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

[Cynthia12]

I have a broody box just for outdoors. Haven't used it yet this year. Very simple..want simple? Can't get any easier than this. Will have to get measurements for DH.




Don't think it would win in a contest, there are some pretty fancy ones going on! But this
is simple as can be. No floor to it, you can add something to the bottom if you want them
indoors, or, take it outside and let them be on the grass.
This is in our basement. An extra kitchen/laundry room.

 

[retiredwithchicks]

If it not too late add 18 black/lav orps to my count. That will make me 75 If it is too late I will keep them separate. I found and picked up eggs a few hours later than others but they were close so couldn't pass them up.ADDICT!!!

18 black/lav orps
18 buff orps
2 EE
6 olive eggs
9 BLxBO
18 buckeyes
4 BCMxBO

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Setting 38...The most I have ever set.

Bwahahaha!! Ok, Broody Set Take Two... It's plenty dark out...but also raining cats n dogs....dare I pull that broody -a mean one at that....out of her comfy cozy nest and carry her in the down pour to the brooder?? Arrrrgh! This weather is soooo depressing.

 

[mlm Mike]

If it not too late add 18 black/lav orps to my count. That will make me 75 If it is too late I will keep them separate. I found and picked up eggs a few hours later than others but they were close so couldn't pass them up.ADDICT!!!

18 black/lav orps
18 buff orps
2 EE
6 olive eggs
9 BLxBO
18 buckeyes
4 BCMxBO

It's not too late. Your new count is 75!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Eggs are in. I'm a little iffy on the temperature. The thermometer/hygrometer seems off a bit. I'll buy a new battery for it tomorrow. Picked up a 97 cent small glass one that read consistent with majority of others at walmart. Have heat set between those two reading for now. One is 101, other 97. Yeah, first hatch of the year and always nervous.

14 eggs of project birds.

 

[countryfarmlife]

A friend set 26 of my eggs today in his incubator: 25 OEGB eggs and 1 Silver Sebright egg.

This is my first time hatching eggs and I am enjoying this experience.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I've got guinea eggs!!Hope that counts!!

Yep, they sure do!

While I didn't intend to do this hatch-a-long in particular - I am setting eggs today, so I guess I am hatching-a-long!

Welcome!

Am I too late? I want going to join, but if I can, I'm in. With a half hour to spare.

You are not too late. Welcome!

So when do we candle the eggs?

Everyone candles differently. For me, I candle once between day 7 and 10, then again at lockdown.

I never have weighed my eggs... I just put them in and keep an eye on the humidity and temp.

I've never weighed eggs or traced air sacs.

I'm already thinking about what I'll hatch next year....how does golden pheasant sound?

Sounds wonderful!

My final batch of eggs arrived today I ordered these english orpingtons a while back my heart sank when I saw the package.




What do I do?????

Oh boy. Glad you didn't have too many casulties.

I opened it up I ordered 12 eggs she sent 13 only one was broken so I guess I should consider my self lucky I can only imagine the condition the air cells are in.

Be sure to candle for cracks.

What do I do about the egg goo all over the other eggs?

I would wipe with a damp paper towel. Candle them to make sure they don't have cracks.

I'm in. I just set 12 silkies, 14 NN frizzled, and 10 lavender orpingtons. Excited!!

Welcome!

I have a broody question. Do I need to separate her from the others and put her in a dog crate? Right now she is on her nest and I do not want to upset her or break her by moving her.

I need sage advice.

I leave my broodies sitting where they choose and mark the eggs I put under her. I remove any unmarked eggs daily. Then, when the chicks hatch, I move the hen and the babies that night to a private area within view of the flock. After the mom's and babies have had a week or two undisturbed, I let them out with the flock. This works well for my set up. You just have to find what works well for you.

Well I'm past the noon time but I got nervous because my spot check was suddenly reading low so now I'm waiting... UGH!

It will take a while to stabilize.

Ok. Opinions please! Hovabator still air. Open and hand turn? Or use the tilt whole bator method?

If you have water in it, you won't be able to tilt the whole bator - the water will spill out.

I want to join! My Black Langshan Bantam hen decided that today was the day she wanted to go broody, so I guess it was meant to be!! She has 10 eggs under her and this is her first clutch ever!! I'm sooo excited!

Welcome!

I want to participate but I won't have eggs till Monday morning. Will they count?

That's fine. Yes, they will count.

I will be setting broodies tonight.

