Ended 14th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-Along—Hatching Fowl Photo Contest

[ChickenTenderKesha]

Wow, what an awesome hen! Do you still have her? If she's a faithful broody (I'm meaning that she'll go broody year after year), I'd keep hatching chicks under her.

I unfortunately had to rehome my previous flock entirely when I had moved to a different apartment no longer in the country. That hen ended up living with a new flock which ended up getting attacked by a fox and she and many others did not make it unfortunately. More than half his flock was wiped out and he was left with only 2 hens and I’m unsure if he has gotten more or not.
Edit: all of the three that had the most Silkie look to them never stopped being broody actually lol

I do have genetics from her sisters though in my new chicks! Plus I’m hoping to find some of the same mix that she was (if I’m able to truly figure out what her cross truly is :’))

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I unfortunately had to rehome my previous flock entirely when I had moved to a different apartment no longer in the country. That hen ended up living with a new flock which ended up getting attacked by a fox and she and many others did not make it unfortunately. More than half his flock was wiped out and he was left with only 2 hens and I’m unsure if he has gotten more or not.
Edit: all of the three that had the most Silkie look to them never stopped being broody actually lol

I do have genetics from her sisters though in my new chicks! Plus I’m hoping to find some of the same mix that she was (if I’m able to truly figure out what her cross truly is :’))

I'm so sorry to hear all of that! That had to be so hard when you received the news of the attack. On rehoming your whole flock, I had to do that a few years back, but for a different reason. My backyard had to be dug up then I ended up doing a lot of traveling. I had to rehome one of my best brooders during that time too. She was a six year old Buff Orpington named Joy and she hatched every year. She was special because I was supposed to be retiring my Orpingtons the year of her first hatch, but my grandfather allowed her to hatch some chicks while I was away, so she was raising chicks as I was rehoming all my retireds for the year.

That's good!

 

[ChickenTenderKesha]

Not An Entry
The other photos of Juan hatching!

I remember I hadn’t had time to check that morning before work so he had externally pipped over night and I got to catch just before zipping if not the very beginning of zipping

And then 2 hours later, he had been zipping and mom was helping him by eating the shell!

I had returned him under mom and he ended up popping out not long after but only part way! So he was like a little turtle

Funny how brains work.. I had completely forgotten about this experience until I saw the photos I took during it..

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Not An Entry
The other photos of Juan hatching!

I remember I hadn’t had time to check that morning before work so he had externally pipped over night and I got to catch just before zipping if not the very beginning of zipping
View attachment 3460776
And then 2 hours later, he had been zipping and mom was helping him by eating the shell!
View attachment 3460777
I had returned him under mom and he ended up popping out not long after but only part way! So he was like a little turtle
View attachment 3460779

Funny how brains work.. I had completely forgotten about this experience until I saw the photos I took during it..

Thank you for sharing these pictures! What an amazing experience! As far as the mother eating the shell, is that ok? I've heard that there's a lot of bacteria that could be bad for them to eat.

 

[ChickenTenderKesha]

Thank you for sharing these pictures! What an amazing experience! As far as the mother eating the shell, is that ok? I've heard that there's a lot of bacteria that could be bad for them to eat.

I’m not sure and didn’t really plan to hatch these eggs out. I had been away for a week and a half at a convention when this had happened and they are too far along for me to have the heart to toss the eggs, they unfortunately left a few babies in the nest basically ready to hatch so I don’t think they were the best moms to sit for the full duration of hatching but they sat for long enough to get one egg out. The others were late probably because they started incubating after as the broody hens hadn’t been separated from the other hens and were in the favoured nesting box.

It wasn’t the best situation but Pearl had been a great mother to Juan when the time came down to it. Pip was a little more flighty and not as high in the pecking order so she was not as protective as Pearl had been which was interesting enough. Terry, the third hen that constantly went broody, was similar to Pip and the two of them weren’t as broody hard as Pearl had been and weren’t as dedicated to sitting for long periods which is why I think Pip ended up leaving the nest when Pearl took Juan out bc she just wanted the chicks I don’t think she wanted to really sit that long .. they were an interesting flock I had previously that’s for sure!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I’m not sure and didn’t really plan to hatch these eggs out. I had been away for a week and a half at a convention when this had happened and they are too far along for me to have the heart to toss the eggs, they unfortunately left a few babies in the nest basically ready to hatch so I don’t think they were the best moms to sit for the full duration of hatching but they sat for long enough to get one egg out. The others were late probably because they started incubating after as the broody hens hadn’t been separated from the other hens and were in the favoured nesting box.

