The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[Cynthia12]

I only got two hatched

Two..better than nothing .. right? Did you post pictures? Would love to see.

 

[Cynthia12]

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

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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!!!

Oh, so sorry, this would be so hard, especially when you see that they made it to as far as they did. I wouldn't necessarily blame your temp changes. You just never know. You have broody hens? You are lucky! I am thinking I wouldn't mind if my little bantam Faverolle went broody. I have a lot of eggs in bators again. The weather is warming up, and I think it would be great to see a mama with a few babies running around. Haven't had that in a couple of years! Well, try try again. Sounds like you have your own fertile eggs. Lucky!

 

[loves2hatch]

Quote:
I was just going to ask this. I have never had as many as I do now hatching at one time. (77 eggs) They all seem to be huddling in one corner of the incubator more like pileing like you don't want to see them do in the brooder. But my temps have to be high in there because they started hatching early. Today is day 17 alot are hatching now, one hatched on day 15, 10 hatched on day 16. They should be fine, right?

 

[chiques chicks]

 I was just going to ask this.  I have never had as many as I do now hatching at one time. (77 eggs) They all seem to be huddling in one corner of the incubator more like pileing like you don't want to see them do in the brooder. But my temps have to be high in there because they started hatching early.  Today is day 17 alot are hatching now, one hatched on day 15, 10 hatched on day 16.  They should be fine, right?

I've never had them before. I took the dry ones out once a day. They've been in the brooder a few days and still pile, but seem to move around so none suffocate.
They seem to be OK. I've only had a few die, and it didn't seem to be associated with the clump.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I was just going to ask this. I have never had as many as I do now hatching at one time. (77 eggs) They all seem to be huddling in one corner of the incubator more like pileing like you don't want to see them do in the brooder. But my temps have to be high in there because they started hatching early. Today is day 17 alot are hatching now, one hatched on day 15, 10 hatched on day 16. They should be fine, right?

I've never had them before. I took the dry ones out once a day. They've been in the brooder a few days and still pile, but seem to move around so none suffocate.
They seem to be OK. I've only had a few die, and it didn't seem to be associated with the clump.

They just like to snuggle from what I've seen. I even put my quail in with the chicks after they are about a week old with no problems. They do the same with the chicks but are so agile that they hop right out if they start to get squished. I have never lost a quail that hatched strong to anything other than drowning. I always put tissues or toilet paper in my waterers for at least the 1st week so they can walk right across the water & not fall in. Marbles & rocks are too easy for them to slip their legs between & get caught.

 

[sarasweatman]

I set 72 eggs, I had 5 hatch. I am happy for what I got. One is a white crested blue polish. Her name is Violet.

 

[ThaiDye]

"Oh, you noticed that, didja?!?!? Guess what: they don't slow down much, either!

Wait until they get the Zoomies"

Mine got the zoomies real fast! I have them in a large modified tote box & was looking in at them one morning. They were so cute sleeping in a huge bunch. I whispered good morning to them & they all scattered like cockroaches! I felt so bad.

P.S. I didn't know how to quote a BYC'er on my phone, so I added quotes

 

[DragonOxeWeasel]

He made it!! Just hatched!


Here is one of the other 5 already in the brooder.

All three of the Cream Legbars that hatched were males. Lets hope that means the other three reds are girls!!

So 6/21 is my final count!

 

[Eggzausted]

Are You My Mom?

 

[loves2hatch]

Quote: Thanks. I'll just keep an eye on them and move them to the brooder tonight as planned. See what happens. If they seem stressed I'll move them sooner. I'm not sure how many eggs are left to hatch. It's a crazy mad house in there with all the beaks, feet and peeps!