Anyone setting eggs May 1st?

[joyfulkeeper]

Hi All!

Too tired to read through al 14 pages, I set 7 Lavender Ameraucanas on May 4th.  Anyone else set that day?  I have a Brinsea Mine Advance and this is my second batch of eggs I set.  First time round I had 4 make it to lock down and  they all hatched.  So far, this is Day  10, and I had discarded an infertile egg on Day 7, I have 6 viable, moving, active little embryos going.  These are shipped eggs, and am also concerned about the wacky, displaced air cells that they have.  Been reading a lot and am hopeful they will be able to hatch despite their trip from Texas to NY via the USPS!!

Good Luck everyone!!
I know we are all around the same time, but anyone set on the 4th as I did?

MB

Hi MB, welcome.
I set some eggs under a broody that are due to hatch in the next couple of days. SO Eggcited!
I also set a dozen duck eggs in an incubator on the 1st and added some chicken eggs on the 8th. So those will hatch a few days after yours.
These are our 1st tries at incubating and hatching... and we are totally hooked already.

 

[Melabella]

Hi MB, welcome.
I set some eggs under a broody that are due to hatch in the next couple of days. SO Eggcited!
I also set a dozen duck eggs in an incubator on the 1st and added some chicken eggs on the 8th. So those will hatch a few days after yours.
These are our 1st tries at incubating and hatching... and we are totally hooked already.

HI! Thank you for the welcome, I too am so hooked!!! I was over the moon that I had 4 eggs hatch the first go around. I was so convinced I would only get one chick, I ordered a 3 chick minimum from Meyer so that it would have company, and then 4 hatched. One chick failed to thrive, he has some sort of issue with his navel, amongst others. He made it a week, looking back though, I knew he wasn't doing well, I should have humanly culled him, but was hoping I didn't know what I was talking about and he would get stronger. I have all ready moved the three chicks I hatched to a friend to make room for the lavender Ameraucana eggs that are in the incubator. I also have a friend selling some beautiful Swedish Flower Hen eggs.. soooooooo maybe a third try might be in order!

What breeds of chickens and ducks are you hatching.. are you keeping them all? Good Luck I can't wait to read how it goes!

MB

 

[joyfulkeeper]

yes it is!  oh.. you keep your ducks in with the chickens? i am new to the ducks, i have to pekin right now, but i think they are both boys, so we will be hatching some soon, I was wondering what I would do with them, especially in the winter.  I have a small coop for the ones I have now.

Yep, our chickens and ducks share a coop. They did OK together even through our brutal winter. Our coop is probably a little small for everyone, but it worked. The ducks are much hardier than the chickens so they ventured out a lot more and gave the chickens some space. In the winter I use a bucket/nipple waterer in the coop with a birdbath heater in it. It worked great even with our record amount of below zero days, and it kept the ducks from getting things too wet in the coop. We kept a heated dog bowl and a larger black rubber water bowl outside that they could use to wash. We love the ducks and we love the eggs too.

 

[mollybuck]

Yep, our chickens and ducks share a coop. They did OK together even through our brutal winter. Our coop is probably a little small for everyone, but it worked. The ducks are much hardier than the chickens so they ventured out a lot more and gave the chickens some space. In the winter I use a bucket/nipple waterer in the coop with a birdbath heater in it. It worked great even with our record amount of below zero days, and it kept the ducks from getting things too wet in the coop. We kept a heated dog bowl and a larger black rubber water bowl outside that they could use to wash. We love the ducks and we love the eggs too.

awesome!! thats what i was wondering. we are making the nipple waterer outside in the run. i may have to get some to use on a bucket.. perfect. I have them in with my meat birds and the poor things look like the ducks have a water fight with them... i have to change the bedding every other day!

(MB... sorry.. i cant figure out the multi quote thing)

I have 4 silkies, 3 mutts and the rest are BLRW. we go into lockdown in the hatcher on sunday and I can. not. wait!!!

 

[joyfulkeeper]

HI!  Thank you for the welcome, I too am so hooked!!!  I was over the moon that I had 4 eggs hatch the first go around.  I was so convinced I would only get one chick, I ordered a 3 chick minimum from Meyer so that it would have company, and then 4 hatched.  One chick failed to thrive, he has some sort of issue with his navel, amongst others.  He made it a week, looking back though, I knew he wasn't doing well, I should have humanly culled him, but was hoping I didn't know what I was talking about and he would get stronger.  I have all ready moved the three chicks I hatched to a friend to make room for the lavender Ameraucana eggs that are in the incubator.  I also have a friend selling some beautiful Swedish Flower Hen eggs.. soooooooo maybe a third try might be in order! 

What breeds of chickens and ducks are you hatching.. are you keeping them all?  Good Luck I can't wait to read how it goes!

MB

All the eggs are from my flock. We have a utilitarian flock for eggs and meat.

We have Black Australorps (our rooster is a BA) and Buff Orpingtons, so the chick's will be BA or a cross of the two. We will keep a few pullets for more eggs and grow the others for meat.

The duck eggs are a mix of Khaki Campbell, Rouen, and white layer crosses. They will be used for meat. We are separating the white layers to breed them for more egg production so I will be setting more eggs in about 3 weeks.

I sometimes envy those that have the really pretty breeds and I love to see all the pics that are posted. So, pics please!

 

[elsiebb]

We candled earlier this week and 14 out of 15 are all good. So excited!

 

[joyfulkeeper]

We candled earlier this week and 14 out of 15 are all good. So excited!

Yay!!

 

[OR4-hmom]

We candled earlier this week and 14 out of 15 are all good. So excited!

Wonderful, go babies go!

 

[joyfulkeeper]

We heard peeping! Yippee!
Ms Broody-butt got up and one of the kids got me so we could check out the eggs. There are 2 external pips! Mama hen came back quickly and was softly clucking to them. Oh, the anticipation!!

 

[OR4-hmom]

I'm on pins and needles just reading your post. Such a great feeling of anticipation.