April 2023 Hatch-A-Long

[kurby22]

Thumbelino is super sweet! I just don’t have the heart to get rid of my cuddly roos, all my large fowl are buttheads (except Rocky, who isn’t mine lol). He’s a year old now and just barely started crowing. He’ll go with his ladies into a breeding pen when it ever stops snowing

That’s good to know!! I have been so nervous to add a roo and then be sad

 

[kurby22]

Well it’s happening again! I said in last months HAL that I’ve never gotten a surprise early pip and the next day I had one …tonight while candling I heard cheeping and sure enough there was a small pip!! They’re not due to hatch till Thursday! So I did a rush job to set up the incubator and turn off the turner and take out the rollers. As I was finishing up I heard like 6 different eggs cheeping!! So a bunch have internally pipped already And one of them was the d’Uccles egg! It was moving a bunch tonight! So maybe it will hatch after all! Ahh why are they so early?? I leave tomorrow and don’t get back till Friday! My husband is going to be in charge and this worries me greatly! Ugh haha. I’m nervous and excited!

 

[Waterfaery]

I hadn't heard of the Watermaal until you peeps started talking about them. What pretty little birds! Wonder if there are any available in Canada...

OK, all this chat made me look them up. How unbelievably cute are they?!

Wikipedia says they're ornamental. Are they good for anything else like eggs or broodiness? I'd need a great reason to convince my husband that they're a good idea!

 

[kurby22]

OK, all this chat made me look them up. How unbelievably cute are they?!

Wikipedia says they're ornamental. Are they good for anything else like eggs or broodiness? I'd need a great reason to convince my husband that they're a good idea!

Ummm they’re rare and “endangered” so youd be part of the group saving them from extinction! otherwise no, they really are just “look pretty” birds :-D

 

[Waterfaery]

Thank you and Oh My! I hope it isn't but I've learned the hard way that if you suspect it , it might be your worse fears,
'
How old is the boy and what other symptoms does he have? Is he thin? Is he eating? etc. Other things it could be but usually Marek's is at the top of the list in young birds with sudden difficulty standing.

I had one 9 week old bird that presented with scissor paralysis. It was a BO pullet. Began in one foot. It was knuckling under her toes, progressed to it dragging its bad leg then developed the same symptoms in the other foot and leg. I put the poor baby down when it started huddling in a corner because the other chicks were picking on it. That was the only bird that I had that presented that way. Others had Ocular MD, the rest survived the original infection only to succumb to either neuro symptoms, or visceral tumors.

My best advice is to be vigilant. If the rooster succumbs have it necropsied. Concerning the chicks, well, in for a penny in for a pound. If you are dealing with MD they will be exposed as the rest of your flock is now officially carriers.

Time will tell as they say. But yes, there is life after Marek's.

Thank you. He's 9 months old. Apart from the lameness, green droppings are the only other symptom and that only started a week after. He's eating but not eating as much as I'd like. There's a lot about it that confuses me and it's hard to find the right information because there's so much contradictory stuff out there. I keep trying to convince myself it's an injury but I must say the worry of Marek's is keeping me awake at night.

I don't want to derail the thread, especially about a sad topic. Here's a thread I posted about him when it happened. The full story is there and also a video a few posts down. If you have any opinion as someone who has experienced it, I'd so appreciate it!

 

[Yard Farmer]

First batch of chicks this year are hatching!

 

[Waterfaery]

Well it’s happening again! I said in last months HAL that I’ve never gotten a surprise early pip and the next day I had one …tonight while candling I heard cheeping and sure enough there was a small pip!! They’re not due to hatch till Thursday! So I did a rush job to set up the incubator and turn off the turner and take out the rollers. As I was finishing up I heard like 6 different eggs cheeping!! So a bunch have internally pipped already And one of them was the d’Uccles egg! It was moving a bunch tonight! So maybe it will hatch after all! Ahh why are they so early?? I leave tomorrow and don’t get back till Friday! My husband is going to be in charge and this worries me greatly! Ugh haha. I’m nervous and excited!

How exciting! I'm sure they will do great. Get him to take lots of photos!

 

[Waterfaery]

Ummm they’re rare and “endangered” so youd be part of the group saving them from extinction! otherwise no, they really are just “look pretty” birds :-D

Haha!

 

[junior67]

Well it’s happening again! I said in last months HAL that I’ve never gotten a surprise early pip and the next day I had one …tonight while candling I heard cheeping and sure enough there was a small pip!! They’re not due to hatch till Thursday! So I did a rush job to set up the incubator and turn off the turner and take out the rollers. As I was finishing up I heard like 6 different eggs cheeping!! So a bunch have internally pipped already And one of them was the d’Uccles egg! It was moving a bunch tonight! So maybe it will hatch after all! Ahh why are they so early?? I leave tomorrow and don’t get back till Friday! My husband is going to be in charge and this worries me greatly! Ugh haha. I’m nervous and excited!

hmmmmmm bantams have been known to hatch from day 18-21 or your heat is off and it has been a little high so cooking them a bit faster.

oh no so you are going to miss most of the hatches. I was gone for an HOUR when my first one hatched and my husband was texting my daughter, who was with me, freaking out on what he had to do, it was trying to push out of the egg, then it was that it was flopping around, then it was that it was starring at him wanting to come out etc. haahaa. he is a bit better now but not sure he is at dealing with it on his own yet. LOL

 

[TwoShepherds]

I had to look up Watermaal. What a unique and beautiful breed!

I just put 24 eggs in the incubator April 2nd and thought I'd look to see if there were any April hatch-alongs. I set 12 blue/black/splash Ameraucana eggs, 6 olive-eggers, and 6 black copper maran eggs. If all goes well, they should hatch around April 23. This is actually the second set of eggs I set this year, but the first batch was pre-sold so I didn't keep any. I might keep a few copper marans and olive eggers out of this set!

It's a good thing that I don't have a bigger incubator--I always tell myself that this time I'm just going to set a few eggs....and I always fill up every slot.