Hatching Silkies

 

I just wanted to quickly share a tip that I finally figured out when hatching Silkies. They are more of a fragile and somewhat delicate breed, and often hatch rates aren't great. 

I remember seeing a post by someone quite a while back about humidity. They said that if your humidity is too high you can drown Silkie chicks in the shell.

It was by accident that I found out this may be true..

My incubator humidity had dropped from the recommended 80% to around 55%, and the silkie chicks hatched great despite..clean as a whistle!

So my last hatch I purposely left the humidy lower and again they hatched well. I have another small hatch due this weekend and I'm going to do the same and see how it goes, but I'm pretty convinced at this point that lower humidity at hatch is much better for silkies. 

Just wanted to pass the info along I'm case it helps someone!

Winter Hang Out

 

The covered garden beds got some new lights today, love these old-timey string lights. Found them on clearance for $3.25! The silkies hung out in here today and the Jubilees weren't happy about that lol. I'm going to cover the front with plastic as well that I can roll up and down for a hoop house/greenhouse effect. Hoping to keep some cold weather greens going over winter and the chickens can warm up in there during cold winter days ahead.

Cochin Eggs Are A Treasure!

 What a nice surprise!! FINALLY, I got a egg from the Cochin coop today 😁

The hens had stopped laying due to the Summer heat and then molt, so Miss Daisy started back up today. Daddy Samson stands guard when they're laying, so sweet. 

The pullets probably won't begin to lay for a few months yet. Because of low fertility, and the fact that Cochins don't lay many eggs per year, every one is precious lol.

"Don't Be A Blender Breeder"

 QUICK TIP--DON'T BE A BLENDER BREEDER.

I frequently get asked about bringing in new blood to their flock. These questions usually get asked by new breeders. Honestly, if you're breeding your birds correctly you probably don't need to introduce new blood to your flock. If you're absolutely convinced you need to do so here's how I suggest you go about it.

The most common reason people feel they need to bring in new blood is to prevent inbreeding. So the way most go about this is to get birds that are completely unrelated to their original source. This can be a huge problem and here's why. If your original birds came from a reputable breeder and are a well bred line the chances they have been line bred to concentrate all good genes/traits and eliminate those less desirable genes/traits. If you bring in a completely unrelated line and cross it into your birds guess what? One way to think of doing this is what I call blender breeding. When you practice blender breeding on a regular basis keep scrambling up the genetics in your flock and this will bring out all sorts odd, frustrating problems for you.

So is there a better way to do it than bringing in completely unrelated genetics? Yes indeed there is. Go back to the original source you got your start from and get a female or two to cross into your line. They will be related to your line but not too closely. This way you don't scramble up the genetics of your line.

You may have noticed I advised getting females and not males, why do you think that is? If you bring in a female and mate her to a male of your line and hatch twenty chicks hopefully you will raise all twenty chicks to maturity. Then take your two best pullets and cross them into your line and you're on your way.

If you bring in a male the tendency is to mate him to several females of your line. Let's say for the sake of argument you mated him to five of your females and hatch twenty chicks from each hen. You now have 100 chicks to raise to maturity. Do you have the facilities, time and money to do that. If the cross doesn't work you will have 100 birds on your hands that won't do you any good.

Having said all of this I would encourage you to ask yourself a few questions before introducing new blood to your flock.

1. Am I having a problem with fertility or hatchability?

2. Is there a trait that I need to add to my birds that I can't get without new blood?

3. Am I seeing a lot of genetic problems cropping up in chicks that hatch?

4. Is the overall quality of my flock decreasing rather than improving?

If you answered three or four of these questions with a “No” chances are you don't to need to introduce

new blood at this time.

I would encourage you if you want to up your skills as a breeder to buy yourself a copy of the book

“Start Where You Are With What You Have”. It was written by an old master breeder, Ralph

Sturgeon. He is a legend in the Plymouth Rock world and new how to breed outstanding birds. You

can purchase this book online from the American Bantam Association.

Next we'll taking a look at breeding by family lines to build uniformity in your flock.

From The Coop Coach - Facebook

How Much Is Too Much?

 Written by Brian Justice

How much is to much?

Written by Brian Justice

This is for the Newbies in the Fancy. It is Fall and no one wants to winter any more birds then they must. So, they sale off the extras. This is where you, the Newbie will get his start or improve the stock he already has. You get the Poultry Press, Year Books and use the internet to locate a Breeder that has a winning line of your breed. You contact him and he has birds for sale. He gives you a price. Wow! That seems awfully high!

