8th-annual-byc-new-years-day-2017-hatch-a-long

[ronott1]

I got 14 Ameraucana pullet eggs developing and 7 big duck eggs growing... no Calls, unfortunately... but my fave Call duck picked the Winter Solstice to start laying again!

How Precious!

I love seeing all these pictures everyone! Makes me want to hatch out a bunch of chick babys...

But ahh...im having terrible luck with hatching! The beautiful little lone chick i hatched out died today......the cat has somehow figured to open the incubator and i figured he did something to the baby....heartbroken...

I thought i secured the incubator, but i went to it at least 30 mins ago and the lid was completely off and ALL the eggs were ice cold...all are dead expect one which is due to hatch soon...but that has a massive crack along the side, the cat learnt how to roll eggs...looks like i wont be having a new years hatch...darn cat.

I am so sorry!

Put a heavy book on top of the incubator to foil the cat!

It also helps with temps in the incubator--The top often goes out of square and will let heat out.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Something I'd like to mention for those setting/hatching in the Northern hemisphere this time of year is that roosters need to be photostimulated to be more fertile just as the hens do to ovulate.
The same holds for those hatching in May/June/July in the Southern hemisphere.

Getting them out first thing at dawn and big eastern facing windows helps as does adding a bit of light.
Both males and females are affected by the pineal gland and melatonin in the same way.
As day length in relation to night increases, it stimulates the gonads. And vice versa with decreasing day length.
IMO, one should expect some decrease of fertility in males as winter solstice approaches.

ETA
I'm just wondering if that is the reason there is some consensus that frostbite makes roosters temporarily sterile because I haven't found that to be true.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

Emu went to live at a rescue sanctuary that had an emu that had been rescued and needed company. I am glad I hatched them, it was an amazing experience. It was a lot like having a toddler... Exhausting!

lol, do you have any pics of them??

Hilarious!!

Shoont guys! I had a busy day getting stuff for the chickens and groceries for us, then tending to the coop!

I candled again too, because I wanted to mark air cells this time. Some look like they're doing great and others, the cells have barely moved. I've done a little moving around to make sure that those ones are more on the outside perimeter of the incubator now. I'm undecided on when I should candle next, either day 10 or 14. I'll candle one last time just before lockdown.

Also, it looks like I have three that weren't fertile and another that looks like it quit. It's in a marans egg and the yolk looks like a solid, dark sphere. I'm still leaving them in there unless I start smelling something funky. Madness!

This is so funny!

Cat stalking a mouse until...​

Good Chicken!!

Loks my December hatch may be done. Got 10/10 ducklings (

) and 6/8 isbars, I will leave the last two isbars just in case

Woohoo!! congrats!!

Well I can't be posting for a hatch a long for what has been the most successful hen of the season, because I was walking through the yard with someone, who pointed and referred to a hen who was sitting on eggs, and when I look, I see a half shell. I pick up the shell and it's an obvious hatch and so I look under the hen (who doesn't mind me) and she has 4.

So I didn't know about her plans until she had hatched 'em. She has 10 now, about less than a week old. All whites and yellows. She beat the hen who sat on one of those mountains of eggs 24 or so I think, that you never find, and hatched 8 black ones out (white hen and where did she find a black rooster?)

Thats great!!

Ok so I finally caught up on over 900 posts. Sorry to those who had eggs that did not start. I did manage to set shipped silkie eggs on the 11th and candled this morning. 75% are developing nicely. Now if I can just get them to hatch.

awesome!!

look at how cute

Well, I guess I should have candled the eggs that spent 3 weeks lost at the post office before I set them. I've had 3 oozers and 1 exploded. I'm going to candle the rest of them tonight to see if there is anything alive in there.

so sorry!!

Unfortunately, my little singleton chick didn't make it. It had pipped and was peeping before bed but in the morning, I found that it had passed

It was a little blue silkie. Hopefully, I'll have better luck with the New years hatch.

i'm sorry!!

When is it "worth" candling the first time?

We did it yesterday on a couple (late day 3) just because we are super excited and it's our first time incubating/hatching eggs.

We did see several with veins visible and from what it looks like online I think the others aren't noticeable yet because of darker shells.

We will be gone day 7-9. should we candle prior on day 6 or just wait till day 10 when were back?

