April Hatch Along

[Birdydeb]

I have lav orps!  I coulda sent you some eggs... 

Drat! I did not know that! Same friend wants Lavender Orps. She ordered some very expensive eggs from Georgia and they must have been shaken. looks like hatch is not gonna yield much. Are yours English? This auction was from NY and I think I goofed, the Orps are American. Oh well....if they hatch, they sell well.

 

[WVduckchick]

how often should I candle? And lockdown on Thursday as planned? I've hatched dozens of chicks without problems but these babies have me nervous.

Do your chicks usually hatch on time? If so, I'd got ahead and leave the plan as it was for Thursday. But still check for internal pips occasionally, and if you see one, go ahead with increasing the humidity. They may have bobbled just moving into hatching position.

Drat! I did not know that! Same friend wants Lavender Orps. She ordered some very expensive eggs from Georgia and they must have been shaken. looks like hatch is not gonna yield much. Are yours English? This auction was from NY and I think I goofed, the Orps are American. Oh well....if they hatch, they sell well.

Nah, mine are American. I sold the last 10 tonight of the 16 that I hatched 10 days ago. Guess I should load up some more eggs.

 

[WVduckchick]

Sad situation, I'm torn on what to do. Co-broody cochins been sitting together almost the whole time. Second one joined the first one after just a few days. I moved the girls and their eggs late last week, i think, expecting they would maybe hatch this weekend. Still nothing. This evening, I see an egg off by itself, half zipped and peeping. Picked up the egg and its peeping loudly, so I tucked it back under a wing. Went out to dinner, came home and found the chick hatched, dry, but head totally pecked out! Dead. Beautiful chick, doesn't look like anything was wrong with it.

So I'm off to research what to do. Leave the rest of the eggs or take them.

This is broody #17 and 18 for me, but a first for one killing a chick.

 

[mich9510]

I have a hatch due on the 27th. Araucanas and ayam cemani. And a small hatch due a week later of cream legbars. And today my one ayam cemani (probably a cross) went broody. This is my 1st broody girl ever! I put a couple of jersey giant eggs under her because she was only sitting on one plus a fake egg. She was so angry that i dare touch her.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I have one EE out as of this morning and four more are pipped. I have a lot of small air cells in my Marans and bantam eggs for some reason. I have not upped the humidity in the hatcher and won't unless I get dry membranes or I see some serious membrane dippage when I recheck the eggs this afternoon. I've done things a bit wonky this time around by sticking them all in the hatcher already. Usually I just move them as they look ready, regardless of their "scheduled" hatch date.

Sad situation, I'm torn on what to do. Co-broody cochins been sitting together almost the whole time. Second one joined the first one after just a few days. I moved the girls and their eggs late last week, i think, expecting they would maybe hatch this weekend. Still nothing. This evening, I see an egg off by itself, half zipped and peeping. Picked up the egg and its peeping loudly, so I tucked it back under a wing. Went out to dinner, came home and found the chick hatched, dry, but head totally pecked out! Dead. Beautiful chick, doesn't look like anything was wrong with it.

So I'm off to research what to do. Leave the rest of the eggs or take them.

This is broody #17 and 18 for me, but a first for one killing a chick.

That is sad, and a dilemma. I don't know what I would do, especially not knowing for sure who the culprit was and what prompted it.

I know my Japanese and OEGB can brood side by side, as they've done it before, but I don't know about my brahma bantam. She looks so stressed out right now just sitting on eggs, I don't know how she would react with actual chicks :/

 

[WVduckchick]

I have one EE out as of this morning and four more are pipped. I have a lot of small air cells in my Marans and bantam eggs for some reason. I have not upped the humidity in the hatcher and won't unless I get dry membranes or I see some serious membrane dippage when I recheck the eggs this afternoon. I've done things a bit wonky this time around by sticking them all in the hatcher already. Usually I just move them as they look ready, regardless of their "scheduled" hatch date.
That is sad, and a dilemma. I don't know what I would do, especially not knowing for sure who the culprit was and what prompted it.

I know my Japanese and OEGB can brood side by side, as they've done it before, but I don't know about my brahma bantam. She looks so stressed out right now just sitting on eggs, I don't know how she would react with actual chicks :/

Good luck with your hatch! What's the humidity in your hatcher now? I've heard of hatching Marans without increasing humidity at all, and i would think dark EE and other eggs could do that too, but i think that would be rough on some breeds. I have 4 Marans eggs in with a bunch of cochins, seramas, and SDWs right now.

Another thought on Marans.... Wonder if incubating a little older Marans eggs with other breeds more fresh would help level it out? Let them loose a little moisture before even starting them.

The broodies, I scooted one over a little, with her eggs, and put up a makeshift cardboard divider between them. I at least want to know who the killer is, so I won't let her brood again. No new hatchers that I could see this morning, will check them again before I go to work.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Good luck with your hatch! What's the humidity in your hatcher now? I've heard of hatching Marans without increasing humidity at all, and i would think dark EE and other eggs could do that too, but i think that would be rough on some breeds. I have 4 Marans eggs in with a bunch of cochins, seramas, and SDWs right now.

