MARCH Hatch-A-Long 2015: Please Read the First Post to JOIN the H-A-L

[mymilliefleur]

ONE BABY! I just checked on Fiona, one baby is out, and still wet. One more is pipped, that I can see, but didn't want to be too disruptive! OMG I just love babies! Ill post pics as soon as I can!

 

[ochochicas]

Today is my day 20. No rocking, no pipping. Last time, my eggs had hatched already. When do I start to worry?

My last hatch was the same way! Day 21 arrived and before I knew it I had 51 chicks! The hatch before that I had the temp too high and everyone was early. Just be patient!

 

[bekkanblue]

Well I definitely liked February's hatch rate better than March's! My one little dude from the recent hatch (3 quit after lockdown) is in with his 5 2-week old siblings doing fine at least. And they have their own brooder so the 3-4 week olds have the old one to themselves. The little guy from Monday is already able to get to the top of the hot plate, but haven't seen him base jump off yet. He must get down somehow!

Wish I knew what was going on quit-at-lockdown wise. Feb went 8/8, Mar went 6/16! Have a barnyard mix plus 1 NJ in now for the Easter HAL. And put my first goose eggs in today for a fertility/just because check. AND have my cooler-bator parts laid out to be assembled! Baby steps on that project because I really should be studying anesthesia for class tomorrow! But really should get a bigger incubator/hatcher built if those goose eggs develop since hatching out geese in a Mini... not much head room!

Wish I was better at taking chick picts so I could show off the peeps. I love seeing everyone else's!!!!

 

[Lamancha]

Thanks! I'm trying to stay calm. I swear I hear tapping in there.

I think it might be the time of year. Mine always start early but this time I didn't get a single pip until the morning of day 21. It's the end of day 22 now and so far 14 out with tons of pips and zips.

 

[uzisuzuki]

Day 17 for my little clutch. They're all still moving in there so I hope that's a good sign because I'm getting super nervous!

 

[LeMasterParty]

My final numbers are :

42 eggs orginally
10 not fertile
2 early stopped developing
2 late stopped developing

28 to lockdown

Hatched 22

Olive egger drowned at pip
amerucauna that was stuck in shell after zip for 18 hours almost passed on day 3

We have :
red barred silkie
partridge silkie
2 black silkies
blue silkie
white silkie
creole polish / frizzle
bantam cochin / frizzle
white crested blue polish
White crested black polish
Splash polish (? white with splash but same color as crest)
all blue crested polish amerucauna
4 marans
5 Amerucana

 

[LeMasterParty]

Lol time to raise the heat lamp

 

[WalnutHill]

On March 9, I set 47 mixed eggs, lots of EE and barnyard mixes of unknown parentage. At 8 days in I identified 3 blood rings and removed them. At 10 days in, I removed the clears and have 23 eggs in the incubator, 12 of those are from my flock where 2 EE roos cover 110 red sex links and 2 EEs. I set 15 of mine, so 12/15 is good fertility for that ratio!

The other 11 in the bator are from 30 eggs set from the local educational farm. Those didn't work out so well.

At Day 10 I was able to determine development in even the darkest shelled eggs, though I can't see movement, I can see the mass.

And so I begin the countdown to hatch...

 

[Studio Chick]

Congratulations everybody on all the babies! I had zero shipped eggs hatch

but I have 19 out of 22 local fuzzy butts running around

My shipped bantam orps I purchased from Bama1 are on day 20, pipping and zipping

looks like I will have better luck with them than the eBay eggs

 

[ochochicas]

When candling, I don't look for movement in any of my eggs. I look for veining, a growing chick, a blood ring, or the dreaded black floating blobs that move when you turn the egg. The candling is done as quickly as possible so the growing chick is not stressed. I do not candle ever after day 15. You can't really see anything, and the eggs should be left alone during lockdown anyway. Remember, the more you handle your eggs, the higher the chance of something bad happening to them.

Everyone has reasons for doing what they do, but I see a lot of people looking for movement in every egg and candling during lockdown. I wonder how much it negatively affects hatch rates.