Our New Years Hatch

I have 2 ducks due on news Years Eve and 3 chicken eggs due on the 2nd of January.  I can't wait to see my 2 new ducks and 3 new chickens.  I am only keeping the buff orpingtons and nothing else.

UPDATE!!!!!!

Puff Puff

Crook Shank

Donald Duck

Oreo

Freckles because of his legs

Hope, Faith, Joy

 Casey, Minnie

His belly feathers are in

New Years Resolution

Well I have a new Years Resolution list.
1.  Out of all the chickens that I hatch out I am only keeping the Buff Orpingtons, that way all I will have is Buff Orpingtons, Silkies, Blue, Black, Splash Orpingtons, and Maybe some easter eggers or Americana's.
2.  Make a pen for the silkies and Blue, black, Splash Orpintons.
3.  Hatch Turkeys out with a few chickens.
4. Loss weight, at least 10 pounds.
5.  Have a beautiful garden.
6.  Save money on raising our animals to eat.
7.  Breed the goat and sell the babies.
8.  Get the kids to the fair to show their chickens.
9.  Less fights with husband.
10.  Try and make money on selling some Muscovy ducks, chicks, Swedish ducks.
11.  Have everyone in the house eat healthier.
12.  Start saving to take a vacation, and make sure all the bills are paid up.
13.  Don't hatch anything out for 2013 until December.

I know this is a big list but I always try to get a bunch of little things done instead of a few big things.  Everyone I know has got a couple big things on their list that will be very hard for them to achieve but I guess it is their list.  At the end of 2012 I like to be able to check off most if not all the things on my list.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Guess What!!!!!!!

Well I got my shipped eggs last friday and they are actually due on the 7th of January.  I know for sure that I have 5 silkie eggs that are fertile because I can see veins and the embryo.  I am not sure about the orpington eggs or 6 of the silkie eggs I have to candle them to night and check again, and them wait until lock down to check again.  I am so excited to have silkies.  At first I wasn't but my daughter is 5 years old and the orpingtons are for my 7 year old son and for him to take to 4-H in the spring.  My daughter is going to 4- H and the silkies will be smaller so they will be easier for her to handle and my son wasn't interested in them at all.

Eggie Cited

I got my shipped eggs in today.  I received the Blue, Black, Splash Orpington eggs and she through in some Silkie eggs.  She thought they would be better for my daughter to show in 4-H if I sign them up.  I am going to sign them up but I am going to wait until Spring to sign them up.  I have to let all my ducks and Chicks and Turkey eggs to hatch out.  I will have turkey eggs March, April, and May so I have to make sure I have time to run back and forth.  I will post updated pictures tomorrow night of the eggs I got incubating and the ducks and chicks they hatched last week.

Hatches

I have 2 duck eggs due this week one the 14 and one the 19 and 2 chicken eggs due on the 17th so we have a lot coming out this week.  I also have some due every week from now until January 4th so far.   I am collecting eggs for Christmas dinner, and some to blow out for my aunt so I will only be putting a few in every week.

New Things

Well we have a goat and 2 Muscovy ducks, a male and a female.  They are really ugly but I hope that they lay eggs and I can hatch them out and sell them.  Everyone around me wants them.  The ducks don't have names but the goat was named Molly.  We have had chicks hatch out and we have had problems with visiting children and the death of a couple of chicks due to them. We have 5 ducks that have hatched out and we just had 2 more chicks come out.  The 2 blue baby ducklings in this picture will be crested which means the will have fuzz balls on their heads.

Incubation

I am going to stop putting the days on here since we are incubating so many eggs.  I have 2 that are due in a couple more days, well actually next Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.  I am getting very excited again I am really hoping that at least on of the baby ducks hatch out.  I am starting to feel like a failure.  I only have a 25% hatch rate as of right now.  My poor little Julia is so lonely in the brooder that all she does is cheep even with a mirror in the box.  I would love to give her a friend to cuddle with, play with, eat with and just grow up with someone.  I would hate for her to be alone the rest of her life until she is big enough to go in with the rest of the chickens but then she is still going to be alone since we don't have any more chicks going to hatch until December, and if they don't make it.  I hope i can give her a friend.

