November 2016 Hatch-a-long!!

[theceltichorse]

Thank you! That makes me feel better. This is the first time I have ever done this- so, a little nervous! I have wanted chickens since moving down to WA from AK 2 1/2 years ago. Finally decided I was done waiting!

 

[theceltichorse]

Oh my! They are so cute...!!!

 

[FridayYet]

Thank you! That makes me feel better. This is the first time I have ever done this- so, a little nervous! I have wanted chickens since moving down to WA from AK 2 1/2 years ago. Finally decided I was done waiting!

It takes a few times to really get the feel of how eggs are developing, and how to get the best hatch rates out of your incubator, in your house, in your climate.

One thing I also do, is move the eggs around in the bator every time I open it to do something just in case there are hot and cold spots, and I also give them a quarter-turn every so often so they aren't tilting in the same plane all the time. Not sure if it really does anything, but it makes me more involved in the process!

 

[yeye5]

You're welcome. I must do the cage separation because my broody is a bantam orp & the rest of the hens are 8-12 lbs. She thinks she's a big boss & the broodiness makes her more aggressive. I just don't want her to get beaten up or the chicks to get injured. If your silkie pair are already by themselves, you may not need to do anything other than baby-proofing (or chick proofing). Make sure they cannot slip through to the outside or take a fall. When I had 27 chicks, I simply made a giant brooder & placed the broody inside to teach them.

This one is still going forward in a very crazy way!
The egg I saw with what I thought was a zip was not. Later that day the egg was smashed and when I removed it I saw the exact same thing inside as the 4th egg that she lifted out of the nest. It was not anything that was viable. There was a foul odor a grey gooey liquid dripping out.
Next time I saw Mima off the nest I checked the eggs. None had a zip nor a pip in any of them.
I'm very concerned yet I also know that everything will work out the way it's supposed to.
I did manage to place a smaller cage and get the 3 11 week olds in it. It is Very temporary as it's way too small.I'll have to see what happens in the next 36 hours before I know how everyone will be situated.
I still welcome feedback and appreciate input. I'll keep updating on this one.

 

[dcba flock]

And, here are some pics of yesterday's quail hatch.

Those quail babes are so precious!!!!! I have an itty bitty from my last hatch those little guys are always my favs!!!!

 

[fivepeasinapod]

Hi all you wonderful BYC'ers. (First post by the way so...this is a newbie Hi!)
I've spent the last three weeks reading HEAPS of threads (some threads are LOTS of pages!!) while nail-biting and watching my incubator. It seemed like I was doomed from the start - shipped eggs, cheap bator, no trial run, first-timer at incubating. Suffice to say...day 21 my first two chickies have hatched

and I think I might have a few more yet (eggs here and there are rocking so fingers crossed).
Well...here are my baby Orpington Chicks. I bought splash eggs so I think they're looking ok for splash rather than blue...any Orp lovers feel free to comment.
Anyway, happy days here in Queensland Australia!

 

[Faraday40]

Hi all you wonderful BYC'ers. (First post by the way so...this is a newbie Hi!)
I've spent the last three weeks reading HEAPS of threads (some threads are LOTS of pages!!) while nail-biting and watching my incubator. It seemed like I was doomed from the start - shipped eggs, cheap bator, no trial run, first-timer at incubating. Suffice to say...day 21 my first two chickies have hatched

and I think I might have a few more yet (eggs here and there are rocking so fingers crossed).
Well...here are my baby Orpington Chicks. I bought splash eggs so I think they're looking ok for splash rather than blue...any Orp lovers feel free to comment.
Anyway, happy days here in Queensland Australia!

Congrats on your new additions & hope they get a few more siblings soon.

Lav orps are my fav breed. In fact, we just had 2 hatch today. (They're due tomorrow, but I got 3 early birds today.)
Keeping the incubator closed to keep humidity up, helps make it easier for chicks to hatch.

 

[fivepeasinapod]

Thanks Faraday40! I whisked the two hatchlings out once they were dry as I had no others pipped and put them in the brooder. They're happy babies now but yes, I do hope they have a few more siblings to play with too; it's so exciting I can't leave the incubator for 5 minutes!

 

[fivepeasinapod]

Your quails are GORGEOUS by the way!

 

[Faraday40]

Off to bed soon, but 1st wanted to share pics of our 3 early birds. (2 lav orps & a silkie x wyandotte mix)






... and some more quail pics

I took a pic next to a quarter to show how small the quail are.

DS holding a handful of quail.