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

[Ted_Harrell]

Just loaded two of my incubators three days ago with eggs from my BIL and they are bantam phoenix, silver Seabright and gold laced Wyandotte. In the other incubator I have some of my Swedish flower hens from my flock hatched November 1 of last year and today the postman brought some bantam buff laced polish. I have been wanting to try polish and Seabright's, and I had gold laced Wyandotte's before. So it should get a little busy next month. I have 15 Dominique babies in the brooder right now, about a week old. Busy busy busy..

 

[Jules929]

Are the cream legbars from your flock

No, I can't have a rooster,
so I hatch shipped eggs.

 

[smfarman]

No, I can't have a rooster,
so I hatch shipped eggs.

Where do you get your Cream Legbar hatching eggs from

 

[LilyD]

2 out as of last night and this morning another 3 pipped.

 

[wolfwalker]

It begins.

Of course today is the day I will spend up at the farm repairing the west fence. If it wasn't barbed wire I could get it done in no time.

Though, I did move the wifi camera and tilted it so I can see what is going on while gone. LOL

 

[FortCluck]

I have 2 external pips on my chicken eggs. Bitter sweet to be my last Squatch hatch ever.

The duck eggs are still internally pipped and nothing else ducklings stress me out

 

[LilyD]

5 out 4 left to go the others will hatch Saturday and Sunday. All doing really well and all the rest of the eggs are all pipped and should see babies by tonight.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

The duck eggs are still internally pipped and nothing else ducklings stress me out

Yes! I thought after hatching so many chicks I'd be less of a basket case with ducks. No such luck.

Mine have been internally pipped since Wednesday (2 days ago)! Although now they're actively tapping, peeping, and seem to "mean business". I hope I have some external pips by this evening or tomorrow morning at the latest. Then the wait for them to zip begins.

 

[ariri30]

My mixed pullet went broody Monday and she’s going to hatch some interesting mixes. The big rooster is the dad and a silver sebright and an EE and the silver sebright daughter are the moms. I wonder what I’m going to get from a bantam hen and a giant rooster. I candled the eggs and they are all good.

 

[Akoharski4]

My darn broody refuses to leave her nest box. I had hoped that she would be committed as this is her first ever broody cycle. But this is obnoxious! I blocked off half the coop for her which is a ton of space. I’ve been forcing her to eat and drink the past three days. And she hasn’t happily obliged by ANY means. Even mealworms took some coaxing. She was doing some odd head twitching that seemed neurological to me. At the time I knew she hasn’t pooped in at least 48 hours so I’m wondering if it was the toxins building up in her system.

This morning I had to physically take her out of the coop. I kept her out until she pooped and my goodness it could have competed in size with my 100lb Shepherds poop. She then ran around screaming, took a half second dust bath, and scratched/pecked a few things. Then went back to her eggs.

I plan on forcing her to get out again later but she cant go on like this. I’m debating taking the eggs from her. My other broody was literally by the book perfect. She always made sure she took care of herself too.

Any experienced broody care givers that have a suggestion for making sure she doesn’t starve to death?