5th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2014 Hatch-A-Long

[Aphrael]

LOL you should've seen her when she was a baby! I swore she and her sister looked like hawks! That's what gave me the inclination that they were not pure Barred Rocks as advertised where I purchased them. After dozens of phone calls between the store and hatchery they came from, I found out they were Commercial Blacks...the store (Southern States) was TICKED that they were shipped the wrong chicks...they had a lot of problems with that hatchery last year, and will not be using them again this year. I'm not complaining about ending up with CB's instead of BR's, though...they are incredible layers. My first to lay out of the 6 was 16 weeks old when she popped out her first egg. The rest followed within 2 weeks. The one in the pic gave me double yolkers up until about a month ago...every two days like clockwork. I also got a triple yolker from her.

Here she is at a day old:

Oh my gosh! In this pic it looks like she had that evil eye even as a chick!!

Too cute.

Yes, & this one is a small egg so I shouldn't be suprised.
Also I did nudge up the temp & add water last week so again, no big surpise really, just not great timing as
I'm about to fall asleep on the cat in my lap, having spent 10 hrs canning today, plus dealing w/ weather & trying to make a hard decision re: our much loved Farm Dog "Dew" who's declining health has taken a sharp downturn in the past 48 hrs <sigh> , he once risked his life going into the street in front of a car to heard a lost week old chick back to the yard...

Thanks everyone re: Dew. He clearly isn't ready to go yet, he keeps trying to do his duties but is becoming increasingly unable as the days go by so we are trying to find that balance point so he doesn't suffer but does have all the enjoyment he can. I actually wish he would cross on his own, & have been suprised to find him still w/ us the past 3 mornings, hoping off the couch (old dog privilege) wanting to attend am chores. My DH & I have had to put down other dogs, & lost one to a bear, but Dew was the 1st dog we got together, he adopted us when he showed up 8wks old starving stray as we were moving into a rental house b/f we bought this farm. We joke he is 100% pure "Red American Porch Dog" & he is the classic red mutt dog found on every farm across the country. Everyone who visits falls in love w/ him. He has been fantastic, this past summer he actually helped my husband dispatch a pack of coyotes who were attacking a chicken pen then my DH & Dew! Yet he literally lets the cats & chickens walk all over him, in short the perfect Farm Dog.

Well everyone stay warm & I'll give you an update when I have zipping or a hatcher, which might be today rather than wed from the looks of it...

Dew, likely the only working Farm Dog w/ a his own doll toy of his human!

I am so sorry to hear about Dew's ill health.

It is so hard to deal with. He looks so cute and sweet there hugging his people doll.

 

[itsbob]

Quote:
My first attempt I didn't do very well at hatching.. in fact it was really BAD. I think I got 6 chicklets from and 2 ducklings from 30 eggs.. BUT I think it was mostly my fault, I couldn't keep myself from helping. I saw the first two pips last night, and a third this morning, with no more action. Hoping to find at least the two from last either hatched or partially zipped when I get home tonight.

 

[Chickencame1st]

Hi all--here's my final update--out of 17 eggs set in the incubator I had 13 hatch.
The one little guy(Crested Cream Legbar) that seem to be slow and have an eye abrasion of some sort is perking up--so very thankful, gonna be attached to him I think.
I used warm moistened Q tips and purchased some Vetricyn Opth gel. Used the vitamins as well as wet the food for a while with the enhanced water. He is still isolated in a small makeshift brooder and will be there until he seems to catch up in size and vigor.
My regular vet would not help. So I have to find a vet that helps with chickens. I made a false assumption mine would--very bad assumption.

My Legbar roos are beautifully creamy soft gray and the pullets are very striking with their stripe!
I have a video of a hatch, but it's too large to email, so I have to figure out how to post.

Now--I wonder about hatching out Legbars that are crossed with White Leghorns and Americanas?

The low tonight is 5 degrees, so I am thinking I need to put bag balm on some combs--especially by Legbar roo because he has such a huge comb and waddles. Any suggestions other than bag balm? They will not be hit by the expected -15 to -20 windchill, I have shielded the run with plastic. The indoor coop is dry and no drafts, but ventilated. Gotta keep the eggs from freezing--HA.