It wasn’t the best situation but Pearl had been a great mother to Juan when the time came down to it. Pip was a little more flighty and not as high in the pecking order so she was not as protective as Pearl had been which was interesting enough. Terry, the third hen that constantly went broody, was similar to Pip and the two of them weren’t as broody hard as Pearl had been and weren’t as dedicated to sitting for long periods which is why I think Pip ended up leaving the nest when Pearl took Juan out bc she just wanted the chicks I don’t think she wanted to really sit that long .. they were an interesting flock I had previously that’s for sure!

They sound like it! I wonder how Pip would have done if she wasn't sharing a nest with Pearl. Like would she have been a good mother on her own, or not?

 

[ChickenTenderKesha]

They sound like it! I wonder how Pip would have done if she wasn't sharing a nest with Pearl. Like would she have been a good mother on her own, or not?

I’m unsure if she would sit for the full duration or if she joined Pearl after she had already started sitting and was only there for a short time. All I ever had to do to break them was lock them out of the coop for a day free ranging with the others and just move the nest boxes around or take the bedding out and they would knock it off for a week or two and then go back for a few days until I did that again and they eventually calmed down some when the weather was really really nice and they were going out free ranging more often on the property. They really only started up if they had to be locked in the coop and run during yucky weather !

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I’m unsure if she would sit for the full duration or if she joined Pearl after she had already started sitting and was only there for a short time. All I ever had to do to break them was lock them out of the coop for a day free ranging with the others and just move the nest boxes around or take the bedding out and they would knock it off for a week or two and then go back for a few days until I did that again and they eventually calmed down some when the weather was really really nice and they were going out free ranging more often on the property. They really only started up if they had to be locked in the coop and run during yucky weather !

Wow, they're wicked easy to break on broodiness. My poor broody needs a few days in broody jail to break her. (I'm currently not hatching right now nor do I have a rooster. ) Right now my broody is still laying eggs, so I can't put her in broody jail yet. She's a difficult one because she's so determined to be broody that she'll live in the nesting box like she is broody, but she'll keep laying eggs to keep me happy. She's fluffing up more, so I think she's going to stop the eggs soon. I haven't hatched under her yet, but I'm concerned she wouldn't be a good mother because she's so clumsy. Plus I got other hens that I'd rather hatch under too.

 

[ChickenTenderKesha]

Wow, they're wicked easy to break on broodiness. My poor broody needs a few days in broody jail to break her. (I'm currently not hatching right now nor do I have a rooster. ) Right now my broody is still laying eggs, so I can't put her in broody jail yet. She's a difficult one because she's so determined to be broody that she'll live in the nesting box like she is broody, but she'll keep laying eggs to keep me happy. She's fluffing up more, so I think she's going to stop the eggs soon. I haven't hatched under her yet, but I'm concerned she wouldn't be a good mother because she's so clumsy. Plus I got other hens that I'd rather hatch under too.

Pearl was the same! Needed a crate suspended in the coop with food and water and no bedding and a perch to sleep on
Oh she sounds adorable just by doing that ahahaha! She is a sweetie just like Pearl was

 

[Corbdee]

I had read somewhere (either a reply in here or somewhere else maybe the main thread ?) that it will end sometime in April but there’s no specific date set yet that I’ve heard!

EDITED TO ADD:
Rule 14 states this!

Thank you. I did already read all the rules and the whole first post religiously was just wondering if a specific date was chosen yet.

It currently hasn't been decided yet, but on last year's contest, it ended April 30th. I'm assuming it'll be ending the same time this year.

Oh gotcha thank you. So my future harchlings will still most likely have a chance! They hatch April 15.