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

[sandman221]

hey Montanadolphin, praying mantis are so cool. have u ever tried to raise any of the exotic species? orchid mantis's are so awesome looking.

 

[bantambury]

Ok

The chicks are getting into position and will be working on pipping. Hatching happens within about 24 hours of the first pip. Start your clock at the first pip.

I like to see the first pip. It is a relief and means that I will have chicks soon.

thanks!

 

[cluckcluckluke]

My Eggs have all gone into shutdown today

!!!!

No peeking!!!

 

[Aphrael]

to check for a stuck egg you just put some.lubricant on your fingers and feel around in her vent?

You're suppose to be able to feel an egg-shaped lump by massaging around their bottom if they are egg-bound. But if she hasn't laid yet then she is probably just working on her first egg for you, as others have said.

Quote:

I had one lay her first egg on Friday. She was funny, looking for a place to lay the egg. Of course the nest box with the egg in it is not the place!

She was checking out the space under the BBQ



Later that day I found her first egg in front of the BBQ

Silly chickens.

Here are a couple of Silkie chick pics from this weekend's hatch - from the birds I bought from SilkieSensation.





The one in the middle in the first pic was last to hatch by maybe 12 hours after the first to hatch to the right of it, and the size difference is perceptible. Amazing. They'll get a day or two in the brooder in the house and then go out to the brooder in the coop.

So cute! I just wanna huggle 'em all up!

Here is a picture of some of the eggs I started on 12/10 for the hatch along. I started with 12 in the incubator, 5 are now nearly to hatching. I also have 3 under a broody silkie outside. The lighter eggs are Spitzhauben Appenzellers I bought and had shipped it took them a week to get here (on a priority 2 day package and the looked bad but I put them in the bator anyway) so I have my fingers toes and everything else crossed that they will hatch by Tuesday.




Happy New Year and Happy hatching everyone!!!

Good luck! I hope they all hatch!

I'm done. I had 17 of 18 hatch (tossed one clear at lock down,) I helped the last two, they are weak but may catch up with the others. Time will tell. I have tried and tried to get a pic were you can see each chick but haven't gotten a good one so far. I will try again tonight.

Did I already say that I really love my Sportsman?

Nice. Congrats on the babies!

 

[chickengirl1193]

I bet she wants to go broody. Wants a nest but wants a box up high away from the other animals. Put a box with some hay in it in a raised position somewhere in the shed and see if she doesn't settle in.

Sometimes I hide from the neighbors.

I've had a neighbor who is about 90 and his 70 year old wife chicken sit for me a couple times when I had to go out of town. I've also done a ton of favors for them, like wiring in his new built-in oven and digging out dead trees.
One time we were talking on the phone but when we hung up, we didn't get disconnected. I'm embarrassed to say, I was eavesdropping on their conversation. They were talking about me and it wasn't pretty.

If your nests are high, you may need to add a perch in front of them for her. They like to look into the nest before they hop in.

You're suppose to be able to feel an egg-shaped lump by massaging around their bottom if they are egg-bound.  But if she hasn't laid yet then she is probably just working on her first egg for you, as others have said.  



Quote:
  Silly chickens.


So cute!  I just wanna huggle 'em all up!   


Good luck!  I hope they all hatch!


Nice.  Congrats on the babies!

she didn't lay an egg but now she's acting normal.
the nesting boxes are about 2ft off the ground with a perch in front and there are other places higher up for her to go but she like can't jump up where the other chickens can jump to easily. maybe ill make her a ramp to the boxes. and I dont have a rooster so I dont want to encourage her to go broody thanks!

 

[ronott1]

she didn't lay an egg but now she's acting normal.
the nesting boxes are about 2ft off the ground with a perch in front and there are other places higher up for her to go but she like can't jump up where the other chickens can jump to easily. maybe ill make her a ramp to the boxes. and I dont have a rooster so I dont want to encourage her to go broody thanks!

She will lay one soon for you.

Post a picture please!

 

[coopsbyty]

I incubate in a brinsea 20 in a rotation then move them to my little brinsea to hatch in batches of no more than 12 chicks at a time. And this way I have new chicks hatching weekly. I give most of them away to folks buying coops from us. And well I just love having babies all the time.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I have to tell you, that group of birds is amazing.  One of the Black hens is now named Marathon Mama - you open the pen door and she is on the move, she can fill her crop when it looks like there is nothing to eat, and can cover ground!  Blue is here known as Big Daddy - fears nothing, and a couple of weeks ago put a 4.5 month old LARGE Rock cockerel in his place with pure attitude LOL.  They raise chicks as a group, even Daddy helps.  They are not let out free (not in a run) unless we're here to keep an eye on things, but since DH retired this year, they get out just about every day unless it's bad weather.  We really enjoy them.

Sounds like they are spoiled quite well & are very happy. That boy always was good at his job. At 1 point in time (right before you got him) he was covering 13 hens in 3 pens. I would move him to a new pen every 2-3 days so he got to visit all of his girls every week. I didn't have a single unfertile egg during that time.

 

[SoManyHats]

I don't know what happened...I took my fan out, and my temperature dropped 5 degrees and won't come back up. Also, even though I added another pan of water and sponge, doubling my water surface area, my humidity won't go above 50%, and it was holding at 45% before.

 

[Canieldonrad]

Likely just caused by internal pip to air cell. But I have two eggs active. One Buckeye One La Flèche, broken through, making contact with the outside world at Day 19.