The 7th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-A-Long!

[mlm Mike]

I set 46 eggs yesterday. Good luck everyone!

Thank You and Good Luck!

Ok here are my numbers:

11 Svarthonas
10 Spitzhaubens
2 Ayam Cemanis
Total: 23 chicken eggs set this morning

I left the last slot for the possible addition of another AC egg today, but it does not look to be in the cards.

Thank you @draye for the strawberry container idea! I wasn't sure how I was going to keep hatching eggs separated, but definitely need to with SH & AC eggs in the same hatch. And everyone likes strawberries here, lol. Thanks!

Thank You and Good Luck!

@mlm Mike

37 total set - Saturday 3:00 p.m.

12 Icelandic eggs from my flock
7 Icelandic eggs from a friend's flock
6 Welsummer eggs from another friend's flock
12 Mille Fleur d'uccle shipped eggs

We had a couple of birthdays this week and had family staying Friday through this afternoon, but managed to get eggs over to my neighbor's house and into the incubator. Now we wait.........I'll be out of town for a week and the incubator is at my friend's house so I can't do too much fretting and looking and checking. I will candle on the 16th and pull anything that needs to go. If there are broody hens by then, I'll see what is good and give the hens some eggs to hatch!!

Thank You and Good Luck! Sounds like you are keeping busy, have a nice trip. Fingers crossed for a few broody hens.

Well, I'm in the 2016 Easter Hatch-a-long now!

Saw some $2.99 a carton fertile white eggs at Trader Joe's. Could not resist. They are sitting in my 'bator with the Rock Island Safeway $4.49 brown eggs, air cells traced in pencil, x's and numbers on their sides, leaning at an angle in the bottom half of an egg carton with the undersides snipped out so they get some ventilation. Carbon dioxide builds up in the bottom of 'bators that have no ventilation holes in the bottom, and I think it could be the cause of mysterious chick mortality in plastic tote brooders and coolerbators that have no such holes.

I'm somewhat concerned that my first set of eggs, the brown ones, got baked when temps rose for unknown reasons and the eggs became quite hot to the touch. Also many of the brown eggs appear clear on being candled. I've read that the Rock Island fertile eggs have low levels of fertility. So Imma hedge my bets and do a staggered hatch with two kinds of eggs. When lockdown comes for the brown eggs, I'll put in a coffee cup with an inch of distilled water and a washcloth in it to spike the humidity, which has been running around 40-50%. The air cells on the brown eggs are looking good. The white eggs are 2 weeks old but just have little nickel and dime size air cells, and I noticed one saddle shaped air cell and one floating air cell. These eggs are all getting TLC and I am handling them as though they were shipped.

I got a ventilated plastic tote brooder set up with a 150w reptile bulb clamp lamp, a cheap terrarium thermometer, shredded newspaper for litter, a little jar and big lid for a waterer, and I am looking forward to actual bitty chickens. Will post pix.

The local feed store lets customers advertise their hatchlings for sale on a chalkboard out front. I know I can't keep them all; we are zoned for 6 pullets locally. The store in question sells vaccinated hatchery pullet chicks for $3.25 each, the breeds there now are White leghorns, Dominiques, Rhodies and Barred Rocks.

There's a local store that sells eggs of white turkeys for $2.00 a flat. Come April, I'm thinking of trying to hatch some of those when the chickens are sold off. If they turn out to be infertile on inspection, they still are good for omelets, deviled eggs, and what-not. Is it true you can get $10 for a turkey poult?

I am wishing everyone luck, and reading the threads about the MPC Contest eggs with strong interest.

Count: 12 Safeway Rock Island Red Star eggs
12 Trader Joe's white eggs (California whites?)

Thank You and Good Luck!

I have to add an egg to my total set. Couldn't resist the temptation this morning when my favorite hen laid me an egg.

So my total set is now at 15.

Updated. Thank You and Good Luck!

Quote: here are some of the eggs I set for the hatch along




I set 8 dz not all of them are shown here I had already put some in the bator and did not want to take them out
Thank You and Good Luck!

I couldn't resist adding the four eggs my girls layed this morning
2 bantam Cochin
2 giant Cochin

My new total is 47 :-D

Updated. Thank You and Good Luck!

I just added another egg. I couldn't help myself... Ok, after tonight, no more additions (especially since I'm over capacity)

Updated Thank You and Good Luck!

I actually set 17 eggs. I put 3 more in my Bator last night.

Update. Thank You and Good Luck!

18 spitz
12 Isbar
14 Wyandottes
8 wheaten Ameraucanas
= 52 in the incubator
+ 6 under a broody
= final count of 58 HAL eggs

Thank You and Good Luck!

Yeah I won't be able to set my eggs on time this year but I'm gonna watch you guys while I wait for my eggs to get here

Sorry. I hope you have a good hatch when you get your eggs!

@Sally Sunshine

I set 10 bantam Phoenix, 1 secret surprise for the hubs, 2 blue wheaten Ameruacana, 6 Silkied Ameruacana, 18 BBS SiAm splits, and 9 of my own mixed eggs fell in the bator so my total needs adjusted to 46

Thank You and Good Luck!

List is Current to Post 7161

 

[PhoredaBurds]

The containers that I use around here come with the tops attached to the rest of the container.

