4th Annual BYC NYD Hatch-a-long

[crissycriss]

Guess what? One of my millie flure D'Uucle pullets layed her first egg today yeah!!! Cant wait for them both to lay so i can try to incubate them. They are my all time favorite out of my chickens.

 

[cluck-cluck]

I didn't explain well, it is a maran egg so the shell is very dark

I WAS able to see into most of them well enough to see a light area up at the top (air cell) and a small black blob w/ movement (embro)

However, there were a couple were a could not discern anything whatsoever , so should I assume those are duds? or keep them in a while longer?
There was no off odor etc, but I don't want to wait too long and risk an egg-splosion , but then again I'd hate to toss a live one just b/c I couldn't see in...

I would keep a nose to them. First off, Maran eggs are so dark, and second, some hens lay very thick shell eggs that show almost nothing inside even if they're white. If they don't smell, I'd assume they're growing and NOT throw them out. But keep sniffing them to be sure they aren't going bad. As for the humidity, under 25 % is not good. Keep it closer to 35 %. A wet towel has a lot of surface area and will up the humidity fast and high, it also won't stay wet long. I would put a bowl of water in there to bring up and keep up the humidity at a steady 35% or even 45%. Actually, I'm not doing a very dry hatch this time, more like 45% humidity. I weighed my eggs before starting and last night, they lost about 8% of their weight already and they still have 10 days to go, and I only want 12% or so weight loss, so I'm a bit worried. Not too much though, I mean, what chicken has a thermostat, hygrometer and a scale?

Guess what? One of my millie flure D'Uucle pullets layed her first egg today yeah!!! Cant wait for them both to lay so i can try to incubate them. They are my all time favorite out of my chickens.

Awesome! You should crack the first few open to make sure they're fertile, and also, give them a couple of weeks to lay good full size eggs for the best hatch

 

[cluck-cluck]

I still have 4 going, and keep having fears of them dying on me! I really want all 4 to make it! Gotta get over this anxiety, Ugh!

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Good Morning Everyone. We are half way there!!!

What's going on inside our chicken eggs - Day 10:

After the tenth day of incubation, feathers and feather tracts are visible and the beak hardens. At this point if you candle your eggs you can pretty much tell if they are fertile or not. The fertile eggs will have a dark shadow inside while the non-fertile will be clear and look like a Day 1 egg.

Tenth day -- beginning of hardening of beak

Hi Beth! I was going to post a picture, just for you but I'd bushed so remind me tomorrow, k? = )

I actually got a great hatch from serama eggs. 7 eggs shipped, an extra day in the mail with freezing temps and a crushed box, and I hatched out 7 baby seramas. Now, I find it funny, because I remember a few years back a buddy of mine wouldn't let me buy any serama eggs since they were too difficult to hatch. It just makes me smile. And, three of them are feather legged. I still have two ducklings working around in the bator. I'm going to have to be careful with duck eggs from now on... Make sure that I don't have anything hatching for three days before the duck eggs are due, since these last two were shrink wrapped in their eggs because of being pipped for so long and having me in and out for serama chicks.

That is excellent. I have never had too much luck incubating shipped Serama eggies. I am glad you had so many hatch out!

11Days Till Hatch Day!

Contest! Contests!

Here are todays contests, Sorry about missing a few days, we are all got the whatever is going around and have been sleeping. The next changes are on Monday ( except for CPL's random madness) when the week 3 contests open up.

Contests for today:

7. BHep's Cutest Baby Picture Contest
Link to thread:https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/728913/nydh-contest7
8. Southland Organics Best Incubator Design Contest:
Thread:https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/728930/nyd-hatch-along-contest-8-best-incubator-design

9. Egg Art Contest
Thread:https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/730324/nyd-contest-9-egg-art-contest

10. Southland Organics Flapper Contest
Thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/728983/nyd-hatch-along-contest-10-flapper-contest

13. Celebrity Chicken Look Alike Contest
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/contest13

Thread : https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/729975/4th-annual-nyd-celebrity-chicken-look-alike-contest

14. SunnySideUp Micro Farm's

"Holiday Poultry" Calendar Photo Contest

BEST and WORST Hatch rates: In order to be eligible you need to fill out the form of how many eggs you set

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHQ1MUQxRHBmMDNkbEZHT0V6LVpzd2c6MQ

I need to get busy!

