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

[ChickenFox]

Im a day behind but here are my counts:

BCM- 14 (thanks BHep!
Bantam EE - 13
RIR x - 12

Total Eggs set - 39

The rir x are my MIL that I said I'd hatch for her the others are all shipped.

 

[Hurley]

That is a very good point!

Many will spend a lot of money on eggs but not much on the incubator, candler, thermometer or hygromenter.

I have heard good things about Dickey incubators.

I've got a pair of Dickey incubators (a 3 tray incubator with a hatching tray and a 5 tray hatcher), picked them up for a great price of craig's list, and man, what a sweet set.

I struggled with the styrofoam incubators, would seem to always have something go wrong...usually right before a hatch. It's actually kind of nice to set walk by periodically noting they are lovely and stable. Now, everything hatches, even had 50 to 75% rates this winter when half my eggs were lost to cracking open from the cold. Will never go back. I will say, though that my styrofoam incubators started to do much better after I installed an electronic thermostat on them. Did that just in time for the cabinets to arrive, not the styrofoams sit empty, serving as backup in case the cabinet goes down for some reason.





Ugh, tired, just got in. Have been outside all day turning my little coop into a taller coop and reinforcing it as it got blown over and wounded this past fall.

Before (under the snow, can't see it but the near wall under the coop's supports are broken.



Now it's tall enough for me to walk in, just need to buy hinges for the door that is sitting off to the left. The old door is now the window at the top of the new door, lol. Think I used up all of my scraps of 2x4s, 2x2s, 1x3s and 1x4s. It looks a little gypsy, but hey, it was "free" parts. It'll look much better once I've painted the whole thing up. My back is sore, but got a lot more done than I thought I would. Add feeder, waterer, bedding, and hinges and she'll be good to go. There's now a pop open door under the nest box area to open and rake out the pen as needed. Built a ladder up to the now quite high up opening to the coop, added a bunch of perches, buried the legs and wire on the side away from the camera. Hopefully it'll be more stable now. By next weekend, should be able to move a breeding group into that one.

Also touched up the growout shed today, fixed the door that had some loose, added some hanging nests and perches. Fixed it so I can leave one door open with the other one latched.

Next up, I need to get the roof on my new pair of breeding pens, get the wire on it, and get the doors made. That's going to take more than an afternoon.
Can't do much until I can make a lumber run, I'm out of the longer stuff.

 

[CayuseRanch]

After watching me skim thru this thread all day getting caught up, DH says I need to come here for advise...Hmmm I think, this comment should be interesting....See those people's incubators don't have to be completely filled to the point that eggs are getting ready to fall out. HAHAHAHA...(I think there were two brinsea pics with only a few eggs in there)

Although in all honesty how do you do that? Don't you feel the urge to go buy eggs or search out nests?

 

[Cynthia12]

Please count me in!

I set my eggs yesterday evening. I picked them up at about 2:30 in the afternoon. Got home a little after 4:00; had them in the incubator by 6:00. I am hatching Crested Cream Legbars - 6 of them in a Little Giant incubator.

Thanks so much, Kestlyn!

 

[Gardeningmama]

After watching me skim thru this thread all day getting caught up, DH says I need to come here for advise...Hmmm I think, this comment should be interesting....See those people's incubators don't have to be completely filled to the point that eggs are getting ready to fall out. HAHAHAHA...(I think there were two brinsea pics with only a few eggs in there)

Although in all honesty how do you do that? Don't you feel the urge to go buy eggs or search out nests?

Lol! I could fit at least 100 in mine but only have 14 duck eggs in. I think it's hitting me where I'm going to put them all when they are say...3 weeks old.

Besides, I have to save room for when my chicks & geese come in. So, I must exhibit self control!

 

[Cynthia12]

Count me in. I set 4. This should be alot of fun.

 

[Gardeningmama]

BTW today is day 7 for my Calls and I have 12 going strong. I am slightly worried about air cells though. The ones that were shipped detached are much bigger than my homegrowns. Wondering if I should start misting them daily now?? Any advice?

 

[PAchickenlover]

[COLOR=0000FF]It is still snowing!!!! Grrrrr. [/COLOR]

Still? 

Yes it is still snowing .... Even now... Ugh...

 

[Cynthia12]

I'm in with 34.

 

[PAchickenlover]

[COLOR=800080]BTW today is day 7 for my Calls and I have 12 going strong. I am slightly worried about air cells though. The ones that were shipped detached are much bigger than my homegrowns. Wondering if I should start misting them daily now?? Any advice?[/COLOR]

Sounds like that would be a good thing to do if the air cells are that much larger.