6th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2015 Hatch-A-Long

[ronott1]

It's that time of year again!!

At noon on December 11, 2014 (local time), people all over the world will be setting eggs with the goal of hatching out hundreds of cute little fuzz-butts all on the same day: New Year's Day 2015!


We'll be updating this post and thread with more information, but we wanted to start the thread early since now's the time to start preparing!

So, subscribe to this thread, add it to your bookmarks, and check back for more details!!

We'll also be listing some contests & prizes soon!

Hatch Participants:

@abmaddox1981
@Aliciahess
@AHenry
@a little chiken
@Amberjem
@Aphrael
@artsygirl
@bamadude
@bantambury
@batchhatchin
@Bazy
@beegirl4
@blackgoat
@Book
@bosingleton
@Blarneyeggs
@calichicken
@Canadianislupus
@carcar80
@casportpony
@ccnbuck
@celestialdreamer
@chickee
@chickiebaby1
@ChickenCanoe
@chicken pickin
@chickkrakidd
@ChickyChickens
@coopsbyty
@copndoc
@cree57i
@Cynthia12
@debsbirds
@DehlerLayer
@darkbluespace
@DevilsDenHen
@Dish chickens
@Dispatch273
@domesticzoo
@DragonClaw01
@draye
@EastTXChickens

@FeyRaine
@FreeRanging Hen
@Foghornnmsprisy
@FuzzyHens
@GAGE
@gevshiba
@gilchicken
@halphenchicks
@hennible
@hockeydad6791
@houdiniduck
@HugHess
@IronEagle
@JadeComputerGal
@jbenson
@jrc85
@jgoldy2
@JLaw
@Junibutt
@JW12
@Kadjec
@Katies Clucker
@Kaylish
@LemonMeringue
@LittleRedCoop53
@LogCabinFarm
@LPeaslee
@Marks chickens
@michaelf
@misfitmorgan
@MisfitMarie
@Momof4TX
@MrsBrooke
@Nomibear
@PeepsALot
@Peep_Show
@plantgirl
@Pyxis
@rachelpotter
@RanchHens
@RAnst4038
@Roan
@sacrifice
@shlac
@shamoguy
@silly4buttons
@StarMeKritten
@Sueg4332
@sunshinechick83
@Sustained
@TexaCaliChick
@themadchicken
@tommysgirl
@tresa78
@VA Raptor
@VT Chicken Farm
@valleychicks
@Wisher1000
@Zanlm

Contests:

1. Best Hatch Rate
First Prize: Pita Pinta, Arkansas Blue and\or Partridge Penedesenca Hatching eggs (Courtesy of @ronott1 )
Second Prize: BYC 2015 Calendar

participants will need to be setting a minimum of 6 eggs​

.​

​

These can be under broodies or in your incubators. Send @ronott1 a pm letting him know how many you will have cooking. We'll need that info​

​

by the 3rd of Jan at the latest​

​

to be included in the contest. When the hatch is over,​

​

you'll take a pic and post it to show us how many​

​

you actually hatched.​

The picture must be of sufficient quality to count all the chicks.​

​

In the event of a tie, the one who hatches the most chicks wins.​

2. Best Hatch a Long Participant
Prize: BYC Calendar

Open to hatch a long members except Hatch a long administrators. Send a PM to @ronott1 after the hatch is over with the name and reason for the nomination. Winner will be announced during the first week after the hatch.

3. Cutest Chick Hatched
Prize: needle felted chicken from @blackgoat Click to see sample work and look at the owl
Winner picks breed
Open to all hatch a long members except Hatch a long Administrators. Post baby pictures from this NYD hatch in this thread and we will vote on them. One picture per member and no digital editing. Entries accepted until January 8th.


4. Number of eggs set for Hatch a Long Contest closed!
Prize: chicken wood cuts courtesy of @Cynthia12
Winner: @michaelf with a guess of 2247. The total reported egg set is 2360

Click here and post your guess for the total number of eggs set. Do not go back and edit the number and only enter once. The contest is open from now until Midnight Sunday 12\14. Winner will be announced by Tuesday. Open to all BYC Members.

5. Farthest shipped eggs that hatch
Prize: a book of stamps courtesy of @Peep_Show

For Farthest Shipped Egg - Successful Hatch
Folks with shipped eggs, your city/state and the egg shipper's city/state will be needed for the Farthest Shipped Egg Hatched contest. Provide the info when you PM Ron @ronott1 with your egg counts, please.

