2015 August hatch-a-long!!

[Ugadano]

Just set a dozen... all under my Easter Egger rooster.

Now that is a new one on me!

 

[Ugadano]

I'm getting confused with my musical nests. The hens keep trading places, I guess I need to make a screen door for each one to keep the laying hens out of the setter nests. I do have my eggs marked, so I can sort them from the new, figure out when they are due, but I need a better setup if I'm going to micromanage them like feathered incubators! Individual setter nest cages with food and water at the far end from the nest would be good. New project, huh?!?!

Plus I'm a dummy so I went ahead and set another dozen before all these current girls get squared away. I've been saving green shells and didn't want to wait any longer, plus I lost enough eggs and a chick to snakes or non-fertiles plus a cracked one I think the hens might have squabbled over. Anyway, the earlies out of the 2nd clutch went in under #1 mama with the other chicks. After candling again, the mixups from the ones that fell out onto the bedding are straight again, and I ended up with a hen sitting on nothing but a golf ball, so I gave her the new dozen. She's production red and a big girl, so she can cover them, plus it's 104 for several days here anyway. I could probably hatch them just by letting them sit in a box out there by their lonesome and just stir them morning and night! Solar incubator! Except it cools off way down to 82 like tonight. Ugh.

My incubator clutch is due Friday, probably really Saturday as I always seem to set eggs at midnight. I'm trying to keep my humidity up, but 59 is about as high as it goes. Before I set another clutch in the DIY incubator, I'm going to experiment with a lower placement bulb under where the sponges set. They get nearly dry and I add water 2x/day but the humidity doesn't seem to get much higher. I may need to mist the eggs with a sprayer occasionally. Back to the drawing board.

When I win the millions, I'm going to build the ideal chicken palace, and get some high-dollar incubators, and a couple of dedicated generators, and a solar panel array...and multiple pastures with 10 foot diamond wire fencing...and predator proof chicken tractors...and separate broody houses....and grow all my own grains...and...

 

[sunnypj]

Hi All, I am new to the site and all this "chicken stuff" I have 2 hens and one rooster. One hen lays eggs but the other doesn't and seems to be a bit broody but not enough. I left her with a batch of 5 eggs and she would sit on them for a while and then get up and go back to them later. This went on for the entire 21 days and I tried candling but they are darker brown eggs and could never see anything. tried the float test and they all were bad. She just seems to be part broody so I don't trust her to sit long enough to hatch a batch....so I got an incubator and put three eggs in. (remember I only have one hen that lays eggs so it takes a while) meanwhile my son brought over some eggs for the bator. He was feeling bad for me only having 3 eggs in there. So this is my first attempt and so far all of his eggs are viable but unfortunately at different stages so I am really worried about the success rate.

Seems a lot of late stage deaths and here I was feeling pretty good that all my eggs are moving around and appear healthy. So I wish I could tell you when the chicks are due but the only thing I know is that they are all due between now and a week from now. lol

send good thoughts my way!
thanks

 

[blkjak]

Silkie pip this morning. I tried to keep track of days with these eggs but I started them under a hen. Took them into the bator when she got off them. Then put them back under a hen when the eggs in the bator went into lockdown. Brought them back into the bator last saturday after the hatch was over. I have them at day 16 but 19 is more likely.

 

[GitaBooks]

Hi All, I am new to the site and all this "chicken stuff" I have 2 hens and one rooster. One hen lays eggs but the other doesn't and seems to be a bit broody but not enough. I left her with a batch of 5 eggs and she would sit on them for a while and then get up and go back to them later. This went on for the entire 21 days and I tried candling but they are darker brown eggs and could never see anything. tried the float test and they all were bad. She just seems to be part broody so I don't trust her to sit long enough to hatch a batch....so I got an incubator and put three eggs in. (remember I only have one hen that lays eggs so it takes a while) meanwhile my son brought over some eggs for the bator. He was feeling bad for me only having 3 eggs in there. So this is my first attempt and so far all of his eggs are viable but unfortunately at different stages so I am really worried about the success rate.

Seems a lot of late stage deaths and here I was feeling pretty good that all my eggs are moving around and appear healthy. So I wish I could tell you when the chicks are due but the only thing I know is that they are all due between now and a week from now. lol

send good thoughts my way!
thanks

Welcome to the Hatch-a-long

I hope that you get some great advise here.

 

[GitaBooks]

Silkie pip this morning. I tried to keep track of days with these eggs but I started them under a hen. Took them into the bator when she got off them. Then put them back under a hen when the eggs in the bator went into lockdown. Brought them back into the bator last saturday after the hatch was over. I have them at day 16 but 19 is more likely.

Sounds exciting! Did you try candling them?

 

[suliah]

Silkie pip this morning. I tried to keep track of days with these eggs but I started them under a hen. Took them into the bator when she got off them. Then put them back under a hen when the eggs in the bator went into lockdown. Brought them back into the bator last saturday after the hatch was over. I have them at day 16 but 19 is more likely.

Mine are on day 16 today... I wish I had miscounted and they were accidentally on day 19!

Send pics of your pips

 

[butterfliesdoku]

Now that is a new one on me! 

I think she meant the hens were covered by the EE rooster not that the eggs were placed under her EE rooster.

 

[GitaBooks]

The trio are doing very well. All of them can walk, they are able to find their own water, and they keep me up at night!!! They were moved out to the brooder today, and at first seemed a little nervous, but are starting to get curious now.

Adrian, Precious, and Enterprise


Enterprise proving how strong his legs are (he couldn't lift his head for over a day) and Adrian without a swollen neck

 

[suliah]

The trio are doing very well. All of them can walk, they are able to find their own water, and they keep me up at night!!! They were moved out to the brooder today, and at first seemed a little nervous, but are starting to get curious now.

Adrian, Precious, and Enterprise


Enterprise proving how strong his legs are (he couldn't lift his head for over a day) and Adrian without a swollen neck

Cute fluffballs!!!