The 5th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[Happy Chooks]

Welcome to the 5th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!



It's that time again! Every year, hundreds of members come together to set eggs to hatch on the exact same day - the day BEFORE Easter. As a group last year, we had 7,629 eggs set for hatching! If you are new to hatching, this is a great way to get a lot of help, tips and advise. Join in the fun for the largest BYC Hatch-a-long of the year!



Set Chicken eggs on Saturday, March 29th at Noon (whatever time zone you are in)

Other poultry breed setting dates listed below...

We want to hatch on April 19th, (the day BEFORE Easter Sunday)
button quail: 16 days to hatch; set April 3rd
coturnix quail: 18 days to hatch; set April 1st
seramas: 19 days to hatch; set March 31st
other bantam and LF: 21 days to hatch; set March 29th
bobwhite quail: 23 days to hatch; set March 27th
call duck: 26 days to hatch; set March 24th
pheasant: 22 to 29 days; set March 21st - March 28th
mallard (derived) duck,goose, turkey, guinea: 28 days to hatch; set March 22nd
goose: 28 to 32 days to hatch; set March 18th - March 22nd
muscovy duck: 35 days to hatch; set March 15th
emu: approx. 53 days to hatch - set Feb 25th (for you "serious" hatchers)



TO JOIN the hatchalong simply post in this thread that you wish to enter and we will add you! Set dates for each type of domestic fowl are listed below.
This thread is our main chat thread for the hatchalong where you can find anything from new friends, awesome incubation help to the most detailed educational discussions possible and how could we forget the laughter and fun!
This post of the Hatchalong (1st post) will be updated as we move along with all the important information you will need.
But if you find yourself with a question just post it on the thread, everyone is helpful!
You will also find Rons Daily Digests extremely helpful if you have trouble keeping up with such a fast moving thread, find them HERE

ALL CONTESTS ARE HELD IN SEPARATE THREADS,
TO ENTER each contest YOU MUST VISIT EACH CONTEST THREAD, READ THE RULES AND ENTER THE CONTESTS, SIMPLE!




Places to find hatching eggs:

BYC Buy ~ Sell ~ Trade Section: Chicken Hatching Eggs


SWAP THREAD: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/754060/the-new-crazy-24hr-auction-thread

JUST IN TIME HATCHING EGG AUCTION: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/754077/just-in-time-hatching-egg-auction-and-bin-thread/2100_50




Contests!
Contest #1: Guess How Many Eggs Will Be Set Winner: macondon
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...e-set-5th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Contest #2: Creative Brooder Contest Winner: chicken pickin
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ooder-5th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Contest #3: Poultry in the Snow Winner: RussellRoosters
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...w-2014-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50#post_12971199

Contest #4: Cutest Baby Fowl Winner: mrschofield
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ntest-5th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Contest #5: Decorated Egg Contest
Dyed Prize Winner: infiniti
Artistic Prize Winner: BowChickaBow
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ntest-5th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Contest #6: Wet Poultry Winner: austinbndr28
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ultry-5th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Contest #7: Most Striking Domestic Male Fowl
Winners: zazouse and MinxFox
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...wl-contest-5th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long

Contest #8: Edible Easter Contest
1st Place: madicakes
2nd Place: chiklee
3rd Place: LadyCluck77
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...t-for-the-5th-annual-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Contest #9: Photo Caption Contest
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ntest-5th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50
1st Place: Medic
2nd Place: pinusresinosa
3rd Place: bugglesmommy

Contest #10: Other Fowl Contest Winner: Sahwithchicks
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-poses-of-other-fowl-no-chickens-allowed/0_50

Contest #11: Easter/Spring Fowl Photo Contest
Winner: DucksnDaffodils
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ntest-5th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Contest #12: Celebrity Look Alike Contest Winner: sarah654
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ntest-5th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Contest #13: Caption Contest #2 Winner: Hurley
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ter-hatch-a-long-photo-caption-contest-2/0_50

Contest #14: Natural Egg Photo Contest
1st Place: The Sheriff
2nd Place: chicken pickin
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-photo-contest-2014-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Contest #15: Flapper Contest
1st Place: troyer
2nd Place: Bulldogma
3rd Place: Blue Creek Farm
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...contest-for-the-2014-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Contest #16: Guess How Many Eggs Will Hatch
Winner: frg34
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...atch-5th-annual-2014-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Contest #17: Guess How Many Jelly Beans Winner: madicakes
Go here to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eans-5th-annual-2014-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Random Posting Contest: 3 dates/times were chosen for a free 6-month GFM for each winner.
Winner #1: LBKS
Winner #2: CibolaChooks
Winner #3: hockeydad6791

Random Funny Posting Contest
Go here for details and to enter: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...night-5th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Best Hatch Participant - The most supportive member in the Hatch-a-long will win a 1 year GFM! Winner: Cynthia12

Special Hatcher Award - Corny Caleb


Thank You to @Sally Sunshine and @mlmddh for helping me with this Hatch-a-long again this year!

