April Hatch Thread--Come Join Us!

[NinetreesMom]

Well it took a while but when I woke up this morning I checked my gauge for temp and humidity and it shows the high and low for a 24 hour period. Apparently it got up to 86% sometime in the night! Temp finally settled back at 99 and I let the humidity come down to 75% for now. Condensation had built up on the windows so I opened it for a minute to release some of it. Geesh. Amateur, right? Lol!

I'm aiming for 70-75 for hatching.

We also have more brooding going on in the coop! I feel bad because the most dedicated Black Australorp has been a very good mommy so far and is sitting really well but other hens keep climbing in either with her or in the moments she gets up. Mostly they are laying eggs and leaving but one other BA is apparently also in the mood to brood and totally took over her nest today for who knows how long. The first brooding BA actually got into another nest because hers was taken. I just don't want them to get nervous and give up the nest from stress.

Oesdog I'll be sure to update you on the waxed egg as it goes. I read some suggestions about carefully removing the wax after the chick pips so I'm considering it as a possibility right now.

Those of you with lots of chick fever, I'm the same! I just don't know what to do with any more chickens. What do you do with your extras? Sell them, cull them, what?

I did the ol' after-dark broody transplant for that same reason.... every time she left the nest another of my hens jumped in to lay their egg and it was driving her nuts. So, set up our 4'x5' chicken tractor inside our open-front hay shed, draped it with a tarp to keep it darker and less drafty, and put a cat-litter-box turned nesting box, food, and water inside. Then after dark I hustled Marshmallow (our broody) over there and tucked her in. She clucked and gurgled as you would expect as I was carrying her, but settled down almost instantly. Of course I was afraid the move would upset her and she would leave the nest (thus my care to make the new spot darker and cozy), but she settled right in and now she can brood in peace! I'm a total nooby at this, so take it for what it's worth


On another note, we plan to eat our "extras".

 

[NinetreesMom]

Candling update:
OK, so there was no way I was going to make it until 14 days without trying to candle again. I finally got batteries for my brightest LED flashlight, and it worked like a charm. Much more detail, which was a problem before since all my eggs are brown. So, I saw veins and live moving chicks in 2 of the 4.... the Buff Orpington and one Light Sussex. Another LS had veins for sure, but I couldn't find the chick, so that is a ? . The last LS egg seemed clearer than it did 3 days ago, and there is a ring forming that I am assuming is a blood ring, so I am pretty sure it is a quitter.

So here comes the question:
Since I am new at this, I am scared to give up on the quitter in case I am wrong. I have it marked so in future I will know whether I was right or not. How long do I risk leaving this egg under my hen? Of course I don't want it to explode and contaminate the rest. I am thinking of candling again at day 14 (this is day 10), and I should be able to tell for sure by then I would imagine, since the rest of the chicks should be starting to fill out the egg. If this egg hasn't changed or clears up, I will know for sure it's bad. What do you all think?

Another question;
My broody seems to get off the nest pretty frequently. She eats, drinks, then runs back and forth at the gate for a few minutes, then hops back on the nest. (This was part of the reason I candled, as I was concerned she was giving up because the eggs were duds). If the eggs are getting cool (but not cold enough to kill the chicks, obviously, since they are still alive), will this slow their development? How long after 21 days do you wait before giving up on a hatch?

Sorry for all of the newbie questions. This is definitely a learning experience for me!

 

[wabbit1964]

Well, woke up to 2 more, which appear to be a blue cochin and another buff rock. Grand total of 5 so far. I do believe there will be a few more today, even though it is day 22-23.

Had to throw one egg out as it suddenly developed a green splotch on it. Upon ectopsy it was revealed that it had not developed past the first few days. So hard to tell with these darker brown eggs. Just glad I found it before it exploded. It didn't smell at all, just suddenly looked really ugly.

On a side note, my oldest son told my daughter yesterday that they need to do an intervention. On ME! I calmly explained that just because 5 months ago I had never even HEARD of raising chickens in the city and now have ...

• 2 laying hens
• 7 point-of lay-any-minute-now pullets
• 6 five week olds in the big brooder (I didn't even know what a brooder WAS 6 months ago!)
• 5 newborn hatched chicks
• 21 eggs in lockdown
• 48 eggs set in another incubator
• and 2 dozen eggs waiting for incubator space to open up

... doesn't mean I have an addiction. It just means I have a hobby for the first time in my life that I actually ENJOY!

My daughter is on MY side and my son doesn't exactly reject the eggs I give him! Besides the grandkids LOVE LOVE LOVE the chickens! Okay, done venting and back to egg watch.

LOL, I don't feel so bad now... My husband mentioned a week ago that I was a "hoarder of eggs".... a year ago is when we started with chickens... I have 7 hens and 1 roo in the coop... 2 6 week old orps, 5 babies in the brooder (3-4 weeks old) 30 eggs in the incubator and 2 on 'hold' for incubator space to open up...

