4th Annual BYC NYD Hatch-a-long

[chicken fever]

Does anyone have the coupon email for feed they could forward me? I never got it and I need feed

 

[mommaclucker]

Oh my gosh, you started all over again! LOL. My youngest is 11 and I had her when I was 38 years old (yah, I'm 49) I have an age spread too ;P At least when you're an older parent you tend not to over-protect (anymore, LOL) and I kinda think, if the kid survives, they're stronger, like MarineCorpFarmr said

We, too started over! Our first two are about to be 25 & 22, then we have two adopted they are 15 & 14! (YEA I'm almost 49, too) We have raised horses for 12 years, and my kids almost never get sick! I really believe the dirt is good for them! And the work ethic they get from having animals to be responsible for doesn't hurt them either!

lol yes we did I just turned 40 and have to say this time around has been a bit easier not as stressful in some ways and I believe in exposing my kids to GERMS its good for them to build up a resistance and my kids go outside and play even when its cold and on the really really cold days they still go with me to tend to the animals

 

[mommaclucker]

just secured myself some swedish flower hen eggs for the nyd hatch im so excited Ive wanted these eggs for months. Im also getting my lost eggs replaced thanks to the great seller on ebay there suppose to arrive Monday got my fingers crossed they make it here this time would it hurt to put them in a cool room and wait 8 days and also add those to my nyd batch.


Ive had one egg hatch and 2 pipped for hours now Ugh I hate when they take a long time to start to zip makes me wanna get in there and fiddle. I think ive made a 100 trips to check on the progress. I think im gonna go outside and go take my girls some treats and try to keep myself busy and my hands off the incubator.

 

[cochins1088]

Hey guys!

How long does it take for chickens to begin laying again with added light to legthen their days. It's getting absolutely rediculous... 20 hens and I honestly haven't seen an egg in 4 weeks. One is molting and one is coming out of a molt but the other 18 have no excuse. So, if I added light just temporarily, like for the next 2 weeks, would they begin laying eggs in time for the hatch along? I know every chicken is different, but just a ball park guess would be nice because I won't do it unless I will most likely get eggs for the hatch along.

Thanks!

 

[Bettacreek]

I'm in. I was actually planning on putting some eggs in for a new year's hatch, lol.

ETA: Is there a minimum number that we need to incubate? I recall seeing something like 25 eggs, but I'm thinking that was only for the lowest hatch rate? My ducks and chickens haven't been laying super swell lately, so I know I cannot get 25 eggs. I'll be doing two different set dates, one for the ducks (I'll be setting cornish eggs then as well for an xmas hatch) then a week later more cornish eggs for this hatch.

 

[cluck-cluck]

No no no, I'm quite certain to participate fully, you only have to hatch one egg! So really, as many as you'd like

BTW, what an adorable little baby you have there!

I'm busy adjusting my incubator, My last adjustment put it up to 100, the time before that 98.2, and I'm having a tough time moving the little dial to somewhere in between, LOL Perhaps I'm being too picky?

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Evening all, spent the day driving to TSC to get cattle panels, then to lowes for my field fencing (gotta love a military discount there) and unails and oh my the list was long. Gotta get to building the hoop coops though with all of this hatching we have ahead.

Muscovy eggs are growing, goose eggs are set. Collecting duck eggs daily to set this week and lined up a ton of our own eggs and shipped eggs for chickens.

 

[AlivianAcres]

Is it at all possible to do a staggered hatch in 1 incubator?

 

[CluckyCharms]

Is it at all possible to do a staggered hatch in 1 incubator?

I did it on three hatches because I was new...it didn't end well. I'm sure there are ways of doing it successfully, but I ended up having to get another bator for my "hatch out area". The three I did, the first to hatch out did marvelously well (of course, since the temp and humidity were correct). However, the second set didn't have a good hatch rate (30%) and the third didn't hatch at all. I finally figured out that by the time it was the third set's time to hatch, they'd already been sitting in 70% humidity for about 10 days (half!) of their little lives (4 days from first set, 3 days from second set and 3 from their own lockdown). I'm pretty sure I drowned a lot of those chicks due to all the condensation build-up inside the air cell of the eggshell. I just hatch all our chicks out in a separate bator now (a very cheap one, no frills, no fans, no turners etc).

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

Is it at all possible to do a staggered hatch in 1 incubator?

Yes you can do it. Im currently doing it in the ultrabator project. Eggs get moved to the basket at lockdown humidity gets bumped from 50 to 65%. As soon as they hatch out I drop it back down to 50%