~* 4th annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey/Chicken hatchathon! *~

[JoyfulPromise]

Well, I candled my 11 shipped Red English Orpingtons last night (day 8) and it doesn't look very good.

I thought at first that I was just not seeing properly through the brown shells, but then I looked at one that had an obvious eye and veins and was moving around!

I am leaving them all in for a few more days since the incubator temps were a bit low at first, but right now it looks like there are only 2, maybe 3 eggs that are developing.

VERY disappointing! I guess if only 2 hatch I will hope for a roo and breed 50% English Orps next year.

On a more positive note, 9 out of 11 shipped Blue Copper Marans eggs went into Lockdown yesterday with obviously full and live embryos!

Also, all 14 of my silkie eggs (8 in the incubator and 6 under mama silkie) are very much alive, so I will hopefully have lots of chicks hatching this weekend!

Also, we got the Midget White Turkey eggs from our friend on Monday, and they are currently sharing the incubator with the Orps. This is my first time hatching turkeys, so it should be exciting!

 

[gevshiba]

Tossed 1 BR turkey, one SS and 2 LO eggs. Not bad. I won't candle again until lock down.

I'm pretty sad. I was supposed to be getting shipped Speckled Sussex eggs, but they emailed and said not this year. Anyone have any non hatchery SS eggs? They are so hard to find.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Just candled my eggs. I pulled 1 black Spanish turkey (clear), 1 OEGB (blood ring) and 1 RIR (clear), not too bad I guess. I want ahead and checked my shipped eggs that are on day 4, and all I can see going on with them is that the air cells are REALLY messed up. My PO decided to deliver them instead of holding them. We're pretty much the last stop on the delivery route, the driver speeds like a mad man and he travels some pretty rough and curvy roads. So...yea, I don't have high hopes for them but I left them all in of course, because its still so early :/ I'm really disappointed, there are some lavender Orps in there that I really wanted to hatch

Oh, and one of my own Silkie/Sizzle eggs has an air cell that's smack dab on the side of the egg? So weird. They were stored fat end up in an egg carton prior to incubation and its in an auto turner, so I don't know whats going on there. Its alive and wiggling though, so I guess I'll have to mark that one at lockdown and keep an eye on it.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I just put 101 out of 111 eggs from my layer pen in lockdown along with 2 turkey eggs & 6 mixed goose eggs. I should have overflowing brooders by Monday. Anyone need chicks? I can ship!!!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I gave 4 turkey eggs to one of my broody turkeys. They have about a week to go. There is another turkey hen that shares the nest so as soon as those poults hatch I'll be grabbing the started turkey eggs with various hatch dates and putting them in my incubator. There is no way I'm reaching under my broody turkey to grab the new eggs each night. She hisses louder than my cats now that I gave her the eggs. Before she had the started eggs she was barely a mean broody at all but now that she has those eggs going good, no one is getting near that box.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

My turkey hen sounds like a cobra when you go near her. She doesn't have any eggs to sit on yet, since she doesn't want to be moved to a safe place, and every night I have to pick her up from the run and put her in the coop. She doesn't try to bite, but boy does she sound terrifying

 

[gevshiba]

I had a turkey hen last year who would remove appendages if I got anywhere close. I swiped a few eggs when I sneaked in and she was off the nest. But she caught me and after that, she kept a watch out for me. We'd race for the nest box. She started changing the times she got off the nest after that. I rarely caught her off, so she had plenty of extra eggs. She kept laying while sitting almost the entire time. She's since been re-homed. I did warn the new owner that she can be a might protective of her eggs.

I have 3 young hens now that all want to go broody. I don't have a tom, so no fertile eggs. We get to practice being nice girls while I collect eggs. One's stopped laying, but she's been brooding a golf ball, so I took it out yesterday. I might give them a few chicken eggs after the new coop gets built and see how their mothering skills are.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

My turkey hen sounds like a cobra when you go near her. She doesn't have any eggs to sit on yet, since she doesn't want to be moved to a safe place, and every night I have to pick her up from the run and put her in the coop. She doesn't try to bite, but boy does she sound terrifying

This one does not really bite as much as she likes to try and slap my DH with her wings. She let me put some food in the nest today without moving and only lightly hissing but when DH entered her "area" she jumped up and started flapping her wings so hard and hissing. She has slapped him before and I think its funny but this is the most aggressive bird I have now. We typically stew the mean roosters.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Ha! I've been wing slapped a few times, it HURTS! I once sported a black eye for a bit due to such an incident. People would look at me funny when I told them how it happened :/

 

[chicken pickin]

Ha! I've been wing slapped a few times, it HURTS! I once sported a black eye for a bit due to such an incident. People would look at me funny when I told them how it happened

Oh Ive been there, though my injury was a slightly busted fat lip. Wing slapped in the face is the worst.