5th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2014 Hatch-A-Long

[ronott1]

Happy Winter Solstice!

Light is increasing now so the chickens will start laying more eggs per day!

 

[ronott1]

Sadly they were people caused losses not animals. Over 140 lost total. The biggest losses were poisoned. Some were just let out of pens for dogs and coyote to get. The last 30 or so were shot and left for anything that could carry them off... found tons of birdshot blood and feathers but no birds. I have an empty 340 egg capacity incubator, empty brooders ready to go and a newly completed brand new coop that's nearly empty. I will gladly take chicks eggs or anything else

-MCF
Semper FI

That is sad! There may be some chicks from the hatch close to you.

 

[roostercluck]

Happy Winter Solstice!

Light is increasing now so the chickens will start laying more eggs per day!

I sure hope so because I am not happy right now.

 

[roostereggs]

So just a word of advice about tetris stacking...NOT a good idea with a Brinsea 20. I have 32/33 growers (day 15) and once I go into lockdown they will still be stacked. I have 25 in the bottom and 7 on top, and not much space for them to hatch. I am getting worried about this.

When we lockdown, are the eggs still supposed to be large end up? Or do you lay them down? Because I don't think we have room for that.

Someone said to make sure they pip into the air cell, but I thought at lockdown the bator shouldn't be opened...? If I put the bator into my dd's bathroom at lockdown, we could run the shower on hot for a few minutes to get the heat/humidity up before opening. Is that OK?

Also, when they start to hatch, can I pull a few chicks out at a time to put in the brooder and remove shells to give the others more space?

I'm getting very nervous!!! Where's the biting nails emoticon?

 

[ronott1]

Day 14 candling. My 13yo helped me mark air cells...lots of saddles, especially the Marans. Three of my CCLs were detached which I was unable to see previously but they are much more prominent now. And we candled from the top and bottom...before we did the bottoms only. And still one is in the center side of the egg, but it is fixed in place. All 32 are swimming and moving. In at least 4-5 we could see beaks & feets!!!

That just made it so much more real! They are taking up 1/4 to 1/3 of the egg now. There is only one I am really worried about...just didn't look to me like the other ones, but it is still in there with pulsing veins. Not sure if it is getting ready to quit.

Watch the ones with saddle air cells. They may need some help.

7 of my 10 eggs are still kickin'! Two were clears, one was a quitter three days ago...hadn't moved or grown since. Took all three out, so have the 7 still in there! Never knew how exciting egg hatching was! I'm totally addicted now!!

Great news!

I'll give those articles a read thanks. how do i make sure the chick pips inside the air cell?

The start chirping in the shell.

Well it's day 10 and I just candled and I am happy to say that I have 100% development!!!!! Can't wait for New Year's Day!!!

Great!

I hope the all hatch!

 

[Aphrael]

Hey yall! Good to be back. Ill be watching along with ya as I wont be hatching anything right now. 4 moves since April and 2 psycho landlords totally wiped out my flock. Trio of geese few ducks and a handful of turkeys all that's left

... its gunna be a slow year trying to rebuild the flock to its former glory. May take a year plus just to recover financially from the moves alone. Another long uphill trudge. Semper FI

Sadly they were people caused losses not animals. Over 140 lost total. The biggest losses were poisoned. Some were just let out of pens for dogs and coyote to get. The last 30 or so were shot and left for anything that could carry them off... found tons of birdshot blood and feathers but no birds. I have an empty 340 egg capacity incubator, empty brooders ready to go and a newly completed brand new coop that's nearly empty. I will gladly take chicks eggs or anything else

-MCF
Semper FI

Oh I am so sorry for your losses.

It never ceases to shock me how horrible people are capable of being. I hope you are able to quickly build your flock back to its former glory.

Happy Winter Solstice Everyone!

My oldest little lady turns 12 today, I feel so old. LOL She helped me candle the and we seen a 'dancing' chick. She thought I was telling her a story when I seen it the other day..... you should have seen her face!

Happy birthday to her! It is so incredible to see them move around. I bet she was thrilled.

I'll give those articles a read thanks. how do i make sure the chick pips inside the air cell?

You should be able to see the beak inside the air cell once it pips. I'm not sure how you could make it pip there or tell if it had pipped elsewhere. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in. I'd really like to know the answer as well.
ETA: You can see the beak in the air cell if you candle is what I meant to say.

 

[chiqita]

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[COLOR=800080]I really want to be some place like this....sigh[/COLOR]​

Ok I'm making a plug here. Read the better angels of our nature. It makes a wonderful statical argument on why everything is better now then any time in history. Even our outrage over how sucks things are is making the world a better place!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

So just a word of advice about tetris stacking...NOT a good idea with a Brinsea 20. I have 32/33 growers (day 15) and once I go into lockdown they will still be stacked. I have 25 in the bottom and 7 on top, and not much space for them to hatch. I am getting worried about this.

When we lockdown, are the eggs still supposed to be large end up? Or do you lay them down? Because I don't think we have room for that.

Someone said to make sure they pip into the air cell, but I thought at lockdown the bator shouldn't be opened...? If I put the bator into my dd's bathroom at lockdown, we could run the shower on hot for a few minutes to get the heat/humidity up before opening. Is that OK?

Also, when they start to hatch, can I pull a few chicks out at a time to put in the brooder and remove shells to give the others more space?

I'm getting very nervous!!! Where's the biting nails emoticon?

You can do either. I prefer laying down, but if you don't have room - then you don't have room. Once the shells start getting broken there will be more room.
Be careful of pulling chicks while others are pipping or you're humidity will drop too low. Once they externally pip, that's the one time that humidity is imperative.

Try this emoticon.

 

[msladyhawke]

Happy Winter Solstice!

Light is increasing now so the chickens will start laying more eggs per day!

This is the best news of the day!

 

[Whoops]

So hard not to keep checking my eggs, even though I can't see anything through the shells. . .

I hope the longer days lead to more eggs from my chickens! I haven't got a single egg from either, ever. Of course, they are barely old enough, now, but still! I want eggies!