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

[FuzzyHens]

Well my official count is 5 out of 10 eggs set. So 50% isnt to bad for my first attempt at incubating i think

They are adorable!!

 

[FuzzyHens]

Update on my broody Silkie I have been waiting ever so patiently on. I set 5 eggs under her 2 were pulled halfway through. Today day 23 she had 2 chicks under her, a Blue Silkie and a Splash Silkie. Unfortunately the Blue Silkie was found dead(I think she might have killed it). So she has one live chick under her and I really hope this one lives.

I'm sorry about the blue chick, but glad you got a splash! That sounds very cute!! Fingers crossed for the splash!!

 

[FuzzyHens]

Easter Hatch A Long!!!

Anyone have a thread started for the EHAL?

haha...yep, already planning for that one too.

 

[FuzzyHens]

Thanks, but it is definitely not spraddle leg. The legs are positioned correctly but the knee joints are locked solid. They are folded as a chicken normally would to sit down. This is a relatively common defect in mammals but I don't know if it is caused by the same thing.

I am familiar with something similar in horses...we call it over at the knees and contracted tendons. It's caused by too high calcium in the pre-natal environment and there is a vet procedure to solve the problem in the first week if it is severe enough that gravity won't fix it. But I have no idea if this is the same cause for chickens. I hope you find a solution.

 

[FuzzyHens]

Serious? That early? Wow...It will be here before we know it!

Set eggs on March 14th

 

[Cynthia12]

@Happy Chooks Hosted the Easter hatch last year. I worked on the Daily Digest.

It was a lot of fun!

And what a great job you did! Not sure how in the world you did it! That thread moves fast! We all loved it though, because not everyone can keep up, so the digest really helped!

 

[Peep_Show]

Update:

On the pure BLRW that hatched out with feathered legs, the seller contacted. Oops, it turns out, is half light Brahma. She had gotten the hen from a flock with that roo and isolated it for six weeks before adding to her BLRW flock. SIX WEEKS! That Brahma must be one super-stud bird! I told her she might also want to check her own roo's potency as the other BLRW eggs that weren't prescrambled by the USPS were clears and no evidence of germinal donut. I swear, I'm going to write a book about the trials and tribulations of adverntures with shipped eggs....

DH has named the possibly brain-damaged marans Timmy. Those of you that watch South Park will get the reference.

(I am so ashamed)

 

[Peep_Show]

I am working on a theory as to my dismal hatch rates:

1) Why only the mutts are hatching and not the purebreds?
a) Perhaps mutts are more hardy.
but, more importantly,
b) The extra color deposited on the eggs for the marans and welsummers inhibits oxygen into the egg.
The lighter colored brown and white eggs seem to develop and hatch just fine.

Just one of many theories....

 

[hennible]

Update:

On the pure BLRW that hatched out with feathered legs, the seller contacted.  Oops, it turns out, is half light Brahma.   She had gotten the hen from a flock with that roo and isolated it for six weeks before adding to her BLRW flock.   SIX WEEKS!   That Brahma must be one super-stud bird!   I told her she might also want to check her own roo's potency as the other BLRW eggs that weren't prescrambled by the USPS were clears and no evidence of germinal donut.    I swear, I'm going to write a book about the trials and tribulations of adverntures with shipped eggs....

DH has named the possibly brain-damaged marans Timmy.   Those of you that watch South Park will get the reference.  

(I am so ashamed)   

Oh ha! Timmy... no no really I didn't laugh...
You should write a book or at the least a article for BYC

 

[FuzzyHens]

My hatch summary is set 8 eggs, hatched 1 chick for a 12.5% hatch rate.

The details:
1 seeped
2 blood ring
2 that never did anything
2 that went into lock down but didn't hatch (1 had a saddle air cell and 1 was delayed in development)
1 adorable blue chick that has gotten me seriously addicted to hatching eggs.

Thanks for the company and education! I'm already planning my eggs for the next couple of HALs.