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

[barn206]

Welp, it's time to start up a thread for those of us that have babies hatching in April! All hatchers and all birds are welcome .

Easter babies: please enter your hatches in the 11th annual Easter Hatch A Long 2020! Participants here have eggs that are not hatching close enough to Easter to count for that event, but ALL April babies are welcome so feel free to chat about your Easter babies with us as well!
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I set 8 cayuga duck eggs on 3/13, due 4/10-4/11 (entered in EHAL). They are too early to really candle yet, so . They are shipped eggs from Fat Hen Farms and they were packed very nicely, but the air cells are definitely wonky. I will be trying to handle them as little as possible.

There will definitely be more eggs set to hatch from me in April! But at present my bators are full to the gills. There are 8 chicken eggs (barnyard mix, my own flock) due on 3/31, so they might make an appearance here as well.

Happy hatching!

Thank you for starting this thread. It’s been a very positive experience for me as well as so many others !!!!

 

[barn206]

Most of the chicks hatched last night. A few hatched yesterday and a few are in progress.
Here is a picture of the ones that have hatched. Mostly RIR.
View attachment 2113843
This is my dry box where I put the chicks while they are drying out.
View attachment 2113847

Congratulations on your hatch Cmom! I like your brooder... you have plenty of room and it totally works.

 

[gmjarvi]

Thank you for starting this thread. It’s been a very positive experience for me as well as so many others !!!!

You're welcome! Make sure to join the May thread started by @FortCluck, too

 

[gmjarvi]

Ok, I finally have pictures! 14/14 eggs that made it to lockdown hatched - my best hatch ever. 63% of the total eggs set (22) hatched, and 100% of the eggs in lockdown hatched. I am tickled.

This is such a fun bunch. Quite a few wyandotte crosses, which will hopefully be great egg layers for the people that have bought them. There are a couple with fuzzy legs, which is fun because I know exactly who Mom is that way! I only have two hens with feathered legs right now, and one isn't laying and is also silkie, so they're pretty easy to tell apart. I also have a silkie cross hen, and one of these babies has her toes! A couple of them also look like they possibly have quite a bit of marans in them. We've decided to deliver all 14 of the babies to the people that purchased a dozen from us - that way I don't have to decide which two to keep, and they get two extra in case something goes sideways.

A couple close ups:

 

[FortCluck]

You're welcome! Make sure to join the May thread started by @FortCluck, too

Here's the link

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/may-2020-hatch-a-long.1359364/

 

[casportpony]

Last call for the 11th Annual EHAL - Contest #3: Cutest Baby Fowl - Win a Brinsea Incubator! contest as it will be closing Sunday May 3rd at 12 midnight pacific time.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Ok, I finally have pictures! 14/14 eggs that made it to lockdown hatched - my best hatch ever. 63% of the total eggs set (22) hatched, and 100% of the eggs in lockdown hatched. I am tickled.
View attachment 2114122
This is such a fun bunch. Quite a few wyandotte crosses, which will hopefully be great egg layers for the people that have bought them. There are a couple with fuzzy legs, which is fun because I know exactly who Mom is that way! I only have two hens with feathered legs right now, and one isn't laying and is also silkie, so they're pretty easy to tell apart. I also have a silkie cross hen, and one of these babies has her toes! A couple of them also look like they possibly have quite a bit of marans in them. We've decided to deliver all 14 of the babies to the people that purchased a dozen from us - that way I don't have to decide which two to keep, and they get two extra in case something goes sideways.

A couple close ups:
View attachment 2114129View attachment 2114131

I gasped when I saw those babies on the towel. They're gorgeous!!!

 

[jolenesdad]

After a friend of mine received a carton of eggs in a box completely loose (think airspace, not just wiggle room) from a shipper, we came to realize that not everyone cares as we would. As stated, I do intend to leave a positive review, but would have liked to know that this seller ships eggs (loosely) on their side.

I realize that as a buyer of shipped eggs, the outcome is mostly in the hands of the postal service, but sellers and buyers also play a part in making hatching a success.

Totally good points. Sorry you had a problem.