incubation day 30

Well Last night I cracked the eggs from my first two ducks and they were dead.  I cried.  No i didn't kill them but it may have been something I did while incubating them.  I didn't have my humidity up enough and it dried the inside of the egg up.  Everything in the egg was dry and hard.  So I raised the humidity, and was told that it would help.  Another lady that the ducks originally came from said that they have had to zip the eggs open and then let the ducks make their way out because all they feed them was laying mash.  So I have changed the feed to half corn and half laying mash, maybe it will help my chicks get out.  I also have 6 of my chicken eggs in the incubator and 5 are fertile.  We are going to keep incubating eggs because we are planning on have chicks to eat.  I have 2 ducks due the 23rd, lets everyone pray for my ducks.

Incubation Day 29

Well The baby ducks should be here any time now.  They were due yesterday but could be a couple days late since the temp wasn't exactly 100 or 101.  It always stayed between 97 and 99 degrees.  Is it could be another couple days.  Also I have dual purpose chickens due December 1st and 2nd. My chicken eggs are fertile so I will be about to give the lady some of my baby chickens since she has given me some duck eggs.  I am so glad this year is starting to look up because the first half sucked really bad.

Incubation Day 26

Today is day 26 for the first 2 duck eggs.  They are due Monday.  I am ready for them to get here.  I can't wait to see what they look like.  We are very excited around here.  We had to stop turning them yesterday.

Three of our hens have laid eggs today we are all so excited about that to.  Our hen Maybel, Goldie, and locks all laid eggs today.  I am waiting on the last 7 to lay their eggs.  I which ones are laying because I caught them this morning on the nests and I waited until they can out and when I went in after the came out i found eggs.  I can't wait until tomorrow.  I am cooking breakfast with fresh eggs, and our sausage from our pig we just slaughtered.  That will be great.

Incubation Day 24

Well it is day 24 and 1 chick is out and fluffy and the other hasn't come out yet but a friend of mine has been doing to for years and he said give it until Saturday before I try and open it up and seeing if it is alive or dead.  I may have lost one in lock down.

I have 2 duck eggs due to hatch on Monday the 14th of November.  I though I lost one duck but I think it just moved on me because now the egg is dark again so we will see.  I will have to give them until the 19th before I can open them up.  I think they will hatch close to Monday.  I can't wait until Monday, I want to see the ducks really bad.

The chick which I named Julia is doing well.

Incubation Day 23

Well today is a great day for us.  We got our first egg today which was exciting.  Plus out fuzzy butt came out of the egg today at about 12 noon.  I will post pictures soon I want him to finish drying off before I post them.  Plus on the wing sexing if the feathers at the end of the wing if the feathers are two different lengths it is a girl if they are the same length it is a male.  I have two different lengths so I should have a girl.

Incubation Day 22

Well day 22 in the incubation is here and we got a peep hole between 1 and 2 this afternoon.  It won't be long now and we will have baby chickens.  Pictures coming as soon as they are out.

Incubation Day 21

Well today is the big day and nothing yet.  I don't hear any peeps or chirps, and I don't see any movements.  I don't see anything moving in the shell so I am hoping that everything is okay.  I will post pictures as soon as they start to hatch.

Incubation Day 20

Well tomorrow is the big day Day 21.  they are suppose to hatch tomorrow, and god please let them hatch tomorrow, this waiting is physically starting to make me hurt.  I can't handle it any more.  Then I have another 7 days tomorrow to wait for the first two duck eggs to hatch.

Now the first incubation try so far has been successful because the 3 eggs I had to take out of the incubator were not fertile so they would not have hatched anyway.  All the eggs that were fertile have grown.

Right now I have a list of eggs that are suppose to hatch.

Joey the chicken egg tomorrow
Bay Bay chicken egg tomorrow

Molly duck egg due the 14th
Baby the duck egg due the 14th

Emma the duck egg due the 23rd
Joey the duck egg due the 23rd

We have 7 more eggs but I won't really know if they are fertile until probably tomorrow.  I am pretty sure that one is but not the rest.  I have at least 5 baby ducks the fifth duck is due the 30th and hasn't been named yet.  If the are not the sex for there name I will have to rename them.

