~* 4th annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey/Chicken hatchathon! *~

[Manningjw]

Seeing that there has not yet been a thread started, lets get to it! I have yet to miss a Cinco de Mayo Hatchathon since my very first hatch and I don't plan to start now. Set date for chickens in April 14th!




All poultry are welcome! I plan to hatch chickens myself. In years past many people have joined in with Turkeys for thanksgiving. Below is the table that was created by Chookschick in her previous thread which can be found here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...e-mayo-turkey-hatch-athon-all-poultry-welcome


Fowl

Days of Incubation

Set Date

Stop Turning At Day

Hatch Date









Turkey

28

7-Apr

Day 25

5-May
Chicken

21

14-Apr

Day 18

5-May
Duck

28

7-Apr

Day 25

5-May
Duck (Muscovy)

36

30-Mar

Day 31

5-May
Goose

32

3-Apr

Day 25

5-May
Guinea Fowl

28

7-Apr

Day 25

5-May
Peafowl

29

6-Apr

Day 25

5-May
Pheasant

25

10-Apr

Day 21

5-May
Quail

23

12-Apr

Day 20

5-May
Coturnix Quail

17

18-Apr

Day 15

5-May
Chukar

23

12-Apr

Day 20

5-May




Feel free to join in with whichever poultry interests you and post plenty of pictures! If Chookschick decides posts her annual thread I would be happy to lock this one. I just don't want to miss out on the opportunity to have others join in on the fun by not having a thread!



Here is a picture of my first ever chicken hatched during the 2nd annual hatchathon, we have affectionately named her 'Grandma' because she has since hatched several clutches of chicks herself.

 

[ChooksChick]

Awwww, you guys are so cute!!

I really miss being on here and hanging with all of you. I kind of hate being at work all the time and not hanging with the peeps I really love.

My turkey girls have begun to lay and so I will drag out the Sportsman and set away!!

I'll be hatching Tri-Color and Bourbon Red and Royal Palm mix-and-match mutts/possible pures. Anything could happen. They all run together and I hate to split them into breeding sets, so I won't this year.

Anyone needing eggs, that's what I'll have.

I am also going to set Konzas, Chocolate Copper Orps, Chocolate/Mauve banty Cochins, Azul d'Oros, Choc/Mauve Rocks, and Chocolate Barred Rocks. I may have some Aubergines by then, but we'll have to see.

That's all I have, and small breeding groups in each of those varieties- I've realllllllllly shrunk the whole program down.

Even sold my peas, though it broke my heart. They have a lovely new place, though, with no mountain lions to eat them.

I'll check in once in a while, but Manningjw, this show is yours! I'm happy to help, and we can ask Nifty about prizes and help with moderation if you like.

 

[ChooksChick]

Hey Chooks! I'm glad you can join us. I miss seeing you around!

Missed you guys, too!! I'm taking time out to be a bird nerd again because it's time!!

 

[JerseyHen]

I set 24 cream legbar eggs yesterday.

 

[Sustained]

X3 They all know I'm crazy.

I've considered going door to door and offering started pullets to my neighbors in hopes I create a few more chicken addicts

 

[bekkanblue]

I thought I'd lost my smoky Iowa Blue pullet, but she showed up this morning for a quick bite of breakfast and then 'snuck' back to her nest. I know right where she is so she's going to get moved to a more secure broody pen with whatever she's got. And I've got plenty of IA Blue and/or Norwegian Jaerhon eggs to slip under her to fill gaps! I didn't realize how much easier broodies were as incubators!

No worrying about turning, humidity, power outages, just keep the food and water filled and leave them alone till hatch! More green too. Ha! I'll have to figure out how many days I've been mourning her, to see if her eggs will count for the HAL.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Ha! I've been wing slapped a few times, it HURTS! I once sported a black eye for a bit due to such an incident. People would look at me funny when I told them how it happened :/

 

[chicken pickin]

Ha! I've been wing slapped a few times, it HURTS! I once sported a black eye for a bit due to such an incident. People would look at me funny when I told them how it happened

Oh Ive been there, though my injury was a slightly busted fat lip. Wing slapped in the face is the worst.

 

[JoyfulPromise]

Well, it looks like there are definitely only 2 live embryos growing in my shipped Red English Orpington eggs.

But those two look good so far, and I am going to try again with more Red Orpingtons later.

I had an excellent hatch last weekend with some shipped Blue Copper Marans eggs - 8 large healthy babies hatched out of 9 eggs that went into lockdown!!!

And then, on Saturday and Sunday, my Silkie eggs hatched - 11 babies out of 14 eggs!

Momma Silkie is happily caring for all of them right now, though I already have a few spoken for. I was amazed and thrilled with the color variety! Mrs. Silkie is a Partridge silkie, and Mr. Silkie was sold to me as a Blue Partridge and in the 11 babies there are 5 striped chicks (partridge?), 2 solid Blue, 2 solid Black, and 2 light Cream colored!

Here is a picture of Momma Silkie with some of her babies -


And here is the proud Papa Silkie -

 

[SilkieSensation]

so time got away from me and I did not get the eggs moved from the auto turning shelf to the lowest hatching drawer area.  Now they are supposed to be in lockdown with no opening of the incubater door.  I raised the humidity earlier in the day but I just turned off the auto turner.  I can still use a button to manually tilt all 3 shelves each of which have some eggs on them.  But I think I missed my chance to ope the door and move the eggs into lockdown.


It should be interesting to see how well they hatch.

If you have a cabinet, just turn your fan off while the door is open & get them moved to the hatching tray. Humidity & temps recover within minutes of closing the door & turning the fan back on. I wouldn't leave them in the turner racks. Too easy to get stuck in the rack or fall out of the tray.