6th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2015 Hatch-A-Long

[Dish chickens]

How many people heat with wood? I do and I get morning temps around 98 in the bator and 102 in the afternoon, evening. I try to keep that room stable but between the kids and dog I get about a 4 degree diff. This is my first winter hatch.

I heat with wood but I shut the door in the afternoon and open it before leaving for work. Last year I kept a heater in that room with a thermostat on it and door closed all the time.

 

[Nomibear]

I have added you to the list!

Will the eggs I set this afternoon count toward the hatch-a-long?

 

[Roan]

Will the eggs I set this afternoon count toward the hatch-a-long?

Yes, just send the number that you set to ronott1 in a pm so he can add them to his records.

 

[Roan]

Ron, what is the cut off date for setting eggs for the HAL?

 

[Peep_Show]

I love mail tracking... It helps diminish the "So where is it?" anxiety (but not the frustration) a tad.

Hooray! The marans eggs which were mailed late Dec. 10th hit the ABQ post office early this morning at 2:00 a.m.! These eggs include 3 laid on the 10th, so fresh, fresh, FRESH.

The BLRW eggs, mailed on Dec. 9th from Diboll, TX, seem to be stuck in TX still after going through 3 facilities. (Somehow I have a vision of them just going around and around and around on some conveyor turnstile somewhere)

Despite the parcel long-haulers, the folks at our local Post Office are great. They'll call to come get them when they see eggs have come in because they don't want them sitting in the roadside postal boxes to bake or freeze or they've even brought them to my door! It helps when you have rural postal workers that also raise chickens as they get it. I hope one of my marans eggs hatches a pullet because I want to name her Marlene after my carrier, who really does go the extra mile..

 

[carcar80]

My winter bator temps swing about the same & my eggs honestly hatch better in winter than summer. Spring & fall are my absolute best, but summer is worst. 98-102 should be just fine for a still air. That's what mine runs all winter.

Love reading this! Mine is a still air (have a fridge bator coming that my hubby and mom's fb made but I can't get it until mom's fb gets back after Christmas.. Ugh! Anyway.

Came home yesterday and bator lid had been jacked up on the side while I was gone AND thermometer fell underneath the turner. Rather a bit cool than too hot though, so that's good. Fished out the thermometer and now it's run between 99-101 so I feel good!

 

[SilkieSensation]

My winter bator temps swing about the same & my eggs honestly hatch better in winter than summer. Spring & fall are my absolute best, but summer is worst. 98-102 should be just fine for a still air. That's what mine runs all winter.

Love reading this! Mine is a still air (have a fridge bator coming that my hubby and mom's fb made but I can't get it until mom's fb gets back after Christmas.. Ugh! Anyway.

Came home yesterday and bator lid had been jacked up on the side while I was gone AND thermometer fell underneath the turner. Rather a bit cool than too hot though, so that's good. Fished out the thermometer and now it's run between 99-101 so I feel good!

I have had chicks survive temp swings from as low as 50 to as high as 116. Hatch rates were lower, but still had survivors. The spike to 120 did kill everything in the bator tho.

 

[carcar80]

I have had chicks survive temp swings from as low as 50 to as high as 116. Hatch rates were lower, but still had survivors. The spike to 120 did kill everything in the bator tho.

Oh wow! That's surprising. Also just realized "bf" got changed to "fb".. Twice. But anyway.. lol

 

[Roan]

Oh wow! That's surprising. Also just realized "bf" got changed to "fb".. Twice. But anyway.. lol

lol yeah, when I noticed it, I thought it meant facebook but that just didn't fit the context. lol

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm out. Already.

I had been collecting eggs for a few days since so few are laying. We ran out of eating eggs so on Wednesday I bought some organic eggs at the grocery store. I told my wife I bought them cause we would be low on ours for a bit. I had been putting them on the back porch each day since it stays about 40F and humid out there.
Yesterday I turned a heater on in the porch to slowly raise the temperature. Overnight, I brought them in to warm up more. They were on the kitchen table in a small 2 qt. bucket. I go in to get a cup of coffee this morning and there the eggs are in the sink - washed.

She never washes the eggs and there were a dozen eggs sitting in the egg tray in the fridge.