🍃August Hatch-a-Long🍃

[CindyinSD]

This is little Sally and one of three chicks she hatched out sometime yesterday. She herself was only hatched early this year. We're very proud of her. I suspect the little one out front is a boy, on the scant grounds of his boldness and the spot on his wee head. The other two are black as well—and a bit more shy.

I don't know whose eggs I gave her but one that hatched was blue. She had five, hatched three, one was clear, another quit maybe halfway along. She was very dedicated and did a great job, so she earned a special bracelet—a ticket to a long life here on our little farm. I have many black ladies. Don't want to accidentally eat a good mommy hen.

 

[CindyinSD]

I have a 3 year old hen going broody... never before... anyone have a hen wait so long before going broody?

I have one just about three years old who recently hatched three littles for me. She's a Columbian Wyandotte. I gave my broodies random eggs. It's so funny. The first, a Buckeye, hatched three reddish & two black. The second, the (white & black) CW, hatched three yellow. The third & fourth, both black, hatched one black and three black, respectively. Ain't genetics a hoot?

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

Set these away today!

Will be adding a few more to them tomorrow.

 

[Dinoroar]

Set these away today!

Will be adding a few more to them tomorrow.

View attachment 2283911

Whose in there?

I’ve got 3 quail eggs in lockdown. Two pipped this morning since I took the picture so lol fluffs soon

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

Whose in there?

I’ve got 3 quail eggs in lockdown. Two pipped this morning since I took the picture so lol fluffs soon

Bantam Silkies

Good luck with your quails!

 

[Vantic]

Thank you, it sounds like a great incubator. I have a tractor supply near me so I will look into it. Do you also mind sharing how you usually go about hatching eggs; humidity, temperature, etc, and any special actions you take with them to get that high of hatch rate?

I have to chime in here. What is the environment you will have the incubator in? The recommended one (I sent back two of them) because they wouldn't hold temp in my 60ish degree basement. So if you are going to have them in a household temp room 75+ degrees. I agree with FortCluck. If not, don't do it.

 

[Vantic]

She was very dedicated and did a great job, so she earned a special bracelet—a ticket to a long life here on our little farm. I have many black ladies. Don't want to accidentally eat a good mommy hen.

I really like the idea of banding successful mama's. I will have to copy you on this one (when I let them be broody).

 

[Swiss]

I have a 3 year old hen going broody... never before... anyone have a hen wait so long before going broody?

My sister and her husband had never had a chicken go broody in at least 3 years of chicken-keeping. I asked them a few weeks ago if they had ever had a broody, and she said, "No, but we probably will now!" She texted the other day that they have a broody! Whoops!

 

[Vantic]

I'm sitting in my basement, coding a game, but I'm distracted by the pips that appeared in the incubator while I was working with the other animals this morning. And it struck me.

As the incubation process trucks along, I am careful. But I find myself judging how things are going very fatalistically. Comments to the wife like, well I'll be surprised if anything hatches now.... When the temps get a little wonky or the humidity spends the day being off. For example.

And then after 20/21 days you see the pips and hear the little cheeps. I don't know about you guys, but I could feel my body "let out that breath" that I didn't know I'd been holding for 20 days. And this is why we are addicted.

Well, that is as physiological as I can get. Back to talking to the pending hatch, cheep cheep cheep.

 

[Vantic]

First one out. BBS Maran