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

[chicken pickin]

Quote:
Im so glad last hatch went well for you. Unfortunately I do not raise Serama.

For purebreeds I have Blue/Splash Silkies, also Cream Legbar and Marans.

For crosses I do have a few other breeds (Spitzhauben, Olive Eggers and a Marans) in with a Cream Legbar cockerel, these crossbreds would technically be considered Easter Eggers and Olive Eggers.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Got the bator now just gotta find some eggs in time to set them for this and that's being a challenge. Everyone is wanting $5-$8 an egg and unless they are guaranteed to hatch I'm not paying that lol

B4 I started hunting them I was finding them for $1-$3 an egg

You can also just listen for crowing when you're out...where's there's crowing, there's fertile eggs. Then you have to be willing to knock on a perfect stranger's door (which I am not above).

 

[Blarneyeggs]

 
Saturday night live had an incubation skit last night!

If I had a Nest spresso I could join the Hatch-a-Long!

I'm sure if you have a cooler, some wire and a lightbulb at home, the people on here could help you built an incubator. I'm not saying that they are enablers, I'll let you do the math.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

[COLOR=0000FF]Does Sally Sunshinne still breed Seramas?


I was supposed to set a group of BLRW yesterday, but I got distracted... I'm going to put them in today. This will force me to set my NYD hatch eggs late, which is ok as we travel over New Years and I am NOT bringing the incubator in the car again! My Eggies will remain safely at home and hatch a day or 2 after everyone else's.


Off to the Italian Market to do some shopping for turkey day![/COLOR]

What happened when you took the incubator in the car? I'm wondering because I'm going to be out of town for a few days during incubation, and considered just bringing the incubator. Maybe I should just make an egg turner, instead.

It wasn't pretty. The eggs were actively hatching being tossed and rolling all over the place. I sat in the backseat and kept the incubator on my lap. I did not realize that the small holes on the bottom of the incubator would pour water all over my lap once the incubator was no longer on the counter top. It was December in New Jersey (aka freezing!). When we got to the hotel - which does not allow animals - DH and my son snuck in a back stair well that lead directly to the parking lot and climbed the 7 flights of stairs to our room, carrying the incubator. I honestly do not know how the chicks survived these shenanigans, but they did.

Although....our 4-H routinely provides hatching eggs to classrooms that only have 3 days left to incubate. The eggs are transported from the 4-H center to the homes or classrooms at this late stage of development and most of them hatch. So it can be done. Just don't do it my way. I would recommend keeping them secure, transporting before the first pip, keep the incubator running if you can and if you can't, keep the ride short.

 

[chickwhispers]

I'm sure if you have a cooler, some wire and a lightbulb at home, the people on here could help you built an incubator. I'm not saying that they are enablers, I'll let you do the math.

Hahaha! Right you are! This forum should actually be called BYCEA. BackYard Chickens Enablers Anonymous.

 

[MrsBrooke]

I can't wait.

I'm hoping that we find Little Mama's nest before too long... She's laying *somewhere,* but since my girls free-range, there's no telling where she's laying.

Any tips on finding hidden nests??

MrsB

 

[hockeydad6791]

I can't wait.

I'm hoping that we find Little Mama's nest before too long... She's laying *somewhere,* but since my girls free-range, there's no telling where she's laying.

Any tips on finding hidden nests??

MrsB

Not sure if this will help you but my girls free range also. Due to all the predators I have to lock them up every evening. When they are hiding their eggs I leave them locked up longer in the morning and when I let them out I watch them and if one is holding an egg to hide usually one or more will run to the hidden nest and start the egg song. Also you could try to put a fake egg in the nest box most of the time if they see an egg in a nest the rest think it's a safe spot and will lay there. Monkey see monkey do kinda thing

 

[Aphrael]

When I finally crashed last night I had 6 hatched, including the wrong end pipper. This morning I woke up to this.

There are several up under the zebra thing too. I have no idea how many are in there now. There is too much chaos to get a head count.

How is the duckie hatch going this morning? Any

yet?

 

[Sustained]

When I finally crashed last night I had 6 hatched, including the wrong end pipper. This morning I woke up to this. There are several up under the zebra thing too. I have no idea how many are in there now. There is too much chaos to get a head count. How is the duckie hatch going this morning? Any yet?

That's awesome! It's a fantastic morning when you wake up to a bator full of fuzzy butts lol they're so cute! 2 duckies so far! A male and a female. I'm dying to take them out of the bator lol one more egg is zipped and working on kicking out. Another egg with a pip and the last egg got knocked where I can't tell if it's pipped yet or not but at last candle it was a little behind the others so I expected it to be last already. I'm hoping all 5 make it! Originally there were 9 eggs. 2 never developed, 1 was a very early quitter, and 1 tried to hatch extremely early but didn't make it.

 

[ronott1]

All the pretty ladies have been reorganized into their breeding pens and just in time for me to participate in this HAL. I have never tried hatching this early here in MN due to the usually insanely cold weather at that time of year. But the 4H crowd is always looking for birds hatched in Jan so I am giving it a go with my mille fleur d'uccles. And with full blessing of DH who I am sure hasn't thought about that the hatchlings will be in the basement brooders starting Jan 1.

It is great to have you hatching with us!