April 2020 Hatch-A-Long! All are welcome!

[FortCluck]

No! My oldest dog.

the puppy is meanwhile the ABSOLUTE BEST puppy I’ve ever had. I’m amazed. She is potty trained already, totally docile with the chickens and best friends with my toddler. You’re supposed to have to keep them tethered or on a leash around chickens but she hasn’t chased one yet, shared snacks with them, and is all around sweet and awesome.

I'm so sorry about your dog. Hopefully the puppy picked up some traits from it. My puppy acts like my oldest did which cracks me up.

My puppy is scared of my chickens and ducks she freezes up when they come near her but she's only 6 lbs soaking wet.

 

[BuckeyeFoodie]

So, this hatch is done! Out of 11 to make it to lockdown I have 7 chicks - 2 Silkie, 2 Cochin, 2 Ayam Cemani, and 1 Phoenix-X. 2 eggs sadly pipped through a vein and didn't make it (first time I've ever had that happen, and it happened twice...), and two more I would say quit at days 19 and 20 respectively.

As soon as these guys are ready to move to the brooder I have 15+ Silkie eggs ready to go in for a May hatch, plus I still have my April 29 hatch of 2 AC, 1 Cochin, 1 Phoenix-X, and 11 Silkies. I'm also buying some more AC eggs from another breeder because I'm not liking the level of fibro I'm getting from my own birds.....

I have to keep telling my mom (who helps me at the barn and insists on treating me like I'm 12 despite being in my 30s) to not count the chickens!

 

[jolenesdad]

So, this hatch is done! Out of 11 to make it to lockdown I have 7 chicks - 2 Silkie, 2 Cochin, 2 Ayam Cemani, and 1 Phoenix-X. 2 eggs sadly pipped through a vein and didn't make it (first time I've ever had that happen, and it happened twice...), and two more I would say quit at days 19 and 20 respectively.

As soon as these guys are ready to move to the brooder I have 15+ Silkie eggs ready to go in for a May hatch, plus I still have my April 29 hatch of 2 AC, 1 Cochin, 1 Phoenix-X, and 11 Silkies. I'm also buying some more AC eggs from another breeder because I'm not liking the level of fibro I'm getting from my own birds.....

I have to keep telling my mom (who helps me at the barn and insists on treating me like I'm 12 despite being in my 30s) to not count the chickens!

So much hatching!!! My moms the same.

Sorry you lost a few this hatch. :-(

 

[BuckeyeFoodie]

So much hatching!!! My moms the same.

Sorry you lost a few this hatch. :-(

She quieted down when I pointed out that I'll be able to sell my culls from the show and breeding pens - people are always looking for silkies and Cemani's!

 

[FortCluck]

She quieted down when I pointed out that I'll be able to sell my culls from the show and breeding pens - people are always looking for silkies and Cemani's!

People are looking for chickens and ducklings no matter the breed. I sold out an hour after posting on Craigslist.

 

[BuckeyeFoodie]

People are looking for chickens and ducklings no matter the breed. I sold out an hour after posting on Craigslist.

Very true, but how many of them are buying because they are convinced the world is ending and we are going to run out of food?!

 

[FortCluck]

Very true, but how many of them are buying because they are convinced the world is ending and we are going to run out of food?!

Does it matter a sale is a sale

The guy I sold to yesterday was super happy. Meat and eggs is what he wanted them for. His wife was petting them and it warmed my heart. Lovely couple.

 

[Fatimetta]

Yes those are blood rings. They were probably vastly more prominent a few days ago but the blood rings themselves have detached/decomposed.

by day 14, they should all be as dark as the developing egg photo.

I took a look at the developing video, and I think that is a late quitter as well. :-( there should not be as much open/light space at day 14. It’s a fairly large embryo that quit, so what you are seeing of “movement” is actually just sloshing around as you turn the egg.

the quality on my connection isn’t stellar so I can’t see totally clearly, there’s a chance that open space is the last developing space in the egg if you’re inCubating then in their side.... next time you candle that egg you need to hold it completely still for several seconds before looking for movement.

thank you! I will remove those eggs then... now I am just wondering what I did wrong to make them quit at all different stages :/

 

[BuckeyeFoodie]

thank you! I will remove those eggs then... now I am just wondering what I did wrong to make them quit at all different stages :/

I missed part of this, but it may not be anything you did, it could be the eggs.

Where did you get them, how were they handled, what sort of incubator do you have, and have you double checked your temps and humidity with secondary thermometer/hydrostat?

There's also the fact the some eggs just quit, and there is nothing you did to cause it. If most of your hatch is OK, and its just a few eggs, no worries. If you lose the entire clutch halfway through, then you have problems.

 

[BuckeyeFoodie]

I was able to raise is to about 60%but who knows with these junky hydrometersWe have a d’Uccle externally pipping now as well so hopefully we Will wake up tmr to a couple of noisy chicks no doubt playing soccer with their brothers and sisters who haven’t hatched yet

I would try hatching upright in egg trays, to prevent the soccer playing. That's what I'll be doing going forward - I lost two this hatch to pipping through veins, and I'm convinced it happened after my first two hatched and started lurching around.