*** AUGUST HATCH-A-LONG come join in ***

[Tigerjane]

I'm in lock down!!! Can't wait to see what (if anything) I end up with!

 

[emjay]

total in my garage brooder. 5. lost one yesterday (would have been #6) my daughter named it Sunny. I knew it was soon going to pass, so I took it outside and held it in the warm afternoon sun. It opened one eye , almost as if it was checking out the sun and the world before going. It died minutes later. Me and my 8 year old daughter buried it under the big maple tree.


hen # 2, 4 babies for sure, others cracking. not sure final head count though. of course the eggs I wanted to hatch the most, are the ones not hatching.

hen #3, 3 more days until show time.



hatch rate this time around, not good.

but, some great things my daughter got to experience, and sad too.

 

[NaomiSarah]

That's a beautiful image, emjay, of a chick who would have never seen the outside of the brooder in another's hands.

Here's pip! One egg out of nine, disasterous, but better than the last hatch. Still getting the hang of this ya know?

He struggled out, spent 32 hours pipped and then I had to assist a bit to get him out. He's strong and healthy though!

 

[Lesalynn]

On day 6, ya'll...but something bad happened yesterday...I lost my rooster, Columbo

Don't know what happened, he was fine one minute, and then, poof, he was laying in the hen-house, dead. I am having a hard time accepting that he is gone, he and 5 hens were the first chickens we got started with here. He was so beautiful, and took great care of his girls, and made beautiful babies......I will miss him so much. I posted a thread with pics of him and babies on the 'Pictures and Stories of My Chickens' forum. Lots of pics of his babies.....Ya'll please, please keep your fingers crossed and offer up a few prayers concerning this last batch of his eggs I will ever be able to hatch.....I really want a good turn-out with lots of little Columbo Jrs running around....Got 6 off the EE hen in there (she and he made the most beautiful ones---speckled), and 25 off the rest of the hens.

 

[Kedreeva]

I will keep my fingers crossed for Columbo Jrs!

 

[8ROYALS]

day 19 woke up to 47% humidity...crap So Added water and got it up to 69%. Hopefully it is ok. more later....

 

[mtcookie]

Great news those 13 eggs my hen layed are Growing . Candled today and the yokes are getting darker. Not clear. YAY

 

[Rozzie]

Hope you get a good replacement for Columbo! It's hard to lose a pet. When they are a random member of a huge flock you feel differently. When you just have a small flock, it is SO different!

 

[emjay]

I hear you on that one Rozzie. I just lost my favorite hen. I had 7 eggs of hers divided under 3 hens. So far, 3 have not hatched, 1 maybe 2 have, and 2 under 3rd broodie, who's eggs are due in two days. I was hoping i'd have some of her babies to carry on her temperment and good looks, so far, it's not working out on that.

I am having a horrible hatch ratio so far. Lily, the hen on batch #2, hatched out 6. 9 for garbage. It seemed a high number, but she covered them all no problem as some were not standard size eggs. She barely budged for 21 days. i expected a better turnout. Not so much.

However. My daughter got to hatch baby #2 on her lap today. Yet again, eggs kicked out while hatching, one died, got too cold over night, I grabbed this egg this morning, as baby was trying so hard, even though it was so cold. and it is okay now, so cute. It is a definite survivor, I wish I would have grabbed them both last night, I could have saved two. I feel bad.

I have an array of colors, shades and sizes. they are cute.

 

[Cattitude]

It's been this awful heat, for folks in the Midwest and South especially. Almost everyone has lost chickens.

It's supposed to be 101 actual degrees here on Wednesday; the heat index will be *awful*.

Hope you get a Columbo Jr, Lesalynn.

Good luck on hatches! Stay cool!