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Hatches ☆
These are pictures and stories of my chicks I have hatched in the past!
Photo Album - Hatches
Chicken Hatch (Assorted)
Oct. 24, 2009
(Incubator #1: 11 eggs set, 8 eggs hatched)
Oct. 24, 2009
(Incubator #1: 11 eggs set, 8 eggs hatched)
These eggs were from Krazy K Farms.They were the first eggs I hatched in a homemade incubator. 10 out of 11 were fertile. After 2 failed attempts at hatching eggs I finally got a success! This incubator was very stressful to manage because it's thermostat wasn't automatic. For me it was nonstop staring at the incubator. | ||
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Once they hatched they were all over the place. In just one week they outgrew their box brooder! Every time I came in the bathroom (where the brooder was) to feed them mealworms for a treat, they sprung up all over me. I kept them for two weeks until I had to give them away. They're happy in their new farm. | |
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Duck Hatch (Khaki Campbell)
May 13, 2010
(Incubator #2: 13 eggs set, 10 eggs hatched)
May 13, 2010
(Incubator #2: 13 eggs set, 10 eggs hatched)
| These eggs were from Metzer Farms. Probably the best farm I bought eggs from! 13 eggs were sent and all of them were clean, uncracked and fertile. This was my fist time incubating eggs in a fan-forced incubator. The results were pretty much the same. It felt like forever waiting for these babies to hatch. The worst part was that they hatched while I was at school. What quick hatchers! | ||
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Ducklings grow so fast! They outgrew their brooder in four days! Luckily I had their new big brooder waiting for them.They were really messy and even though they had a pool and a special water dispenser, they got both of those dirty. I was practically cleaning them every day. Sadly one passed away because it was weak and there was nothing I could do about it. These ducklings were also sent to the same farm the chickens are at. | |
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Quail Hatch (Button)
Aug. 27, 2010
(Incubator #2: 13 eggs set, 5 hatched)
Aug. 27, 2010
(Incubator #2: 13 eggs set, 5 hatched)
| These eggs were bought from Strombergs. I didn't like it too much. 15 were sent but were packed poorly and incredibly filthy. I used the same fan-forced incubator on these ones since they were so fragile and tiny. Candling was a big waste since you couldn't see anything past day 3. On the 16th night they began to pop out. On the 17th morning the last one hatched, Taquito, who I still have today along with 2 others. Taquito is my favorite. | ||
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| They didn't outgrow their brooder for 3 weeks! I loved their convenient size. They were like little tiny bugs as chicks! I was going to give them away at a bird exchange but I loved them so much that I kept 3 of the 5. I gave one away to the exchange, but sadly one was killed by my cat. I actually blame myself for keeping him unattended in the house when it was supposed to be in the cage outside. | |
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Partridge Hatch (Chukar)
Jun. 4, 2011
(Incubator #2: 9 eggs set, 4 eggs hatched)
Jun. 4, 2011
(Incubator #2: 9 eggs set, 4 eggs hatched)
| These eggs were from B&D Gamebird Farm. They came nicely packed, but the ride was harsh. Many did not make it past day 3. This was the least stressful hatch because the incubator thermostat was really good this time mainly because I added heat sinks. They worked so well! The chicks took a very long time to hatch. They began on morning 23 and finished near nighttime on day 25. | ||
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They were so cute as chicks! They were as small as bantam chickens. They loved dust bathing and being very loud. This was a summer hatch. Summer hatches are always fun because of no school. After a month I gave them away to the exchange. I actually went to see them in their new home 2 months later and they grew so much! | |
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Quail Hatch (Button- First batch from my own quail)
Sept. 10, 2011
(Incubator #0.5: 10 eggs set, 8 hatched)
Sept. 10, 2011
(Incubator #0.5: 10 eggs set, 8 hatched)
| This batch was extremely unexpected. I noticed my quail get off some eggs after 3 days and I candled them and there were chicks inside! I didn't have a working incubator at the time so I used the backup Chickbator. With a LOT of re-furnishing I somehow managed to make the incubator somewhat reliable. There were complications during incubatoin. I had to leave one weekend and I took the entire incubator on a bumpy 2 hour ride! All but 2 survived that ride. | ||
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| They hatched right when I got home on a Friday night. The entire experience was thrilling. I have myself a pat on the back for actually hatching something with a $15 ChickBator! They had amazing colors. Some Silvers even had bibs and I had some Blue Faced males in here too. They found good homes very quickly. | |
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Quail Hatch (Button- Second batch from my own quail)
Oct. 15, 2011
(Incubator #0.5: 12 eggs set, 6 eggs hatched)
Oct. 15, 2011
(Incubator #0.5: 12 eggs set, 6 eggs hatched)
| Not long after the first batch from my quail I decided to collect more of their eggs and hatch them with the Chickbator again. There were no real complications to this batch, but since there were less they were easier to handle. Sadly one out of the 6 passed away not long after hatching. It was a cute color. | ||
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| I kept this batch for a very long time. Exactly a year in fact. They were a nice extension to the group, and a perfect alarm clock. I began to notice each of their personalities too. I wish I had given them names. Sadly over the summer, the Wild Type female passed away from being egg bound. This type of thing is just something you have to live with. | |
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Quail Hatch (Button- Third batch from my own quail)
Aug. 5, 2012
(Incubator #0: 10 eggs laid, 9 eggs hatched)
Aug. 5, 2012
(Incubator #0: 10 eggs laid, 9 eggs hatched)
| This batch has quite a story. Over the summer I gave the hens a new nesting box. My quail Doom took a liking to this one and when I came back from my mini vacation I noticed she was sitting on eggs! At first I was going to take them because I know that buttons don't usually stay broody, but this time I decided to see what would happen. They were due to hatch the day I was coming back from Hawaii. The morning after coming back from the airport I looked in and, to my surprise, saw chicks in the nest! | ||
