December Hatch-A-Long 2014

[Sustained]

Oh good!

I'm a little bummed that the clear and blood ring were 2 of the 3 that I had that were supposedly Buff Orpingtons so I hope the 3rd one makes it. If I remember correctly that may be the one that was moving around. But I am happy we still have 10 good ones!

I have an Orp/?? egg in the bator developing. I really hope it makes it. I love orpingtons and am really curious what this little baby will look like. 10/12 is really good! Especially for your first time.

My broody is sitting on 8 eggs. Call me crazy for hatching with a broody in December, but she is a great momma so I know if any of them hatch she'll take excellent care of them.

There are four speckled sussex eggs, one cream legbar, and three olive eggers (the latter are actually her eggs). In November I hatched 4 Olive eggers, but three of them are cockerels so I thought I'd try again. Expected hatch date is December 13th.

Today I candled quickly. The OEs looked good, the legbar looks good, and there is a lot of veining in the sussex eggs but they didn't look quite right to me. I'll check them again during the week. There was one clear egg, but I realized it wasn't marked; My old red star hen had snuck it in the nest yesterday. She did the same thing today. I might have to move the broody if the pushy ol' hen can't mind her own business and lay her eggs in a different box!

I like your variety! Will your broody quit sitting if you move her? And how do you do it? I had a broody that all the other hens were stepping all over to lay in the box she chose. I moved her as gently as I could and just to the nest next door. I guess it was enough to get her to quit sitting. She still poofed herself up and was grouchy for another week or so but she never did go back in to sit on any eggs.

 

[ftpagain]

I like your variety! Will your broody quit sitting if you move her? And how do you do it? I had a broody that all the other hens were stepping all over to lay in the box she chose. I moved her as gently as I could and just to the nest next door. I guess it was enough to get her to quit sitting. She still poofed herself up and was grouchy for another week or so but she never did go back in to sit on any eggs.

i had a broody last spring and other chickens would come and lay in her nest, but i didnt touch her. she just continued on sitting on a big pile of eggs. i figured thats just what they do.





i placed 44 eggs in my incubator on 11/27. which i kind of feel is a lot for my second hatch but the first hatch i wasn't really happy with. i ended up losing more than i would have liked to. i am not very good at candling still so hopefully this time it will all make more sense.
i have a few questions tho 1. i had a couple of eggs that did a really weird "roll over on their own" thing. i would try to flip it but it would just flip back to the other side. of course nothing hatched out of it. its like they were magnetized. whats that all about?
2. i had 2 ducklings (which i bet happens with chickens as well) that started to hatch but then quit and died before coming out. what happened there? did i wait too long for them to hatch? is there a time limit where i should step in and assist? it was just too sad to see little babies that just died at birth while i could have don't something and didnt

 

[ochochicas]

Quote: I actually moved her the first time she was broody. It took her a couple of days and then she went back to the new nest. I moved her into our "hen house" since absolutely nobody uses it. I figured she'd be out of the way there. The second time she went broody she did it in the hen house. Now all of a sudden two or three other hens are laying in there. The Red Star will peck at the broody until she gets up, and then she'll lay her egg in there. The broody sits in front her her the entire time clucking and putting up a fuss. Yesterday the Red Star was on her nest for a couple of hours. As soon as she gets up, the broody hops back on.

We have over 10 different breeds of chicken plus two roosters (actually 3, but one if a baby still). I like the variety and would love to have more color in my egg basket, hence all the different breeds.

 

[backyardjack]

Ooo please may l join then, I've got 4 mixed eggs and 5 rir eggs, brought off of ebay, in the incubator I put the mixes in at 10:00pm on friday and then the rirs went in at 9:00 on saturday morning. Exciting stuff!

So it will be a bit of a staggered hatch any tips and will it make much difference on lockdown and hatch day?

 

[ChickyChickens]

No one made one for a while and I was kinda waiting for someone with my experience than me to make one but no one did so I decided to. What do you have incubating and when is your hatch date? Can't wait to hear about your progress.

Hope everyone's incubating is going well. I really thought I would be super stressed about this because I seriously worry about EVERYTHING but as the days go on I am feeling alright about it. I figure I can control what I have control over... temp and humidity, turning the eggs, and washing my hands before touching but other than that I really just gotta let nature handle the rest. I am sure as hatch day gets closer I will get a little crazy but for now I am sitting back and letting the incubator do it's job!!

Sooooo sorry only read this now...

Well mine have already hatched and they were Barnyard mix eggs!!!

 

[Renee572]

Sooooo sorry only read this now... Well mine have already hatched and they were Barnyard mix eggs!!!

so cute. I can't wait till mine are here! 2 weeks is gonna feel like forever!

 

[Renee572]

Ooo please may l join then, I've got 4 mixed eggs and 5 rir eggs, brought off of ebay, in the incubator I put the mixes in at 10:00pm on friday and then the rirs went in at 9:00 on saturday morning. Exciting stuff!  So it will be a bit of a staggered hatch any tips and will it make much difference on lockdown and hatch day?

I'm a newbie at hatching so don't take my word for it but I wouldn't think it would make that big a difference since you set them less than 24 hours apart. Some are bound to hatch early and some late regardless.

 

[Renee572]

I have an Orp/?? egg in the bator developing. I really hope it makes it. I love orpingtons and am really curious what this little baby will look like. 10/12 is really good! Especially for your first time.  

I really hope my or makes it too because I don't have one yet. When we got our chicks from the feed store we were told we had picked a BO but when she started feathering out I soon realized she was not even an or at all bit a white easter egger. We love our mint green eggs so that's fine but I'd love it if this or makes it. I don't know how people keep from candling every night... I wanna know what's going on in those eggs!

 

[Purpletie3]

Sooooo sorry only read this now...

Well mine have already hatched and they were Barnyard mix eggs!!!

What an adorable group of lil chicks you have!

 

[Purpletie3]

Sorry I was absent...Christmas shopping and coop building! i got a little nervous when I realized how well my eggs were progressing even though I am having major humidity issues! Crossing my fingers....


Rhodebars...7 developing day 7
Sizzles and Splashes...Day 12 with 14 developing...

3 little black silkies...3 weeks old...loving every minute of it!