6. Worst hatch rate
Prize: Minature egg basket courtesy of @Peep_Show

For this contest during this hatch,​

​

participants will need to be setting a minimum of 6 eggs, with confirmation picture posted to this thread​

.​

​

These can be under broodies or in your incubators.Tell us how many you set and then let us know how many hatched(or did not hatch....) We'll need that info​

​

by the 3rd of Jan at the latest​

​

to be included in the contest. The picture must be of sufficient quality to count all the chicks.​

​

In the event of a tie, the one who set the most chicks wins.​

7. Best Hatch Rate using a Broody
Prize: 6 NH hatching eggs plus 6+ Sex link hatching eggs courtesy of @tommysgirl

This contest is for eggs hatched under a broody hen. Send @ronott1 a pm letting him know how many you will have cooking. We'll need that info​

​

by the 3rd of Jan at the latest​

​

to be included in the contest. When the hatch is over,​

​

you'll take a pic and post it to show us how many​

​

you actually hatched.​

The picture must be of sufficient quality to count all the chicks.​

​

In the event of a tie, the one who hatches the most chicks wins.​

8. Random Post contest #I Closed
Prize: 1 dozen Mystery eggs donated by @michaelf
Winner: @Cynthia12

Open to hatch a long members except Hatch a long administrators. A post number has been selected. The first hatch a long member to post on or after the number is the winner! A backup post number has been selected to be awarded if the winner declines the prize.

9. First of any poultry fully hatched (local time) on New Year's Day by newest BYC member
Prize: Golden Feather
Picture required to be posted immediately after hatching.

10. First of any poultry fully hatched (local time) on New Year's Day (Picture required to be posted immediately after hatching.)
Prize: $15 Amazon gift card (electronic)
Please see note above for the first duckling hatched. The same applies for this contest.

11. Best duckling hatch rate
Prize: Colour Breeding in Domestic Ducks (Softcover UK import)

12. Worst duckling hatch rate
Prize: Hatching & Brooding Your Own Chicks: Chickens, Turkeys, Ducks, Geese, Guinea Fowl (Kindle Edition)

13. Most ducklings hatched
Prize: Magicfly Bright Cool LED Egg Candler

14. Most Bantam ducklings hatched
Prize: ABA Bantam Standard 2014 Mini Standard (Softcover)

15. Most Bantam chicks hatched
Prize: ABA Bantam Standard 2014 Mini Standard (Softcover)

16. First duckling fully hatched (local time) on New Year's Day
(Picture required to be posted immediately after hatching.)
Prize: $15 Amazon gift card (electronic)
Note for clarity: Winner will be determined by the hatch occurring the soonest after midnight in their local time zone. This means that the first to hatch worldwide won't necessarily win. For example, if a hatch occurs in Australia at 1 a.m. on New Year's Day, and a hatch occurs in England at 12:30 a.m. that day, the participant in England would win even though the hatch in Australia occurred hours earlier. You'll have to stay up late if you want to win this one!!!


17. Best quality duckling hatched (As voted by BYC community when ducklings are one week old. Prize contributor will submit a second vote in the case of a tie.)
Prize: Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, 2nd Edition (*Choice of Softcover or Kindle Edition)
*Kindle edition highly recommended for easy searchability, portability, highlighting, bookmarking, and annotating.

18. Cutest duckling hatched
(As voted by BYC community. Prize contributor will submit a second vote in the case of a tie.)
Prize: Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, 2nd Edition (*Choice of Softcover or Kindle Edition)
*Kindle edition highly recommended for easy searchability, portability, highlighting, bookmarking, and annotating.

Place to find hatching eggs:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/754060/the-new-crazy-24hr-auction-thread

Set Dates for Poultry:

Muscovy (35 days) - 11/27/14
Goose (31 days) - 12/1/14
Duck, Turkey, Pheasant (28 days) - 12/4/14
Guinea Fowl (26 days) - 12/6/14
Chicken (21 days) - 12/11/14
Coturnix Quail (18 days) - 12/14/14

Some dates are getting close!

