[Charlie1234]

Charlie1234 - How are the chicks doing?


Any pics?

Hi Dave,
will get some pics on soon,My hatch was total **** this time,I had the eggs posted and They were either duffs or were damaged in the post.  NEVER AGAIN !!

4 chicks from 24 Eggs. 

 The hatches before were done using the same incubator but my eggs and I have been getting80 -90% Hatches all through winter.

[Dave C]

That's a real crappy result mate.

Did you candle them? Were they all fertile?

[Dave C]

ye they are doing well mate
hitting maturity well cock bird is 3.2kg at 24 weeks
but these restrictions are doing my head in?

they could do with been out
one of the females weighs 2.5kg and has a nice covering of meat

when the chicks arrive i will feed them on a higher protien diet see if i can get them to weight a bit quicker

That's some nice sized birds 

I'm with you on the restrictions, mine need to run around to get breeding fit, although cracking open a few eggs the hybrid meat birds look to be fertile 

Need to separate out the cockerels when the restrictions are lifted and dust off the Incy 

[Charlie1234]

That's a real crappy result mate.

Did you candle them? Were they all fertile?

I put 24 in the small incubator,candled just before placing in incubator as all seemed ok,candled at 11 days 10 were fertile,then had 4 hatch the others were part formed + dead in shell.

Incubator was calibrated before use and as I have mentioned with my eggs hatch rates were great all through the winter and I am 1800ft up a mountain.

Just the possible downside of buying eggs through the post. 

When I come to get my eggs from you Im sure the hatch rate will be much better. 

[Charlie1234]

Has anyone ever crossed I.G with Barnevelder on here ?
I went to a mates place earlier and went on the chicken shed tour to meet his new Barnies,I have never kept them so was surprised to see how big they were and started thinking of this crossed with my I.G. 

After coming home I googled this cross and found some interesting threads on them.
Also a few pics

[Dave C]

Not sure as never had them but you would think that because the 2 breeds are so similar you would know what you would get.
Although not sure how they would be better than pure IG but you never know with hybrid vigor !

Might improve the eggs in colour and numbers.

If you have some hens available to you give it a go.

[Charlie1234]

no hens available but the eggs will be later in the season,according to the site I borrowed the pictures from the birds above are only 13 weeks old,as you said dave they look very similar also.

I might have a go with them later in the year,depending on weather.    ( I run my incubator off my solar panels in the spring/summer )

[Dave C]

Had a busy day today 

Built yet another covered pen onto a spare chicken house I have and knocked up some quick nest pans out of some used sheep feed buckets.

Caught up all the layers I have mixed in with the hybrid meat birds pen and the big blue Indian Game cockerel which runs with them and settled them into there new home.

This leaves only the 2 slow growth hybrid meat cockerels, there 4 hens and the 3 medium growth Sasso hens so in a few weeks the eggs from this pen will be making my first batch in the Incy.

I also have my Cukoo Marans in this pen but can easily tell there eggs apart, although I might try a few of this cross to see how they turn out 

[Charlie1234]

Few pictures I got earlier today some 5 1/2 week old I.G x L.S. and few I.G. x C.B.T. Plus 3 cobbs of the same age believe it or not.

[Dave C]

I guess the white with black spotted birds are IG x LB ?

They look nice birds   

[Charlie1234]

I think so mate,got a few  IG X CBT that threw back to the CBT side colour wise anyway.

[Dave C]

I think your IG x LS should throw sex linked chicks, cockerels being white Pullets brown.

Princessruby did this Cross and should be able to confirm.

[Charlie1234]

im not to bothered about the colour mate,they are all destined with the same Aga lol

[Dave C]

I totally agree mate you can't eat the colour 

But it's nice to know which birds came from which cross for future breeding plans 

[Charlie1234]

I used to have the colour issue when i sold eggs mate, we would sell out of maran eggs at the food shows we went to,within minutes but could not give white eggs away. 

My Mrs keeps tabs on who came from where and we usually ring the legs with the colour coded rings that match which batch,shed or breed.

I had a move around today and have put 1 of my fred hams light sussex hens in with my I.G. and the bresse hen in with the L.S.Cockerel,so I can try them this year.