The 6th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[Ryoohkey]

You have love genetics black cochin bantam rooster and a birchen cochin batam hen and I get and all white baby from them

 

[chicken pickin]

I would like to announce my resignation from the "Set on Saturday, No Signs of Hatching" club.

I have a pip, a beautiful pip right in the big end of the blue egg!

Congrats!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I have my third pip now. Oddly enough all the pips/hatches so far are from the Legbar x Barnevelder hybrids. They were even put in 6 hrs later than other eggs. Hybrid vigor?

Could be. My hybrids are strong and great layers.

Question for those who hatch upright in egg cartons, is it normal for them to take a little while to get out of the shell once they've finished zipping? My first is almost out, head and wings are out anyway. But it keeps trying to get out of the shell, but no luck there. Little naps, then a quick burst of struggle, then another nap... okay, should I worry?

Yep, they rest for a bit and then get out..........then climb back in again to cheer on the next hatching contestant.

Ok, my humidity is going up and up with each hatch and pip. 1st hatch pumped it up from 65-71, when I took the chick out it went down to 60 but then after the second hatch its at 74 now. I think the 2nd chick was a little wet. At what point do I open the bator to cut down on the humidity? There is only one Sharpie sized vent and its not blocked.

It will go down, just watch for condensation.

Quote: Yep, ditto.

My hatch is over

.

Final chick count: 1

So I ordered a new incubator, I'm sick of loosing chicks before they hatch!

I'm sorry, but at least you got one!

Quote: Welsummers are not auto sexing, as Ron said. They can "generally" be sexed - females have eyeliner and a defined V on their head, males a messy V and no eyeliner. I always have some that fall in the middle, with either eyeliner and a messy V or vice versa. Would I sell them as sexed birds? Absolutely not. It's just not reliable enough.

I will have a Brinsea Ocatgon 40 Advanced available for sale after the hatch. I just bought it before the EHAL. DW says that its the only way she can make sure I don't hatch that many chicks again

Ah man, I think you should hide it.

No progress on my pips. I'm watching movies with the kids and crocheting to keep myself occupied. I'm the worst meddler.

Good for you on keeping your hands busy. Cleaning house keeps you busy too.

That's what I do when I have chicks hatching.

Ack! I have the best terrible problem. My friend who randomly sent me eggs didn't just send a few eggs. Not just a dozen or 18... He sent 30 eggs!!! I don't know where to put them. My Brinsea is full for 2.5 more weeks. My homemade bator is being used as a hatcher right now, but I don't have room for 30 eggs in there! If they were home eggs maybe, but shipped that have to sit upright? No! What is a gal to do except buy another incubator?

Oh no, that IS a problem!

Quote: I would love a cabinet incubator, but I'd be in a lot of trouble if I had one. I already have too many birds.

For those of is who actually set at noon on Saturday, should we technically be seeing progress now or starting tomorrow? I'm a little overwhelmed by all y'all's chickies hatching and not knowing if mine are supposed to be yet. And I've done this many times before!

Many folks are having early hatchers, which means their incubators are running a bit hotter than normal. Also, there was a +/- 2 day window for setting, so people could have set as early as Thursday the 12th.

I keep thinking that I will get a better incubator for the next time I hatch chicks. I have a garage sale styrofoam Hovabator that may have seen its better days. It still looks good but I am not thinking that I will have the results that other people have had. I have seen some nice homemade ones from scratch, some nice ones made from ice chests, and some nice commercial made ones. I don't think I need a huge one. I think I just need one that has the same capacity of the Hovabator. I am open to suggestions. I saw that someone is going to have to give up his Brensea because his wife doesn't want more chicks around (imagine that - a wife not wanting a husband around lots of chicks

) Maybe that's what I need? I want to hatch some Silver Appleyard ducks and some JOs eventually. Maybe I should just buy chicks and ducklings?

Waiting for chicks to hatch is tough! How do the hens do it? Maybe they can't read a calendar... I'm mostly glad I don't have to sit on these eggs!

It depends on what you are looking for. I have a Hovabator 1602N and a Brinsea Octagon 20. The Brinsea is literally a plug it in and forget it incubator. I never have to adjust temperature, it recovers humidity very quickly, so I can open it to grab chicks without issue. It's also very easy to clean. (have to clean the fan occasionally, which requires some disassembly. (screw removal) My hovabator is nice too, and holds more eggs. A bit more of a pain to clean, since it's styrofoam. I do have to keep a closer eye on the temperatures and make minor adjustments.

I have these, feel free to take them:

I especially love these.

I set my Icelandic eggs on Saturday, March 14, around 10 p.m., I got my first pips this afternoon.
I set 2 Silkie eggs under a broody on Thursday, March 12, one didn't develop and the other is a cute gray/blue chick.

Can't beat a blue baby! Congrats!

My HAL Seramas are done, but waiting on the Guineas and one more duck who are due tomorrow.

