# Waiting for lockdown and getting fidgety.



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

I am a pretty seasoned hatcher, but my do I get fidgety everytime, waiting so long. Lockdown for the first eggs is on Sunday. The second batch 4 days later. I have secretly been collecting more eggs, in case I don't get enough chicks to hatch. They changed a law here, so I've got to keep my flock below 36 chickens, or I'll have to register them, even the chicks, so just a lot of paperwork. Don't want to do that, it's nobody's business anyway. I've got 15 now, but waiting for two young cocks to grow out, and see who's a keeper. 

Had a bad fertiltiy rate with the first batch and some that looked like they'd been pre-brooded, naughty chickens! so down to 4 from 10. The second batch looks better. From 18 to 15 last time I candled, but they are due for another candle on Sunday too, so fingers crossed.

I have gotten nowhere with my building project, thanks to the torrential rain. It has been driving me crazy for the last two months, enough already!


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I totally forgot you were in Germany. I sure hope you're not in one of the areas that is being threatened by the flooding. 

I was the same way. No matter how many I hatched. When I moved to not using my incubators and let the hens do all the hatching it wasn't so bad. 

If your temps were high enough they will self incubate. I've had that happen.


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

Nope not in the flooding area, but can't walk in the run without rubber boots. Never had so much, that the ground wouldn't take anymore. Need to put some drainage in, if this is what the future weather is going to be like.

Hopefully next year I can move to broodies too.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

The only fix I can think of other than moving the coop/run to higher ground is to build up the run area above the ground level outside. 

OK, we'll see if you give up on the incubator. Actually I was surprised when I did but I had so much other going on it was one less thing I had to monitor.


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

Today was lockdown, but this little chick was in a hurry. Heard a cheep last night, so quickly removed the turner and added water. This morning I woke up to this.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Huge hurry! I wrote the date down wrong once, I was a week off. But this is more like maybe peep was already developing when you set the eggs. 

Any signs of pips from the others?


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

That is exactly what I thought. Think it must have already started. No sign yet on the other eggs though. Today was offical lockdown, so see how it goes. Bit of a bummer that the little guy will have to go into the brooder alone, to start with, if a pal doesn't hatch early too.

11eggs left in the second incubator now, crappy since they aren't even shipped!!


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I hated having lone chicks. They were so unhappy. If you've got a feather duster and a mirror it will help it until the others hatch.


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

The second chick hatched today, so no more lonely chick. 🎉 Still a day early, so the incubator might have been too warm.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Yep, maybe a little. Number one peep is three days early. What are you using to measure temps?

At least number one now has a buddy. 

Lost track, how many eggs left?


----------



## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

robin416 said:


> I hated having lone chicks. They were so unhappy. If you've got a feather duster and a mirror it will help it until the others hatch.


An old fashion ticking clock, radio on low; something with a soothing noise to take the place of a clucking mother will also help keep a loner comfortable until more chicks hatch.


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

Had only 4 in lockdown and two didn't make it. Second batch is due on Sunday, so fingers crossed. The two in the brooder are the chillest chicks I have ever had.


----------



## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

Good luck to you, and to me as I have serama hatching in the incubator today.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Hey, you two. It's not spring anymore. So enough with the cute baby stories.


----------



## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

It's spring year around here, so I guess you'll have to suffer the cute baby stories.


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

7 chicks right on time!! They hatched yesterday.


----------



## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

7 seems to be the magic number this week. Two of my hens hatched seven chicks each; and then one hatched two.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Different incubator for this batch?


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

Yes, this is the Borotto 24 with a fan and humidity pump. Seem to always get better results in it. The still air is ok for starting the eggs, but not good for the whole process. Think its the fan, at least that is my observation, and maybe cool and hot spots in the still air. Anyway, one is a bit weak in the legs still, so won't move them into the brooder, with the 4 day old chicks, just yet. I made that mistake once, and the others trampled it to death.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

The other seems to run hotter than this one too. Is it possible to use the Borotto for the first part of the hatch and use the other as a lockdown unit?


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

I could do that, but I was only using both because they were 4 days between setting. The two that hatched started in the borrotto, but swapped them out, after I realised that very few were fertile and some had died, due to having been sat on by the broodies and not made it further. I have another 26 eggs in the still air started, it packs more eggs, and after the first candel, assuming not all will be good, I will put them in the Borotto. The chicks will be in the brooder by then. so i can clean and sterilze it for the ones that are developing. If all are good, I've got a problem, because the Borotto only takes 24 eggs...lol But if that happens I can always wait for a second candel. I find the Borotto better for hatching them, so if I manage to win the incubating lotterie...and all eggs are good. I will hatch them in there. I have lowered the temp in the still air and have a calibrated analog thermometer in there, so we're good.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I remember those days of shuffling around and trying to keep things straight. Most of the time it worked out. 

May I ask what all these peeps are for? Although you do sound like me with the Silkies and the non stop hatching.


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

For one I need more hens, and I also need more for selection, if I am ever going to get around to breeding them seriously.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

OK, selective breeding. And those that don't make the cut will go to new homes. 

You've got some hard work ahead of you but it's enjoyable too as you begin to realize all the work is producing some wonderful eye candy.


