California - Northern

[Happy Chooks]

My little sweet Chocolate Orpington Chick

Adorable!

 

[Americangame]

They are local eggs less than a week old last time i tried putting them in the carton and 0-4 hatched so ill try turning by hand on their side this time im setting 6 eggs

Im only using a few eggs untill i get it right than ill be able to do up to 24 in my small incubator

Thanks for the reply

 

[OR4-hmom]

I put mine in cartons with the bottoms cut out and left them in for lockdown/hatching. Next time I'll try laying them down for lockdown, they seemed to have a hard time hatching upright in the carton.

Ron, great idea on the food coloring, thanks! I need to do more fine tuning on humidity before setting more eggs. I also want these bantam boys to fertilize an egg or two!!!

 

[OR4-hmom]

Americangame,
Ron offered his advise on your hatch as well, this thread moves so fast it is easy to loose things. I believe Happy Chooks did also.

 

[Miss Molly]

Nice to have another freeway exchange with you Miss Molly.  excited about these eggs and the idea of bigger jubilees.  That makes me happy!  If I could get them the size of my blue orp hens, that would be amazing!

ALSO....I just realized that this is my 1000th post!!  No better place to post than the place where it all started... Nor Cal Thread!!

I just realized ....So was I. How crazy is that!?

 

[lawatt]

geez, things got busy at school for 3 days and there's over 300 posts here to catch up on! just saying hi -- no news here, everyone's just pecking around as usual. the pale combs the girls got after just starting to lay have reddened back up again, so i think it was just an initial drain on the body, with this new productive activity?

*waves to everyone*

 

[ronott1]

geez, things got busy at school for 3 days and there's over 300 posts here to catch up on! just saying hi -- no news here, everyone's just pecking around as usual. the pale combs the girls got after just starting to lay have reddened back up again, so i think it was just an initial drain on the body, with this new productive activity?

*waves to everyone*

Hi Laura!

It is good to hear that the Flock is doing well!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I put mine in cartons with the bottoms cut out and left them in for lockdown/hatching. Next time I'll try laying them down for lockdown, they seemed to have a hard time hatching upright in the carton.

Ron, great idea on the food coloring, thanks! I need to do more fine tuning on humidity before setting more eggs. I also want these bantam boys to fertilize an egg or two!!!

I hatch all the time in cartons and they don't have any trouble getting out. I don't cut the bottoms out either - it contains the mess better. Laying on their side for hatch, I've found that the first few chicks out play "soccer" with the eggs. I've been hatching in cartons for a couple of years now. I've only lost 1 chick that pipped the wrong end of the egg.

I love this picture:

 

[WildflowerJLH]

I used white ping pong balls and within 24 hours my Betty had ripped all her chest feathers out and was sitting on them. haha!

We use golf balls, not just for broodies, but for showing the hens where we want them to lay. They are harder, so it also teaches the chickens NOT to peck at eggs.

 

[ronott1]

Quote:
I hatch them in cartons because of the hockey games they play. I do tilt them to the side with the big end of the aircell up. That way they are on the side but not able to roll around.