I'm getting amped up for our new house. Grabbed some raspberry starts to get planted there in the spring and planning on looking for two apple trees and thinking about any other tree I might want. I'm so happy! I've never had a house and land of my own, only rented, besides my parents' places, so I never got to do cool stuff like raspberries and trees. Have to start thinking about a new building for the birds though. It'll probably have to be built, which is going to stink. We're still trying to figure out how we're going to move them when there's no establishment there for them. :/ We don't have the means to build here and transport it there though, or I'd get started. I have been looking for free pallets and such though.

That is going to be so much fun! Congratulations! It will be a lot of fun (and work) to get your new place looking prim and proper!

I think they want to go sledding. but they should have asked yesterday, the snow's all melting today.

Aw, what a cute picture!

Counted up the eggs in the incubator currently:

6 mint green eggs from the Lavender Ameraucana Bantam x Iowa Blue
10 blue eggs from the other Lavender Ameraucana Bantam x Iowa Blue
5 olive eggs from the blue cuckoo bantam Marans/Ameracuana F1 x Iowa Blue
(all these eggs going towards a Blue Egg Laying Bantam Iowa Blue project, aka the "Bantam Iowacana" project. LOL)

29 Iowa Blues
(Iowa Blue Selection)

5 Olive Eggers - more for the laying flock

Looks like 14 of 18 for NYD are still going plus 13 of 15 set 4 days later....plust 29 set last night.

Have only thrown out 6 eggs so far of the 62 set. Hope they continue on as well!

What a fun variety!

MERRY SILKIE CHRISTMAS!! Took these photos today and had to show them off!

Oh my word, how adorable is that?!

I can't turn my eggs or play with them anymore tonight sooo...you all get some kitty pics!

First one is of Sassy Notice there is not one ornament on that tree, lol. Well, except for her




And her daughter, Alley. This pic is my daughters invention, had to give props!

Oh man, wish I could have ducks. I did hatch out some Welsh H's. Couldn't keep them, just had to, saw how cute those babies are! I would love tohave ducks wondering around! These that are being show are beautiful. Thank you for posting!

Give in to the dark side...muwhahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!

Can I share???? I just got some CALL DUCK EGGS!!!!! Yipee!!! from a BYC'er... who was happy to even share a BUNCH of 'extras'!!!
YIPEE!!!
so, last night... I put 3 doz plus 1 eggs in the bator! all CALLS! theoretically 1/3 will be pure butterscotch, the others are mix...
so, I figure on 26 days from now I'll be bonding with a GAGGLE of DUCKS!!!
YIPEE!!!
now...
any advice on hatching calls?
I have them in the lowest rack of my Dickie, in the turner...
I hear I start misting on day 4...
once a day...
and put on lockdown on day 23...
fill me in!!!
never had a duck before!

Lucky you! I would go to the duck section and ask the Call people. I have Calls, and I do not remember misting mine, I think I incubated them the same as ragular duck eggs. Good luck!

NYD Hatch-a-long Daily Digest for 12/21/2012
Sally Sunshine, 352 posts; Mr. Mkk Farms #2 with 154 posts
Contest 5 #1 Most Active Thread
Main thread #2 most active Thread
11Days Till Hatch Day!
There were a lot of posts about removing eggs but also a bunch about finding that the ones that looked like clears earlier were now developing!

Sally Sunshine has a lot of CPL, DMRippy and Duramax chicks drying off after hatch. Nice pictures

There was a Humidity question from cochins1088. Eggs seemed to be developing air sacs at different rates. Several said to keep the Humidity in the 30% range.
CelticOaks was the target of FB lies!

There were a lot of Horse pictures from TMNfarm(See, I gave them a trophy at the top of the page). The family competes! Some of them win too!

We are almost convinced that we want horses now too! . TMNfarm is lucky because his Dad found a shorted circuit that could have caused a fire. We are thankful too!

Post 4617 has a video of the rescued Ducks

mamaworf544, is that a real duck or a toy? Post 4635

As the night progressed, we learned that it was windy in PA, and that Blarneyeggs has three dogs!

It was the birthday of several of us! Happy Birthday!
Day 10 is the first day of Winter and the first day of the reset Mayan Calendar! How are those Doomsday party headaches? See post 4655 for the Day 10 Development picture.

More reports of cold, 31 in GA, Snow in Ontario, Canada and wind in Utah!

Even a Blizzard in IA!that caused an power outage! Bator temp went to 85 for karimw!

that they are OK!

Bettacreek posted that Seramas hatched great even after Postal Service Mishaps! Yay for Seramas!

Post 4695 has the daily contest update!

mstricer found her Turkey Hen! She was hiding her eggs and trying to hatch them in the middle of winter! Silly Turkey!

