2015 HALLOWEEN Hatch-a-Long, Join us IF YOU DARE!

[Peep-Chicken]

I'd like to join! I set eggs 4 days ago. So a little sooner then the 10th! Lol. But am actually thinking about having DH build an incubator with me this weekend, or at least buy another small one (48 egg capacity). We set some barnyard mix eggs. We set 48, some are silver sebright eggs. The rest are a mixture of what we have free ranging for a while, giving them a break before going back to their separate pens! We have: Lavender Orps, Lavender Ameraucana, BBS Ameraucana, Easter Eggers, French Black Copper Marans, Dominiques, real Araucanas (white), various bantam cochin varieties, mille Fleur D'Uccles, Silver Sebrights, Salmon Faverolles, sizzles, silkies, Cuckoo Marans, and then red sexlinks and other barnyard mix hens. We also have 3 varieties of turkeys.

We (me & DH) are chicken addicted! It's all we seem to talk and think about. We have about 150-200 birds and all of them have names, lol. We enjoy our feather babies. Lol.

Oh wow! I bet that'll be me in a few years. All of my chickens are named now, but I can't imagine that many names haha.

The summer heat is KILLING ME!

It's pretty cold here, I'll trade ya.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I can't keep up either lol!! I feel so stupid! DH was saying how the fan would keep the heat/air/humidity "level" so to speak.......I thought it made perfect sense!!! Duh!!! The fan should have been turned off and thats MY fault for not thinking it through. The first hatches I did were still air........the fan has been turned off. I did get 11 out of the 15 two didn't make it. After this hatch due tomorrow, the eggs are now spaced at a doable pace

I am not sure why Blarney uses still air for hatching, edit to add, most of us have found to use what works for us, in our areas, I have never heard of turning off fans for hatching, this is the time they need oxygen, and humidity. But I have NO NO NO IDEA what u are using

Again as I said in our PMs if u can get us pics more info we may be able to help you!

 

[sonshine15]

Thanks! Hope I do better than my last try, and more like my first try with this ladies eggs. Had a great hatch the first time around. I love her silkies too, and SG's.

I can't wait to see my Silkie babies!!! They're my favorite!!! Post your pics ok?

 

[orumpoultry]

Just checking in, I'm still here! Y'all have been awefully chatty since my last check in! Wow!

 

[ronott1]

I am not sure why Blarney uses still air for hatching, edit to add, most of us have found to use what works for us, in our areas, I have never heard of turning off fans for hatching, this is the time they need oxygen, and humidity. But I have NO NO NO IDEA what u are using

Again as I said in our PMs if u can get us pics more info we may be able to help you!

Turning the fan off for hatching is thought to keep the chicks from shrink wrapping. Although it might increase the time it takes for a chick to shrink wrap, it is not the biggest factor in this. The biggest factor or most common is incubation temperatures that are off during the first 18 days. There is also flock health and nutrition issues that cause shrink wrap\sticky chicks.

It is better to focus on getting good development during the first 18 days. Get a thermometer like the brinsea spot check, make sure the eggs are turned enough and use the cool down cycle. Sticky or shrink wrapped chicks happen because the chicks did not absorb the yolk and moisture correctly--in other words they did not develop well. They will not be very robust.

If they are from your flock, make sure that the breeding flock does not have parasites and are getting good nutrition. The egg farmer that I hatch for told me proudly that he fed is flock only scratch grains all winter! Then he wondered why he was getting low hatch rates. The flock never did recover from that mistake.

Note: Sally knows this stuff--I am posting for the group!

 

[tao chick]

Blurry selfie. The apron width is about 21". The ties are about 84" long total.

 

[RavenBlue]

Ok I couldn't decide between light Sussex, cream legbar or pekin ducks so I ordered 6 dozen quail (Japanese, texas A&m and button) instead for my Halloween hatch. I'm going to need a second bator now to do the others...

 

[kdunn716]

 Ok I couldn't decide between light Sussex, cream legbar or pekin ducks so I ordered 6 dozen quail (Japanese, texas A&m and button) instead for my Halloween hatch. I'm going to need a second bator now to do the others...

I have quail going right now. Where did you get button eggs tho? I couldnt find any :-/

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Just checking in, I'm still here! Y'all have been awefully chatty since my last check in! Wow!

just a bit!! ha ha ha how have you been!!

Blurry selfie. The apron width is about 21". The ties are about 84" long total.

love it!

Ok I couldn't decide between light Sussex, cream legbar or pekin ducks so I ordered 6 dozen quail (Japanese, texas A&m and button) instead for my Halloween hatch. I'm going to need a second bator now to do the others...

 

[RavenBlue]

I have quail going right now. Where did you get button eggs tho? I couldnt find any :-/

Yay my 8 year old son wants teeny fried quail eggs for breakfast like his friend lol so I'm like ok lets get us some quail. I'm in Canada so not sure it will help you but I ordered from P&L gamebirds.