 

[Keggen]

Eat them!  Might as well get something out of the time and effort put in to them. 

Stupid question, but how do you decide which ones stay and which ones go? So far we have only had one rooster for dinner and our current rooster is on my list to go ASAP. Other roosters are next in line. But what about the hens? Such a tough decision....how do you decide?

 

[Partyfowl]

Stupid question, but how do you decide which ones stay and which ones go? So far we have only had one rooster for dinner and our current rooster is on my list to go ASAP. Other roosters are next in line. But what about the hens? Such a tough decision....how do you decide?

Roosters,,, I butcher the mean ones, the ones that aren't true to standard and the extra ones. As far hens, rarely do I butcher them. I figure if I'm done with that breed and she's under 3 years old and docile, then ill just give her away. I have a hard time butchering a hen that isn't done "fulfilling her purpose". I would rather see another family enjoy her for free.
But if she's mean,, oh ya, she'll get butchered with the boys.

 

[Tanichca]

I was adding some water to the bator and saw another huge pip that I had missed earlier hiding in a corner! The first egg is zipped now... Maybe I'll have some pics of them tomorrow. But here's a pic of the Fab Four in the brooder, before I added two more.

 

[FrankiesMom]

One of the best hatching pics EVER!!!!!!!

X10! Great shot!

 

[FrankiesMom]

LOL, I don't feel so bad now... My husband mentioned a week ago that I was a "hoarder of eggs".... a year ago is when we started with chickens... I have 7 hens and 1 roo in the coop... 2 6 week old orps, 5 babies in the brooder (3-4 weeks old) 30 eggs in the incubator and 2 on 'hold' for incubator space to open up...

Oh, how I loves me my crazy, hoarding, partners-in-crime out there! LOL! I had to take a break on the 'bator only because I have to head out of town for a week, maybe two. Otherwise...!!

I also just started a year ago last month and now have:

Hens: 3 SLW, 1 RIR, 1 BCM, 2 Ameracauna, 3 Autrolorp, 3 splash Wyandotte, one Ameracauna roo

Plus @ 8 wks: 3 Austrolorp, 1 JG, 2 CM, 2 SLW

Plus @ 12 wks: 1 Ameracauna (hatchmate disappeared from nursery coop yard a couple weeks back...crows maybe)

Plus @ 5 wks: 6 mixed breed ducklings from Cayuga, Saxony, Blk Swede and Pekin flock - sold the other 6 last week

Plus @ 1 wk: 9 Toulousse/Embden cross goslings

I always new I'd be getting chickens. I wasn't planning on ducks and geese. I couldn't imagine a yard without them now!

 

[oesdog]

Well it took a while but when I woke up this morning I checked my gauge for temp and humidity and it shows the high and low for a 24 hour period. Apparently it got up to 86% sometime in the night! Temp finally settled back at 99 and I let the humidity come down to 75% for now. Condensation had built up on the windows so I opened it for a minute to release some of it. Geesh. Amateur, right? Lol!

I'm aiming for 70-75 for hatching.

We also have more brooding going on in the coop! I feel bad because the most dedicated Black Australorp has been a very good mommy so far and is sitting really well but other hens keep climbing in either with her or in the moments she gets up. Mostly they are laying eggs and leaving but one other BA is apparently also in the mood to brood and totally took over her nest today for who knows how long. The first brooding BA actually got into another nest because hers was taken. I just don't want them to get nervous and give up the nest from stress.

Oesdog I'll be sure to update you on the waxed egg as it goes. I read some suggestions about carefully removing the wax after the chick pips so I'm considering it as a possibility right now.

Those of you with lots of chick fever, I'm the same! I just don't know what to do with any more chickens. What do you do with your extras? Sell them, cull them, what?

You must be careful of those two fighting over the nest! You need to try to partition them in someway so both get a nest and can;t disturb the other. I am saying this from experience. I had Bertha broody on a nest and Gerty decided she wanted to join in. But she tried to take over and started to crack eggs and throw them out. In the end I had to take her out of the coop so that the "real momma" could do her job. You have to figure which is the "real Momma"! And I think you know it might be the black one. In the end Bertha had 4 viable hatches which she brought up really well while her sister Gerty had a nest of broken eggs and two chicks she killed immediately they were hatched. SO do be careful about nest Jealousy.

I am day 14 and feel like ages to go yet. Though I know there are only three more "turning" days to go. It feels like forever waiting.

We are going to breed Light Sussex for culling for meat. Though our first batch was gerty's dispatch so meat birds here have not worked well so far! Though we do plan on them eventually. At the moment I have a taker for any unwanted rooooo boy chicks.

Oes

 

[LBKS]

Good morning everyone! Still waiting on #3 of 13 eggs to finish zipping. Not a peep out of the other eggs, but Day 21 is tomorrow so no rush. Moved the two fluffed out chicks to the brooder, so now I can worry over "did I get the brooder right? What if they aren't warm enough?" Type questions all day.