4th Annual BYC NYD Hatch-a-long

[Pele]

everyone. First if all I would like to apologies to everyone for not being here more, I've had a lot of personal issues going on and haven't been feeling like being around and being a bummer, so I stayed away. I'm sorry I have no idea what is going on with the contest and I feel like such a duf, for signing up to run it. I had no idea what I was getting into with it, as this completes I want to try to complete this. I'm trying to find out what contest are done and what are not, once again I am sorry. On a lighter note I hope everyone had a great Holiday, ate lots and spent quality time with your families.
Michele
4 days till hatch

No need to apologize, RL happens

. You've taken on an amazing task, and have handled it with grace (I'd be speaking gibberish by now).

 

[pnp4kidz]

Mrheinz, how do you keep those chicks separated so u know which is which??? I'm trying to devise a method and I only have five kinds in there!
I did candle last night and have 6/7 bbs copper marans, 1/1 OE, 5/6 barred rock (shipped) and 2/2 project (mystery, shipped) going great! I also have 8/9 jubilee Orpington, but only 1/6 tolbunt polish and 4/9 lav Marans. So I should have lots of babies to fluff soon!!
Then.... A few weeks later.... I'll have some call ducks!!! They didn't fare so well in shipping... Of 37 eggs... Only 7 are for sure growing... ;-( but its my first ducks!!! So happy these are going!!!
I'm excited!!! Almost time to lock down!!

 

[Cynthia12]

Aww, you guys are so lucky, I sitll have to wait until NYD to lock down. Oh well, time flies! At least that's what most of you are thinking by now...right? The older I get, the fast that time goes by. What's up with that?!

Mrheinz, sure hope things are settling down for you. Hope you can enjoy the rest of this hatch along, you will have a few of us that are a few days out further..so, stick around, we will need someone to be excited for us!

 

[CasieD]

I candled again today...

5/8 BBS orp looking good
3/8 NJ are wiggling!
0/14 Partridge Penendeseca are developing

All eggs were shipped. The PP eggs were bought through my pet chicken and sent from Gabbard Farms. Packaged terribly, one leaker on delivery and another was cracked. Set 12 and pulled a stinker on day 3. The remaining 11 in the bator show no veining or development at all. I'm using a high intensity LED flashlight and can see into them quite well. Sent off another email to my pet chicken asking for a refund. I don't think these were fertile to start with.

 

[ronott1]

I candled again today...

5/8 BBS orp looking good
3/8 NJ are wiggling!
0/14 Partridge Penendeseca are developing

All eggs were shipped. The PP eggs were bought through my pet chicken and sent from Gabbard Farms. Packaged terribly, one leaker on delivery and another was cracked. Set 12 and pulled a stinker on day 3. The remaining 11 in the bator show no veining or development at all. I'm using a high intensity LED flashlight and can see into them quite well. Sent off another email to my pet chicken asking for a refund. I don't think these were fertile to start with.

Thank you for the update. Did My Pet Chicken get back to you?

It makes me mad when eggs are packed that badly!

The best shipped eggs use the Meeks Method. Click here

 

[RavenWood]

I'm so eggcited!! This is our first incubator hatch. I'm going to candle everyone tomorrow before I put them in lockdown. As of day 14, I had 31 of my original 45 eggs that were going strong! My temps have been running just slightly high since I pulled the last couple of eggs, but not too bad. 101's... My humidity had been staying steady in the 30's until this morning it was 19%!!! I added a little water just before I had to leave for work, so I hope it isn't going to spike way high now...

I am going to go buy little baskets to put in the incubator so I can separate the breeds. I don't think I have any detatched air cells, although some of them look a bit more "wobbly" than others, if that makes any sense... Should I try to find a way to prop these ones with the air cells up, or will they be ok on their sides?? Is it best to prop them all up?

I have brooders set up in my kennel building, but I think I'm going to buy a big Rubbermaid tub and keep them in the downstairs bathroom for a few days at least...

How can you tell if the air cells are detached? I candled my brood again yesterday and removed the remaining few I was certain weren't growing, though I left the RIR even though it appears to have stopped growing and died around day 10

. The air cells appeared to be about where they should be for day 16 and they were all in the fat end up. I'm left with 9 BCMaran eggs and 4 barnyard mixes that all appear to be thriving and 1 RIR. If only I could be so lucky to have all 13 hatch! Crossing fingers.

I love the basket idea. Might do that here too.

 

[ronott1]

Quote: I love the basket idea. Might do that here too.

Shipped eggs usually do better if hatched standing up. I always assume that the air cell is messed up in shipped eggs!

 

[mrheinz77]

Mrheinz, how do you keep those chicks separated so u know which is which??? I'm trying to devise a method and I only have five kinds in there!
I did candle last night and have 6/7 bbs copper marans, 1/1 OE, 5/6 barred rock (shipped) and 2/2 project (mystery, shipped) going great! I also have 8/9 jubilee Orpington, but only 1/6 tolbunt polish and 4/9 lav Marans. So I should have lots of babies to fluff soon!!
Then.... A few weeks later.... I'll have some call ducks!!! They didn't fare so well in shipping... Of 37 eggs... Only 7 are for sure growing... ;-( but its my first ducks!!! So happy these are going!!!
I'm excited!!! Almost time to lock down!!

I use priority boxes from the PO. I cut them the height I need them and put shelf liner on the bottom. I then can put different breeds/pens in different boxes. Breeds that look different can go in the same box.

 

[TMNfarm]

With mine, the air cells that are detatched move a little when I tip the egg from side to side. The eggs with good air cells, the air cells don't move when I tip the egg...

 

[Brechin]

I keep them separate in the incubator. Either with little plastic pencil trays or small boxes with the bottoms cut out. It keeps the chicks in breed groups so I can keep track of them easier. Moving them to breed specific brooders is easier too. I want to keep all mine together in the brooder so I plan to use a little vegetable dye to mark their backs after they dry out in the incubator. Hope that helps!