I hope I have pictures to post tomorrow, or pictures of something to post tomorrow even if it is just a peep hole in the egg.

Our Lovely Ladies and a dude

 of our hens and a dude.  Mary our other black Australorp isn't in this picture

Incubation Day 19

Well I put a golf ball in one of the nest boxes that looks like it is being used more then the rest.  Someone said to try it might trick them in to laying an egg.  At this point I am willing to try anything because they are six months old and I want eggs.  We have a variety of hens and a rooster and i am wanting to incubate some of my eggs so I can see what I get.  Plus the lady that is giving me the duck eggs to incubate is trading me the duck eggs for some of my chicken eggs, well I have to hatch the chicken eggs out first she wants some of my babies.  We are doing a trade off.  I have 2 days left.  I am so excited I have been checking my eggs ever few hours and nothing is happening yet and I am so scared that something might happen to my little babies.  I will feel better once they have hatched and are dry and eating and drinking.  Pictures coming of there birth and there first few hours.

Incubation Day 18

Well today is the day that I stop turning the chicken eggs, or rather that was the only thing I really read that was the same in the incubation of chicken and duck eggs is that you stop turning them 3 days before they hatch, and you raise the humidity.  I can't wait to see them.  I already have the brood box set up with a lamp, food dish I just have to put food in it, and a water dish i just have to put water in it.  I will be posting pictures of my other incubator that is bigger then the first one.

Incubation Day 16

Okay well just an update and some pictures.  We figured out how to candle a dark brown egg.  Those little LED flash lights you get at the auto parts store for a couple dollars, take that and make sure it has new batteries in it because it has to be as bright as you can get it, and a paper towel or toilet paper ring from the middle, that card board tube.  You will need a room that is completely black or a big think blanket over yard head.  Put the flashy light at one end of the tube and the egg at the other end on its side and it will let you see what is in the egg.  Mind you the veins may be a little hard to see when they first start since the egg is brown.  I am not sure what to look for first since my eggs are suppose to hatch in about 5 days and all I can see is a couple veins and some movement and a big dark spot where the chick is.  Yes hold still and you will see them move sometimes.

This is a chicken egg.  Yes there is a chicken in there but the shell is a real dark brown but it look kind of like the other one this is the half of the shell that he hasn't filled up yet you can see some of the veins.

This is the duck egg that we put in there last Wednesday and is due the 23rd.

This is the duck egg due the 14th.

This is the duck egg due the 23rd.

This is the chicken egg and you can see where is has filled the other side of the egg up.

The duck egg due the 14th.

8 30 p.m.

Well the day is over, time for bed and maybe I will be able to hear a peeping in the morning from the little chicken eggs.  Wouldn't it be nice to hear that.  Only 5 days left, I can see them moving so I should be able to hear them soon.  I am now very excited for the chicken eggs to hatch out since now I can actually see inside the egg.  I wish I would have figured that out sooner.  I don't think we are going to do anymore chicken eggs until mine start to lay eggs.  The lady I get the duck eggs from and the chicken eggs want some meat chickens so we will probably stop with her eggs until my lay.  I think I am going to get 4 duck eggs every week once we figure out if the ones from the week before are growing or not.  Because now it is 2 chicken eggs due the 7th, 2 duck eggs due the 14th, 2 ducks due the 23rd, the eggs we put in today are due the week after that on the 30th.  We next week we will know if the eggs are going to hatch and we will get rid of the ones that aren't going to and probably put 4 more in there, that morning.  

Incubation Day 15

I am getting very antsy,  I have chicken eggs due in 5 days and duck eggs are due in 13 days.  Now I know I should be excited to see the chicken eggs hatch but they are brown eggs and there is nothing wrong with hatching brown eggs but I can't seem to candle them and see anything.  People keep telling me that you can candle them and see if there is anything in them but I guess I am just not doing it right.  Now the duck eggs the kids can see this actually growing in them and they can't wait to see the baby ducks.  My daughter who is 5 years old asked me today when she got home from school if she could crack the egg and get the baby duck out, I told her no hunny it will come out as soon as she is ready.  Got to love the mind of a child.  We have 2 ducks due on the 23rd to and the third egg I don't think it was fertile.