On the homemade box I use a very fine screen mesh wire that I wrap around the box to keep them from jumping over into another section.

The ones I got are clear plastic clam-shell type. My DH asked me what i need these containers for so I explained. He replied, "so they're like little chicken jails. Great." Yeah kinda, lol.

 

[NotAFarm]

Quote: My friend has two Welsummer hens and a rooster (along with some hatchery mixed layers) that she got 4 years ago from someone nearby. I don't know the person she got them from or the origin of the flock. She mentioned getting more eggs from him so I could find out. The chicks will be going back to my friend if any hatch. The eggs are of good size and the color is beautiful, terra cotta with darker speckles.

 

[Razadia]

Quote: Thank y'all!

It looks like I'm having another problem, though. I'm sure y'all know that I start candling on day 3. I just candled the rest of my eggs and there are a few that aren't showing any signs of life yet. Brown eggs are brown eggs, I'm not that worried about them. My Andalusian eggs are another matter, though. I should see something by now, but there's nothing going on in them. They could be slow to develop and I would consider that they're in a cold spot, but I have them in various areas of both bators and the eggs around them are developing.

I think Blizzard had decided that, since they're smaller than the rest of the hens, he isn't going to breed them. Oops... looks like I may be getting a new roo and building a pen just for Spot, Blue, and Andi. I think all of the other eggs from that pen are developing, so I won't be replacing him. Just downsizing his girls a bit and raising another pure breed. Since I've got 2 blue and one splash I'll be getting a black roo to go with them.

 

[GitaBooks]

I'm new to BYC, well as a member. Been reading the site for almost 2 yrs now. I just put my first batch of eggs in my hovabator on Tuesday, dang it! ( hope all 13 hatch...beginners luck) I would have waited if I saw the hatch a long sooner, always next yr

You can still hang out in the hatch-a-long! We don't mind early hatches.

Welcome to BYC!

 

[GitaBooks]

Well, I'm in the 2016 Easter Hatch-a-long now!

Saw some $2.99 a carton fertile white eggs at Trader Joe's. Could not resist. They are sitting in my 'bator with the Rock Island Safeway $4.49 brown eggs, air cells traced in pencil, x's and numbers on their sides, leaning at an angle in the bottom half of an egg carton with the undersides snipped out so they get some ventilation. Carbon dioxide builds up in the bottom of 'bators that have no ventilation holes in the bottom, and I think it could be the cause of mysterious chick mortality in plastic tote brooders and coolerbators that have no such holes.

I'm somewhat concerned that my first set of eggs, the brown ones, got baked when temps rose for unknown reasons and the eggs became quite hot to the touch. Also many of the brown eggs appear clear on being candled. I've read that the Rock Island fertile eggs have low levels of fertility. So Imma hedge my bets and do a staggered hatch with two kinds of eggs. When lockdown comes for the brown eggs, I'll put in a coffee cup with an inch of distilled water and a washcloth in it to spike the humidity, which has been running around 40-50%. The air cells on the brown eggs are looking good. The white eggs are 2 weeks old but just have little nickel and dime size air cells, and I noticed one saddle shaped air cell and one floating air cell. These eggs are all getting TLC and I am handling them as though they were shipped.

I got a ventilated plastic tote brooder set up with a 150w reptile bulb clamp lamp, a cheap terrarium thermometer, shredded newspaper for litter, a little jar and big lid for a waterer, and I am looking forward to actual bitty chickens. Will post pix.

The local feed store lets customers advertise their hatchlings for sale on a chalkboard out front. I know I can't keep them all; we are zoned for 6 pullets locally. The store in question sells vaccinated hatchery pullet chicks for $3.25 each, the breeds there now are White leghorns, Dominiques, Rhodies and Barred Rocks.

There's a local store that sells eggs of white turkeys for $2.00 a flat. Come April, I'm thinking of trying to hatch some of those when the chickens are sold off. If they turn out to be infertile on inspection, they still are good for omelets, deviled eggs, and what-not. Is it true you can get $10 for a turkey poult?

I am wishing everyone luck, and reading the threads about the MPC Contest eggs with strong interest.

Count: 12 Safeway Rock Island Red Star eggs
12 Trader Joe's white eggs (California whites?)

Welcome! So glad you could join!

Best of luck with your plans!

 

[Chickenluver106]

I'm gonna need to pull out because I still haven't set my eggs but I'm gonna watch ya'll do yo thang

 

[GitaBooks]

I am not hatching eggs, but some that hatch will be coming my way. Do you all mind if I comment occasionally?

Not at all! We'd love it if you hung around.

 

[Gray Angel Farm]

Thank you for that. I didn't know about the mirrors. I already have corn out- for the deer. LOL

My brothers wife just stretches a wire back and forth across the top of her chicken run to deter the hawks, seems to work wonderfully. I don't have an outdoor run built yet, but I plan to do the same thing.

 

[UGLYFOOT]

Hi Drey..do you put some kind of top on the container so they don't jump out?  I have three eggs I've set for a friend, they are blue, my eggs are EE's..so, they could come out looking a lot like one of mine...want to give this a try! 
  I remember someone on here uses potato sacks.  Sets a few in there, ties up the end.  I just worried about the little toes getting caught in the sack. 

I've heard of people using those lingere bags for the laundry also. She swears there feet don't get caught in the mesh.