Hatching season?

[Mike Gilbert]

Well, I succumbed to temptation again this year.   I set eggs yesterday, including Brown Red Ameraucana large fowl from two small matings.   They are my best layers, and egg color has improved immensely, though the eggs are still a little too small.    As each year passes small, incremental improvements are being made.   The Ameraucana bantams have not been laying lately, although the pullets were laying in November.   The L.F. take longer to develop than the bantams, so this will work out fine;  we should have a few more to show at the National in Missouri next October.  Mary and I wish all who visit here a very Merry Christmas and a blessed 2012.

[faith valley]

Mike,

We too have set eggs, have the fist batch hatched out- 2 buff bantams and 6 wheaten bantams.  We plan to hatch every other week now for the next 3 months or so then switch to the call ducks.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season~

[jerryse]

I also have a few chicks out.I have set up pens to make lavender splits in bantam and LF.Now a  2 week wait before I can save eggs.Weather permitting.

[Guest]

I have been holding steady...no eggs set yet.  I was going to set a few for a New Year\'s hatch, but just wanted to wait so I can go ahead and set a BIG batch in January!  It\'s a month earlier than I promised my husband, but I just can not wait any longer.

Our Lavender Ameraucanas and Split Lavs that made the cut last year are showing serious promise as breeders.  One of our Lav pullets is one heck of a looker, great size, type, excellent comb...and has been a consistent layer of the bluest eggs I\'ve ever seen.  This next year should be an excellent year for the lavs!  

I will be working on a new project and can\'t wait to set those eggs.  Spring comes a little early when chicks are hatching in the house!  

[Scott]

Incubator - check
Brooder - check
Eggs  - negative

Can I expect around 27 to 30 weeks to start getting LF eggs?  

In the fall I disconnected the lighting and the older birds went into molt and have yet to lay.  Its been almost 3 months since i have had eggs and I hate having to rely on the grocery for my eggs.  Christmas treats just won\'t be the same...     I just now got electric setup in my chicken coop and have a timer set to provide light for 12 hours daily.  Does anyone else use a timer?  If so how many hours of light?  

[John]

how many hours of light?

12 hours should get you some eggs.  I only use artificial lights during the hatching season and start them a month before I plan to start collecting eggs to hatch.  I start with 12 hours and increase it each week until I\'m up to 16 hours...generally from 4am to 8pm.
I\'ve read that some commercial laying operations go with 18 hours of light.  I know of some folks that leave a light on in their coops all winter and they claim it also provides heat.  I don\'t recommend that at all.  If they need heat they should use another source and 24 hours of light can stress the birds.

[grisaboy]

I don\'t have power in my coop.  I have run a power cord across the yard in the past and put the coop lights on a timer.
This year I bought some solar christmas lights and hung them up in the coop (very festive).  Depnding on how bright the day is the lights stay on for 2 to 4 hours after dark.  It is a soft light but enough that I can see the birds on the roosts and I am getting eggs.  No more cords across the yard and the decrease in the power bill should eventually pay for the investment.  A 24 foot string of solar lights cost me about $20.
Curtis

[grisaboy]

I am not going to set eggs until Feb or Mar.  I don\'t like running the brooder while it is cold and my wife won\'t let me keep chicks in the basement any more.
Curtis

[Beth C]

I have cords across the yard & running through conduit across the pasture. One of these days I\'ll get ambitious, run real wire, rent a ditch-witch, and bury the conduit. Maybe I\'ll drop a water line, too, while I\'m at it. But for now, it\'s redneck engineering all the way! :p

I\'ve had the lights on in the coop since early October and the free-loaders just started laying. I was really hoping to get an earlier start than this. The coccidia has been so bad the last 2 seasons I\'ve decided this year I\'m not setting anything past February.

I did set a dozen eggs from a nice wheaten pullet. I had a couple eggs from a splash pullet that I put in as well, even though there was a chance she may have been exposed to a buff cockerel. Of course, none of the wheaten\'s eggs were fertile, so I have 3 little gambles due on Christmas Eve (assuming they\'re still kicking - haven\'t candled lately).

[John]

There are some old topics on lighting that you can find thru some searches.  Here is one that shows some of my Christmas lights.
http://ameraucanabreedersclub.org/abcforum/index.php?a=topic&t=1401
Keep in mind not all light is the same when it comes to stimulating eggs production and the cocks/cockerels need it too.

[Tailfeathers]

I\'m holding off for awhile this time on setting eggs.  I recently read the article by Kenny Troiano in the PP where he talked about late Fall and Winter chicks not developing as well or as fast as Spring chicks.  Having gone back over some of my records, I found that my winter chicks don\'t do as well either.  

Also, I am going to wait until the pullets have been laying for quite awhile and at least have their full sized egg.  His comments about egg size I thought hold some merit too.  And finally, I\'m also going to breed some of my older hens for the reasons he mentioned.  

So my plan now is to set up the pens after the first of the year and start putting birds in them about mid-January.  Then I\'ll start collecting about the first week of FEB.  Unless I decide to set some as EE\'s before then.

Oh, and btw, let me take this opportunity to wish any of y\'all reading this a very Merry Christmas and a safe, happy, and prosperous new year!

God Bless,
God Bless,

[Paul]

We finally joined in on the fun and anticipated excitement of newly hatched chicks.  Set 70 eggs on Jan. 3.

The girls have really gotten busy laying the past few days.  Soon we should be setting full incubators.

Paul & Angela

[John]

joined in on the fun

I think I\'ll set eggs before the end of the month.  It\'ll be the earliest ever for me.  
The weather is spring like with sunshine and a high of 50 today...January 6th in mid Michigan!

[Mike Gilbert]

We are supposed to be in the upper 40\'s here in western Wisconsin today.  I have 30-some chicks hatched.  Did not expect a high percentage due to the colder weather at the time I was collecting eggs.   But have another batch scheduled to hatch next Tuesday, and another the Tuesday after that.  

[Sharon Yorks]

I set 21 eggs on Dec 31st. There were 7 each from 3 hens. I candled them last night and found that one of my hens must have said, \"No way, buddy!\" to my cockerel because all of her eggs were clear. I think the rest all look pretty good, although two of them appear very dark inside. What does that mean? I can\'t see inside of them. I can see the air sack, but the rest is dark. I\'m going to try to find me a better light and candle again in a few days. I\'m really bummed about those 7 eggs. I was expecting some really good chicks out of that combo. Well, you know the saying, if at first you don\'t succeed, um... give your rooster an ultimatum!!!

Sharon