My first chickens of 2024 - Hatch-Along

[SamLockwood]

30 eggs in the incubator. You can think of them as either BYM or F1 / F2 olive eggers.

The hens are either olive eggers or cream legbars. The roosters are blue cuckoo maran, blue copper maran, or olive egger.

They went in last night, and I'm hoping for a hatch rate like I had in the fall: 18 eggs in on day 1, 100% fertility and 16 hatching in the end.

 

[SamLockwood]

We have our first chickie!

 

[SamLockwood]

Came in this morning to check the water level in anticipation of starting lockdown at mid day and found this over achiever.

So we're in lockdown mode a bit early.

 

[SamLockwood]

Went to check the incubator this afternoon and found a second one starting.

 

[SamLockwood]

18 chicks in the brooder now.

One is zipping and chirping, six are pipped, and four aren't showing any pips.

 

[SamLockwood]

Five more, six to go...

Is this the maticoopx? If so how do you like it?

Congrats on all the cute babies. Looks like a great hatch!!

I like it a lot more than my Nurture Right 360: for one thing the lid attaches a lot more easily.

Hatch rates seem to be better, too. Last one I started with 18, had one blood ring about two weeks in, had another that never hatched.

Last couple hatches I've done I've added a govee thermometer / hygrometer. It records temperature and humidity averages over time (day, week, hourly) as well as letting you give real time readings. I found out both machines had inaccurate instrumentation: humidity was way off on the Nurture Right, temp is off 1.5 to 2 degrees on the Maticoopx.

 

[Debbie292d]

View attachment 3744253
30 eggs in the incubator. You can think of them as either BYM or F1 / F2 olive eggers.

The hens are either olive eggers or cream legbars. The roosters are blue cuckoo maran, blue copper maran, or olive egger.

They went in last night, and I'm hoping for a hatch rate like I had in the fall: 18 eggs in on day 1, 100% fertility and 16 hatching in the end.

Best wishes for a very successful hatch!!

 

[SamLockwood]

First candling, 1 week in. Most are developing nicely.

One dud so far (#22).

29 left. They're numbered left to right, top to bottom.

The blue eggs are cream and silver legbar hens, the greens are olive eggers, and the brown ones should me my "failed" olive eggers.

Feel free to pick ones to root for.

 

[SamLockwood]

Candled again last night, all seem to be developing nicely and there's obvious movement on all of them. We should be going into lockdown Tuesday!

 

[SamLockwood]

Up to eight, now.