The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[chiques chicks]

A pile of some of the bobwhite that hatched Friday (and Saturday, and Sunday). They pile up for a while, then all run around, then back to a pile. Like one giant living organism! So cute. Doesn't seem to have anything to do with temperature.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Oh my god, I am SO angry right now. The seller who gave me 10 infertile eggs? She just denied my paypal claim by saying that I was lying.

Now I'm down 30 dollars. I'm seeing red. Nobody buy from Coups Coups on E-bay. Their lack of ethics is appalling.

I had trouble with eggs from them last year.

Seriously? I had troubles with bators so my hatch was delayed. i set the same day as everyone and I STILL had some hatching last night! Now all the prizes are gone!!! I guess no point in posting how my hatch went.

Think you have until the 5th to post hatch results for the contests.

A pile of some of the bobwhite that hatched Friday (and Saturday, and Sunday). They pile up for a while, then all run around, then back to a pile. Like one giant living organism! So cute. Doesn't seem to have anything to do with temperature.

I think they just like to snuggle together. They don't even lay under the lights when they do it.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Please post your results to be added to the total. Also, contest 12 is open, taking entries until 4/6

Contest #12
2013 Easter Hatch-a-long
"Cutest Easter Chick/s Contest!"


Post your most beautiful New Chick/s Photos!
All fowl accepted, No fake editing or captions!
Chicks in your images MUST be hatched from eggs entered in the 2013 EASTER Hatch-A-Long!
Please don't compromise chicks by opening the incubator for pics!
The winner will be chosen by a panel of judges

2 entries per contestant

ENTRY DEADLINE
April 6th, 2013 Midnight PST




The Prize:
One Dozen “Rarest of the Rare” Dozen Hatching Eggs!
donated by Greenfire Farms
​

Possible breeds for the winner: Red Orpingtons, Partridge Barthuners, Double Blue Laced Barnevelders, Bielefelders, New Bloodline Cream Legbars, Blue Partridge Brahmas

*Breed choice will be made by Greenfire Farms depending on availability​

Leaves me out of this 1. None hatched. I went & bought 8 ducklings over the weekend as compensation.

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
Actually, the wafer is fine (and I keep a spare!) it's just that the turning mechanism's butterfly nut is a bit stripped of threads and I bumped it. I didn't realize it pushed it in a turn or two. I'll be replacing the nut, the socket and the turning peg. This incubator is older than me...and that's saying something.

Quote:
I was scheduled to be induced - went into labor on my own the day before. Good luck!

angelobutter, I feel for you- I never made it to term, and I can't imagine how that must feel! I had mine 3 weeks and 5 weeks early and was ready to push the car around the block to get things started if I had to!! I'm glad I had them early.

I'll be thinking about you Thursday.

Razadia, I'm glad you don't have GD, and I hope you are comfortable the remainder of your pregnancy!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: lol I know where u can get some!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I've been offline for the last 5 days so I'm not sure if I'm supposed to post here or somewhere else to report my "dismal" hatch results. I had 15/45 hatch. 2 guineas, 7 Breda and 6 Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock.

oh no what happened?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Vote for your favorite 3 pictures! VOTING ENDS TONIGHT!

To vote, see here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/760392/choose-a-winner-for-the-flapper-contest/0_50
And will CLOSE Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013 Midnight PST



Contest #8
2013 Easter Hatch-a-long



"Flapper Contest!"

1st PRIZE
Hatching Eggs!
Donated by ChooksChick
6+ Chocolate/Mauve Ameraucana project eggs
You can see pics and info on this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/746646/chocolate-mauve-ameraucana-color-project-beakhouse/0_100


2nd PRIZE
Hatching Eggs!
Donated by ChooksChick
6+ Chocolate Orpington


3rd PRIZE
Hatching Eggs!
Donated by ChooksChick
10+ Blue/Black/Splash Mottled Bantam Cochins
​

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
I had an egg that never internally pipped, so I thought it was a quitter. I broke it open expecting a dead chick and it was still alive and bleeding. I felt horrible for not opening the egg gently, but if it never internally pips, it wasn't going to make it anyway.

 

[DragonOxeWeasel]

I got a lot of reading to catch up on!

Congrats

to everyone's great hatches and hugs

to the ones who, like me, didn't do so great.

I set 21.
13 made it to lockdown
5 hatched.

Not good numbers but 1/2 were shipped eggs and I had a huge (107) temp spike.

 

[Gardeningmama]

We are on day 23 with our batch. Two more chicks just hatched. One of them was an upside down chick and we almost did not notice her zipping at the bottom of the egg because I have the eggs in an egg carton after lock down, luckily we were able to help her along once we realized what was happening. *Whew* We have one more that is trying to hatch, so may be at 7 total in the next few hours. Still wish were getting more chicks since we started with 27 eggs. But up until this morning, I thought we were only going to get 3 chicks. So I'm happy with 7. We'll see if we have any more late hatchers. I'm going to be a basket case by the time this hatch is done.

Thank Goodness you caught the upside down chick. I had to hatch 6 in a carton this time, and was petrified that would happen to mine! it didn't, Thank God!!

I've been offline for the last 5 days so I'm not sure if I'm supposed to post here or somewhere else to report my "dismal" hatch results. I had 15/45 hatch. 2 guineas, 7 Breda and 6 Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock.

Don't feel bad, it seems to have been the theme for many this hatch! LOL, I'm pretty certain I will not be winning the "Guess how many will hatch" contest. Waaay Off on that one!

Here are the first 4 to hatch. I've learned something very important tonight... Day old chicks will not stay still to pose for pictures!

Absolutely Adorable!

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE !!! hope all you awesome people have a great Tuesday!

Good Morning all. Just marking my spot... Congrats to everyone on the new chicks!!!

All 8 of mine are doing wonderful!

Good Morning All...errr...Afternoon All!

Well, its over. I candled, tapped, and then pipped the rest of the eggs this morning and all were dead.

Quite a few almost full term chicks, some obviously not quite finished. Not sure if there was some wrong positioning in play too, but my first guess is there was a bit too much temp fluctuation in the last few days thanks to my LG being finicky about house temps.

This is a bit more devastating for me than it would be for many of you who seem to hatch all the time. This was our ONE chance to hatch this spring. I had promised chicks to several friends, and the timing was perfect to have them close in age to our chick order from McMurray that is coming next week. If I ever DO try again with this incubator, I will definitely get a new thermometer (or two) to compare with the digital one I used for this hatch, and I will do a longer trial run and make better use of the Max/min feature on the thermometer.

You know, I was thinking about a line from Pele's story the last few days (AWESOME story BTW!) where he mentioned that the EGG itself has been all important and our main focus for most of the incubation, but at the end the egg becomes insignificant as the new entity, the new LIFE explodes out of it. When I read that line I was thinking how true that is - but sadly my eggs never became more than an egg in this hatch.

So for the record keepers - here is my final totals...

Set 46 eggs
Culled 22 infertile eggs
Culled 2 blood ring/early quitters
22 went to lockdown
1 pipped internally but died in shell
0 hatched

---------------------------------------
In better news - we have a broody buff out in the main coop!

Though my sister has claimed her for hatching some of her project heritage meat birds (Delaware/BO cross). Here's to lots of broody hens this year!!!

I am so sorry. That is just depressing, but don't give up, normally the worst hatch is followed by the best hatch!!! I must believe this, because this was my worst hatch to date, and my next one will be Sally's gorgeous Blue/Gold Partridge Brahmas,so, IT WILL BE MY BEST HATCH EVER!!! I'm believing for 100%....