest. I read good things about them. So even though I was hesitant getting eggs in this manner, I did it anyway. With all the good reviews I read, I assumed it must work out most of the time.

Shipping costs a fortune, so I ordered a few Black Copper Marans eggs to make me feel better about that expense.

I’m not gonna lie, I was teenage giddy when I unpacked this box. #soexcited
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch #2

I let the eggs sit and rest for about half a day before placing them in the incubator.

When the time came, here’s what went in the incubator:
6 Black Copper Marans
13 Cream Legbar
2 Olive Egger x BCM (from our farm, similar to the ones hatched earlier)
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch #2

About 36 hours into incubation I decided to check on the eggs. I went to pick an egg up to give it a slight turn and found it was stuck to the turner. We’ve done many hatches in these incubators and this was a first. The egg was stuck like glue. We had to use a scraper to get all the egg shell off the turner. There ended up being a couple more stuck in the same way.

I don’t know why they were stuck. The only thing I can think of is that the egg leaked and then hardened to the turner. But, why would they do such a thing?
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch #2

All the eggs came out and I quickly washed the incubator and the turner. We got everything back to the way it should be and hoped for the best.

The next day I checked to see if any more were stuck. One Marans egg was stuck. But, just a tiny piece of shell stayed stuck to the turner. The membrane seemed intact, so I put tape over the missing shell piece and placed the egg back in the incubator.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch #2

This is not a good sign. You should not see liquid oozing from from an egg.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch #2

Between stuck eggs, rotten eggs and eggs not developing I was down to a fairly small batch at lock down:
3 Black Copper Marans
5 Cream Legbars (although, from candling I thought only 3 were actually viable)
2 Olive Egger x BCM’s (from our farm)
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch #2

Just like clock work on day 21 the 2 eggs from our farm hatched perfectly.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch #2

One Cream Legbar pipped, but never finished hatching.

The other 2 I thought were developing correctly appeared to quit growing very late, not quite making it to the 21 days.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch #2

One Black Copper Marans pipped and just couldn’t zip. When there is a big hole like this, you know there is a problem. They should be zipping all the way around the egg, not staying in one place.

I have had this happen before and learned that helping them out rarely does them any favors. If they are too weak or have some other problem why they can’t get out of the egg, they usually aren’t going to survive.

However… Farm Girl and my niece had been watching all this and they begged me to help the chick out. After telling the girls the chick may still not make it even if I help it out, I carefully pulled the shell from the chick.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch #2

The poor thing didn’t look well. Shell was stuck to the feathers. Feathers were missing. It was weak.

After letting it rest, I took a warm wet towel to wipe off all the stuck on goo. Then had the girls hold it, while wrapped in a towel, to dry him/her off and stay warm.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch #2

I am happy to say the little guy pulled through. He/she is the one in the middle.
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch #2

About 6 weeks later:
Ridgetop Farm and Garden | 2016 Hatch #2

A quick note about the band on the leg. I put the band on to mark which chick was the full Black Copper Marans. If you use a band, make sure to check it often. As the chick grows the band gets tighter. If it gets too tight it can cause problems for the chicken.

This was a disappointing hatch. I have never had so many things go wrong.

I don’t know the reason behind the hatching troubles, but I do know the 2 eggs from our farm hatched perfectly.

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