setting eggs tonight!! anyone else? - Page 70

Scratch that. Happy birthday to number 25! (or 27) We were missing someone... (sorry whoever we forgot to count...) Well. :D We've beat our last hatch!! 

I love this. 

3 more babies!! 1 RIR, 1 EE, and 1 unknown. That brings us to a grand 30. :D I'm not expecting any more. One has made a big hole and is still alive, but he's not acting like he wants to get out just real bad. I could be wrong. I hope I am. I hate when they die in their shell. But he's been the same for hours. We'll see. At least I have 30!! 

We do have a few pips. Some from yesterday, some from this morning. I'm not sure if they are still alive though. They haven't done anything. But, the EE that just hatched hadn't either. I went in and it was still a small pip from earlier this morning, and I came in 10-20 minutes later and he was almost fully zipped. Who knows, maybe I'll get some more babies later. :)

None of the leghorns have even pipped. I guess because she was sick and we didn't know it. (I can't remember if I've said all this before. If so, you can quit reading now.) I'm kinda glad they didn't hatch because I don't want her sickly genes passed on. I don't think I'll incubate any more of her eggs.

I keep expecting very hatch to be the last, but, alas. 31 Has just arrived!! It's official. I'm getting an incubator and hatching eggs fo' moneh! This is one of my favorite things to do. :) I can't wait to have my own incubator. <3

31 hatched chicks and 2 bought chicks!! :D

Started out with 51 eggs, 38 went into lockdown, 31 hatched. None of the leghorn eggs hatched and one Barnevelder egg didn't hatch.

A 61% hatch rate isn't bad at all, IMHO! 

One chick had slightly curled toes, but with tape on them he walks so normally you can't tell which one he is unless you see his feet.

Another had bruised hocks and slightly curled toes and I'm more concerned about him. I've taped his feet and given him electrolyte/vitamin water. He can walk, (and his legs can bend, unlike the other chick we had to cull.) but his balance is iffy. I think he'll be okay if I play my cards right and he drinks the water.

I've separated both "flipper feet" chicks because the bruised one kept getting trampled in the big brooder. They seem to be okay as of now. :)

What about you, Corg? How was your hatch??

Quote:

Originally Posted by CALI CHICK 

What can I say...Congratulations, Laynadon.  You're a natural!

 

Let me give you all the scoop on what I've been up to.  My Buffy (BO) kept acting broody...she's such a riot to watch.  Anyway, I got her five fertilized Easter Egger eggs to sit on..................but she only SAT on them for 5 hours and wanted to go play with the other girls.  Since they were cool when I found them I decided I better pop them into the bator, which I did just before midnight last night!  I will have to put them in the "time capsule" (Brower) for lockdown and hatching, unfortunately.  I plan to join everyone on the Easter hatch-along with at least a dozen eggs so I'll have staggered hatch days.  The second group will go in next Friday night/Saturday morning at midnight.   I will have about 6 (pet quality) black silkies and 6 more Easter Eggers.  It'll be good practice for me and I'll probably sell most of the chicks (unless theylook like they have potential for good breeders or showing)

Here's a few pictures of Buffy brooding and the eggs in the bator:

Aren't the eggs pretty?

 

 

Thank you, Cali. I'm really enjoying my babies. :)  

I took the tape off the 2 chicks' feet and their toes are nice and straight now. 

The guy with bruised hocks seems to be doing much better. I'm thinking I made one of his feet heavier than the other when I taped them, because when I took them off he started running around and drinking and playing with his buddy. :) It was the first time he had seen his own toes! He took his first step after I took the tape off and he was startled! He looked at his feet and cocked his head to one side. He looked like "What are those??" He pecked at them for a couple minutes.  

 No sign of bad balance anymore.  I even put him on a small rock to see what he would do and he just jumped off and ran around. His hocks are looking better. There is a small scab on each of them, but he doesn't seemed bothered. He had a really hard hatch. I had to help him a bit. I really wasn't going to. I kept telling myself not to. But he zipped all by himself and everything. He just couldn't seem to push out. He tried so long that the exposed fluff had already dried. I picked him up to try to find out what the trouble was and the membrane had dried out and stuck to him! I had to peel it off of him and separate his feathers from the membrane. There was no way he could have unstuck himself. I guess he bruised his hocks trying to hatch?  He's fine now. 

I'm going to watch those 2 for a bit, but I think I'll be putting them back in the big brooder soon.

Maybe you should put some golf balls or something out for Buffy? See if she wants to sit again? Is she still acting broody at all? 

I hope my 2 BOs are girls! Hatch me out some babies! 

 Where has everyone been the last couple days? I'm starting to go through withdrawals... 

Do they make 12 step programs for BYC?? @.@

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowchick11 

LaynaDon- I'm starting to think you may need a 12 step program for your other new addiction!    With those hatching rates, wow!  Are you researching what kind of bator you want to get?    I couldn't believe it when one of the gals I work with was like, I just had this bator donated but I don't know what to do with it.  I raised my hands and said me, Me, ME!  So I kind of lucked into mine but did some research and even though is is an inexpensive model I have found ways to improve it.

 

So, I just heard from one of the gals I'm getting eggs from.  Her breeders have almost stopped laying!  She sent me a message last Thurs. but I was out of town for work :(  She does have 6 or 8 eggs for me and for the price that is all I can afford.  So, now I'm in a panick  about getting them home and into the bator.  I'll have my lav. orps to set for Easter hatch I guess.  They should be mailed out tomorrow or Tues.

On top of that I'm supposed to be getting my show birds ready to go to a show and I have chicks under one and the other really good one is trying to set!!!!   I love my orps but come on girls!!!!  Then  the next show is a month away.

Wow! I wish an incubator would fall into my lap like that!! I think I'll just start out with a little giant still air. That's what I've been using. I don't have money for anything else at this point. If this takes off, (incubating for other people) then I'll save my earnings for a better one. (After my trip to Australia...) 

I hope the eggs the breeder is sending are still good eggs, with them being some of the last... Does that effect (affect?) them? 

ohh! so it's your orps that are setting??? I have two and I've been wondering if they go broody well. I reeeaally want some good broody hens. My bantam hen will probably go broody at some point, but she just started laying so I'm not gonna be too pushy on her just yet. :P Now I just have to pray that both orps are girls and that they both have good broody genes. 

I'm sorry, what I meant to say was "Come on girls! Couldn't you have chosen a better time?? Don't you know that you're about to go to a competition??" 

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowchick11 

Still waiting to hear about my nearby eggs!  Lost internet for about 8 hours today because the wind blew our dish off the roof.    My brother was brave and put it back up after the wind died down and before the snow started falling again.   Also, now waiting for eggs in the mail even though they should not be here until about Thurs.!

Had to post this before signing out tonight because it is my 100th post!!!!!    Now that I have internet back I have to get a hotel room for the WA Feather Fanciers Show in Monroe, WA this weekend.  I already put it off and was supposed to get it earlier today.

Yay for internet!! And brave brothers! And send the snow to me! It was in the 80's today!!