13th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-Along

[FoxySonia]

I didn't want any barn yard mixed breed chicks, especially since they wouldn't get vaccinated, but one of my 4 Silkies became broody, a black Silkie I named Coco, and after 2 weeks of daily removing her from the nest boxes I gave up on trying to break her of her desire to become a mama, so I let her sit on 8 mixed eggs. After one week of Coco sitting on the 8 eggs, I went to get the eggs to candle them, during the short time Coco was out of the nest eating outside the coop. I had forgotten to close the top cover of the nest boxes so none of the other pullets could enter Coco's nest and mess with her eggs. Sadly, I found 1 broken egg empty of its content, and noticed 3 eggs had small cracks. I still candled all 7 eggs and unfortunate all of them had cracks. Of the 7, 2 seemed unfertilized and 5 showed a developing chick embryo. I felt so sad those 5 embryos will never get to hatch. I decided to try to save the 4 eggs with the smallest hairline cracks, but I didn't have an unscented candle, only had nail polish, so I used that even though it's so stinky. I set the eggs back on the nest with 4 new eggs, and put Coco over them, but the next day I decided to remove the 4 eggs with the cracks and nail polish, as I didn't think the embryos would develop or hatch without problems. I gave Coco an additional 3 new eggs, adding a nesting pad under the eggs so she doesn't roll them over the bare wood and accidentally crack them. All the nest boxes have wood shavings but the pullets like to scratch most of the shavings out of the boxes, they do the same thing with straw, and they destroy the nesting pads but it takes a while. The new expected hatch date for Coco's new eggs is between April 21-22. My cat Leo's birthday is on April 21.

View attachment 3047112

Yesterday another 2 pullets seem to be broody, a Splash Silkie and a golden neck Old English Game Bantam, so I let them sit on some eggs. If they continue to stay broody and sit on those eggs, they should hatch around April 22-23. So between April 21 and 23 there should be 3 new mamas with newly hatched mixed breed chicks.

View attachment 3047113
View attachment 3047118

Well, seems Spring fever started early for my Bantam pullets as more started becoming broody soon after the 1st one. I now have 6 bantam pullets sitting on mixed eggs, 2 black Silkies, 2 splash Silkies, a golden neck OEGB and a white Sultan, and seems 1 of my mottled Cochins might also become broody soon. I don't know what I'm going to do if the majority of 31 of my pullets become broody.

Here are the 6 mamas-to-be.
Beautiful Coco the Silkie

Goldie the OEGB and unnamed black Silkie

Snow White the Sultan

And the 2 splash Silkie sisters

Every morning I take the out if the nest box for a few minutes so they can eat, drink, stretch their legs, dust bathe, scratch around and poop outside. So far That's been working to keep the nests and eggs clean. And I provide them with food and water they can eat while sitting on the eggs.

 

[3KillerBs]

The quitter.

And the others.

 

[3KillerBs]

View attachment 3058215
The quitter.

View attachment 3058217
And the others.

 

[buckock]

We have 9 of 21 pipped (1 quitter removed at lockdown) and my daughter is on chick watch for the night. I’m going to bed but hopefully we’ll have a few to add to the count in the am. Wyandotte and Wyandotte crosses.

 

[HenniesInMyHeart]

Hello, bestest chickiepeeps! I set some of my baby hopefuls a wee bit too late (on 3/31). Can I still be counted in?
I set 15 paint silkie eggs and 9 mixed color silkie eggs, shipped from different breeders. Paints from my favorite breeder in NY, mixed from FL, I'm in CO.

My first candling on the 5th, I thought only 8 were viable, questioned another few. Candled this weekend and I have 12 viable embryos and a couple question marks. If I can get even a few healthy bebes, I will be so happy!

Also just won a bid on some gorgeous seramas but they will obviously arrive much too late for this Hatch-A-Long. I will start another thread for that hatch-a-long!

Lots of love and best peep wishes to everyone!

HenniesInMyHeart

 

[ShannonsChimkens]

Mine's out too

Pretty little blondie… I tried to hatch so many shipped “possible” blonde hatching eggs.

Congrats!

 

[hysop]

We had one quitter.

Should have seen it coming. It was behind in development and was smaller than the others even though the egg was decent size.

They go on lockdown in three days!! Can’t wait!!

 

[Bananer86]

View attachment 3058012

Kinda applies to me right now we started with a cat for my son in 2019, dog for us in 2020, 5 chicks 2021 (5 kids) which turned into 12 by July bc well I became addicted. So far in 2022 we’re + 1 more puppy, 17 quail, current total for chickens is 17 but we have 9 eggs in the incubator & 5 under a broody oh & I almost forgot we just got 2 salamanders. 2022 has been an adventure already

 

[ShannonsChimkens]

Another hatcher today

 

[pennyJo1960]

I have 7 hatched right now