Tag: Incubation

Test Yourself: What Kind Of Bird Is Hatching Here?

~ Carrie

170707_TestYourKnowledge

We have some unusual eggs hatching right now at the farm. They’ve been in the incubator for 27 days, and several have pipped externally. Hatching is extremely hard work, especially for birds that have shells as hard as these do.

Here are your hints:

  • The eggs are speckled, light tan, and about 2/3 the size of a chicken egg
  • They’re native to Africa
  • While the hatchlings look similar to chicks, they’re smaller, and when they grow up, they look nothing like a chicken
  • These birds are called “tick assassins” and will decimate populations of ticks, ants, and other bugs…and are also known to eat snakes and small rodents
  • They have a reputation for being good “guard” animals because they’ll create a racket when alarmed

So do you know what kind of bird this is? Bonus question: what are the young of this species called?

The Incubator’s Fired Up: Spring Ducklings Will Be Here Soon!

~ Carrie

Spring Ducklings

Last year’s spring and summer hatches of ducklings are now laying their own eggs, enthusiastically. With Spring upon us, it’s time to hatch some of those eggs. Chicken eggs, generally speaking, are very easy to hatch; Muscovy eggs require more maintenance and monitoring, but are worth the effort.

While it’s tempting to candle the eggs earlier, we begin candling to check Muscovy egg development at day 10. At this point, the viability of the egg can be determined with reasonable confidence: you should see the network of blood vessels and the embryo, and the embryo will probably react to the light by moving around. Any obvious “clears” – infertile or non-developing – are removed now, as are any where development has stopped (like a blood ring). It’s early enough in incubation that bad eggs shouldn’t have reached the point of exploding, but far enough along to allow you to see real development. Candling is fun and nerve-wracking at the same time: it’s easy to fumble an egg and even drop it as you’re trying to candle – and a dropped egg is most likely going to mean the end for that developing embryo. So far, we haven’t dropped any eggs, but the risk is ever-present. Continue reading “The Incubator’s Fired Up: Spring Ducklings Will Be Here Soon!” →

Duck Tales: Co-Broodies and a Poopy Shirt

~ Carrie

Co-Broodies - 2 Muscovy Ducks on Nest

When you spend time with ducks, you learn not only about their behavior, but also when their coop needs cleaning. A large coop like ours can go weeks between cleanings, but wet weather (and wet ducks) can shorten that timeline. Maintaining a clean and dry coop helps ensure that the ducks stay healthy, so yesterday was cleaning day.

In anticipation of upcoming wet weather, I decided to forego the grass hay we’d been using in the coop. It forms a nice, easily-removed mat from the damp and the poop, but it’s not the most absorbent material. Pine shavings not only absorb moisture really well, they smell nice…a real added bonus. I’m primarily concerned about keeping things relatively dry and clean, especially with regard to the nest boxes. Continue reading “Duck Tales: Co-Broodies and a Poopy Shirt” →

Hello Vernal Equinox: Longer Days Mean More Eggs

~ Carrie

Basket of eggs

Today is the first official day of Spring, even though it’s felt springlike for several weeks (well, except for the recent cold snap). The days are growing longer, meaning there will be more time for the animals to forage. It also means that the chickens and ducks are laying up a storm!

Winter is difficult for farmers in many ways. One of the challenges for those who raise poultry and waterfowl for eggs is the lack of daylight, which can cause egg production to drop dramatically. There are ways to stimulate egg production (like using lights to extend “daylight” hours), but we lean toward letting the animals do what they naturally do, even if that means fewer eggs during the winter.

As you can imagine, it is a joyous occasion when you get that first duck egg after months of no eggs, and it’s also fantastic when chicken egg production doubles or even triples. Our newest layers have also begun laying consistently, so we’re getting lots of pullet eggs, too. In short, it’s an egg extravaganza around here. We even had to buy a much larger egg collection basket to hold all the eggs we’re getting! Continue reading “Hello Vernal Equinox: Longer Days Mean More Eggs” →

Goodbye, 2016…Hello, 2017!

~ Carrie

2016 Photo CollageIt’s that time again – this year is coming to its end. We like to look back at the year because you can forget how much you learned and during that period. We also like to recognize our accomplishments, as well as identify needed improvements. We characterize 2016 as our year of learning on the farm.

Chickens

2016 started on a sour note, with about half of our small flock of layers lost to predators. We implemented deterrents and learned about the importance of having a vigilant rooster (or two) to keep watch over the flock. We hatched 4 groups of chicks and learned about integrating new chickens into an existing flock. We processed roosters, treated injuries, and let a (surprise) broody hen hatch some eggs.

Ducks

We started with a small group of Muscovies going into 2016, due to some predator losses. We were thrilled when the ducks began laying, and wanted to expand our flock. Continue reading “Goodbye, 2016…Hello, 2017!” →

Processing Spring Drakes

~ Carrie

Muscovy_Drake_122016

We had a banner year for ducklings…between the two sets we incubated (with varying success) and two clutches incubated by broodies (much more successfully), we went from 5 total to 30+. Seriously.

The second set of eggs we incubated resulted in 5 total hatching – 4 drakes and a single duck. With each hatch, we know there’s a likelihood of at least half being male; unfortunately, not that many drakes are necessary for a self-sustaining flock. Consequently, the “extra” drakes must either be rehomed or culled.

The crux of it is that we have too many drakes now. As they reach about 5-6 months of age, their hormones kick into high gear and they begin chasing and grabbing the ducks.

Continue reading “Processing Spring Drakes” →