I love this post! Completely accurate. As buyers we assume a lot of responsibility and must do our due diligence.

I've learned to ask many questions. And never make assumptions. I've had someone selling a dozen eggs when they only had 2 hens. Making some of those eggs 7+ days old even before shipping. Also another seller, when I asked about hatch rate on his Muskovy duck eggs, told me he'd never managed to hatch a single one despite many efforts.

All wrapped up here!

Triple whammy:
First time Hatcher
Homemade incubator
Shipped eggs

ordered 6 Received 7
2 EEs
1 Maran (still unsure what kind either blue cuckoo or blue splash Maran)
1 Favaucana
3 mystery eggs (different shades of cream/tint/pink)

Fav was a yolker or a very early quitter and one of the mystery eggs quit in week one with a very visible blood ring)

The other 5 all hatched!!!!!! And on time! 2 mystery eggs and Maran on day 21 and the EEs within minutes of each other early this morning (day 22). One EE is striped had leg feathers and has “eyeliner” the other is darker with patches of brown. The Maran is shades of gray darker on the head and back with a lighter belly. Still haven’t identified the mystery breeds but one is all yellow and the other is black and yellow. Two totally different colored eggs one cream one pink View attachment 2113747View attachment 2113748View attachment 2113750View attachment 2113751View attachment 2113752View attachment 2113754View attachment 2113755

There’s a lot I would do differently next time (like not setting them on their sides for the first 8 days - didn’t read about setting shipped eggs until after) but I am super pleased with how it turned out. All but 1 had really bad air cells from being shipped so hopefully this gives hope to anyone going through the same. By day 18 all of the misshapen/detached air cells had corrected themselves. It really took until day 18 so don’t give up hope. Literally 2 days prior they were still all over the placed. It was like a lockdown day miracle!!

I also candled ALOT, probably more than I should’ve and definitely more than was necessary. But here we are! My homemade incubator served me well but next time I’m investing in a real incubator or maybe I’ll be lucky enough to have a broody hen.

Thank you all for your guidance! I know I wouldn’t have had these results without the wealth of knowledge you all provide on this site.

Cheers!!!! And best of luck to everyone still hatching.






View attachment 2113757View attachment 2113758

Cheers! What a great follow up post!

Ok, I finally have pictures! 14/14 eggs that made it to lockdown hatched - my best hatch ever. 63% of the total eggs set (22) hatched, and 100% of the eggs in lockdown hatched. I am tickled.
View attachment 2114122
This is such a fun bunch. Quite a few wyandotte crosses, which will hopefully be great egg layers for the people that have bought them. There are a couple with fuzzy legs, which is fun because I know exactly who Mom is that way! I only have two hens with feathered legs right now, and one isn't laying and is also silkie, so they're pretty easy to tell apart. I also have a silkie cross hen, and one of these babies has her toes! A couple of them also look like they possibly have quite a bit of marans in them. We've decided to deliver all 14 of the babies to the people that purchased a dozen from us - that way I don't have to decide which two to keep, and they get two extra in case something goes sideways.

A couple close ups:
View attachment 2114129View attachment 2114131

Gorgeous chicks!!!!!!! Congrats!

 

[jolenesdad]

Mama is doing great! I did get the three OEs from my friend. I figured mama had 11, she wouldn’t care. She didn’t. I gave them to her and she just sort of looked at me like “really?” and tucked them along with the rest yesterday morning. She has been teaching them all to eat from my hand and it’s adorable. These are the sweetest chicks I’ve ever had, and they’re with a broody!

I’m so glad I did because one of them is a splash!!!!!!

I have been hatching for a splash pullet for over a year and have not been lucky. :-( ive hatched five splash cockerels and no hens. I’ve tried for Silverudds, Marans, and Ameraucanas.

this little splash is so adorable with muffs and I’m smitten. I can’t have roosters here, but, with the farm on the market I don’t think I care if he crows. Either way.... I finally got my splash!!!!

 

[AgnesGray]

Baby crossbeak is out. I am even less sure about her chances as she has one very large unusual eye and no eye on the other side. She appears normal other than the abnormalities on the face. Pic attached. Thoughts?