Thanks for such great and timely feedback.

 

[insanity]

Plain Vaseline works to.

 

[ronott1]

Rember to vote for the cutest chick hatched!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1V1b8-2XA2NbbAJoysYhseJLNF4S1b3hlnVoCqcIi2b0/viewform

If you have not sent a PM for the best hatch participant send me a pm @ronott1

If you think you may be in the running for best hatch participant, send me a pm The Best hatch rate so far is 81%(This is a set rate not fertile hatch rate)

Worst hatch rate is 0%. Three have reported 0% hatch(so sad) so the winner of that contest will be the person with 0% that set the most eggs. Currently that is for the person that set 26., If you had 0 hatch and set more eggs please send me a PM.

I will announce the winners this Evening.

Thanks for being patient

 

[FeyRaine]

Brown egg pipper has zipped, popped the top, & decided that was a good place to take a short series of naps (I think the chick is fine, likely a full sibling to NYDH #47 who did a 6 hr nap that way prior to exiting the shell. The eggs are very large or poss. even jumbo, the chicks med-lg so that is much more to zip than a small egg. Post zip napping seams reasonable...

Meanwhile the small green egg, 1st to pip, has enlarged or started to zip but has me a little concerned on humidity etc (thinking of the NYDH issues)
I did see the beak a moment ago, so as long as the zipping progresses even at an extreamly slow pace all is fine, I'm just keeping an eye out in case I didn't have the humidity up enough and the chick is getting dry/stuck. Our house heat pump has been almost constant since nightfall , barely keeping the house 61, w/ outdoor actual -3 windchill to -15 which this house was simply no designed properly for this level of cold weather (condensation on the INSIDE of the window sill & kitchen door are actually frozen, which is really freaky and obviously not how things should be, eeek! I feel like that movie "The Day After Tomorrow" , I'm sure all ya'll farther up north are feeling that also, can't blame these chicks for having second thoughts after the zip!)

 

[fosterson]

Welp, wound up with 6 chicks. One Heritage RIR, one RIR/Cochin mix, two Orpington/NN mixes, one 3/4th RIR-1/4 Brown Leghorn, and one 1/4 RIR/1/4 Brown Leghorn/ 1/2 Buff Sussex.

 

[ronott1]

Brown egg pipper has zipped, popped the top, & decided that was a good place to take a short series of naps (I think the chick is fine, likely a full sibling to NYDH #47 who did a 6 hr nap that way prior to exiting the shell. The eggs are very large or poss. even jumbo, the chicks med-lg so that is much more to zip than a small egg. Post zip napping seams reasonable...

Meanwhile the small green egg, 1st to pip, has enlarged or started to zip but has me a little concerned on humidity etc (thinking of the NYDH issues)
I did see the beak a moment ago, so as long as the zipping progresses even at an extreamly slow pace all is fine, I'm just keeping an eye out in case I didn't have the humidity up enough and the chick is getting dry/stuck. Our house heat pump has been almost constant since nightfall , barely keeping the house 61, w/ outdoor actual -3 windchill to -15 which this house was simply no designed properly for this level of cold weather (condensation on the INSIDE of the window sill & kitchen door are actually frozen, which is really freaky and obviously not how things should be, eeek! I feel like that movie "The Day After Tomorrow" , I'm sure all ya'll farther up north are feeling that also, can't blame these chicks for having second thoughts after the zip!)

I hope the chick gets going soon!

 

[ronott1]

Welp, wound up with 6 chicks. One Heritage RIR, one RIR/Cochin mix, two Orpington/NN mixes, one 3/4th RIR-1/4 Brown Leghorn, and one 1/4 RIR/1/4 Brown Leghorn/ 1/2 Buff Sussex.

Nice looking chicks!

 

[Aphrael]

Welp, wound up with 6 chicks. One Heritage RIR, one RIR/Cochin mix, two Orpington/NN mixes, one 3/4th RIR-1/4 Brown Leghorn, and one 1/4 RIR/1/4 Brown Leghorn/ 1/2 Buff Sussex.

You got some nice looking chicks. It will be interesting to see what they grow into. I have a question though. Why does it look like this chick is suspended by a string?...