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

[chicken pickin]

Yep, I'm headed to Springfield early Saturday morning! I'm going with a co-worker who gave me my second hen. No husbands going so no one to dampen our shopping.

I'm picking up 2 silkie chicks which were born on the 2nd/3rd. They will keep my singleton company while he grows up. I'm hoping at least one of the silkies is a female so that I can give her to my niece after I have more cochin to keep my chick company. She loves silkies and would really like to have one to show with 4H. So hopefully at least one of the silkies is a pullet. As for eggs, I will be getting 7 bantam cochin eggs from a long time breeder and judge.

It was crazy how excited I was when he emailed back that he could bring me eggs. I'm so excited to not have shipped eggs for this next hatch. I just hope I have better results!!

Have you gone to this show before? Any advise on the show or what to expect? It sounds like it is going to be huge!

No I have never gone to a big show like this one, I have only been to county fair poultry shows. I think this one is Springfield is huge. So much more to see so many more people to talk to and maybe even a breeder or judge whos brain can be picked. I really hope to get out that way.

 

[Aliciahess]

Congrats everyone!!! So many cute pics

 

[FuzzyHens]

No I have never gone to a big show like this one, I have only been to county fair poultry shows. I think this one is Springfield is huge. So much more to see so many more people to talk to and maybe even a breeder or judge whos brain can be picked. I really hope to get out that way.

Yea, everything I have read says this show is huge. Apparently next year it will be the ABA Nationals. Nice to have it relatively close. I hope you can convince your husband to go!!

 

[bantambury]

Update on "salt" and "pepper". Salts comb was bug when she hatched but its turning reddish....pepper i can see has the start if little waddles. I just hope i have a hen! Hahah

 

[valleychicks]

Update on "salt" and "pepper". Salts comb was bug when she hatched but its turning reddish....pepper i can see has the start if little waddles. I just hope i have a hen! Hahah

They are so cute!

 

[MrsBrooke]

My first-born, largest, most-favorite little baby fluff is turning into a Godzilla monster. I'm convinced that he's a little rooster.

I'm also convinced he's the only one.

MrsB

 

[blackgoat]

Hi @valleychicks!

I sent a message about the cutest chick contest prize. Sorry about the delay, I mistakenly sent the message to the other ValleyChick. oops! XD

 

[valleychicks]

Hi @valleychicks!

I sent a message about the cutest chick contest prize. Sorry about the delay, I mistakenly sent the message to the other ValleyChick. oops! XD

There is another me out there? LOL! I just got the message and sent a reply back. Thank you so much for this!!!

 

[misfitmorgan]

Ok so i am having some weird things happen. i put 4 frizzle chicks in lockdown last thursday(found one dead last night). i have sticky chicks with shrink wrapping and i have yet to get a single correctly positioned chick out of 9 eggs that have gone into lockdown. i chick hatched this morning with the help of some water to get it unstuck from the shell the only two that i am not sure are alive anymore look/feel like they have been shelaced(spelling?) into their eggs. i keep putting water on them and trying to get as much of the hard stuff off of them as i can but they just keep drying out even in a bator at 59% humidity. On the last hatch i had two watery chicks, one super shrink wrap i caught in time, 2 i did not and one watery/sticky chick. Like i said none have been in the right position, the closest i have gotten are head under right wing but the chick is about 45 degrees turned off of where they should be, had two of those. Another was sideways, 3 completely upside down. i keep reading threads but nothing seems to fit. How can i have too little and too much humidity at the same time in the same bator....to little heat and to much heat, to much air flow and cold/hot spots. There are 2-3 hygrometers and thermometers in each bator and they all read relatively close to each other, temp wise they are all dead on...humidity they vary by up to 10%. i am incubating at 36.5c oh wait....is it 36.5 or 37.5, i dont remember which one it is set to and i cant look right now cause im at work. Could 1c cause all those problems?

Also Solo the single chick from the first hatch died at 5 days old, not sure why. i am slightly concerned about two of the chicks in the bator. Those two and the one who died already have a double frizzle gene i think. Their fuzz looks weird, like they have little bumps all over them and not much in the fluff department (given they are covered with the hard dried up stuff).

i also candled muscovy eggs last night cause they go into lockdown thursday and they dont look right to me.....to much wet in there but very large aircells.

 

[ronott1]

Ok so i am having some weird things happen. i put 4 frizzle chicks in lockdown last thursday(found one dead last night). i have sticky chicks with shrink wrapping and i have yet to get a single correctly positioned chick out of 9 eggs that have gone into lockdown. i chick hatched this morning with the help of some water to get it unstuck from the shell the only two that i am not sure are alive anymore look/feel like they have been shelaced(spelling?) into their eggs. i keep putting water on them and trying to get as much of the hard stuff off of them as i can but they just keep drying out even in a bator at 59% humidity. On the last hatch i had two watery chicks, one super shrink wrap i caught in time, 2 i did not and one watery/sticky chick. Like i said none have been in the right position, the closest i have gotten are head under right wing but the chick is about 45 degrees turned off of where they should be, had two of those. Another was sideways, 3 completely upside down. i keep reading threads but nothing seems to fit. How can i have too little and too much humidity at the same time in the same bator....to little heat and to much heat, to much air flow and cold/hot spots. There are 2-3 hygrometers and thermometers in each bator and they all read relatively close to each other, temp wise they are all dead on...humidity they vary by up to 10%. i am incubating at 36.5c oh wait....is it 36.5 or 37.5, i dont remember which one it is set to and i cant look right now cause im at work. Could 1c cause all those problems?

Also Solo the single chick from the first hatch died at 5 days old, not sure why. i am slightly concerned about two of the chicks in the bator. Those two and the one who died already have a double frizzle gene i think. Their fuzz looks weird, like they have little bumps all over them and not much in the fluff department (given they are covered with the hard dried up stuff).

i also candled muscovy eggs last night cause they go into lockdown thursday and they dont look right to me.....to much wet in there but very large aircells.

My guess is that the room with the incubator does not stay at a steady temperature during the day. The room needs to be about 70 or so 24\7. If not, most incubators will not keep up with temperatures.

What you are describing is most often caused by too low average temperatures during incubation. Humidity does not need to be controled as tightly as humidity. Temperatures need to be a degree above 99.5 and a degree below. Humidity can be off by 20%, which is huge in comparison.

The things to work on are:

Flock health
Temperature
Turning
Humidity
ventilation.

If the eggs are not from your flock you cannot control flock health. The other things need to be addressed in order of importance.