Another thought on Marans.... Wonder if incubating a little older Marans eggs with other breeds more fresh would help level it out? Let them loose a little moisture before even starting them.

The broodies, I scooted one over a little, with her eggs, and put up a makeshift cardboard divider between them. I at least want to know who the killer is, so I won't let her brood again. No new hatchers that I could see this morning, will check them again before I go to work.

My last Marans I incubated at 16% and got a 100% hatch rate. The dry air really does help. I did put a damp rag in there at hatch time and I think it was around 40% for hatch - much lower than what I usually aim for. I think these are the first EE eggs that I've hatched, IIRC.

I think part of the problem is I am incubating in my Chinese incubator instead of the Farm Innovators, which is what I used for the Marans I mentioned above. I have to keep the Chinese one wrapped in styrofoam and I did drill ventilation holes into the plastic and the styrofoam approximately corresponding to what the FI has but I think it tends to remain a bit more humid because of the styrofoam. The other thing is that the weather has been nice and cool/warm enough (however you want to look at it) for us to not run air or heat and to keep the windows open, so that is adding to some extra moisture in the air in the house as well. I did have a hygrometer in there but it kept falling in between the turner rows and jamming it up, which it doesn't do in the FI, so I took it out. I think I adjusted the humidity alarm to 20% last year and it hasn't been going off.

My brooder coop is about 2.5'x6' with a 4'x6' run that opens up into the main run, so there is plenty of room for each broody to pick a corner/area and stay out of each others way. I keep forgetting to count the eggs but I think I have about three dozen and that is too many for my girls so hopefully I can get the majority sold quick. I will probably just ask $1 for the mixes to move them along.

I'm sure it was an issue of the baby running to the wrong mama, but usually IME they are not so discriminatory about the babies that soon. Maybe it depends on the mama. With my Japanese I can keep giving her babies over the course of a week and she will accept them all.

 

[South OH Chicks]

My last Marans I incubated at 16% and got a 100% hatch rate. The dry air really does help. I did put a damp rag in there at hatch time and I think it was around 40% for hatch - much lower than what I usually aim for. I think these are the first EE eggs that I've hatched, IIRC.

I think part of the problem is I am incubating in my Chinese incubator instead of the Farm Innovators, which is what I used for the Marans I mentioned above. I have to keep the Chinese one wrapped in styrofoam and I did drill ventilation holes into the plastic and the styrofoam approximately corresponding to what the FI has but I think it tends to remain a bit more humid because of the styrofoam. The other thing is that the weather has been nice and cool/warm enough (however you want to look at it) for us to not run air or heat and to keep the windows open, so that is adding to some extra moisture in the air in the house as well. I did have a hygrometer in there but it kept falling in between the turner rows and jamming it up, which it doesn't do in the FI, so I took it out. I think I adjusted the humidity alarm to 20% last year and it hasn't been going off.

My brooder coop is about 2.5'x6' with a 4'x6' run that opens up into the main run, so there is plenty of room for each broody to pick a corner/area and stay out of each others way. I keep forgetting to count the eggs but I think I have about three dozen and that is too many for my girls so hopefully I can get the majority sold quick. I will probably just ask $1 for the mixes to move them along.

I'm sure it was an issue of the baby running to the wrong mama, but usually IME they are not so discriminatory about the babies that soon. Maybe it depends on the mama. With my Japanese I can keep giving her babies over the course of a week and she will accept them all.

I have a farm innovator incubator, that I am happy with usually about 90% hatch rate. I have done three hatches with it. How much do you get for your marans chicks? I have about 12 in the incubator right now I am hoping to sell.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I have a farm innovator incubator, that I am happy with usually about 90% hatch rate.  I have done three hatches with it.  How much do you get for your marans chicks?  I have about 12 in the incubator right now I am hoping to sell.

I have only sold Marans mixes so far. The last hatch was pure Marans (two each of blue copper and splash copper) but I am keeping the two splash and the two blues will go with me to the swap this weekend. The breeder that I got my parent flock from sells them for $10 as day olds and sells out quick from what I understand. These will both be six weeks old and so far both look like pullets so I will ask for a little bit more but I'm not 100% sure of what I should ask for.

 

[MillersFarm]

So i have three situations, our friends asked if they could hatch some of our eggs for us and so we gave them 14 duck eggs and 4 bantam about 9 days ago, we tossed two duck eggs on day 8
and two bantam eggs arent looking so good, we also have a VERY broody hen that almost never leaves her nest, shes a Jersey Giant and we named her 'Mama' shes hatching 20 eggs and this is her third day in. then we also have a black tail buff Japanese bantam that went broody a couple of days ago but we cant find her nest!

i'd love for her to hatch her eggs but we have so many cats, still looking but no sign of her, she only comes out early in the morning to eat/drink but thats it! anyways, hope all goes well with these hatches