Daily Digest (Cliff Notes Version):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...r-the-5th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

 

[ozexpat]

Well hello there, Daddy oz!

a cross post from my getting the flock out of here diary thread:

We just received the greatest news of our lives:

The petitions for adoption for both our kids are finalized.

We are now officially parents.

Its still a 6-9 month journey to get them to the USA but its really happening

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Gigantic Cabinet COOLER INCUBATOR w/semi auto turning

Say Hello to half of my weekend! Hubs and I have had a very busy weekend, more time fine tuning our new incubator so it has perfection in temps top to bottom, but our brainstorm has turned out amazing!


I took images all the way through this project even the fine tuning to get no variance top to bottom so I will create a Thread with how we did everything later on when I get all the stuff organized.


150 qt Coleman Xtreme insulated Cooler as big as I could find, $67. free shipping I think its just about 4' long
Dual Fan $17.00 for set of Four(used two), use old power inverter thingers I had, Two 90 Watt Lights in ceramics $1.97 each, single Wafer Thermostat $22., rear Air duct.cost of styrofoam? I had it leftover, foil tape $3.00 have half left over. Three of those egg trays you suggested out of the six in the lot $21. for lot of 6, 3 rods for the trays $1.95 each., Handle $1.97, plexi $1.98 x 2, shelf we had left over from our reno, and a pc of thin cabinet back for the lower shelf, and a tad of caulk and gasket sealant we had on hand. clevis pins were $1.25 ea. x3 and flat pc alum for turning was a buck or two. and one 2x3 lumber $2.97


est $132.00 cost
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/861788/gigantic-cabinet-cooler-incubator-how-we-did-it-and-test-run-ready-set-go


I figured everyone may want to see if it works or not.... started a thread

 

[tommysgirl]

With apologies to Carly Simon:

Well I opened up the bator
Just to have a little look
I sure could use an ovascope
But a flashight was all it took
You had spider like formations
and an aircell that looked just right
And I was sitting there hoping
you'd be a pullet, you'd be a pullet and
You're so Vein
In 16 days out you'll pop
But now your so vein.....

 

[Hurley]

OK one more, I am going to bed.

Compilation of some images from tonight...




Very cool! Good night.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I want to explain to everyone WHY I wrote the assist article in an attempt to save a few chicks......
Not only had I gotten inundated with people messaging me and calling me to threads to help with hatching, but over and over I would run into people assisting chicks WAY WAY too soon, picking and pips and the stress to them was overwhelming and they panic! And then trying to walk them through saving chicks that had little to no hope. To be honest, I was overwhelmed with the amount of people that didn't understand the process or even understand the basics, example, some don't understand that in the egg are TWO MEMBRANES, or they don't know that when the chick has external pip and chirps IS NOT THE FINAL HATCHING STAGE (COUNTER CLOCKWISE zipping is the last stage to get out, typically resting after external can take many hours and sometimes more than a day from that point on and malpositions (pipped wrong end/little end) even longer because the external pip is the same as internal so absorption time is prolonged in most cases). PLEASE REFER to the TIMELINE of a silky hatching in both of the articles to understand how long some of these processes may take. MOST OF US RARELY ASSIST CHICKS UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY or the chick is of GREAT GREAT VALUE and typically after most of the hatch is complete. Those of us who BREED and sell on most occasions NEVER ASSIST. I have added videos of malpositions(little end/wrong end pips) hatching perfectly unassisted, these are typically the first pips you will witness BECAUSE this is not only internal pip its external as well.

Its best to understand what that chick is doing WELL BEFORE you open that bator!



I WILL ASK AT THIS TIME PLEASE PLEASE do not message me privately,
I am inundated, you can get a tremendous amount of help right here on the thread! Someone is always online to help you! But its always best to research and read for yourself too, I wrote those articles and researched so much and I did it not only for myself but for everyone the articles can reach! I AM HERE TO HELP, but on this thread please NOT VIA EMAILS!
Thank you for understanding!