I'm in for the hatch. Set 18 mixed eggs today. Some ee's and the rest are mixed .I hope my friend really wants chicks. I have 3 brooders going now and my new coop is still a few weeks away. Chicken math has exceeded my housing capacity. We also purchased 2 Scottish Highland Heifers yesterday for delivery next week. Got to get the electric fence up Monday around the 3 acre brush and pasture where they will be. We are picking up a 3 yr old mamma Great Pyr and one of her pups tomorrow. Just set up a new kennel for them in the freezing rain today. It has been a little hectic around here this week!!! hope everyone has a great hatch

Welcome! You are expanding in many ways!

We're in for the hatch-a-long! Set 29 chicken eggs!

Welcome!

Hi,
We have set our eggs and would like to participate in the Easter Hatch-a-long. 15 eggs total - 3 from an Ameraucana flock and 12 from a mixed flock of Silkies and Frizzles.

Welcome!

Just love looking at everybody's eggs that are being set and looking forward to all the others that will be set.

My total #42 eggs just set.
14 Lav Ameraucana eggs From BHep
14 of myChocolate/ Dun Laced Bantam Polish eggs
8 of my Buff Bantam Polish eggs
6 of my Araucana eggs













Thank you BHep for the 14 Beautiful Lavender Ameraucans eggs. Love them!

Wow, those are some beautiful eggs!

My Grandmothers incubator circa mid 1950's...... Its been rewired a time or 3 but it works like a champ!!!



My "Official Count" is 14... the eggs on the right side of the incubator are due to hatch next weekend.... the Eggs on the left are set for the Hatch-Along!! I was originally going to set 12 but I couldn't say no to the last two eggs.... I swear they were begging to be put in the incubator. (hee hee)

Regardless... wish me luck because this is a staggered hatch in one incubator. My father said he has done this in the past with out issues so I guess its my turn to try! I removed the cheese cloth I had under the eggs due to hatch next week because it seemed to be messing with the humidity... so I am using a divider to keep the eggs separate! ..... Now I wait....

That is super cool!

Hubby put the doors on the new pens today. We just need a bit more predator protection, dividing walls, and bedding!

Now I'm jealous! Looks fantastic!

I have a question about the count...
I already know of at least one duck egg that is clear that I had set in time for the HAL. Do I count it? Or act like it never happened?
I will give my number a little later today. It's not turning out to be very many since most of my eggs had to go in too early or too late to be counted.....

Yep, it was set, so it counts.

I am a thousand posts behind and can't catch up but I set fifty two eggs on Saturday at twelve midday Philippine standard time.

My Guinness started laying today so they missed the boat but I will have quail eggs by mid week to set.

Yay! I don't have eggs to hatch but I wanna play- is that ok?

Sure, but you'll be wanting some chicks when all of ours hatch.

3 BBS Silkie eggs and a lone New Hampshire egg (she's very stingy with her eggs!)

It's not many but... it counts

There is no set number to hatch! Any amount of eggs is welcome!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I have a broody box just for outdoors. Haven't used it yet this year. Very simple..want simple? Can't get any easier than this. Will have to get measurements for DH.




Don't think it would win in a contest, there are some pretty fancy ones going on! But this
is simple as can be. No floor to it, you can add something to the bottom if you want them
indoors, or, take it outside and let them be on the grass.
This is in our basement. An extra kitchen/laundry room.

That is way cool! You should enter it in the Brooder contest.

A friend set 26 of my eggs today in his incubator: 25 OEGB eggs and 1 Silver Sebright egg.

This is my first time hatching eggs and I am enjoying this experience.

Yay! The first hatch is so exciting and nerve wracking at the same time.

 

[gamebirdsonly]

I set 26 eggs 18 Modern Game Bantams, 3 Bantam Sumatras, 3 OEGB, 2 Bantam black split chocalate orps

 

[CGinJCMO]

I have my eggs into the incubator (I got 340 messages to go to catch up, and while I'm catching up there'll be a lot more posting I'm sure)

16 BLRW (started them on Thursday so they wouldn't get too old - bought from local breeder so didn't want to take any chances. Plus I hope they'll hatch before the EEs and I'll tag them somehow so I'll know them apart from my EEs. never had BLRW before & don't know how they look as chicks)
Today: Collected from my flock
26 Blue/Green Easter Egger eggs
+9 light cream Easter Egger mix eggs (not sure who lays the cream eggs, likely an AustraWhite - hoping for white chicks and not much greenness to the egg color)
51 TOTAL (biggest setting I've ever done, previous maximum was 41)

Some of those eggs I'll have to manually turn but I expect some of those eggs to die or not even be fertile so this way I will make up the loss. Of course, I may not have many early losses. Last hatch of 41 eggs, only 4 were early losses.

CG