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

Oh dear, I dropped the eggflat while candling, now I only have 10 eggs, so I went and put another 16 in. I have had losses due to a fox. My chickens have to stay in the coop and run now. I have lost almost half my flock to that critter, so that's the only way I can stop the fox taking more.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

OK, I'm bad. I'm laughing about the egg flat. I almost dropped the first egg I candled when I saw the movement inside the egg. 

Any chance you can put electric fencing up to keep the fox at bay? From what I read they have massive territories and chances are it's not the only one in the area. 

Oh, we have a another German member, @Chickens2022. I told her we had another member from Germany but I absolutely could not remember your user name.


----------



## lovely_chooks (Mar 19, 2021)

LightSussexLady said:


> 7 chicks right on time!! They hatched yesterday.
> View attachment 41522


Awww adorable CHOOKENS


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

I'm back!! My Mac suffered from the black screen of death...it works, but can't see anything. Might take it to the shop to see if they can fix it, but not getting my hopes up. Now I am on a laptop with windows 10, totally different world for me...
Anyway all websites/passwords/log ins gone. I found CF in the email link, took a while, because I forgot the password to that too....it's great saving passwords, until it is not!!

Anyway my chicks are close to one month old now, and I love their looks already. I really love the age when they look like miniature chickens.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Oh no, how old is your Mac? Mine is about three years old now. I read that they've got the danged things wired in a way that a wire breaks from opening and closing them. I rarely close mine.

It's a hoot how dressed up the peeps are already. I guess I've never seen them as chicks, only as adults.


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

Its a iMac G5 so has a couple of years under it's belt. On a Dell's Alienware Laptop now, because no one was using it,
pretty cool but haven't used windows for years!

Yup such a hoot, you can really see how they will turn out and with experience, you can also see who's gonna be a lady, and who a gent!


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I only quit Windows when they went to Ten. I was still using Seven. Really didn't like what they were doing. There was a learning curve going to Mac and I'm still learning when something different pops up from time to time.

Like with Silkies. The more experience the more likely you can sex them.


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

lol last time I used Windows it was XP...was for work though and office 2000 back in 2008. Now that I got out of the rat race, I don't have to use a computer for work...I'm in personal heathcare, so just treat patients and the rest is done by the suckers that sit at a computer and deal with all the paperwork. I just really need a computer for personal use, and since banking has gone full digital, for that as well. Being in Germany sucks with TV too, nothing but garbage par the odd good series like "How to sell drugs online fast"...lol I didn't even have to read the subtitles.. So I watch all the TV series and movies I want to in English online. 

I still prefer Mac though, so if I can get it fixed I'm doing that.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I'll never got back to Windows. 

I just looked up the G5. It beat windows hands down for longevity. I wonder if they can fix it with that much age. But now I feel even better about have laid out the extra for the Imac Pro.


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

I bought it in a deal with a mac book at the time. My daughter messed the mac book up, big time. So I should take that down too, to reinstall the software. Or I could look up what how to do it myself. Need the key combo to get into the boot.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Yeh, no. I don't have the patience for diving that deep into them anymore. I'd end up throwing it out in the woods.

Just thinking, can you imagine what it was like for those before the internet and being able to watch TV on their computers. Or heck, there wouldn't have even been computers at that time.


----------



## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

yup lived through alll of that. Nothing on TV except german... made learning the language easier though. After learning I then realised how awful German TV was though...load of soaps and not much else. My first internet here was dial up!!! LOL and chat rooms so I could hook up with my sister in ireland. We called people and talked more, back then. Now we text more than we actually talk. But so it goes, I wouldn't want it like back then though, that would really suck.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Good grief, you've been there a while then.


----------



## Animals45 (May 11, 2021)

LightSussexLady said:


> 7 chicks right on time!! They hatched yesterday.
> View attachment 41522


Ahh, it's so nice to see freshly hatched chicks!😘


----------



## lovely_chooks (Mar 19, 2021)

LightSussexLady said:


> I'm back!! My Mac suffered from the black screen of death...it works, but can't see anything. Might take it to the shop to see if they can fix it, but not getting my hopes up. Now I am on a laptop with windows 10, totally different world for me...
> Anyway all websites/passwords/log ins gone. I found CF in the email link, took a while, because I forgot the password to that too....it's great saving passwords, until it is not!!
> 
> Anyway my chicks are close to one month old now, and I love their looks already. I really love the age when they look like miniature chickens.
> ...


OMG SO FREAKING CUTE OMG


----------



## suburban_farmer_bne_au (Dec 23, 2021)

LightSussexLady said:


> They changed a law here, so I've got to keep my flock below 36 chickens, or I'll have to register them, even the chicks, so just a lot of paperwork.


feeling your pain. I'm in Brisbane Australia, we are allowed up to 20. Tho I know some locals have had more for a long time. What neighbours and council don't see, they can't enforce. 

I'm keeping some quail which lend themselves to stealth, they are quieter and require smaller cage/run. 

looking into rooster collars to keep any future roosters quiet. Mine haven't been making noise (yet)


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Quail are more stealth until one of the males crow. Then it sounds like something drowning. Although the Tuxedos seem to have a more pleasant sound than the Pharaohs.


----------

