White large fowl hens

[John]

a big Silver rooster

I did weigh my 3 one year old LF cocks.  Two are 4.5 pounds and the other is 4.7.  They are a couple pounds under standard weight, but I don't know of anyone that has bigger ones and still be as close to the standard in looks. 

[DeWayne Edgin]

Ok thanks John. Do you think you might have them in a couple more weeks? I would like to see what Jean hatches to avoid lots of shipping charges. If she gets white chicks and Silver chicks, then it would be a lot cheaper to send them in one box to PA. Thanks for your help.

[John]

I won't have any adult birds to sell until May 7th and then I want to sell them fast to make room for the growing chicks.

[DeWayne Edgin]

Ok great. I will see what happens until then and i will contact you closer to May. Thanks.

[Jean]

Put the eggs in the hatcher last night.  Last weeks chicks were very late. I left them in the incubator longer this time.  I think my hatcher is off temperature wise.

If you send me a private message I can keep in contact with you to see if I will be able to send chicks.

[John]

Last weeks chicks were very late

Sometimes it just has to do with the varieties/strains.  I hatch 10 varieties of chicks and some hatch at different times.  Half or more of the bantam lavenders from coop #1 pipped at 19 days and hatched over the next 12 hours, while last week some bantam buffs from coop #3 weren't pipped until 21 1/2 days. 

[DeWayne Edgin]

Well i have a Blue hen with a Blue rooster. I am trying to get a splash chick. Any way last month i had eggs hatch from my Buffs and my Brown Reds on day 21. I didn't have time to clean my incubator so i left it run. On day 24 i went to clean it and i picked up a Blue egg and it was chirping. I put it back in and it hatched on day 25. Last week i took the left over eggs out to clean my other incubator and was cracking them open to see how long they made it till they died. One of my Blue eggs had a live chick in which died since i opened it. My third incubator was due to hatch last Friday. Nine chicks hatched on Thursday (day 20). I left the eggs run that were left and tonight ( day 23 ) my Blue egg pipped and another is rocking. The Blue hen is only one year old and the Blue rooster is only about 6 months old. Does any one think that maybe these birds are young and that it may be the reason for the chicks developing slow?

[Jean]

Last weeks chicks were very late

Sometimes it just has to do with the varieties/strains.  I hatch 10 varieties of chicks and some hatch at different times.  Half or more of the bantam lavenders from coop #1 pipped at 19 days and hatched over the next 12 hours, while last week some bantam buffs from coop #3 weren't pipped until 21 1/2 days.

John,

That was my fifth batch of chicks this year, they all hatch over a 2 day window.  I don't generally keep late hatchers, etc because it throws off the next generation.  There is definately an issue with my hatcher as I lost lots of my goslings in it last year.

[DeWayne Edgin]

http://s1275.photobucket.com/user/Dewayne069/media/White%20hen/Picture8461_zps63ef18d5.jpg.html     I finally got my White large fowl hen!! But she hasn't laid an egg in three weeks now! O well i will keep waiting on her. 

[Mike Gilbert]

She looks like a dandy DeWayne.   Good shank coloring, good tail, can't see her comb from the side view, all good indications.   When birds are moved they frequently stop laying for a time.   Let us know how she does for you.

[DeWayne Edgin]

She started laying seven days ago, and i got six eggs from her! I  am incubating them today.The person that i got her from said she was a grand champion hen at a show in California. She is a big hen also and i hope to get lots of chicks from her. I can't remember her exact weight but, i think she was around 9 pounds!!

[Mike Gilbert]

If she is actually 9 lbs, she should be disqualified in a show as she is outside the 20% leeway they give for size - if the judges do their job properly, and that is a big if.   The limit before a D.Q. for an Ameraucana hen is 6.6 pounds.     Nevertheless she should make a good breeder, but I would use a smaller rooster. 

[DeWayne Edgin]

Yea i was just thinking about this and i think the weight was a total of the box she was shipped in and all of its contents to. Sorry about that. I sent you a picture of her standing beside one of my roosters so you can see how she looks beside him.