Duck Hatching Tips!








http://www.duckhealth.com/hatcduck.html

Still Air Incubator Tips!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chookschicks-incubation-cheat-sheet

Hatching tips from Sally Sunshine and chickencanoe!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/704328/diary-notes-air-cell-detatched-shipped-eggs

http://www.brinsea.com/customerservice/technote.html

http://www.natureform.com/kb/newArticles/12.html

http://www.natureform.com/kb/newArticles/4.html

http://www.natureform.com/kb/newArticles/8.html

Incubation Worksheet by Roan




Chicken:

Hatchability Problem analysis.pdf 1,708k .pdf file

Incubation time explanation:

Originally Posted by Brookhavens


Whatever day of the week you set your eggs on is the same day you can expect them to start hatching. (Sometimes earlier. Sometimes later.) We will set our chicken eggs at 12:00pm on Thursday, Dec. 11th so our hatch day (Day 21) is Thursday, Jan 1st. Another way to look at it is in hours. Thursday, 12/11 at 12pm(noon) is 0 hours. 12/12 at 12am is 12 hours and 12pm (noon) on 12/12 is 24 hours. 24 hours = 1 day or Day 1 of incubation. When you read or hear "lock down or stop turning" on Day 18 it means after the full 24 hours of Day 18 has gone by you stop turning. So that would mean that Day 18 ends on Monday 12/29 @11:59am. Day 19 starts @ 12:00pm (noon) Monday and lockdown begins. Day 20 starts @ 12pm(noon) on Tuesday and Day 21 starts @ 12pm(noon) on Wednesday and ends on Thursday @11:59am. So on Thursday at 11:59am you have had 21 days (each consisting of 24 hours) of full development.

How to clean your incubator:
Originally Posted by ChickenCanoe


If it is new, you can just use some liquid detergent. But DO NOT get any water on the thermostat or any other electronics.

If it's used, I would use Lysol or spray a dilute chlorox solution.

Whatever you use, rinse it well and some people put it in the sun to dry. That might not be an option this time of year.
Again, Keep the electronics dry.

Someone in this thread recommends using peroxide.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/138943/disinfecting-an-incubator

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/331442/how-do-you-clean-your-styrofoam-incubator
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/359793/best-way-to-clean-styrofoam-incubator

 

[chickwhispers]

Some people use acronyms a lot. The Military and government are good at it. Some people use big words. Some don't. I enjoy the mix. Never put off by either. If there is an acronym I don't know I enjoy trying to figure it out by the context of the conversation. If I can't I'm not afraid to ask. I love words big and small. I love them all.

 

[Mahonri]

So glad to see that the madness I started 6 years ago continues. HAPPY HATCHING Y'ALL!

 

[michaelf]

I made these for my wife. Recycling up!! I took old wooden windows and last year(2014) chicken calendar and cut out some of the picture and white siliconed them around the edges to the back of window panes.

 

[ronott1]

Mine were shipped individually wrapped and then within filler material in the box. They had a rough ride in the mail for sure...one broke but the rest were fine...started to develop and quit

such a bummer!

The best way is to wrap the eggs like a taquito roll, leaving the ends open. The then go into a small box that is lined with foam. Space is filled with nuggets or news paper. the first box is wrapped in small bubble pack of soft foam. The big box is lined with bubble wrap. The small box goes into the big box and has foam nuggets or paper packed around it.

The taquito wrapping the egg suspends each egg and allow for movement with out breaking. The second box allows for damage to the box without smashing the eggs.

 

[LemonMeringue]

I told my kid to put a sign on the egg carton with the eggs we are saving for possible incubation.......... This is the result! Bahaha!!!!!!!!

 

[1kluckychik]

Me and bamadude candling with his Walmart flashlight. We pulled a few with blood rings. no clears though

 

[Roan]

Heya Fellow Broodies! Here are the pictures of the 5 I have right now. I went to bed last night with 4 chicks and 2 pips. I woke up this morning to 5 chicks and the 1 remaining pip had apparently pipped into a vein because there was a streak of dried blood running down the egg and into the cardboard carton.

I had a massive headache so I just went back to bed for awhile, now I have another pip. But I also have a problem that I remembered this morning.

The headache was because...I am allergic to chicken feathers. I always have been and with the 5 new ones and the 4 older ones all in my room, that just makes for serious sinus build up but what can I do? Get rid of the birds? Give up my love of these little wonders? Nah, I'll just suffer through the headaches until it's warm enough to put them outside. They're worth it!!!


Big Daddy Crow's new babies!!!


This was the first to hatch, pure black, just like daddy!!!


These are still not entirely fluffed out yet. They have dried on ick but they'll fluff soon enough.


This little one is our last one to hatch...so far.

