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

[Sueg4332]

Decided to set Bantams today with turkey eggs. maybe If they hatch can teach turkeys to eat and drink.
My fertility has sucked on my eggs. and I cannot figure out why. At least 2/3s are duds.
So will see with the turkeys and the bantams only have one young rooster the old bird passed away 2 weeks ago...
so official count
10 turkeys
24 bantams
30 misc breeds ranch chickens
=
64 total

PS. the fox is back saw it yesterday packing one of my chickens off. 6:15 am. Boy he a smart devil. Waited for him this morning no show or lurking in the field next store.
Good luck everyone Happy Hatching

 

[generaldsherman]

Decided to set Bantams today with turkey eggs. maybe If they hatch can teach turkeys to eat and drink.
My fertility has sucked on my eggs. and I cannot figure out why. At least 2/3s are duds.
So will see with the turkeys and the bantams only have one young rooster the old bird passed away 2 weeks ago...
so official count
10 turkeys
24 bantams
30 misc breeds ranch chickens
=
64 total

PS. the fox is back saw it yesterday packing one of my chickens off. 6:15 am. Boy he a smart devil. Waited for him this morning no show or lurking in the field next store.
Good luck everyone Happy Hatching

Oh, No!! Good luck catching it.

 

[TJordan]

Decided to set Bantams today with turkey eggs.  maybe If they hatch can teach turkeys to eat and drink. 
My fertility has sucked on my eggs.  and I cannot figure out why.  At least 2/3s are duds.
So will see with the turkeys and the bantams only have one young rooster the old bird passed away 2 weeks ago...
so official count
10 turkeys
24 bantams
30 misc breeds ranch chickens
=
64  total

PS.  the fox is back saw it yesterday packing one of my chickens off.  6:15 am.  Boy he a smart devil.  Waited for him this morning no show or lurking in the field next store.
Good luck everyone  Happy Hatching

Looks like a long night camping out.

 

[Lozuufy]

Of course the favorite pair won't. I think it's like they know you want them too.

One of the three roosters is much smaller so still hoping he's a she. I do like their colors. Although right now they are still developing their colors

This morning they actually started building a nest!

It would be funny if the female (Nutty) laid eggs in time for the H-A-L

. Not very likely though

, knowing her she'd probably purposely delay laying eggs til after the set date (I won't tell her there is a two day widow for setting eggs

)

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?)

Heritage breeds of turkeys (day-olds) tend to sell for $10-$15, Broad Breasted bronze and B-B whites sell for about $8 (around here).

My pre-HAL hatch ran into a hiccup. One of the lightbulbs burned out for 6 to 8 hours so I have a delayed hatch. So I have my 109 A&Ms in the cradle turners and the hatching eggs at the bottom on the floor of the bator. The low water trays are covered with hardware cloth to keep anyone from drowning. These should have hatched between Thursday and Saturday. I was beginning to dispair that anything would hatch. So I went down to turn the eggs and check the humidity and one of the silver coturnix had zipped!

I went to lay it on the ground (it was in a quail tray) so it could kick out easier. When I picked up the egg it gave a squirm and the legs unfolded and he popped right out of the egg into my hand.

So even if nothing else hatches I have one silver quail!
I'll get some pics posted tomorrow.

Yay for the silver quail!!! My silvers are hatching today, 3 are out so far!

(but one is just normal brown with stripes)

 

[RoodyRodchester]

I hope this is ok to post here since its for my first batch of eggs that are a few days ahead of my EHAL. But it could affect my EAHL so I thought I'd ask.

I set some eggs a week ago and when I went to candle the eggs half of my leghorn ones where clear. I only have one Roo and 2 hens in this group. They are about 4 maybe 5 years old. All of the other hens (brown layer) eggs where fertile but she only lays every other day. If he isn't fertilizing half of just 2 hens is there a chance he's becoming infertile? What age do they stop fertilizing? I'm trying to build up my stock while also purchasing some from the local feed store but I need to know if I need a new Roo. Because if he isn't doing well with 2 idk how he will do with 10. His a silver laced wydontta if that matters.