To SAVE A CHICK and better your Hatch rates please study incubation!
​

Incubation Notes, Images, Videos & Links Including SHIPPED EGGS INCUBATION Techniques. ​

CLICK: HATCHING 101​

​

Anxiety at this HATCHING stage is tremendous for the first timer and they can quickly misinterpret the well being of their chicks and prematurely intervene with disastrous consequences. PLEASE REFER to either the 101 article or the assist article for tons of information, ALSO I CANNOT STRESS how important it is to understand some of the timelines to hatching, I have thrown in both articles some timing info on a silky hatching and how long each process can in fact take.




Understanding The Hatching Process

Between the 15th and 16th days, the chick orients itself so that its head is near the air cell at the large end of the egg. Not long before the chick is ready to attempt to make its way out of the shell its neck acquires a double bend so that its beak is under its right wing and pointed toward the air cell. The chicks PIP first then REST then Zipping begins up to 24 +/- after initial pip depending on breed!

21 DAYS is just a baseline for hatching eggs.
Many chicks can take 23 - 25 days but if you are running into 22+ days PLEASE RE-CALIBRATE THERMOMETERS before setting another batch, your running too LOW!
Some pip internally and fully hatch in hours while others will be 24 hours or more.

Egg movement! Eggs can “Rock n Roll” days before they are due to hatch!

​

Development of motor patterns in avian embryos:
Control of hatching behavior http://www.int-ornith-union.org/files/proceedings/durban/Symposium/S46/S46.1.htm

​

In regards to opening and closing the bator to remove already hatch chicks; It is important to remember that chicks can go 3 days without food/water. It is better to wait for the remaining chicks to hatch to insure reducing the impact to unhatched pipping eggs. THE CHICKS WILL STIMULATE THE OTHERS TO HATCH! ITS OK FOR THEM TO PLAY SOCCER IN THERE!

If you want to get fluffy dry chicks out, which happens with setting different breeds as some timing differences, just wipe the side of the bator with a wet rag for instant boost of humidity or spray with mister, DONT GET EGGS wet!

But my new chick is running around in the bator knocking eggs around!
LET THEM GO! DO NOT OPEN THE INCUBATOR! They are fine!





Assisting a chick should be your LAST RESORT
A chick’s failure to progress normally at hatching stage can be caused by genetic problems resulting in malpositioning, deformities or weakness, in which case assistance may promote the survival of birds with deleterious genes. However, hatching difficulties may also result from imperfect incubation procedures with a chick which is genetically viable, or an abnormally thick shell. A lot of the deaths due to the above situations occur immediately before hatching during the transition between embryos to breathing chick. The chick can have difficulty positioning for pipping, absorbing the yolk sac, or changing to breathing air. A chick’s chorioallantoic circulation remains functional until shortly before hatching and remains even when yolk absorption is complete and the embryo/chicks are vocalizing. Therefore the correct time to assist an egg is hard to judge. It is essential that the chick is given as much time as possible to fully absorb the yolk, for the vascular system to shut down, and for the chick to complete the normal physiological processes of hatching.​

Do not rush the hatch! ​

DO NOT RUSH THE HATCH!​

DO NOT RUSH THE HATCH!​

MORE INFO ON HATCHING PROCESSES CAN BE FOUND HERE

Hatching 101​

~ ​

Guide to ASSISTED Hatching​

~​

Mushy Chick Disease​

​

​

 

[Jessshan8]

Preliminary basic plans ( working on directions )
Incubator Plans:

Material;
7/16" Playwood ( Home depot or Lows will cut to size for free )
1" X 2" ( for holding turners )
6" fan 120v
8" metal duct or coffee can (metal )
Incubator heating element (or alternative heat source )
2-Wafer thermostats ( con use 1 but I use 2 for protection against failure )
Power cord.
Wire nuts
2" X 2" drip edge flashing (meant for metal roofing )



Will look like this when finished:

 

[Corny Caleb]

I haven't forgotten about that brooder emu chick cam i was talking about. : ) just waiting for my lap top to be fixed so that I can take the live stream to them. And BIG NEWS everyone......So the emu egg i set for this hatch-a-long, that I wasn't sure was fertile.... hit it's 30th day of incubation.....and so, I tried a wiggle test on it and...... well......THE EASTER HATCH ALONG EMU EGG WAS POSITIVE FOR WIGGLES TODAY!!! WE HAVE THE FIRST EVER EASTER HATCH ALONG EMU CHICK ON IT'S WAY! So happy that it was actually fertile!!!

 

[LBKS]

Would today be a good day to let my family and friends know how many eggs I have in the incubator? That way they think I'm joking but when they hatch they can't say I didn't tell them!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

NEW NPIP website!! YAY

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