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

[UThobbyfarmer]

I can tell you what I've watched with other peoples hatches but I've only hatched goslings as far as waterfowl personally. They're supposed to be very similar but goslings are actually a little more difficult and even slower. One tip I can definitely share it that if you see and external pip and you're able to see the bill the chewing motion is a way to identify that it is not yet ready to hatch. I actually recorded a snippet of my gosling assist last time to show the difference in a gosling that was ready to hatch and one that wasn't yet ready.

"I had a gosling that zipped half way and got stuck so I decided to open the air cells on both of the remaining goslings in the incubator. I felt this was a great opportunity to show the difference in activity from a gosling that is ready to hatch and one that is not. The gosling on the left has only just barely widened the internal pip through the interior membrane and the gosling on the right has turned in the egg and opened a wider section of membrane while zipping. The constant chewing you're seeing from the gosling on the left is another sign that it's still working on absorbing the yolk and blood.

That's an excellent video! It's definitely different from what chicks do. I'm feeling more prepared already

 

[2102Simm]

Can anyone recommend hatching eggs for Cream crested legbars and Bielefelders? I'm exploring other options until I figure out what's up with my flock before I try to hatch any of their eggs again.

 

[FortCluck]

One of my Pekin ducks is internally pipped. I've been really hands off with this hatch.

I have a lot of eggs in the bator and 3 different species.

I can't tell if the quail eggs are fertile. They're so tiny.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Can anyone recommend hatching eggs for Cream crested legbars and Bielefelders? I'm exploring other options until I figure out what's up with my flock before I try to hatch any of their eggs again.

If you have a local group I would check to see if you can source them locally first. Shipped eggs come with their own set of curve balls and difficulties.

 

[ASteelman]

Out of curiosity, never participated in a hatch along before. If I am setting the eggs next week, but not hatching until the 5th of May. Should I be in this one, next months, both? Help me zen hatch along masters.

I'm hoping to have enough wheaten marans eggs collected to set on the 14th or 15th! I'll be posting in the May hatchalong.

 

[wolfwalker]

That sounds pretty cool! Which one was the hen and rooster for the pairing?

CCL roster over LB hen

 

[Fatimetta]

Give your rooster many sons. Roosters are only expendable (you know, for chicken pot pie, etc.) if you have lots of them. They can't always be counted on to be fertile, or even interested, and sometimes they die from various causes, so don't skimp on roosters if you can help it.

You can always give them a nice bachelor pad where they can chill out together. They only fight (aside from ordinary pecking order stuff) if there are fair ladies in sight to be won.

I've walked into a bachelor pad myself on accident. I bought four silkies in January to be "future broodies" and for a few eggs.. and as of this morning all 4 are officially boys with crowing. They are so sweet and cuddly though I don't foresee myself selling them. I always said I would start up a bachelor coop "someday" which I guess came sooner than I thought.

 

[Tbjenkins2007]

Is there dinosaurs in with your chicks LOL?!

Yes, they are their friends!

I got 22 chicks and one quitter this hatch out of 30 I have a pretty consistent 75% hatch rate. I also didn’t get to candle them at lock down, so it was kind of a roll of the dice.

Only one needed help out, it’s got splay leg, so we braced it.

So cute

 

[gmjarvi]

Lucky you! I hope your whole duck hatch goes this super smooth!!

Thank you! One more is out and the wrong end pipper looks like it's making progress. Nothing yet on the other three, but I will be candling as soon as I can to see how they're doing. I think they were just behind in development.

Out of curiosity, never participated in a hatch along before. If I am setting the eggs next week, but not hatching until the 5th of May. Should I be in this one, next months, both? Help me zen hatch along masters.

I will definitely be hatching in May, but I dont think there is a May thread yet! Feel free to hang out here until someone makes a May thread .

 

[2102Simm]

I found this today and it made me laugh. So I wanted to share with all as we're going through this unique virus experience.