I have heard it said many times, he wants to much for his birds! Here are a few things to think about before you make that decision.

A Breeder with a winning line did not just happen. He searched to find his starter stock. Either traveled or had the birds shipped to him. He spent hours studying and discussing the Standard and breeding with others (if there are any) working with the same breed and variety. He has cared for, fed and watered every day in Summer heat and Winter cold. He worried and checked on his little flock hoping they would survive the heat, cold, sickness and predators long enough to hatched some offspring. If he’s lucky the breed he chose are good layers and he has good hatches.

Now it starts over the caring and raising the offspring. The Breeder has the same battles as before, heat, cold, sickness, and predators. According to the following study. You are going to have 7-9 bags of feed in 25 birds. At $15 per bag of feed that is somewhere between $105 to $135 to get 25 chicks, which is $5.40 each, to young adults. That doesn’t account for any medications, vitamins, wormer and other miscellaneous cost. (electric, water)

EXTENSION Agriculture and Natural Resources • Family and Consumer Sciences • 4-H Youth Development • Community and Economic Development COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICEUNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT

For raising replacement pullets for egg production:(25 pullets)

Commercial white-shell egg layer to 18 weeks of age ............7 bags

Dual purpose type breed to 20 weeks of age ..........................9 bags

Commercial brown-shell egg layer to 18 weeks of age ...........7 bags

Out of the 25 chicks the breeder hatched, 12 may be keepers and the rest culls. Now we have the cost of raising 25 birds in 12. That’s $11.25 each X 5 years= $56.25 invested in each bird to get to champion row. We have not even discussed the amount of time the Breeder has invested in those birds to get to champion row.

Now, you want to complain if that Breeder want $50 or $100 for a bird! Most Breeder will help you after the sale. What price can you put on the knowledge he or she has from breeding and raising those birds over the last 5 years they are willing pass to you.

Pay him or her and walk away happy. You just got a bargain and saved yourself 5 years and X amount of money.

These dollars and amounts of time I have used in the article are low in my opinion. Now, you have your own opinion and that’s great. Don’t be stepping all over mine. You can pick this apart and there are thousands of scenarios. I just want to show newbies good birds aren’t cheap!

No I don’t have any birds for sale. I got to go unload feed!

My Sister's Cochins

 

My sister's flock of Cochins that she got from me this year and last year.. beautiful! You're doing great with them Katie! ♥️

We're both anxious for the next hatching season!

Fall Pictures

 

About My Facebook Page

 

I'm sure you all have seen a large number of your friends and family saying that they are finally leaving facebook. I've seen breeders and businesses saying it as well. 

I've left a few times in the past but always came back either for friends and family, or because I missed the poultry forums and learning from them. I think the truth has finally dawned in another large group of people's minds as to what's really going on.. control, censorship, loss of privacy and even ownership of your own content and family pictures! I won't even get into the election stuff here but, how does AOC's calling for extermination..uh I mean, accountability lists hit ya? 

I've taken about all I'm gonna take of the whole mess.

 So, at the end of the year I'll be leaving facebook permanently. 

I, my thoughts, and my dang pictures all belong to ME, not the facebook beast! And make no mistake, it's the same with youtube, twitter and Google period..different heads of the same beast. 

Unless I move my blog content to another server, which if I do I'll post that announcement here on my blog, you will still be able to contact me here, as well as by email.

If I want to SELL a chicken or an egg, I'm not going to ask facebook and their PETA nazis if it's ok! 

I'm also not going to be a willing participant in letting big tech tyrants mine for info on my phone, but tell me what I can and can't say. Until the constitution is officially ripped up and the US, as we know it, no longer exists, I will expect to have the right of free speech. 

Any extra birds, chicks or eggs that I don't have a waiting list for, will be listed here on my blog, on Craigslist locally, and I'll possibly at swaps occasionally, unless our ability to  meet to barter, trade and sell is also taken away. 

I've posted alot of good links on facebook with good solid info so I hope that you've bookmarked anything you've found helpful. 

For those of us who are jumping off the wagon, we'll have to go back to some of the old ways of doing things. 

I have a feeling we might be a whole lot better off!

Email: sissy_1973@yahoo.com

Member of Cochins International, my contact info also listed in their yearbook, as well as the APA.

NPIP Participant (for now), listed on their directory as well.