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

[bantambury]

SOOOOO.....for everyone who had set their eggs on the 11th,

LOCKDOWN IS TOMORROW AT NOON or MONDAY MORNING correct?



I DONT want to go on lockdown too soon! just checking to make sure!



if any of you could reassure for me that would be GREAT!!!!

 

[Canieldonrad]

SOOOOO.....for everyone who had set their eggs on the 11th,

LOCKDOWN IS TOMORROW AT NOON or MONDAY MORNING correct?



I DONT want to go on lockdown too soon! just checking to make sure!



if any of you could reassure for me that would be GREAT!!!!

Correct, 3 days prior. I sat mine 1 day early, which is why mine are in the hatcher today.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

I know you only have so much to work with, but living with cats I know they will be interested in the noise at first, too. Two things if you can - if the brooder will fit under any table you have, so the top is protected, try to do that;

Nope...it is 3 ft tall. Last February, when I had my first chicks ever, one of them was perching on the edge of the brooder box at 1 week old. The brooder was 2 ft tall. So this time I made it taller

and try to move chicks while the cats are eating, if you have a feeding time, or do something else that distracts them. They will have to go sniff of course, and that's fine, but ours like to jump/lie on top of everything, and that's when there can be a problem. Alternatively, you might be able to satisfy their need to lie on top of the brooder by placing a cat tree, if you have one, near the brooder, so they can satisfy their curiosity that way.

I'm planning on making a removable top for it that is sturdy enough to hold the weight of the 2 kittens, since I can't keep them away from it while I'm sleeping.

Here, if I brood chicks in the house, they are in the room where I keep the incubators and hatcher, with a door that closes, where cats are not allowed. This is the first year I've ever brooded in the house, I don't especially like it, but when I decided to hatch through winter I knew it was probably going to happen. I started to take them down to the crawl space, where I brooded last February and March, and DH wouldn't hear of it.

Works for me, way easier on my back!

Brooder won't fit in any of the rooms in my house that has a door. I don't have a basement either

 

[bantambury]

Correct, 3 days prior. I sat mine 1 day early, which is why mine are in the hatcher today.

okie dokie! so lockdown tomorrow at noon for me then! sounds perfect!


I CANT WAIT!!!

 

[SoManyHats]

The Brown color is the last part of the egg laying process. A lot of us compare it to being painted by an inkjet printer.

It is a thing!

Aha! Lol. I learn something new every day!

 

[bantambury]

LOCKDOWN...

So do we RAISE HUMDITY for this?



What different stuff do we need to do for lockdown that is different from regular 18 day incubation?

 

[chicken pickin]

So, hands down, most stressful hatch I've had in years. They are pipping in dribs and drabs, we are now up to 5 hatched. One is in pretty bad shape. I took Ron's advice and put him in a cup, slathered him in antibiotic ointment and gave him some liquid baby vitamins (no iron) for good measure. I just got him out to check him over again and it appears as if the cord attached and dried to his leg, so every time he straightened his leg he would pull his intestines? out again. (sorry to be so graphic). This lil one is a fighter, chirping away, so I again slathered in ointment and back in the cup he went. Am I just prolonging his misery? Here is a pic:



I feel terrible that none of the D'Uccle eggs from MsLadyHawke as a gift to my youngest daughter hatched. They were progressing fine so I know they were fertile and it was an error on my part that they didn't hatch.

The good news is…I have 4 happy healthy chicks in the brooder. Another egg just pipped so if the guy pictured above makes it, he'll have someone to go in the brooder with.

Your chicks are super cute, feathered legs ah to die for

. Im sure your doing just fine with the little chick that had the cord dried to its leg. I had the same thing happen to me last hatch and also one that looked like it was dragging dried up intestines behind him. They both made it with no problems. I soaked the one stuck in his cord until I finally got it off and the other one with the weird large dried up cord dragging behind finally fell off. I hope your chick will heal up just fine in no time at all.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Quote: So great to hear…thank you. He's still peeping away in his cup.

 

[ronott1]

LOCKDOWN...

So do we RAISE HUMDITY for this?



What different stuff do we need to do for lockdown that is different from regular 18 day incubation?

yes, 65 to 75%. If you see misting on the lid the humidity is too high.

Good Question!

 

[Chase Family]

Started with 32. Lost 17 at day 10. We just candles for the last time and we lost 2 more possibly 3. Hopefully the last 13 will hatch in the next couple of days.