Incubation Day 14

Well today is the half way point.  The 3 eggs I put in last Wednesday two have veins in them so they will be a baby duck to.  That gives us Baby, Molly, Emma, and Joey.  I am waiting to see if the other one has anything in it .  I have 7 days left until the chicken eggs hatch out. Well suppose to hatch out.  I got two more coolers yesterday and I am taking on and making it a brood box, the other cooler I am turning into another incubator.  This way I can have a big one and a little one.  I put a new perch in the chicken coop that is all wood runners instead of metal, which the metal okay they used it but now that it is getting colder I thought about it and thought their feet may freeze so I took it out and built a new one.  I fixed a spot in the chicken coop for the ducks when they get bigger, and moved the nest boxes to give the chickens more room.

Tonight was Halloween, and we took the kids out to do some trick or treating and got him and got them to bed and now we are watching a movie until it is time to turn the eggs and them it is bed time.  Tomorrow I have to get up and turn the eggs, and go pay my house payment and get some feed for the animals, and be home before 2 in the afternoon so I can turn the eggs again.

14/28  days left   --------   14 days left to go for the duck eggs
14/21  days left   ---------   7 days left for the chicken eggs

Incubation Day 13

Well it is incubation Day 13 for Molly and Baby, and the 3 chicken eggs.  I have to stop turning the chicken eggs in 5 days.  That is what I have read you have to stop turning them 3 days before they hatch.  I don't think i am as excited over the chicken eggs because they are brown eggs and I can't see anything when they are candled.  Now the duck eggs I can see what is in the and I find it more exciting being able to watch them grow and letting the kids see them when we candle them.  The kids love to look at them and I do have to keep them away from the incubator sometimes because they want to look all the time at them.  I can't wait until my chickens start to lay eggs because i want to hatch them out so the lady that gave me the duck eggs can get some of my chickens.  Plus we are going to try hatching Turkeys next year so that should be good to that would save us about $200 dollars for just Thanksgiving and $200 for Christmas and I would be able to make some money by selling the turkeys if I can get them to live.  This year started out really bad, but it is starting to look up things are getting better, maybe this means next year is going to be a great year.  Couple more months and we will find out.

Incubation Day 11

Well the 2 duck eggs that are suppose to hatch in about 17 days, one has 1 dark spot whit is the embryo, but the other egg has 2 spots, and also when i candled the two eggs this morning I could see the spots move.  The egg with the 1 spot or embryo was moving around and going back and forth.  The other egg you can well you could see 1 yoke, plus this ladies ducks don't ever have double yoke eggs, but you can see 2 dark spots which I guess are the embryo's and yes they are moving around.  They are moving away from each other and toward each other and looks like having fun.  Are there two ducks in my egg or just one?  What does the 2 spots mean.

 This egg you can see the 2 little spots and no they do not move as one the move separately.











This egg has 1 spot and it moves to.

 More pictures of the ducks that laid the eggs.

This one has blue freckles on her beak
















This is the mom to the two blue ones we know for sure.

Incubation Day 9

We took out two eggs last night and cracked them open and nothing in them.  We put 4 more in there this morning to see if they do anything.  So in like 6 days or 7 days I should know if the new eggs are going to do anything.  In 19 days the ducks will hatch and in 12 days the chicken eggs should hatch.  I am so excited I am going to have 2 ducks at least can't wait to see what color they are.  The lady that gave me the eggs thinks that the blue ducks and the white dad will have darker babies, i think lighter babies.  We will see.  Hope they are blue.


It is 9:30 p.m. and in 30 minutes I turn the eggs again.  Every 8 hours like clock work.  You still can't see in the chicken eggs because they are brown.  The 2 duck eggs are coming along nicely.  I can't wait until they hatch out.


9/ 21 day  -------   12 days left to hatching time
9/ 28 days -------   19 days left to hatching time

Incubation Day 8

Well only 2 duck eggs have veins and embryo's so I think if nothing happens tonight or tomorrow I am going to take them out and put a couple more in there and hatch them out or see if the will hatch.  I am so excited I am going to have ducks and hopefully I have blue ducks.  I am going to go get pictures of their parents so everyone can see what the ducks that laid the eggs look like.


