4th Annual BYC NYD Hatch-a-long

[mstricer]

Quote: Depends on when the water freezes......after they drown....no problem....before they try it....ice rink to walk on....they get a free lunch?

Here is what my new trap looks like

 

[tadpole98]

its getting dark too early, chickens dont appreciate that. oh well, i must go! lol!

 

[mstricer]

My girls are out long enough to eat and drink, then they go back in the coop, too much snow they say, well except for that one Olive egger that realized that we made paths to all the coops and uncovered some grass.

 

[tadpole98]

41 eggs today, but the dog ate one of them.

we have around 50 laying hens, and we have no light on them, id say we are doing pretty good!

 

[cmfarm]

I went to do one last candle today and realized that I forgot to turn the turner back on the last time candled! 13 eggs had died since then, and I think it was because they hadn't been turned. Now I am down to 43 eggs. I hope I can get the humidity up since it has been such a struggle.

 

[mstricer]

Oh no I've done that.

 

[RavenWood]

I decided to make a brooder that we can use in the off season as a recycling centre. Here is the cabinet I'm going to upcycle. We'll replace the floor and add a back, then we are going to put it on a platform with 8" legs and insert wire in the doors and drawer at the top as well as add a wire top with a removable counter. I am also going to add plexi-glass inserts for the doors to prevent drafts and we'll create a tin pan for the bottom for easy cleaning. It is 2' wide x 3' long so should be big enough for a few chicks and when we are done our recycle bins fit inside perfectly. What do you think?

 

[ronott1]

NYD Hatch-a-long Digest for 12/29/2013
# 7th most active thread

Today is Lockdown, so many of the 20 pages of posts are related to locking down, humidity, chicks pipping during candling....I love it when that happens!

SilkieSensation may run for the Worst Hatch Rate contest! Sally Sunshine is writing an article! Kvmommy is excited to see the Babies

Fuzzybird is down to 2 eggs from 10. I hope they both hatch!

SleepyOwl is down to 1 egg!

chiqita posted a lockdown guide in post 5585 Then the real one in post 5675

TMNfarm posted a picture of rabbit cages to be used as brooders. At first I thought he used them as places to keep some vegetation out of the snow for the chickens to eat! That would be a great invention!

then there was a post of a 6x6x2 brooder they already have. I would need one of those if I had a 300 egg incubator....

Sally Sunshine has Duck eggs dancing in the bator! We were told about the sniff test again--It it does not stink leave it in---there is nothing to lose.

Then there followed post after pst of variations fo "I locked down"...

gabrielle1976 has a hatch cam! Click Here

Day 18 development picture is in post 5638.

TMNfarm is having hatching nightmares...Then found the bator had spiked the temp!

Hope they are OK!

Almost there! Be Back tomorrow!

There was also a discussion about chicks in the egg heating up the bator.

 

[coldupnorth]

Yesterday while cleaning my sewing/incubator room a large picture fell off the wall and landed on top of my styrofoam incubator that I have my NYD eggs in. Amazingly it did not break the windows or the styrofoam, but it did push the top down into the eggs. The fan squished one egg and dented another. The egg that was squished had an early quitter in it (probably day 10 or so). The dented one has a chick in it which was still moving around when I put my eggs into lockdown today. I'm down to 19 of 46 eggs and there are about 5 that are really iffy if they are still going or have quit late on me. Not great results, but some were shipped and others were from my young pullets and their young cockerals. Some are not getting the job done yet.

New Year's is one of the most busy holidays at our house. We began a tradition years ago when the kids were very little of my parents, my sister and her family of 6 and my little brother coming and staying for New Years. They live close to each other but 4 hours from us, so we usually do the travelling for Holidays. It is crazy busy and generally many people end up sleeping on the floor since bed space is an a premium. This year will be the most we've had here since some of our teens have boyfriends and girlfriends that they are inviting over (they won't stay overnight). Our one DD is also inviting 2 of her friends to stay over because they do nothing at their own homes that evening. Starting tomorrow and through Jan. 1 we will have between 16 and 20 people staying at our house and playing games, eating and having plain ole' fun. Hopefully it will be warm enough for the kids to put their snow-stuff on and run off some energy outside.

We will have lots of spectators for the hatch.

 

[Razadia]

Here is what my new trap looks like

I wonder if that would work for a weasel.

I'm thinking not, but it's a thought.