3rd Annual New Year's Day Hatch!!

[champer]

Newbie here. I ordered some eggs that should arrive today, but since this is my first hatch and I've read shipped eggs can be iffy aand because I don't know what I'm doing, I tried to find some locally. OMG, everyone I spoke to thought I was nuts for trying to hatch now and said they didn't think I'd have any luck finding fertile eggs this time of year. One lady will give me a few eggs, but isn't at all sure her roos are on the job, so to speak. So, it's a huge disconnect to come on this forum and read about the eggs flying all over the country and the numbers of eggs people are setting! I can see how this could become addicting lol, thanks for letting me join in!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Training people at work all day... finally got to lunch. Almost time to go home, too.

Champer, where are you located? I have some fertile eggs (my boy still isn't getting the full deed done with all 37 girls, slacker) that you're welcome to if you're in central Maine.

 

[AK Michelle]

Quote:
First, welcome to the party

It is a highly addictive thing to hatch fuzzies, and there is no known cure. Oh, and it's the most contagious affliction I know of. I've seen people spread it without even being in the same room!

There is a huge disconnect but I think it's like so many other things. The ones who want to, do, and the other ones, well, it just occur to them to try.

It is a tough time of year in many parts of the country because temps are not conducive to chick surviving outdoors. At my old house, I would never have dreamed of hatching this time of year. I simply didn't have room to hatch or house chicks inside. I only moved a 1/2 mile away but it's a much bigger house and it has a garage. Last year I hatched in an incubator in the craft room and brooded them in the garage till they were feathered out and could go outside. I had chicks in the garage for months!

This year, we have a new barn, where I can control the temps, so I'm going to keep broodies in an area that won't drop below 40*F, which is plenty warm enough for the hens to keep the eggs nice and toasty.

As for fertility, my chickens are fertile year round. I periodically check my eggs when I am cooking and have yet to NOT see a bullseye, except for the turkey eggs but that's a whole nother story

I have friends that are experienced chicken people, they firmly believe eggs cannot be fertile in winter.

It's their opinion and they are welcome to it.

As a die-hard addict, I say Hatch On!

 

[Melissa Rose]

Quote:
First, welcome to the party

It is a highly addictive thing to hatch fuzzies, and there is no known cure. Oh, and it's the most contagious affliction I know of. I've seen people spread it without even being in the same room!

There is a huge disconnect but I think it's like so many other things. The ones who want to, do, and the other ones, well, it just occur to them to try.

It is a tough time of year in many parts of the country because temps are not conducive to chick surviving outdoors. At my old house, I would never have dreamed of hatching this time of year. I simply didn't have room to hatch or house chicks inside. I only moved a 1/2 mile away but it's a much bigger house and it has a garage. Last year I hatched in an incubator in the craft room and brooded them in the garage till they were feathered out and could go outside. I had chicks in the garage for months!

This year, we have a new barn, where I can control the temps, so I'm going to keep broodies in an area that won't drop below 40*F, which is plenty warm enough for the hens to keep the eggs nice and toasty.

As for fertility, my chickens are fertile year round. I periodically check my eggs when I am cooking and have yet to NOT see a bullseye, except for the turkey eggs but that's a whole nother story

I have friends that are experienced chicken people, they firmly believe eggs cannot be fertile in winter.

It's their opinion and they are welcome to it.

As a die-hard addict, I say Hatch On!

Here in South Texas the fall and mostly non-exsistent winter weather is kinder to hatching. Our summers are so brutally hot that it makes it hard. I used to have a lovely craft room but it has since been turned into my tortoise room

. I then combined my guest room with my craft room but now the guest room has been turned into my hatchery

My chicklets are just so awesome I don't really have much time for crafting these days. Some days I find myself just sitting and enjoying my precious feathers

Happy hatching to all

 

[champer]

Hi superchemicalgirl! That's so kind of you to offer eggs, but I'm in CA, couldn't get too much farther away! I'll have 24 shipped eggs and some from this local woman. I'll be happy if only 1 hatches; any prizes for the least number hatched? lol

Thanks for the welcome AK Michelle! I'm seriously hoping these local eggs will be fertile, maybe the roos are just being secretive in their amorous adventures!
That's great that you have a barn to use, I'll brood in the house I think.

 

[LarryPQ]

OOOOH I SO want to go home and see if any more of Mahonri's chicks have hatched.

The little guy was 2 days early, and I don't have a temp brooder set up yet. LOL!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Quote:
Yeah, that's a bit far. I haven't been out to Cali yet although I do want to eventually.

I brood in the house too, and they get kicked out of the house at around 6 weeks, regardless of the outdoor temperature, seriously. They're fine. I don't baby them in the brooder because of our temps here, but I do make sure they're comfortable. That whole 95 degrees thing for a week... nope. Once they hit day 3 and they start becoming active they start getting weaned from the light.

Haven't lost a chick yet to anything other than my own culling (bad neck) or a chicken attack (when they brood in the coop under Momma).

 

[Mahonri]

Quote:
YIKES! She must have sent them fertilized and started for two days already!

My broody is going to love raising these chicks... (hope there's more than one) She's been on the nest for over 3 weeks.

 

[AK Michelle]

Quote:
Ditto, no fair weather flocks around here. You gotta be tough enough to make it or ...

 

[Mahonri]

All of my eggs but the ones that are laid tomorrow and Saturday are ready to put into the bators on Sunday.

All of the Polish and 7 Swedish Flower Hen eggs are arrived intact
... and the flower hen eggs inner box was wrapped in Christmas paper. LOVE YOU MARY!!! (THE Sheriff!)

WAHOO!!!