3rd Annual New Year's Day Hatch!!

[NoseyChickens]

Well it looks like I'm out this year. My eggs arent coming in the mail this week, which is just fine, I can wait, I hatch nearly every week. I think I might take a break until the polish kick it back into gear.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Shipped four boxes of eggs today, and Superchemicalgirls eggs and two other boxes go out tomorrow . Then I can start collecting eggs to hatch. Let's see , 2-3 dozen a day for 4 days is 8-12 dozen. Maybe I better not try to set that many:-D

 

[AK Michelle]

I tweaked the muscles in my back yesterday sliding on the ice out by the barn so DH did the chicken chores for me tonight. He said the Icelandic and the Cochin are still broody but my sweet little Bluey hasn't settled back in a nest since I put her back in general population yesterday.

I've never used a broody before. The Icelandic is a fair sized hen and the cochin is a pretty big girl (with a whole lotta fluff) will 6 eggs each be too many for them to cover? Their nests are kitty litter buckets laying on their sides so by the time the hen is in there it's a pretty cozy little spot without much room for drafts.

I can't believe I'm going to be gone for the whole first week. I'll have my laptop so I can keep up with you all, but I won't be here to see how my own are doing

 

[AK Michelle]

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Great pic

 

[CapricornFarm]

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Those hens should have no problem covering 6 eggs. Happy hatching! Deb

 

[NotAFarm]

Michelle, My Icelandics have hatched 10 and 11 chicks from the dozen eggs I put under them but it was summertime. My BQ SLW sat on and hatched 11 out of 14 eggs in March of this year. I think your cochin must be about her size and should easily cover 10 eggs this time of the year, especially since they will be in your beautiful, wonderful, decked-out new barn!!

 

[karimw]

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That's crappy about your back, I can handle the snow but hate the ice!!! My LF Cochin girls are great broodys but whenever they settle in the small nesting boxes the eggs end up broken

They do fine when they claim a basket though. I don't know if it's the depth of the bedding or the increased elbow room that makes a difference for those chunky girls.

 

[goochgirl]

My eggs, more like eggsicles, came in on monday. I got my bator put back together and I'm still adjusting the temp. Of all things, I forgot to turn the eggs while they were resting, so they have just been sitting, untouched, for more than 30 hours. Between the shipping, freezing temps, and airhead surrogate mother, I'm not counting on anything happening, so I'm not disappointed. I'm going to go ahead and set these in the bator tonight, so we will have a Chanukkah Hatch.... perhaps.

 

[greeneacre]

Boy, I'm behind on starting the bator back up. I shut it down about 3 weeks ago for the first time in a year to give it a good cleaning out since I usually do small staggered hatchs and have something cooking all the time. I will be without chicks in the house for a whole two weeks before the NYD hatch.

Carolyn

 

[mrheinz77]

They need to rest without turning for 24-48 hours. In the summer I let mine rest in the incubator for 72 hours before I start turning them and I had better hatch rates than letting them rest 24-48 hours now. In the summer they go right in because the heat may start them developing during shipping. You should be fine.