Author Topic: Summary of Hatching Season  (Read 2397 times)

Mike Gilbert

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Summary of Hatching Season
« on: May 12, 2014, 11:46:45 AM »

As many of you know, I don't operate a hatchery business like John, Paul, and some of you other members.   And I don't ship chicks or hatching eggs, just started stock.   After fourteen or so years with a GQF Model 1202 Sportsman model, I switched to a slightly used Dickey cabinet incubator this year which is very similar to the Sportsman but with a few added features.  Despite some problems with it not holding a steady temperature, I'm on track to hatch somewhere between 400 and 500 chicks this season.   The last batch of eggs went into the bator last Saturday, May 10th.   It just gets too busy in June to deal with hatching then, and I didn't get started until March this year.  Oh, I also used it to hatch some Narragansett turkey poults.   About 10 percent of the chicks were culled at hatch for one reason or another, but I do have reasonable numbers in the LF Brown Red, bantam white, buff, brown red, and wheaten.  Also, as usual, a few black gold (nonstandard variety) bantams.   Culling will be an ongoing process during the grow-out period, as I don't have facilities to raise 400 birds and do a decent job of it.
I hope to have a few good ones to share this fall - but don't expect to make Lucasville.   We do plan to be at the Ohio National for the ABA's 100th anniversary show in November.   That show is also the Chantecler national for 2014.     And we plan to participate in the "Masters Cup" show at Webster City, Iowa, in November as well.   In the meantime, we are gearing up for our local Coulee Region Poultry show on June 7th which is hosting the ABC North Central District Meet this year.   Duane, John, & Bob Rennolet plan to attend, as well as a good number of other members.   If anyone needs a show catalog send me a message or give me a call;  there is still time to enter.   I believe my contact info is still in the Breeders Directory.