December hatch-along?

[Kat MacK]

Ok, I’ll do that for the others. I’ve had problems of humidity getting too higher during hatch and didn’t want anything to happen to it. It’s also fairly small, and it was trampling the other eggs. There is one in the incubator that has to pipped and started hatching, tho.

Any updates?

 

[floppysquirrel04]

Three have pipped, one is zipping! The one zipping knocked off a big chunk of shell, and it’s feathers appear to be black! Why would I get the white one and a black one too? Any thoughts?

 

[floppysquirrel04]

Ok, nvm it’s gray like mom . It’s pretty cute! It’s pretty fluffy now and another one is almost out. I will probably leave them there until tomorrow morning. The one with its foot out was really stuck, so I took the cap off and put it back so it can finish absorbing whatever is left of the yolk then pop out. The poor thing had its entire leg stuck out soon after I took this pic and there was no way it could have zipped like that

 

[AstraChick]

@floppysquirrel04 so cute look ma, i got a big foot

bugger my eggs didn't arrive today hopefully tomorrow
@Scrambles55 did you get your eggs today ?

 

[BDutch]

I’m planning on setting some Easter eggers on the 13th. Anybody with me? They will be buff colored and adorable I’m better at duckies and haven’t had ANY luck with chickens yet but this time I’m really going to commit! The last times I’ve tried it I’ve had duck eggs in with them, and I’m sure that doesn’t help much

I didn't read the whole thread. But I am surprised that many people here hatch chicks in autumn and winter. This is not the best time for a good start. Depending on the climate of course.

To grow up healthy it is best if chicks can go outside in the sun.
When the chicks hatch in January, it is still too cold to go outside a few weeks later (where I live).

IMO: end of winter, spring and early summer is the best time to hatch. And more easy to be successful if you don’t have much experience.

 

[aliciaplus3]

I didn't read the whole thread. But I am surprised that many people here hatch chicks in autumn and winter. This is not the best time for a good start. Depending on the climate of course.

To grow up healthy it is best if chicks can go outside in the sun.
When the chicks hatch in January, it is still too cold to go outside a few weeks later (where I live).

IMO: end of winter, spring and early summer is the best time to hatch. And more easy to be successful if you don’t have much experience.

In our case my DD need the turkeys hatched Jan 1st of the upcoming fair year to qualify for the meat class. Our fair is in july and these heritage turkeys need all the time they can get to compete with a broad breasted bird.
The other DD is planning to take meat ducks again and they seemed to do well at 20 weeks , so hatched the 1st of march. Well as many as the kids have plans of hatching will not all fit in my growout situation, at the same time so we have to stagger a little. Turkeys and Nn, to teach the turkeys how to eat and drink, will hatch in Jan and feb and ducks will be set 1st of feb to hatch 1st of march.
Now as many eggs as I need for my egg customers I had best get some new chickens hatched early spring so I can have them laying by late summer early fall. Whew! We set an ambitious schedule!
Oh I like to have a Aug/sep hatch so that those babies are coming into lay in about march/april when my birds from the winter lighted house go through molt.(I only put lights in one of my houses) Everyone has to have a break but they do not all get it at the same time here... I am sure other folks have their reasons for hatching when they do but these are mine. I have learned that not everyone works on my schedule and thats a good thing.
On the hatching front, we had a 2.5 hour power outage last night. Grrr luckily I was home so I was able to cover the incubators and add hot water bottles both to the incubators and the young chicks that were still under heat. As far as I can tell there were no immediate negative consequences. But time will tell , I have to pick up some AAA batteries so that I can try and candle my marans eggs. Right now I cant even see the air cells! The silkies looked good though lol ,

 

[AstraChick]

I didn't read the whole thread. But I am surprised that many people here hatch chicks in autumn and winter. This is not the best time for a good start. Depending on the climate of course.

To grow up healthy it is best if chicks can go outside in the sun.
When the chicks hatch in January, it is still too cold to go outside a few weeks later (where I live).

IMO: end of winter, spring and early summer is the best time to hatch. And more easy to be successful if you don’t have much experience.

First week of summer for me here in Australia

 

[wolfwalker]

I didn't read the whole thread. But I am surprised that many people here hatch chicks in autumn and winter. This is not the best time for a good start. Depending on the climate of course.

To grow up healthy it is best if chicks can go outside in the sun.
When the chicks hatch in January, it is still too cold to go outside a few weeks later (where I live).

IMO: end of winter, spring and early summer is the best time to hatch. And more easy to be successful if you don’t have much experience.

I live in the desert southwest, so I normally only have a handful of days where it is under 40 at night, which is spring time temps for a good portion of the United States. In my situation, my brooders are in shed in front of a large window, so they get sunlight, as long as the sun is shining that is, and inside where the incubators are, the room has one wall that is pretty much windows, so once again they get natural light. When they outgrow the brooder, they make their way to the greenhouse for a week or so, it has a shaded run attached before they make it to their permanent coop with attached run.

 

[wolfwalker]

Well, my first hatch of the month is over and I got one, that is 1 to hatch. all the rest never developed. And this is the quietest chick ever. Also the least active. It hatched last night about 8 pm just as I was going to bed and I placed it in the inside brooder tub when I got up at 5 am.

 

[floppysquirrel04]

Ya, it’s really not that cold here. They will be in a warm brooder in a building as well.