Bettacreek is getting amped up for moving to her new house by grabbing raspberry starts and other stuff!

Razadia has to check into new poultry laws..Did not know they had any..needs to check zoning maps...Very worried....

Geese going Sledding? See post 4720 for a picture.

Brechin has pipping and zipping eggs. Leave them alone! Hands off! Update Please?

MarineCorpFarmr posted an end of the world video in post 4736.

Herducks posted a Merry Silkie Christmas picture in post 4741 Then aka Rachel posted Kitty in the tree pictures!(Post 4755)

CPL contest posted in post 4764. Thread Here

I didn't even get mentioned!

Teehee!!

DON'T WORRY I WON'T TOUCH THEM!! **CHICK UPDATE**

So far I have:

6 of 10 externally pipped

1 is currently zipping (I think)

There is peeping here and there but I can't tell from who. The massive load of TJ eggs I had went into a hatcher at my neighbor's house, all went accept 5 I kept to make my personal batch of 10 eggs. He says they are all pipping fine over there but I have not gone down to see them.

I will keep checking everyone until I see what they look like.

Finger's crossed for a great hatch!

Guess what? One of my millie flure D'Uucle pullets layed her first egg today yeah!!! Cant wait for them both to lay so i can try to incubate them. They are my all time favorite out of my chickens.

Congratulations on the egg! The first of many to come. Did you through it in the 'bator? ; )

I still have 4 going, and keep having fears of them dying on me! I really want all 4 to make it! Gotta get over this anxiety, Ugh!

Come on little eggies, you can make it! Sending good hatching vibes your way!

Well talk to you crazy peepz tomorrow! Nighty night!

~ Aspen

 

[FeyRaine]

Ok, thanks for the replies.

I'm going to leave the 5 questionable egg for another day or 2 as long as they don't smell (which they do not atm)
I'm going to insert a little tray of water and see if I can keep between 35-45% on humidity now-lockdown when I'll up it more.

So overall I have now:

1- egg tossed
5 - eggs left in but questionable
16 - eggs alive , but several of these have slightly larger air cells than might be wanted at this date

Hope things are going well for everyone else

FeyRaine

 

[RavenWood]

Those sebastopol geese are beautiful. I might have to find me a few of those if they can survive up here in Canada.

My son and I candled everything again and pulled out all the clear eggs. We left a few questionable ones (blue Ameraucana and dark Maran eggs that we couldn't see into well enough) and that left us 14 out of 36. Not exactly a great fertility rate, but that's they way things go sometimes I guess. Definite signs of life in most that were left. Now that I have 1/3 of the eggs left my temp and humidity have all gone wonky. Good thing I'm now on holidays for 2 weeks and can keep a close eye!

 

[Brechin]

Lots more peeping from the little Basque egg that is currently zipping. Lots of bits of shell on the paper towel so that means he/she is still working strong!

Also! Is paper towel OK in the incubator? I decided to put it in at lockdown to keep the mess to a minimum as well as keep the eggs from rolling too much while they try and hatch. So far the eggs are in place pretty firmly but I am afraid they are not getting all the humidity. I have a strong CPU fan blowing over the bulb to distribute heat. This in turn blows hot air over the water tray to keep humidity flowing with the air up towards the eggs. Now I am afraid that my quilted quicker picker upper is picking up all the wet! I guess I should just keep and eye out. I bumped up humidity to 75-80% in hopes to give them a chance.

Maybe next time I will use shelf liner since that has holes in it at least.

 

[Brechin]

By the way.....my nose has literally been pressed to the glass off and on all day long! With every peep I am there to look in. Lots more peeping from the Basque egg........HURRY CHICK CHICK!! I AM DYING OVER HERE!!

 

[ronott1]

Quote:
Hi Aspen!

I will make sure you are mentioned tomorrow!

 

[ronott1]

Ok, thanks for the replies.

I'm going to leave the 5 questionable egg for another day or 2 as long as they don't smell (which they do not atm)
I'm going to insert a little tray of water and see if I can keep between 35-45% on humidity now-lockdown when I'll up it more.

So overall I have now:

1- egg tossed
5 - eggs left in but questionable
16 - eggs alive , but several of these have slightly larger air cells than might be wanted at this date

Hope things are going well for everyone else

FeyRaine

That is a great plan!

You are doing the correct thing! Humidity is supposed to be adjusted according to air cell development.

Another way is to weigh each egg and follow a weight loss chart. I might try that some time, but for now sick to the air cell chart.