Single hen

[feemcg]

Some pics of the 2nd lot growing up - and to tempt Shona

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

Do we have any hint of what sex they may be yet?

[feemcg]

I 'think' I have 1 girl, 1 boy Orpie, same with the Welsummers - thats from comb and wattle development. I feather-sexed them as day olds and thought they were all girls . The 'dotties' are really hard to sex as they have a pea comb which is very slow growing. As day-olds I thought I has 3 boys, 3 girls and theres just one at the moment I'm fairly sure is a boy. I think its going to be a few weeks yet before I get a better idea - definitely something to be said for hatching auto-sexing breeds (which is why I have more Cream Legbars in the incy ).

[Guest]

 

You have more on the go already?!

 

I really quite fancy a pair of Legbars - is it too early to put my name on a couple of them?!

 

although the boys ARE enamoured with Orpingtons....

[feemcg]

Of course Shona, as I said before you're welcome to have some - the orpies are the friendliest of any of the chicks, I really hope they are girls. Also I was surprised I sold/gave away 8 of my first lot, and the people want me to phone them when I know sexes of the 2nd lot. On day 9 in the incy I have Cream Legbars, Buff Sussex and Wheaten Maran - hopefully there will be a couple of girl CLs for you Shona - also I've been getting them off heat quite quickly so you could get them quite young and watch them grow .

 

You're also very welcome to visit any time and the boys could see the chicks at all different ages - or even as they're hatching .

[Jaime]

Hi Fee, are the eggs from your own hens or do you buy them in?

 

I've seen them for sale on ebay and wondered if you can trust the people selling the eggs that they are what they say and how well they travel through the postal system.

 

The wyandotte chicks are gorgeous.

 

ps I dont know how to tell a cock from a hen until its an adult.. and even then it a bit of a guess.

[Guest]

ps I dont know how to tell a cock from a hen until its an adult.. and even then it a bit of a guess.

 

'Tis easy Jamie - the ones that lay eggs are girls, the ones that wake you up at 3 in the morning crowing are boys.....

[bronze]

I've been looking at eggs to Jaime but also don't know about sexing them. Or what I would do with any males!

[Jaime]

'Tis easy Jamie - the ones that lay eggs are girls, the ones that wake you up at 3 in the morning crowing are boys.

 

Yes but by this time you are attached to them all AND you've upset the neighbours with all of the noise.

 

It's not like you can spot dangly toilet parts and think that must be a bit of a lad then

[Guest]

[feemcg]

I started with a few eggs from an ebay seller and some from a member of another forum. Theres a lot of feedback on 'bad' ebay sellers on some of the other poultry forums. My Speckled sussex eggs were badly packaged and rattling around in the box - only 1 was fertile. All my other eggs have been very well packaged and I've had good fertility e.g. the 6 Wyandottes came from Orkney - all fertile and all hatched. The Frizzles and the eggs I have in just now are from people I've bought from before (from another forum).

I think hatching success is down to many factors - packaging, age of eggs, the postal service......and luck .

[Snowy]

They are gorgeous Fee.

just pop a couple in a jiify bag and send to Leicester for me would you?

[Guest]

Please could you tell me which of the chicks are buff orpingtons - and are they the big orpingtons or the bantam variety?

 

I know somewhere I can get bantam buff orpington eggs and quite fancy a go now I have seen all those people hatching eggs on here

[feemcg]

Dilly, the Buff orps are the big, yellow/buff coloured fluffy ones. They are the biggest looking chicks out of that lot but are as light as a feather ( ) when you pick them up - and they are the friendliest too .

[Guest]

Oooo thank for telling me - I am defintely tempted to get the bantam variety.

[Lesley]

I read all the info. re buying eggs from Ebay on the Practical Poultry forum and still went ahead and bought eggs. They were all packaged well but fertility was very poor and I would only buy from people I 'know' in future.

 

No Wyandottes from 6 eggs and 2 Copper Marans from 12 eggs - but all 6 of our own eggs, set at the same time in the same incubator, hatched. I put ours in as a test so that I knew it wasn't my handling or problems with the incubator. I didn't really want any more Heinz 57's

 

Great photos Fee - it's lovely to see their progress

[feemcg]

Thanks Lesley. It definitely is 'the luck of the draw' with ebay eggs but I think through time you gain confidence in certain sellers and can then deal with them privately. Much better if you have a local source though (which I couldn't find.

[bronze]

Maybe if people do have recommended sellers they could post them on a thread.

Your babies look beautiful feemcg

 

Maybe a thread on tips , hints and general advice about hatching eggs yourselves could be started

[Guest]

That sounds a good idea - if peeps have enough time with all these babies to look after