April 2021 Hatch - A - Long

[KateGoad]

It's hard to tell if they are rocking or if it is just wishful thinking.

I have them under some grow lights to add a little more heat. Using up my data watching them from the car...

 

[FortCluck]

View attachment 2609864
I combined both fridge egg hatches. They were about 11 days apart, but one is a bantam so that is fine. They wanted to be together. Chickens always do better in groups.

I cleaned my foam incubator with water and vinegar. Tomorrow I will let it sit in the sun for an hr. I have more eggs coming next week. I am going to dry hatch the next batch. I have dry hatched before, seems to work better.

I only dry hatch. It works great for where I live, I usually get 90%+ on every hatch. It doesn't work for everyone, but it is nice to have options such as try hatching.

 

[FortCluck]

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The naked necks look like aliens LOL. I love them, we had one once but we could never find another one. Maybe I will add some to my flock again once I can find a good place to get them.

 

[FortCluck]

My broodies ARE AWFUL... I kidnapped their eggs today and put them in the incubator. I just pulled 2 chicken eggs and 4 quail eggs out of the incubator, they were not fertile.

I have 12 dozen eggs sitting in my fridge right now. If they weren't being donated I would put some in the incubators just to see if I can get some to hatch like I did last year.

 

[Austrian Chickens]

I’m candling on day 12 and I’m having trouble finding air cells. My eggs are difficult to see into though so I’m wondering that’s part of it or if the humidity is too high. Do veins extend into the air cell? Or is it supposed to be completely clear?

The air cell is at the round end of the egg and it should be completely clear. Sometimes it is on the wrong end. Thoose chicks usually don't make it.

 

[Melontine]

Day #13. Just candled a couple and they're doing well. I think I'll try to leave them be until lockdown.

One of my silkie hens has been wanting to be broody.
We've been having a bit of a disagreement about where she should sit. I'd try to move her + the eggs, +an extra egg or two to make it a fair deal. But she doesn't wanna play that game and would rather sit on no eggs in her nest.
We finally came to an agreement where I just let her sit on the eggs in her preferred nest. She's happy now and I marked 7 eggs with pencil today. I'll try to remove any extras that get popped in and maybe candle them once or twice. Not sure exactly when they'll hatch since we've been bickering for a bit now, could be anywhere from April 30th to May 2nd. We'll see.

 

[spryng]

Day #13. Just candled a couple and they're doing well. I think I'll try to leave them be until lockdown.

One of my silkie hens has been wanting to be broody.
We've been having a bit of a disagreement about where she should sit. I'd try to move her + the eggs, +an extra egg or two to make it a fair deal. But she doesn't wanna play that game and would rather sit on no eggs in her nest.
We finally came to an agreement where I just let her sit on the eggs in her preferred nest. She's happy now and I marked 7 eggs with pencil today. I'll try to remove any extras that get popped in and maybe candle them once or twice. Not sure exactly when they'll hatch since we've been bickering for a bit now, could be anywhere from April 30th to May 2nd. We'll see.

How funny! I don't let mine have much of a choice, I move the brooder into the coop (which is just a little dog enclosure I've wrapped chicken wire around) then move her and her eggs there and put on a lid so she's stuck for a few weeks (food and water in there of course). Because mine like to get up daily and then sit on a different nest when they come back so I fixed that issue lol but none have gone broody this year which is disappointing.

 

[chickiebaby1]

How funny! I don't let mine have much of a choice, I move the brooder into the coop (which is just a little dog enclosure I've wrapped chicken wire around) then move her and her eggs there and put on a lid so she's stuck for a few weeks (food and water in there of course). Because mine like to get up daily and then sit on a different nest when they come back so I fixed that issue lol but none have gone broody this year which is disappointing.

I actually have a couple of rabbit cages that I use for broodies. That way they can have the peace and quit and I can have better access to candle.

 

[spryng]

I actually have a couple of rabbit cages that I use for broodies. That way they can have the peace and quit and I can have better access to candle.

Yes! Just makes it so much easier and you guarantee at least a few will hatch each time. I don't know why mine like to nest hop, it's like they forget the nest with ALL the eggs is theirs lol

 

[WallyG74]

Well I did say I was going to do it. I started May's thread here https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/may-2021-hatch-a-long.1457914/

I am seriously eyeing up that Rcom 366 egg incubator. Being off grid I do have to keep in mind wattage pulled though. So if anyone has one I have questions LOL.

I would say I have chicks, but in reality, they sell as fast as I can hatch them and I am in the planning stages of a new barn build that I can sell out of and use the old brooders in the Hydro house for the ones I want to keep. Otherwise, if I don't hide them I someone ends up spotting them and says, "Can I get three or four of those too?"

That’s a good problem to have!