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

[Cynthia12]

I have a couple of marans eggs with air sacks that I can't see. Does this mean they aren't viable?

I can't tell you for sure. I just know by going by what I've seen before. I've hatched a lot.

I do know, that if there is just a hint of an air sac, I leave that one as a questionable egg for a while longer. Then, I can tell better closer to lock down.

 

[Penny Hen]

Changed the bandages on Chicken Little tonight. The stitches look good a little blood had oozed but had dried. No signs of infection although some deep bruising is coloring up. Keeping an eye on one spot where the skin seems to be exceptionally thin.

Very proud of Cinder and Raven. Cinder got scratched up by the dog and Raven was chased. Despite that they gave me an egg apiece today.
Long John is keeping company with Chicken Little in the dog crate. He wasn't hurt so bad but he had so many feathers torn out that I feared that the cold would be bad for him. I mean the poor boy has only 1 tail feather left and is balder than a hen in a pen full of roosters. I guess I will be making him a fleece sweater using that pattern I posted last week.

Still not having luck candling my OE eggs. But there are no stinkers. I should have quail for NY Day and chicks two days later. I have no idea if the quail are going to hatch. I have been struggling to get the humidity to rise above 10%. They may just be dried out little mummies.

 

[Aphrael]

how about a short piece of water line insulation? You know the black tubes that you put around water lines and hoses to keep them from freezing.

That would probably work. I've been kicking around the idea of using some of that myself. Just haven't got around to it yet. It would probably need wrapped in electrical tape to make sure light doesn't leak out the slit. Hmmm, don't know if it would be small enough to snuggle quail eggs though?

 

[Gardeningmama]

Merry christmas everyone!!! Hope everyone has had a wonderful day! My mom made me a chicken pillow case, git me chicken towles, a book, a plush, and a tablet 2....which i have my home screen as a chick!
My uncle gave me these pjs too: (yes i do look a little cheesy...i was overly excited) lol


My mom made me my birthday cake for today too....a chicken egg!

Because of the hatching occasion, i asked to draw little icing bulls eyes on the candy eggs....my mom said no but soon let me! Lol! How good do they look? Haha



Everyone have an awesome Christmas!

This post made my night! Looks like you had the best Christmas of all! Happy Birthday & Merry Christmas!!

 

[roostereggs]

I have been using a Mini Mag LED flashlight and I could see really well. It was obviously easier to see through the lighter eggs, but I have Marans eggs also. I think they were more difficult to see during the first week, but then I could see more and more shadowing as time went on. Not much detailing like veins until day 12 or so. Most of my Marans have VERY detached and/or saddle shaped cells. Out of nine, if I even get 1-2 Marans hens I will be ecstatic! What I am most excited about is my CCLs and my EEs.

Dh just took a dozen of our eggs over to our good friends house (he and his wife were our realtors as well for this house and property we just bought), and he said they are the best eggs he has ever had. He wants to exchange feed for eggs!
No problem with that...our feed bill has been crazy. $60/month for 8 chickens.

Oh, and I forgot to update about that situation. I will do a separate post in a few.

 

[Gardeningmama]

Had to show you all my favorite gift! I collect Jim Shore's but this one takes the top spot in my collection!

 

[Aphrael]

Changed the bandages on Chicken Little tonight. The stitches look good a little blood had oozed but had dried. No signs of infection although some deep bruising is coloring up. Keeping an eye on one spot where the skin seems to be exceptionally thin.

Very proud of Cinder and Raven. Cinder got scratched up by the dog and Raven was chased. Despite that they gave me an egg apiece today.
Long John is keeping company with Chicken Little in the dog crate. He wasn't hurt so bad but he had so many feathers torn out that I feared that the cold would be bad for him. I mean the poor boy has only 1 tail feather left and is balder than a hen in a pen full of roosters. I guess I will be making him a fleece sweater using that pattern I posted last week.

Still not having luck candling my OE eggs. But there are no stinkers. I should have quail for NY Day and chicks two days later. I have no idea if the quail are going to hatch. I have been struggling to get the humidity to rise above 10%. They may just be dried out little mummies.

So glad they are doing better. I am

for chicken little to keep healing well. Sounds like Cinder and Raven are real troopers! Good chickies!

Wow.

10% sounds crazy low with water being added in. You're certain that your hygrometer is reading accurately and not stuck? I have seen others mention using soaked maxi pads feminine napkins (

) to raise humidity. Have you tried that yet?

 

[Aphrael]

I have been using a Mini Mag LED flashlight and I could see really well. It was obviously easier to see through the lighter eggs, but I have Marans eggs also. I think they were more difficult to see during the first week, but then I could see more and more shadowing as time went on. Not much detailing like veins until day 12 or so. Most of my Marans have VERY detached and/or saddle shaped cells. Out of nine, if I even get 1-2 Marans hens I will be ecstatic! What I am most excited about is my CCLs and my EEs.

Dh just took a dozen of our eggs over to our good friends house (he and his wife were our realtors as well for this house and property we just bought), and he said they are the best eggs he has ever had. He wants to exchange feed for eggs!
No problem with that...our feed bill has been crazy. $60/month for 8 chickens.

Oh, and I forgot to update about that situation. I will do a separate post in a few.

Wow!

That much for just 8 chickens?!? That seems pretty extreme.

Had to show you all my favorite gift! I collect Jim Shore's but this one takes the top spot in my collection!

Awww. That is so cute!

 

[Cynthia12]

Had to show you all my favorite gift! I collect Jim Shore's but this one takes the top spot in my collection!

That is a cute one. Do you have any of his angels? The Disney stuff is really cute..I love anything 7 dwarfs.

 

[Wunjo]

These are red star eggs. I'm not sure of the rooster but they were fertile during the checking week and the one double yoker I got yesterday was fertile. Since they don't smell I don't want to toss them because they don't look like clears. I can barely make out the air bubble. All air bubbles are growing. I'm just a bit worried about the exploding rotten egg.
What wattage or kind of bulb did you use? Some of these fancy candlers are over $50. I will get one if needed, but I would like to try stuff I have at home first. Boxes from Christmas are just laying around right now.

42 watt energy saving bulb. They don't get too hot to burn the box. It would be better to make a wooden box for it to go in. then some type of spongy material to go around the whole to put the egg on.