Out of 15 Seramas, 7 hatched. two needed assistance because they pipped about half an inch below the air cell and stopped. They look pretty good though. I cleared their beaks so they could breathe, put them back for an hour, then got their heads free. One hatched the rest of the way by himself and the other is still working on it.

The two duck eggs that had been kicked out of the nest by the silkie hen and were very cold for hours, hatched just great!
They are blue runner ducks. They hatched today, on day 27. Still waiting on one more duck egg.

The Guineas seem to be waiting for the right day! One small pip is all I see from them.

Zipping duck and two Seramas. Brown eggs are Guineas.

Pipping duck

Both popped out at the same time. Little dragon ducks!

wo Seramas that pipped below the aircell.

Blue runner ducks? (perks up) I do have a weakness for blue birds.

The chick that pipped through a vein made it just fine. It's resting in the bator. I only have 2 eggs left. One chick is almost done zipping and the other is working on it.

@bamadude The chick that hatched from the Polish egg has feathered feet and dark skin.

Yay!

I broke the rules and took it out for a few quick photos.



It has something hanging out of its navel still, and it seems to be drying up... it still may not make it though.

Wow, that is interesting! I've never seen an albino chicken before. Do you know who the parents are? Or were they from eggs you had shipped?

OKAY... HELP ME PLEASE!!!

I have had two eggs pip and then die. One pipped yesterday and then did nothing. One pipped today and cheeped for a while. It made the hole a little larger and them seems to have died. There are 6 more in the incubator. There are two thermometers showing 99 degrees and hygrometer showing 72% humidity. Its a Hovabator styrofoam incubator but everything appears to be stable and steady. I didn't expect any to hatch before tomorrow which is day 21.

HELP PLEASE!!!

How did the membrane look? Was it brown, clear or white around the pip? 72% humidity sounds a bit high. Sometimes they can pip a vein and die. How is your oxygen in your bator? Are the 2 plugs removed?

I've got two chicks! On my last hatch I had a bad thermometer and the chicks hatched Day 23/24. This time I've got the spot check but my bator was running hot, so I've got chicks on Day 19/20.

One under the broody is halfway zipped. I e read too much about broodies killing their chicks, so I'm not doing a very good job of staying hands off. I'm going to have to candle tonight, though, because I think I accidentally gave her some questionable eggs.

I've had many, many broodies and most are great. I do have 1 that is a baby squisher, and she is never allowed to have eggs again. I've had so many great mothers, and anyone that is a good mom gets to stay here for life. I have even had a Production Red go broody and she was a terrific mother.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote: Don't forget this one.

And this one:

Then progressing onto this one:

Then this one:

 

[MonTXChickens]

Yes, the plugs were both in. That was the directions. If that is wrong, please let me know and I will remove them. I haven't opened the incubator to examine the membrane. It is in lock down and everyone talks as if that is a big no no to open it. Should I get them out and take a look?

 

[TJChickens]

Shouldn't there be a prize for whoever hatches an albino chick?

I have had many albino birds. None of which were blind. Of course, if their sight was a bit limited, it would be hard to tell maybe. I raised two albino blue jays that were thrown out of the nest by their parents. They lived to be 17. I also have had many albino parrotlets and cockatiels. There is also the lutino factor in birds and reptiles. Red eyes and yellow scale or feather pigment. It will be interesting to see if the chick gets white or yellow feathers. I don't know if I've seen a lutino chicken...
I have a perlino horse. Pearl color with pale ice blue eyes and pink skin. About as close to albino as you get with horses. I have read that in horses, albinism is fatal and they die before being born.

Sorry, if it's already been said, but what breed is this chick?

 

[potagergirl]

I got one!
One of our barnyard mix popped out of it's egg shell today and I've been watching him/her every since.
So far only one but I have 11 more to go

 

[campingshaws]

I've had many, many broodies and most are great.  I do have 1 that is a baby squisher, and she is never allowed to have eggs again.  I've had so many great mothers, and anyone that is a good mom gets to stay here for life.  I have even had a Production Red go broody and she was a terrific mother.

I candled her eggs when I locked up the coop: two internal pips, one external pip, one mostly zipped, and one nothing. No duds, though. Maybe my questionable eggs caught up with everyone, because I can't find them now.

 

[JoyfulPromise]

I have two chicks out from the incubator, plus the two that hatched under the broody BO, so 4 out so far for me, and several more are starting to zip in the incubator!

I have a feeling it is going to be a LOOOONG night!

Still no pips on the remaining 6 shipped Wheaten Ameraucana eggs...

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yes, the plugs were both in. That was the directions. If that is wrong, please let me know and I will remove them. I haven't opened the incubator to examine the membrane. It is in lock down and everyone talks as if that is a big no no to open it. Should I get them out and take a look?

Yes, pull those plugs out! They are to be removed at hatch, and most people lose them and never use them. The eggs need more oxygen for hatching.