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| I was so happy that the eggs made it. I took 2 late eggs and put them in my incubator because mom was busy with the others. Unfortunatly, the mom wasn't too ready for chicks and killed 2 of them. I ended up taking them all in. It was really too bad, but at least I saved 6. I named the 2 late ones Nesquick and Butters,one after chocolate milk mix and the other after a character in my favorite show. Since then, my button quail have had several more chicks over the years. | |
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Duck Hatch (Assorted)
Aug. 20, 2013
(Incubator #2.5: 7 eggs set, 4 eggs hatched)
Aug. 20, 2013
(Incubator #2.5: 7 eggs set, 4 eggs hatched)
| I bought assorted duck eggs off ebay for the first time. They all came in good shape and were all fertile. I didn't have a working incubator at the time, so I quickly made a still air incubator which worked well! The hatch was very slow and for some reason they were all shrink wrapped, but after I helped them they became healthy and strong. | ||
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| One of them was a Muscovy and I left it in the incubator for an extra week. The other chicks who were already twice as big as him accepted him into the group. Ducks are very messy with their water! | |
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Quail Hatch (Button)
Sept. 24, 2013
(Incubator #0: 5 eggs set, 3 eggs hatched, 0 survived)
Sept. 24, 2013
(Incubator #0: 5 eggs set, 3 eggs hatched, 0 survived)
| This was a sad and unexpected batch. I didn't know that my quail was sitting on eggs, and one day I went to feed them and I saw hatching eggs scattered everywhere! She must have kicked them out when they started to hatch. | |
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| I put them in an incubator and tried to save them, but they were already too cold for too long. 3 out of the 5 eggs that I found hatched, but none of them made it to the next day. | |
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Quail Hatch (Button)
Apr. 23, 2014
(Incubator #0: 6 eggs set, 5 eggs hatched)
Apr. 23, 2014
(Incubator #0: 6 eggs set, 5 eggs hatched)
My quail incubated these ones. I know she has a thing for killing chicks after they hatch, so during lockdown I put them inside a small incubator. She did a good job! | ||
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I put plants and hiding spots in their brooder for a change. They really liked it. When they got older, the two males started fighting so I separated them. They were all cute. | |
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Quail Hatch (Button)
May 27, 2014
(Incubator #0: 4 eggs set, 3 eggs hatched)
May 27, 2014
(Incubator #0: 4 eggs set, 3 eggs hatched)
This was the last batch from my quail before she stopped laying due to her old age. After she incubated them, I took the eggs and put them in the incubator so she wouldn't abuse them. 1 egg was infertile, and one was very weak after hatching and died. | ||
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The two that survived looked like their parents. One was a wild type and the other was a silver. They got along well despite being both males. These were my quail's last babies. | |
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Chicken Hatch (Assorted Bantam)
Oct. 8, 2014
(Incubator #3: 12 eggs set, 5 eggs hatched)
Oct. 8, 2014
(Incubator #3: 12 eggs set, 5 eggs hatched)
I ordered more chicken eggs off ebay in assorted colors. I hadn't incubated chickens for several years and I wanted to try it again. Because of shipping, some of the eggs didn't start developing, but most of the ones that were viable hatched. | ||
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They came in so many cute bantam colors. I liked to let them roam around in my backyard and hunt for bugs. They got along very well with my cat and my rabbit. They would often charge at me if they saw me carrying the food bag! | |
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Chicken Hatch (Assorted)
March 1, 2015
(Incubator #3: 7 eggs set, 5 eggs hatched)
March 1, 2015
(Incubator #3: 7 eggs set, 5 eggs hatched)
These eggs were from a local farm that had extra eggs and gave them to me when I visited. During incubation, 2 died early, and after hatching, 1 died because it hatched with its yolk outside of its body. The remaining 4 were very cute. | ||
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1 chick turned out to be an Ancona rooster, and the other 3 were all female Silver Dorkings. I had to get rid of the rooster when he began to crow. The females were very friendly, but the rooster wouldn't let me go 10 feet near him without flying away! | |
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Chicken Hatch (Silkie)
August 26, 2015
(Incubator #3: 16 eggs set, 2 eggs hatched)
| These eggs were stressful to obtain! I bought 12 silkie eggs on ebay a week prior, and when they arrived, they were already half developed and DEAD when they arrived at my house. I complained to the person who sold them to me that the eggs were pre-incubated and old, and they didn't believe me until I sent pictures! However, the good news is that I bought 12 more eggs from a different seller (WHO ENDED UP SENDING 16!) and they were fresh and clean! | ||
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Shipping really does a number on eggs. Even with my perfect incubation conditions, only 1 hatched, probably due to the insides of all the others being messed up by the postage. This was very bad luck, and what was worse is that the chick who was all alone was chirping all night! I had to rush to a pet store to get another chick for him to comfort him. After that, they became best friends! | |
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Chicken Hatch (Assorted)
March 9, 2016
(Incubator #3: 12 eggs set, 2 eggs hatched)
March 9, 2016
(Incubator #3: 12 eggs set, 2 eggs hatched)
| The next spring I decided to get more eggs to see if I could get a better hatch than last time. I ordered 12 assorted eggs off ebay again, and they were all packaged nicely and none were broken. | ||
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Even after checking that the incubation conditions were perfect, only 2 hatched! I'm starting to wonder if something in my incubator is making my hatches bad, but at least they were both very cute! The hen was a White Leghorn and the rooster was a Brahma. | |
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