February 2023 hatch-a-long

[BarnyardChaos]

.....I talk to my eggs a bit when I turn them. My husband would think I’m crazy if he knew. Just in case it’s like a human baby where they can hear sounds and recognize voices.

Yes, they CAN hear at some point, I don't know when. But they do chirp inside the shell before hatching, and they can hear each other. The internal chirping and noise of hatching encourages and stimulates hatching to begin in the other eggs, too. Or so I've heard!

 

[Kikilu]

Yes I just modified an old drawer for my brooder, so the wardrobe will probably work too. I want you to get a good hatch rate! I actually hope everyone gets a good hatch rate, lol. Maybe try candling them in the dark to see better for your I think it was an EE egg that you couldn't see anything in? I think most of my eggs will hatch, I hope.

I have a tote to start but will need something bigger since I think I’ll need to keep them in 10 weeks. Hoping the wardrobe will work! Yes that’s the same brinsea one I have - the brooder
I feel like I’ve been incubating these eggs for weeks already haha. That one EE is such a dark green it’s hard to see even in dark. I read somewhere that as long as you see air cell growth you can kind of guess that it’s developing. So I’ll be marking it to see and hope that works out!

 

[junior67]

I have the brinsea eco glow heat plate. Too scared of the heat lamps. Our temps vary so much in spring so not sure when they could actually go out. I can’t even put my started plants out until mid June I’d love to be able to do in coop.

I use a MHP. Think it will still be cold here with warm days when I brood this year, but I brooded in the coop in April last year and we had cold days)nights and they did fine. So think they will be ok.

 

[junior67]

I am really excited about some of the eggs I waited for to be fertile. The journey started in 2006 with the great grandparents of these eggs. ( the gray egg)
View attachment 3391252

4 generations of birds that I guided is so exciting. I am down to one hen, so I am glad to keep it going.

I love that color egg!!!! I would love to get something like that!!!

 

[junior67]

Yayyyyyy! It's SO hard not to candle! I have a question though, do chicks usually hatch in the day or night?

Whenever. I have set at night with hatching early am and all day. Set mid day with hatching overnight and all day. No rhyme or reason to it.

 

[coffeeaddict]

I feel like this one hasn't been moving for several days and now there's a blood ring. Ugh! Shipped egg quitter. Can't lob it into the forest because we are having an ice storm. Is that black area bacteria?

 

[LhickenChicken]

Ugh... I don't know. My best guess would be bacteria, yes. I had a blood ring going the other way, like around the top of the egg, and I had a dark circle near the bottom, which was the dead embryo with bacteria growing on it. How many eggs do you have left who aren't quitters?

 

[coffeeaddict]

Ugh... I don't know. My best guess would be bacteria, yes. I had a blood ring going the other way, like around the top of the egg, and I had a dark circle near the bottom, which was the dead embryo with bacteria growing on it. How many eggs do you have left who aren't quitters?

Let’s see I had 12 shipped eggs. 2 quit early (including this one) 6 were clear and never started developing and 4 look good so far. I also had six local eggs in this first batch and five are developing normally, except for one French Cooper Maran egg which looked infertile early on, but not 100% sure because the shell is so dark.

 

[laboroflove]

I have yet to jump into the incubator club. I’m afraid I would get addicted (Plus I have no clue which to start with) I will live vicariously through y’all for the moment!

 

[junior67]

I am so ready for chicks!!! Lol. 2 days till lockdown, 5 days till hatch date..... Can't come soon enough. All 11 going strong last night.