June 2015 Hatch A Long HAL

[Purpletie3]

I can not find a thread on here for a June HAL...SO, let's start one.

Please chime in with what you are setting and when...

Also, state your experience with hatching! Thanks for joining!

 

[Antiquity]

I am a little bit scared for my hatch. This morning I came to my incubator and only the fan was running. The eggs were all room temperature. I switched all the eggs to my homemade incubator but I am not sure what will happen.

Too hot is far more dangerous than too cold. Give them an extra day and don't sweat it.

I read somewhere once about someone who hatches chickens in a commercial manner who had an order for eggs for balut. He removed and packed up the eggs to be picked up, but the person never got them. A day or two (or three?) later he gave up and put them back in the incubator. He reported only a very slightly higher rate of loss in those eggs, and they hatched the same number of days late that they were packed up and waiting.

I fear high temps far more than low ones.

Do most people keep the chicks they hatch or sell them?

I hatched eggs the first time kind of unexpectedly. A friend's flock was killed in the night by a stray dog, so I offered her some of my fertilized eggs to hatch and reestablish her flock. After two weeks she admitted that she didn't have time to take care of the incubator like they needed and I offered to take it back to my house and bring back the females after hatching. That first hatch failed so I gave her back her incubator and made my own out of a fish tank and tried again. When those hatched I gave her the females from my barred rock and kept the two males and all the chicks from my GLW. A long-winded way to answer your question with my first hatch.

This time I got a surprise broody and I figure I'll do more of the same. Girls go to my friend, boys go in the freezer. If I have too many girls for her to take, I'll probably sell of give away the others. If no one wants them, I'll put them in the freezer, too. I just don't want more chickens right now, but who can say no to free chickens when somebroody else is doing all the work?

 

[ChickzNSilkiez]

We have had the same issues this year. One was a skunk and another coon. Both visual confirmations. Both took entire birds out of pen. My husband trapped one, and still working on the other. They love peanut butter in bread, traps all critters fast. Good luck!

 

[LuWis]

Okay, happy mommy with 7 chicks, 3 from my flock and 4 shipped! All of them came out black like the broody.

 

[Texas4T]

My broody with one of TJChickens eggs that she hatched ...

IT'S SOOOOO FLUFFY...!!! I love it!

 

[ronott1]

Well i was worried but we are on day 19 about an hour away from day 20, ! the egg that had a crack i sealed up with nail polish was the very first to hatch and came out fully formed no issues whatsoever others are still peeping. pics to come

Good job fixing the cracked egg!

 

[WarrenHound]

thanks =] i'm just glad it worked so well i was worried i would have a yolk chick or it might not be strong enough to break through but yahoo it worked out

 

[Pyxis]

Well, if you do try it, just keep an eye on the air cells to make sure all is well, and adjust as needed

 

[lcraig]

Hi! This is our FIRST time hatching! Here is what we've set:

Due June 14th:

8 americana crosses
2 white leghorn crosses
14 barnyard mixes (bantams, silkies, barred rocks, reds, etc.)

Due June 15th:

2 americana crosses
8 chanteclers

So 34 eggs total for our first attempt… a little much maybe? I was so concerned we wouldn't have great success that I set way more than I had planned, but we know plenty other homes for our chickens if we can't keep them… and I've convinced my husband to let me use one of our sheds for chickens instead of our tiny coop. I plan to sell quite a few mixed breeds and keep the chanteclers for eggs and meat.

The incubator temp has been running consistently at 99.5F with humidity reading holding at 44%.

I'm wondering - the only pure breed we've got in are the 8 chanteclers. I'm assuming I'll be able to tell them apart as they get older, but will it be obvious when they are small chicks?

I can't wait to see what comes out of the mixed eggs - I feel like we have a "treat bag" of chicks waiting for us! Hopefully we get along well.

 

[Purpletie3]

@ Icraig Welcome! Hatching is soooo much fun. I am not sure on your question on your chanetclers...You will have to watch the chicks to see what they look like when they hatch and fluff up. Some are harder to tell apart than others.

Barnyard mixes are cool. I have two mixed coops outside. I watch them grown and think...now, what chicken was that???