At what point do you decide if eggs are bad and dispose of them? Dont want any blowing up inside the incubator so just want to make sure were doing this part right.


Lastly, our incubator was factory set at 100 degrees. we have a cheap mercury thermometer in there that reads about 1.5 degrees lower than the incubators reading says.
Which would you believe? The digital incubator or a mercury thermometer? Thinkin I should hit up petsmart and buy a digital lizard temp gauge to verify temps.

you need to calibrate!!!

We're actually set for December 31 with 16 Silkie eggs and seven White Jersey Giants.

Welcome over Oz!!

good luck!!

Nah, It's okay. I have five girls and two roos so I'm pretty sure I will have fertile eggs in the spring if not sooner. I let one of the roos free range with my free range flock so the boys don't fight over the girls. I'm gonna try removing the roo from the JO breeding pen in a few days so when I put them back together maybe he will be more likely to breed. I'm also gonna try giving the a few extra hours of "daylight" when I put the JO roo back in the breeding pen. I might even give him a bit more protein to see if that helps.
I wonder if it would help to put the extra JO roo in the JO pen during the day to create a bit of competition between the boys.

Good Luck!! and @ChickenCanoe can give you some really goo dinfo on breeder flock nutrition if you think that may have been an issue

I just candled my eggs (4 Silkies and 3 Red Sex Link x Cochin from one hen). Of the Silkies, 3/4 look really good - verdict still out on the 4th (I added that one in a day later). But the other ones are not looking great. I don't know if I'm having trouble cause the eggs are darker (though I have a good candler) or what. Any idea what would cause all of one type of egg to fail? Are there pics of bad eggs online so I can have a look and make a guess? Just find it odd that all 3 from one chicken should stop developing when the others are ok.

*Project Resurrecting Rosie*

I hope they do well for you!!!

I love seeing all these pictures everyone! Makes me want to hatch out a bunch of chick babys...

But ahh...im having terrible luck with hatching! The beautiful little lone chick i hatched out died today......the cat has somehow figured to open the incubator and i figured he did something to the baby....heartbroken...

I thought i secured the incubator, but i went to it at least 30 mins ago and the lid was completely off and ALL the eggs were ice cold...all are dead expect one which is due to hatch soon...but that has a massive crack along the side, the cat learnt how to roll eggs...looks like i wont be having a new years hatch...darn cat.

oh no!! they may still be ok though!

Something I'd like to mention for those setting/hatching in the Northern hemisphere this time of year is that roosters need to be photostimulated to be more fertile just as the hens do to ovulate.
The same holds for those hatching in May/June/July in the Southern hemisphere.

 

[FLminifarm]

I had about 30 eggs in the incubator that I thought were fertile. Only 4 have veins and movement at candle. The rest were clears :/ and I sadly tossed them. Was really hoping to have a big hatch on New Years! Really hoping these 4 remaining hatch!! Two of them belong to my favorite polish (she was my BABY!) and she was killed by a hawk last week. It was so terrible. I am praying so hard that her babies hatch!!!
On egg has growth inside that looks so much mature and larger than the rest. This is my first time incubating, so I am new at this!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Good luck with them. Eggs seem more valuable when the parents have passed.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

I had about 30 eggs in the incubator that I thought were fertile. Only 4 have veins and movement at candle. The rest were clears

and I sadly tossed them. Was really hoping to have a big hatch on New Years! Really hoping these 4 remaining hatch!! Two of them belong to my favorite polish (she was my BABY!) and she was killed by a hawk last week. It was so terrible. I am praying so hard that her babies hatch!!!
On egg has growth inside that looks so much mature and larger than the rest. This is my first time incubating, so I am new at this!

Good Luck!!! I hope they hatch for you!!

 

[junebuggena]

The chick that needed help did not survive the night. And the little silver partridge that everyone thought was cute couldn't figure out how to get back under the heat and died.

 

[pennyJo1960]

The chick that needed help did not survive the night. And the little silver partridge that everyone thought was cute couldn't figure out how to get back under the heat and died.

I am so sorry hurts when we loose the little ones that way

 

[acefaser]

Had a few bantam chochin/silkie cross hatch from my second incubator. Fuzz balls!

 

[teaton]

Had a few bantam chochin/silkie cross hatch from my second incubator. Fuzz balls!

Awwwl