 

[GitaBooks]

Wish I could participate this year but my eggs aren't here yet..... My fault
Always next year... but this year I get to watch the experts and learn from them

We don't mind a late setting. Feel free to stick around.

Believe it or not about three months ago he was about to be culled. I got the all the stuff out to cull him. Because I turned my back one mourning started walking. Next thing I know he was coming right at me. He didn't attack he just put his feathers on his neck out and stood his ground at me. I chased him down grabbed him and through him in a dog cage to be culled. Well long story short it's my mom and girlfriends favorite rooster. So they begged me then my mom put down the mom hammer. So he got a stay of execution. I told them they had 1 month cause they swore to work with him. They go out and feed him treats now and pet him. And we haven't had a problem since. Even after are scuffle the one time he eats out of my hand now. So I'm glad they rehabilitated him cause he's a beautiful our breed black Minorca. But I still keep a close eye on him. So far so good. I have little nephews so I have a zero aggressive rooster tolerance. My 3 year old nephew Liam loves to go out and feed the chickens. But Merlin is doing good now and hasn't shown any aggression since the one time. Maybe something spooked him or something that day I'm not sure.

We've had some aggressive roosters that turned around as they aged and others that DIDN'T. I like to give them a bit of a chance. A rooster that shows his hackles or grumbles at you is more likely to change then one that pecks at your hand or lunges at you a lot.
I'm glad you got to keep him. : )

Hey my first rooster was just as sweet as could be until he hit maturity. My son went out with me and he found his first egg (my avatar picture). He was holding it up showing me. Moments later I turn to get another egg and hear him scream. That rooster had sliced my son from knee to mid calf. He was good eating

but my son is scared of the roosters now. The hens he will play with but stays far from the Roos.

Yep, when it comes to our family its people first, then chickens. Any mean rooster has to go if they try to hurt anyone.

Morning! I wasnt intending to enter, but I set 18 eggs on Saturday, at noon! & eng. jubilee orp. the rest are just what my ladies laid that day to fill the bator!

Welcome!

This morning they actually started building a nest!

It would be funny if the female (Nutty) laid eggs in time for the H-A-L

. Not very likely though

, knowing her she'd probably purposely delay laying eggs til after the set date (I won't tell her there is a two day widow for setting eggs

)

Heritage breeds of turkeys (day-olds) tend to sell for $10-$15, Broad Breasted bronze and B-B whites sell for about $8 (around here).

Yay for the silver quail!!! My silvers are hatching today, 3 are out so far!

(but one is just normal brown with stripes)

Awesome!

 

[Eps32]

Anyone had any experience with Meyer hatchery Blue Ameraucana. Not the EE but the true Ameraucana. They go for like 20 a chick. I'm thinking about ordering some for July. But I want to make sure there true Ameraucana.

 

[junebuggena]

Anyone had any experience with Meyer hatchery Blue Ameraucana. Not the EE but the true Ameraucana. They go for like 20 a chick. I'm thinking about ordering some for July. But I want to make sure there true Ameraucana.

Yes, they are true Ameraucana. You might not get show quality, but at least they are the real thing, and sexed too.

 

[TJordan]

Yes, they are true Ameraucana. You might not get show quality, but at least they are the real thing, and sexed too.

yeah make sure. I got 2 "Ameracana" chicks a week ago and then the lady said (after I bought them) that they were EEs. It's ok but still. Feed stores should have correct labels.

 

[junebuggena]

yeah make sure. I got 2 "Ameracana" chicks a week ago and then the lady said (after I bought them) that they were EEs. It's ok but still. Feed stores should have correct labels.

Meyer Hatchery Blue Ameraucana really are Ameraucana. They are honest about their birds. Their Easter Eggers are properly sold as Easter Eggers.