January 2017 Hatch-a-long

[Thenewgoat]

Okay everyone who else has fuzzy butts in the bator. I just sat some last night 42 cortex quail, 12 mix ducks. We had a small problem with temp a few mins ago but we will keep out hopes up right. If you are hatching for January 2017 please join me.

 

[orrpeople]

And... we are in lockdown. Of all the terms we use for incubating, (pip, zip, candle, humidity, temperature, turning, veining, etc) "lockdown" just doesn't seem to fit - and as an educator, it has a whole additional meaning! So, I sternly told my eggs this morning, "Okay guys and gals, we're in lockdown. Turn off your cell phones, lock the doors, shut all the curtains, and be quiet!" Best group of students so far.

 

[mich9510]

I know it's a bad picture but at 4am I was just too tired for a perfect pose...lol. and so was Daryl. He did all the work.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I usually can only tolerate waiting until about 5 months with mine. I waited until 6 months with another so that I could do several at once and the increase in meat was minimal; mainly he just had more fat and got an extra month to be a pain in the butt.

Since most of my birds tend to be bantams, I use them for soup meat. I only get about half a pound of meat per bird. I put 3-5 in the stock pot with water and cook them low and slow for several hours until all the meat falls off. I collect everything out and separate the meat to cook with immediately or freeze. I add the bones back to the pot (sometimes) as well as vegetables like onions, carrots and celery and herbs/seasonings and continue cooking it to make homemade broth, which I also then cook with immediately or freeze.

 

[mich9510]

Hello everyone! I'm just checking in for the January hatch-a-long. I have two emu eggs in the incubator... (Their names are Rick and Daryl). I'm hoping for a 60 day hatch and incubating at a little lower of a temperature (96.5-96.8). This puts our hatch date at January 31st. They are impossible to candle so at day 17, I have no idea if they're even developing. I used my stethoscope to listen for heartbeats but I don't hear any... I will continue to post developments as they occur.

 

[orrpeople]

I had a zero success rate from my previous incubation batch that was shipped also. Just too much jarring around I guess. My current batch were all hand delivered from a lady just 2 blocks from me and all laid within the last 24 hours so I should have a great success rate with this batch.

Good luck to us all!

I have a love hate relationship with shipped eggs. Without them, I wouldn't have some of my favorite birds, but the high mortality rate is sometimes quite depressing!

 

[NysiaAnera]

Woohoo, go Buffy! 10/10 Hatched! One did not make it (might have been our fault for bothering her a couple days ago), so she has 9 to raise. So, starting with 12 eggs, 2 got smashed, 10 hatched. So exciting! This gives me great hope for the Black Australorp's clutch!

 

[chickforchicks]

It's day 20 for me and I just heard my first ever incubator peep. No pips yet but I'm excited and nervous. My boys are sick of hearing about chicks and chickens so you lovely people are my only excitement outlet.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Yes. This one is a paint silkie or paint sizzle. Won't know if it's a curly until the feathers start coming in.

How cute and exciting!

I always wonder why they are called paint instead of splash, but I'm sure its something technical with the genetics, like self-blue v lavender.

ETA: I just checked. In paints the entire feather is colored, whereas only the tip is with splash. There's always something new to learn with these chickies lol

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

We have our first hatch!