And now the individuals!










Congratulations to all who have had healthy hatches so far! To those whose hatches have suffered, my heart goes out to you and the little ones that gave it their all! To those who have had no hatches, I am so sorry! Don't give up hope yet though, late hatches aren't uncommon. And to those who have been here just for the fun and education, I hope you've learned a lot and truly enjoyed yourselves!!!!

This has been a great learning experience for me as well! Thank you to @ronott1 for hosting this wonderful HAL!!! Thanks, @Cynthia12 for the awesome profile enhancements!!! Thank you, @Amberjem for your positively contagious personality. Thanks, @bamadude for your mildly off-color humor. Thank you, @idiotswife for tolerating @bamadude . And lastly, thank you everyone for making this little old West Virginia recluse feel a part of something bigger than himself!!!

You've all truly made this an enjoyable and wonderful experience. I can't wait until we do it all again!!!

Peace and Love!!!

by the way, this isn't the last you'll hear from me in here. I just wanted to make sure you all knew how great this has been.

 

[MisfitMarie]

They're BOTH in on it now! They just wont stop playing scare-the-pants-off-of-mommy!



...

Really...???



What is this???

These Welsummers know exactly what they're doing, I tell ya! Evil!

They're lucky they're so... darn... CUTE...

 

[Amberjem]

Well I had wanted to write something totally clever and nice for winning the contest ..but I find myself at a loss for words. I've been busy with real life as well and I thought I would find the words but I just see the time slipping by and nothing coming to me that seems just right,, so I'll just wing it

I was completely taken by surprise I really had no idea I would have even been a thought to anyone for the best participant but you all managed to surprise me right out of left field. If any of you knew me real life you would be grinning from cheek to cheek I don't surprise easy and often frustrate those who are trying. you deserve a pat on the back from everyone who has ever been frustrated trying to surprise me.
I started coming to this site over the years because every time I googled some chicken research question invariably it brought me to this site. Still I just read, and hunted and researched.
After boring all my friends real life with chicken thoughts and stuff about chickens and before I started getting "crazy chicken lady" tshirts from my friends I come onto the site and started talking chicken stuff with ppl who dont get a glazed look in their eyes when the mention of chicken occurs. And WOW, not only could I discuss chicken stuff, but OTHER ppl were discussing it as well. Then I started getting to know ppl here thru threads and conversations, a few meetings in real life, and I realized not only was it a vent for the million and 1 chicken questions dancing thru my head but you all were really awesome ppl.

Anyways I didnt even know about Hatch along things or threads or stuff like that here until, @ronott1 happen to mention he was doing a hatch a long for new years on a thread. I had no idea this was a annual thing or this was anything more then some gentleman on another thread who seemed really kewl saying he was doing it and wanted a little support from others for the thread. So I came in and offered my support and expressed how kewl it would be and fun..and @ronott1 posted a congratulations, welcome to the hatch along! I was like omg he thought I wanted to join (well I did but it was more secretly inside I wanted to) So then I thought he'd totally forget about my post blah blah blah. Of course this lit my mind to going and trying to hatch my own eggs has been something I have wanted to do a long time, So I mulled it over in the back of my mind the desire over riding the practical logical aspect of my brain... So what I didnt have an incubator, so what I cant find a fertile egg anywhere close, so what I had never really tried hatching an egg on my own. Of course little did I know @ronott1 started the first tingles of My going "broody".
Of course I was also trying to have a logical practical side of my brain which was not to do this right now and blah blah I somehow tuned it out.....So I built the incubator, I managed to locate a couple eggs from a Nice lady I met from byc, and a friend, mind you the whole time both ppl's chickens were not laying so it was a gamble, but when your broody .whatcha got to loose right?
So I managed to get everything together.. got home set my eggs in the kitchen to "ajust" before incubation. Then I began to go on an incredible adventure with all of you and our eggs. shared alot of laughs, learned alot of things as we all went thru this , it was an amazing and very educational and fun adventure to share with all of you. thanks for helping this year start off with some awesome memories, and help me get thru last years grief and heartache with a life afirming experience! The awesomely patience hatching guru @ronott1 and each of you sharing and participating have made this a fun and joyous time. I am glad and honored I got to share it with you. I think each one of you deserve best participant because without you all this wouldnt have been so awesome! Thank you


PS you all rock!


and I still can't believe they all hatched and all are doing great! but sure cant get a picture of them all at once lol