APRIL Hatch-A-Long 2015: PLEASE READ FIRST POST

[LBKS]

I find that I can do 3 hatches together in one large brooder without the oldest excessively bugging the babies, then I start a second brooder. But these are all my own flock in parentage so I don't know how gentle they are compared to other breeds. There is a tiny bit of pecking at the babies, but within an hour they all seem like old friends.

If I had the room I'd stick to two hatches to a brooder.

 

[Conchis]

Locked down last night...now just wait

 

[toynutz]

Ended up with ten of these little poopers! :cd

Why do they always turn and poop at the camera?

 

[WalnutHill]

Ended up with ten of these little poopers!

Why do they always turn and poop at the camera?

I don't know, but they are SO good at timing it with the shutter!

 

[btguy]

I lock down my turkeys tomorrow night!

 

[randerson846]

I was planning on getting 12 silkie eggs, but after looking at the birds from a seller of the eggs online, now the 12 egg, have turned into 24 lol

5 white, 5 black, 5 gold, 5 splash and 4 cuckoo!! And i am going to be fixing up my pen soon, making it more secure etc, its all money at the minute

im going to be broke soon!! Plus my 11 chicken eggs and one duck egg are going into lockdown tomorrow, and my geese are going into lock down next thursday

im really hoping for a good hatch rate , for the silkie eggs, i am going to be using an octagon 20, advance, with the automatic turning cradle, im hoping with such a good incubator, it will help hith the hatch rate!!

i hear that a dry hatchs are good, at the minute i am hatching my geese in 30 % humidity, and its staying around that, with no water in the incubtor, would a dry hatch work better with silkie eggs, or should i keep it to about 40-45% and then put it up to about 60-65%? Any help or advice would be greatly appriciated!!

 

[katatonic123]

The chicks in question are from my flock (EE or black tailed white japanese bantam crossed with silkie). The older chicks are 2 EE crossed with silkie and a bantam barred rock.

 

[LBKS]

I ask, do I have enough baby chickens? I'm thinking no...which is why there's one more hatch due in April!




(Not actually crowded, just running away from me because the noise of removing the wire lid scared them.)
That's hatch 1 and what is dried of hatch 2 so far for y'all.

 

[toynutz]

I hear that a dry hatchs are good, at the minute i am hatching my geese in 30 % humidity, and its staying around that, with no water in the incubtor, would a dry hatch work better with silkie eggs, or should i keep it to about 40-45% and then put it up to about 60-65%? Any help or advice would be greatly appriciated!!

This was my first hatch and did it dry with fantastic results. It was at 30% until lockdown then I filled all the wells and it went up to 75%. Out of 12 eggs... 10 hatched, 1 pipped but flipped and resealed, and 1 quit right about lockdown time. Not perfect, but I was thrilled... I'd definitely do it dry again.

 

[Heron's Nest Farm]

Glad I am not the only one that keeps adding eggs.

I now have 3 hatches going at once... and 2 new bators...somebody stop m!

Those with staggered hatches, do you have different brooders for different age chicks? Mine are due to hatch next Friday and I'll have two 3 week olds and one 2 week old in the brooder already. Will this be ok?

I have found that a week doesn't seem to matter. I had reasonable success with my last two staggered hatches blending chicks. I do have a brooder with a divider to allow seeing each other before putting together.

Question for staggered hatchers: How are you marking your eggs in the bator? I've been putting lockdown date on the tops, but I am hoping to hear about others systems.