APRIL HATCH-A-LONG come join in

[Settler'sDreamFarm]

Settler'sDreamFarm: Best wishes for a broody start. Sounds like you have a few to choose from.

I'm getting a Partridge Silkie on Tues., so I can enjoy seeing that natural process. I didn't mind that she was a few years old, in hopes that she already has several hatches under her belt & will welcome doing a few more. Never had a Silkie before, they look very sweet & persistant.

Thanks alot save the favs.... I think I might have spoken too soon!! hahaha I went to the coop tonight and I think one of my bantam brahmas is broody!!

Im so excited

Good luck with your silkie, im sure youll love her! I sure do love my silkies

 

[ScratchesWithChickens]

Settler'sDreamFarm :

Settler'sDreamFarm: Best wishes for a broody start. Sounds like you have a few to choose from.

I'm getting a Partridge Silkie on Tues., so I can enjoy seeing that natural process. I didn't mind that she was a few years old, in hopes that she already has several hatches under her belt & will welcome doing a few more. Never had a Silkie before, they look very sweet & persistant.

Thanks alot save the favs.... I think I might have spoken too soon!! hahaha I went to the coop tonight and I think one of my bantam brahmas is broody!!

Im so excited

Good luck with your silkie, im sure youll love her! I sure do love my silkies

Congratulations and good luck! We better see some pics of the babies with mom when the time comes!

I love bantam brahmas, they're so cute and silly. I only have one, Boobles, but I adore her! My little round rusty bike horn.

-Alex​

 

[Bec]

I'm in! I am due on the 11th! I set 36 eggs today but not the temps are acting up! It was at 99.6, then when I put the eggs i it went down to 93? and then back up to 100.9 and now it is at 102! It is driving me crazy!! It sat at 99.6 for ever until I opened it to put the eggs in!

 

[ScratchesWithChickens]

AHHH!! My boyfriend just noticed that my incubator's temperature alarm was going off! It was up to 103 and climbing!

I took the cover off immediately and kept doing so until it was back to 99.5. I have no idea how long it's been like that, it's in a back bedroom down the hall from the living room, but my boyfriend seems to think it just went off because he had been sitting on the couch and JUST heard it. I'm on day 9, I hope everything is ok!!! My Brinsea has never done something like this before and it's fairly new... I'll be heartbroken if those precious eggs are ruined.

-Alex

 

[Namble]

Well it depends how long they were at that temp . I think they will be fine.

 

[Southpaw970]

Quote:
Oh, no! You just gave me a reason to make buying an incubator feasible. I'm already in danger of becoming a hatch-aholic and I've never hatched a single egg.

I have 8 of our hen's eggs in a homemade incubator due to hatch on April 5th. My husband was talking about buying an incubator when I started looking up how to make one. I told him it would be a waste of money for us to own one since we wouldn't have a reason to hatch eggs very much. hmmmm....

 

[thechickonthehill]

Count me in for April! I have 38 eggs in the incubator due to hatch April 8th. Silkies, Blue Splash Marans, Blue Jersey Giants, Blue Langshans and EEs (or maybe I should call them "AAs" as they are Ameraucana X Araucana

).

 

[chickenmeadow]

ScratchesWithChickens & Bec: My last hatch 7 of 8 eggs had some temp mishaps also, I had them split into 2 incubators & one bator went crazy up to 104 temp along with some real lows. I was all "woe is me' from then on thru the incubation up to the time when all but 1 in that bator hatched. The egg is an amazing thing, it survives a lot, so hang in there. It seems that 2 most critical times to watch the temps are when eggs go in & when they go into lockdown, that is when I watch the bator for a day to monitor the temp & humidity until it stablizes. We must just do our best to pay attention, take notes, research; then read a lot & learn from what we hear, what we have experienced & what our instincts can tell us. Thank goodness Mother Nature has made them so strong. Happy hatching everyone!

Lots of new joiners, glad to see it! There will be lots of fun hatch reports & adorable pics from "incubator & broody hatchers. Feel free to ask questions, someone will pick up on it & answer. It's good to share!

Reminder: Please let us know what kind of chicks are in your pictures too. I really enjoy seeing the different types. I'll have to go back & find one post from the March hatch-a-long that said something like "what kind of chicks do you think these are"; "naive me" thought it was a guessing game. I had no clue & am still waiting for the answer to be posted. Please spare me the torture & let us know what you've got!

 

[chickenmeadow]

PaintedGemsRanch: ooooooooo!!!!!! I used to get excited about jewelry, but now it's a carton of fertile eggs like yours. Woopie!!!!!!

 

[Joyryder]

I'm in! I set 30 Blue Plymouth Rock eggs on March 12th, Hatch date is April 2nd.

Things are going well. On the last 2 hatches I was constantly adding warm water at least every 3 days, so I had the vent On the Brinsea opened 1/4 of the way.
This time I opened it half way and I've added water only once in 10 days. I'm guessing it had to do with the overall humidity in the basement, its high do to a little flooding.
My sump pump has been running for 8 of those days!

Joanne