7: 25 p.m.

Here are pictures of the parents to the duck eggs.  We cracked the two duck eggs that didn't have any veins and sure enough there wasn't anything in them but a yoke, so in the morning we are going to watch and see which duck has what egg and mark them and when or if they hatch we will know what duck has what color off spring.  The mom to the two blue ones is the female with the blue bill the white duck in the middle in this first picture has blue freckles on her beak.  and the male is plain white.

Incubation Day 7

7/28 ----  21 days left for duck eggs

7/21 ----  14 days left for chicken eggs

I have tried to candle the chicken eggs but since the are a light brown I am not going to know it they are okay until the 7Th or 8Th of November.  Now the other two duck eggs I will try and look at in another couple days and it I still don't see anything I will get rid or them.  2 eggs I know are okay as long as everything keep constant.  We are definitely keeping a tom turkey and two females so I can hatch out turkeys next spring.  I have to see if I can do it.

Incubation Day 6

Well Great news.  I candled the duck eggs today when I turned them and guess what the egg I named Molly and the Egg I named Baby both have embryos and veins.

In these pictures you can kind of see the shadow lines in the eggs and the dot is the embryo.  I have 2 baby ducks due in 22 more days, maybe tonight or tomorrow I will be able to see the other duck eggs and say that I have 4 ducklings coming.  Not sure about the chicken eggs since they are brown I probably wont know until they hatch.

Incubation Day 5

Well we looked yesterday and nothing yet I should be able to candle them Monday and see veins.  Hope this works I really want ducks now.

This was from yesterday humidity came back up.  I am still turning them at 6 a.m. -- 2 p.m. -- and 10 p.m.  

5/21  for the chickens      ---------     16 days left

5/28 for the ducks    -------     23 days left

Incubation Day 4

Well I put the eggs in on Tuesday and it is Friday.  The kids are out of school today so I told them about the eggs and they are helping turn them today.  We turned them this morning at 6 a.m. and we will turn them at 2 this afternoon.

Incubation Day 3

Well I have been turning the duck and chicken eggs at 6 a.m., 2 p.m., and 10p.m..  I have kept the temperature around 97 degrees to 99 degrees.  The humidity has been around 55 to 57 percent.  I will try and candle them on Monday and see what i can see.


3/21 days chicken eggs  17 days left

3/28 days duck eggs   25 days left

I sure hope this works.  I know the eggs are fertile because he male duck and the rooster take very good care of the female hens and ducks so lets see how many if any I can get to hatch.  Everyone Pray for the eggs.

Incubation Day 2

Well I turned the eggs this morning at 6 a.m. and moved them in a circle so the same ones weren't by the light.  Temperature is still hold around 97 degrees and humidity is about 55 degrees.  Filled the water dish in the incubator this morning.  I really hope this works.  you are suppose to be about to candle the eggs at 5 or 6 days and see the the veins in the egg so I will get pictures of that in a couple of days and post them.

Incubation Day 1

Well I have been researching the incubation of eggs from chickens, ducks, and turkeys online.  I am now going to put it to the test.  I took an old cooler and cut a hole in the top and a hole in the side.  The hole in the top I put a piece of glass over it and glued it so me and the kids can look in to it.  The hole in the side is for the light and it will help me regulate the temperature if I need to.  

I put the eggs in to day at 8:30 a.m. about 15 minutes after they were laid, they were cold since it is wet and cold out today but should be okay.  I ready that a fertile egg will keep for 2 weeks as long as they are kept between 45 degrees, and 65 degrees.  They were between that.  I put in 4 duck eggs and 3 chicken eggs.

The incubator was warm but I have to get it warmer.  i have heard and been told several different temperatures for incubation.  I have heard between 99.5 and 101 F.  I have it at 95 and holding, the humidity should be between 50 and 60 % which I don't know but I am staying around 55 to 58%.  The should hatch on November 7 or 8 th for the chicken eggs, and the 14 or 15th for the duck eggs.  Lets see how this goes.  I have to turn them 3 times a day so first thing in the morning about 2 in the afternoon or 3, and when ever I go to bed.  Lets see.