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

[GerbilsOnToast]

one thing i learned from this hatch is to set at a time when they wont all hatch in the middle of the night!!! Im so tired from staying up till almost 4 am lol
My last one to hatch brought a little blood out with it, its not bleeding but the stuff left in the egg looks bloodier than what the other chicks left behind, is that normal?
I cant wait to get a picture of all these chicks fluffed up! they have some beautiful coloring already.
I hope that everyone who has chicks left gets chickies and they are mostly hens!! Good luck everyone

LOL - Probably they will always hatch in the middle of the night if you're watching!!!

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Mine have usually started from the pip - a few have started the zip from half an inch a way, but it still cracked over to the pip spot.

Thanks! Just wanna make sure I'm not staring at the wrong spot

I'm gonna have a sore neck by the time it's all over!!!

 

[GerbilsOnToast]

Number seven has fully zipped - might be out by the time I get back over there...

 

[JDchicks]

Who is pipping/hatching today?

Tracking:

Chickin Pickin
MontanaDolphin
Insanity
Jlynnet
Msjp
Jdchicks
Pozees
Ronott1
Scotter
Nicky-the-witch
Draye
All Henned Up
Michaelf
GerbilsOnToast
Kiniska
Gage
Abmaddox1981
Coopsbyty

 

[ronniewayne]

Who is pipping/hatching today?

Tracking:

Chickin Pickin
MontanaDolphin
Insanity
Jlynnet
Msjp
Jdchicks
Pozees
Ronott1
Scotter
Nicky-the-witch

me too I set on the 12th

 

[MontanaDolphin]

me too I set on the 12th

As did I...have you gotten any pips yet? I set at 1:30 p.m. No pips at midnight EST last night, woke up at 6 this morning to 2 pips...a couple hours later pip #3.

 

[ronniewayne]

no pips they are just setting there like little egg soldiers at attention

 

[ChickenCanoe]

.
..

I think I've decided to try hatching ducks this spring...hoping I can find someone around where I live with fertile eggs...I checked some online hatcheries, and the eggs are so darn expensive, I can't fathom spending that kind of money!
...

Perhaps buy ducklings and breed them. That way you can control breeder management and no egg shipping issues.

Same here, I do not like being anywhere but home on holidays, especially this one

In the years BC (Before Chickens) the only extended time off work I could get was about 10 days from Christmas to New Years. I went skiing every year.

Ok, so in order to sex a chick you can do this 3 ways.....but I prefer method one. it is strangely accurate!


1)If you pick a chick up with two fingers by the back of the neck, the cockerels will draw their legs up to their body and the pullets legs will dangle.
2)Look at their wing feathers....if you google this you should find some identification pictures....
3)THE NEEDLE TRICK:dangle the needle on thread over a chick ... if it moves around and around it is a female. If it swings back and forth it is male (said to work for chicks and eggs)

~Bantambury

Can we say 'Old Wives' Tales'?

Lmao number 1 and 3 don't work. If they did hatcheries wouldn't pay people out the rear to look into they're vent to sex them.

There are different ways to sex chicks.

1. Vent sexing you look in the vent to see a bump for male but even some females will have a slight bump and there is like 9 different bump shapes or something like that.
2. You have a chick that auto sexes.
3. You breed a sex link. example rooster over a barred rock. This is where you get black sexlinks and redsexlinks.
4. feather sexing. for this to work you need a slow feathering bird mated with a fast feathering bird. If I remember correctly.

X2
That's the highest paying job in the industry.

Still waiting for the New Year to arrive here in the Ozarks

I slept through it. Where in SW MO are you? My brother lives in Sarcoxie.

Well, I'm pretty devastated. That last minute temp spike killed every chick but the one who has hatched. I saw no movement so I carefully opened all the eggs and all were dead. Some had internally pipped and were perfect and would have hatched if not for that temp spike. I am so sad.

That's a shame. I hate incubators. It isn't broody season though.

 

[coopsbyty]

Standing here filling the coffee pot #3 pipped before my eyes.

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone here, it's good to know I am not the only guy in the world who gets a little crazy on hatch days. It does not matter if this if your first hatch, or if you have been doing it for years, as I have, the miracle of birth is always special, exciting, and completely nerve frazzling.

So, thank you all again, I hope each and everyone of you has an amazing year, with much love, luck, and fuzzy chicks.

P.s. I will post pics as soon as I have something cute

 

[Chase Family]

Another baby this morning. And 3 more popping. This is so exciting. Today is my husband birthday, and these baby chicks are an awesome birthday present for him.