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

[Aphrael]

What a day. Selling pups. People hang around longer when deciding on a pup, than when deciding on a chicken. That's ok! Bed time for me. I locked down today..so one day ahead of all of you. Good luck on getting that humidity where you want it...and
Congratulations on those that have chicks hatching!
In the meantime, this is what I was selling today..I only have the girl left now. Out of 6 pups.



Goldendoodles!

Awww. Such cuties.

I started teaching my ducklings to eat slugs tonight. It was huge, so I had to chop it into pieces for them. And might I just say... EWWWWWWW!!

I thought slugs couldn't be any ickier ... I was SO wrong. I think I might have heebee jeebees for a week.

 

[Gardeningmama]

Ummm...what is up with this air cell? It's waaay bigger than it was at the day 14 candle. The rest seem to be just the right size...

Is there anything I need to worry about with this?

The biggest problem with an aircell that's so big is that often the chick pips internally into the aircell, but can't reach to make the external pip or zip. You'll just have to wait, and I'd be listening for chirping and then start timing from first hearing it. Then go from there, but hopefully it won't have any problem at all!

 

[itsbob]

I still have 10 days to go!!!

 

[roostereggs]

For some reason my phone only gave me 1/2 the photo, but here are 7 of the bakers dozen!

They took a break for awhile, but we have 3 more zipping and a few others pipped. One is a BCM (shipped) with a detached and saddle cell...and it externally pipped 1/2 way down the shell, an inch from the line we drew. We put it with the pip up so it can breath (it was bubbling with each breath with big end up). Clearly it is in the wrong position. Should we just moisten the membrane every few hours and see what happens?

 

[knightie]

Ummm...what is up with this air cell? It's waaay bigger than it was at the day 14 candle. The rest seem to be just the right size...

Is there anything I need to worry about with this?

To me it kind Looks like it's started the dip it does when the chick is getting ready to pip internally.

 

[JLaw]

I have also some canning jars with sponges in them inside the incubator that I use to increase humidity. I do find I have to add water quite often, and I can't figure out why, as the humidity in the house runs 45%. But the bator, without help, wants to hover at way less. Very odd.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_humidity

Now the way I think of it is. Hot air can hold more moister so they % goes down as it heats up unless you apply pressure to it. I would read it to make sure I'm right though lol.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Questions:

One of my hens laid these eggs. What is the cause of the lines and wrinkles? They are not cracked.


Egg One...



Egg Two...

The second one is definitely a body check. The first one could be also.

JDchicks, here is an article I came across on wonky eggs. http://mikethechickenvet.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/eggless-chicken-born/
I have a hen that lays an egg like yours, she is a couple years old now and has never had a problem.

Here's a great link to bookmark.
http://www.alltech.com/sites/default/files/alltech-egg-shell-quality-poster.pdf

My DH is pulling his hair out over the peeping chooks. Bummer. They'll be in the basement soon enough.

Peeping incessantly means they need something. Usually they're chilled but they could also be too hot or thirsty.

If they're crowding the heat source they're too cold. If they're far from it, they're too hot.

~~ 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

... unless your septic system doesn't like bleach.

I use paper towels in the bottom of the incubator, the only thing I use paper towels for....

I have also some canning jars with sponges in them inside the incubator that I use to increase humidity. I do find I have to add water quite often, and I can't figure out why, as the humidity in the house runs 45%. But the bator, without help, wants to hover at way less. Very odd.

I'm on a septic system. We use either hydrogen peroxide or an oxygen bleach. They don't harm the system when they break down.

I buy a cheap roll of paper towels each time I have chicks. Put down 2 or 3 layers and about 2 times a day I roll them up, replace and they go into the compost pile.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_humidity

Now the way I think of it is. Hot air can hold more moister so they % goes down as it heats up unless you apply pressure to it. I would read it to make sure I'm right though lol.

I haven't wrapped my head around it entirely but I think you're right about the temperature.

 

[Penny Hen]

Well in the morning I have got to look for more stinkers. I just wasn't up to it tonight. I think my girls butts are too fluffy. I was looking at Chicken Little while doctoring her dog bites and saw dried semen that was clotted up in her feather so she got a butt trim. I will give the other two butt trims and see if my fertility picks up. I want to have some eggs that will Hatch! I may have one or two of Ravens eggs that will hatch but I think it is a long shot. Oh well maybe some of these quail will make it.

 

[Penny Hen]

Oh and Chicken Little is doing fine. Made her a sweater tonight out of half of a leg warmer. The ankle part went around her head. I cut slits for her wings.


This will cover her bare spots and protect the stitches. Now I have to make one for Long John Silver.

Oh, and thanks for the chicken dreams!

I dreamed I looked in on my eggs and the chicks and the quail exploded out of the eggs and ran up my arms and crawled inside my shirt.

 

[Pozees]

I put mine in lockdown tonight. Some other SFH breeders say they have better luck with dry incubating them but giving them one extra day with lockdown humidity. So I'm trying it.

I could see movement in all of them when I was moving them off the turner, so if they die, it's something up with humidity in my incubator.

I am really looking forward to hearing how this turns out. Has anyone ever interviewed GFF and asked what they had to do to get their first few settings hatched? They might not share, I was just curious.

LOL, I have washed cloth diapers for NINE years and counting, as the youngest is still not out of diapers, and it does appear that I'm miraculously 9 weeks pregnant again, after four miscarriages and some weird hormonal issues that made the doctors and my midwife say I would never have another baby, so if this one makes it, I have at least 2 more years of cloth diapers. I haven't used paper diapers in, well, ever. The washer will be fine

You can run a bleach wash cycle afterwards if you want; add 1c bleach to the washer, no clothing, and run a hot water cycle, unless your septic system doesn't like bleach.

I use paper towels in the bottom of the incubator, the only thing I use paper towels for. [We use washable kitchen towels, cloth diaper wipes, reuseable everything, just about. It has saved us a fortune, even accounting for water, electricity and detergent.] I like the paper towels because if the humidity needs help, I can spray water in via the air holes and help spread it over a bigger surface area to bump humidity.

I have also some canning jars with sponges in them inside the incubator that I use to increase humidity. I do find I have to add water quite often, and I can't figure out why, as the humidity in the house runs 45%. But the bator, without help, wants to hover at way less. Very odd.

Congratulations!