April 2023 Hatch-A-Long

[Iluveggers]

I have a new set of 38 eggs in the incubators, started on Sunday afternoon! Their hatch date will be the last day of April, the 30th, and most of my hatches have started on the 20th, so hopefully they will be out before April! My broody is also sitting on 5 eggs.

 

[lilwanderer]

I have a new set of 38 eggs in the incubators, started on Sunday afternoon! Their hatch date will be the last day of April, the 30th, and most of my hatches have started on the 20th, so hopefully they will be out before April! My broody is also sitting on 5 eggs.

I know i mentioned the 12 I'll be setting this afternoon. But i got a dozen of bantam silkie eggs I'm thinking of setting with them, should I? They will either be Silkie×EE, Silkie×SLR Wyandotte, or Silkie×MottledJava. I've only ever seen the Wyandotte on them, and these little ones are just bantams, the poor hens.

 

[Josip]

I have first pip

 

[lilwanderer]

Eggs have been set! One of the blue orpington eggs was cracked sadly, and one of the chocolate orpingtons eggs is deformed (Has a huge lump on one side) hopefully it'll be fine. The other 10 look like healthy eggs. (Don't mind the 4 turkey eggs I have in there with them)

 

[Dinoroar]

Eggs have been set! One of the blue orpington eggs was cracked sadly, and one of the chocolate orpingtons eggs is deformed (Has a huge lump on one side) hopefully it'll be fine. The other 10 look like healthy eggs. (Don't mind the 4 turkey eggs I have in there with them)
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Did you decide to set the bantam eggs or just the original dozen? I don’t know why but your posting ‘ don’t mind the 4 turkey eggs’ cracked me up.

 

[lilwanderer]

Did you decide to set the bantam eggs or just the original dozen? I don’t know why but your posting ‘ don’t mind the 4 turkey eggs’ cracked me up.

Well, speaking of the bantam eggs, we had a broody who had 4 of the other turkey eggs, but since she keeps switching nest we were afraid something would happen to the turkey eggs so I put them in the incubator, now the incubator has 8 turkey eggs . The turkey eggs arent mine, so its very important I hatch them if you know what I mean. But, I gave her 6 of the bantam silkies eggs, and kept the other 6 in the dozen inside, possibly might give them to another hen ( I have two more hens who seem like they may go full broody soon )

 

[Debbie292d]

Reporting in. Got 6 silkie nuggets hatched last night. Not all fluffed out yet.

15 due 4/18.
14 due the 4/25
16 set today, due 4/30 but those haven't been candled yet, so may have a couple of duds yet.

Besides the NR 360, we picked up a used Brinsea 56 EX a week or so ago, so no more stacking them and hand-turning. I'm a hatching momma now! Watch me go, lol!

 

[lilwanderer]

mama #4's 2 silkie eggs have pipped, excited to see what these chicks look like. .

 

[Canadian Wind]

I have an egg due today (one of my own that I slipped in) but there's no action, and it's a blueish egg so I can barely even see inside.

Banty eggs due in a few days, and then another larger batch of regular eggs on the weekend. They all candled okay, maybe one or two quitters out of 36, but after the Easter Weekend Massacre, I'm not keeping my hopes up.

 

[Waterfaery]

I'm so excited. I think my Light Sussex hen is broody! At least, I hope she's broody and not sick.

I've never had a broody before! Do they practise a bit before starting properly? I'm wondering because she spent about 5 hours in the nest box yesterday and then she just came out and acted normally for the rest of the day. Then at night, she went and slept in the nest box instead of on the roost but this morning she was up and about as normal again. At around midday today she went back into the nest. She's been in there ever since and she's sleeping in there again tonight.

I don't want to disturb her too much but I checked on her to make sure nothing was wrong. She was alert and was clucking at me when I tried to see how many eggs she has. She looks a bit puffy but not in a sick sort of way. She seems to be eating some of her own feathers. I've read that they can do that. Does that sound normal for a broody?

The other really exciting thing is that my Light Sussex cockerel, the one I mentioned before that was suddenly lame, has been making progress. Not only is he seeming to improve somewhat, but he's really proving himself to be the amazing cockerel I knew he would be! He's so devoted to his hen and he's been hanging around her at the nest. He's actually been able to get himself up the ramp to spend time sitting beside her.

A week ago he couldn't walk. He's still really limping but I'm amazed at this new ability to get himself around and even up the ramp. I've decided to remove the crate he's been sleeping in and let him sleep in the coop with the hens. I so hope he keeps getting better and will be ok.

So now I need help to figure out what to do! Should I leave her in the main coop or move her somewhere separate? I've read that both ways are possible but I'm not sure what's best. Should I give her some eggs to hatch? Or should I try to give her some of her own chicks when they hatch in the incubator next week?

Speaking of which, I also did my day 14 candling today and everything looks great with all 15 of the eggs.