Ground Hog's Day Hatch

[kellyn]

I... will be in mourning soon. My favourite black australorp hen isn't doing too good. She isn't sick, but she won't eat hardly anything... she's gonna die.

I haven't cried over a chicken in almost three years... but here I am, now, wiping salty tears from my eyes. I know I'm being dramatic, but I think I'm entitled to that. She's my favourite hen out of my 5 remaining firsts. I love her more than any cat or dog, that's for sure. I hand picked her and 5 others out of about 50 or 100 different chicks... if she dies, I'll only have 2 left...

Congrats on all y'alls eggs, maybe when she passes her soul will be reincarnated into one of your chicks. Coz people do have early ones...! And some people sat eggs before the 12th...

I'll get over it in a week or so, if I don't think about it.

I'm pretty weird, huh? Buti still hope she will like chicken heaven...

 

[kefiren]

mahonri, thanks for the idea of lisa, she is very nearby!

kellyn, i don't think u are weird at all. i'd tell her you've been honored to be her farmer and you may want to suggest that she come back again to your place. i know this very spiritual farmer and he talks about how that idea helps him through harvesting for meat.

i have an 8 year old aurocana and she gets run down every change of season, and just when i think she is going to die she perks up. once, a half of a juicy orange seemed to rejuvenate her, i put it by her side.

still and all, i take care of my grandmother who is nearing on 100 and i can tell you, longevity is over-rated. starting anew seems much more fun.

as for the person with the darkened eggs--one of mine already looked like that at 14 days. i thought it was dead too, but now i've got some hope for it. maybe it is just ahead of the game. i've got my fingers crossed for you.

 

[kellyn]

Thanks, Keifiren. You've given m hope. But I don't think she'll come back to me, bc my eggs aren't due for another 8 or 9 days... but maybe she'll live longer... I dunno... she somehow managed to jump from te groung to the roost 3 feet up. I made sure she was in there, it would beheart breaing if I accidentally left her out and something got her.

How long do coturnix quail take to hatch? Is it 16 or 18 days? I put mine in on the 14...

She would HATE being a quail, bc she hates not roaming the yard with my other layers.

And my hen isn't much younger than your araucana, Loppy will be six(if she makes it) in the end of february.

 

[TinaK]

twentynine - You can join me in the pessimists club! Hopefully we have better hatches than we think! No more candling for me. I don't know what I'm looking for so all I am succeeding in doing is stressing myself out! Out of 7 duck eggs I can see movement in 3

kellyn - Wishing you the best for loppy. I hope that she recovers for you. I know what it is like to loose a favourite. It sucks. At least you and loppy are not here in Aus with 95* F temps today. Yuck!

I set my eggs at 9pm on Wednesday the 11th of January. I have duck eggs in so my hatch will be 28 days. I THINK I'm due to hatch on the 8th of Feb! I go into lockdown on the 5th of Feb....... EIK!

 

[Dingo]

How long do coturnix quail take to hatch? Is it 16 or 18 days? I put mine in on the 14....

about 17 days, but some can hold out til 18.

 

[kellyn]

Thank Dingo, my eggs should hatch in a few days thn. I'm not putting them under lockdown, bc if thy get stuck I can just help em out. There's only 9 or 10 eggs anyways.

And TinaK, it's gotten to 110 here in the sunny state of florida. My yard has had INCHES of water in it, and it's been as cold as 12 degres before... and I've been through LOTSA hurricanes. But living further up the state has it's perks and it's not as bad as some places. but I don't like the cold at all. Below 60 is just BRRRRRR!!!! I can take the heat fine. W/out air conditioning. 95 degrees would be a normal summer day in florida *runs off to the beach, surfboard in hand* *jus kiiiding~*.

My dad says when it's below 70 in Miami, he sees people with biiiig, thiiick winter jackets walking aroung. But, he DOES have mud in his blood. IMMUE! Not even the mosquito in the everglades bite him! And they're NAYASTAY little boogers! As big as a fricken nickel at smallest...!

Haha, well looks like I kinda, sorta droned on about stupid stuff... sorrryz~!

And all of this had happened within the last 2 years. 2010 mostly, coz the weather went to da frickin' moon!

 

[Mahonri]

I... will be in mourning soon. My favourite black australorp hen isn't doing too good. She isn't sick, but she won't eat hardly anything... she's gonna die.
I'm pretty weird, huh? Buti still hope she will like chicken heaven...

You are not the only one. I'm a big baby when it comes to anything that passes on. Hang in there!

 

[Dingo]

Thank Dingo, my eggs should hatch in a few days thn. I'm not putting them under lockdown, bc if thy get stuck I can just help em out. There's only 9 or 10 eggs anyways.
And TinaK, it's gotten to 110 here in the sunny state of florida. My yard has had INCHES of water in it, and it's been as cold as 12 degres before... and I've been through LOTSA hurricanes. But living further up the state has it's perks and it's not as bad as some places. but I don't like the cold at all. Below 60 is just BRRRRRR!!!! I can take the heat fine. W/out air conditioning. 95 degrees would be a normal summer day in florida *runs off to the beach, surfboard in hand* *jus kiiiding~*.
My dad says when it's below 70 in Miami, he sees people with biiiig, thiiick winter jackets walking aroung. But, he DOES have mud in his blood. IMMUE! Not even the mosquito in the everglades bite him! And they're NAYASTAY little boogers! As big as a fricken nickel at smallest...!
Haha, well looks like I kinda, sorta droned on about stupid stuff... sorrryz~!
And all of this had happened within the last 2 years. 2010 mostly, coz the weather went to da frickin' moon!

Ya'll need to send some of that heat north. Our trees were glowing today with ice, now we're getting strong cold winds.

 

[thebirdguy]

Hey all you hatchaholics... Here's a list of all the eggs you could win in the 1st Annual Rocky Mountain Chickenstock raffle... I'm sure more will be added before we're done.. For all the details visit our thread here.

Raffle Update 1/27/12:

Prizes:
1 dozen rare breed hatching eggs (guaranteed to have Cream Legbars!!) from Greenfire Farms shipped express to your door!!
2 dozen assorted color silkie eggs from Cat Dance Silkies
2 dozen silkie eggs from Cj's Silkies
2 gift certificates from Cackle Hatchery
A Happy Hens Treat Package from Randall Burkey
A goat milk soap/bath salt basket from Laura Middleton
Mini-Eco incubator from Brinsea
Hatching eggs from Chickenhousesplus.com
1 dozen Assorted Orpington eggs from Hall Family Poultry. Could be large fowl or bantam in Buff, Black, Blue, Splash, Self Blue and possibly Lemon Cuckoo
1 dozen Icelandic eggs from thebirdguy
$20 gift certificate from Cutler Supply
1 dozen your choice Swedish Flower Hens or English Lemon Cuckoo from Pampered Poultry
1 dozen Lavendar Orpington eggs from lavendarorpgirl
1 dozen Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtion eggs from RedRoosterFarm
1 dozen Buff Laced or Gold Laced Brahma eggs from RedRoosterFarm
1 dozen Blue Isbar eggs from TheSheriff
1 dozen Jersey Giant eggs from Bobbi Porto
1 dozen project Orpington eggs from Chookschick
1/2 dozen project Silky Ameraucana eggs from Chookschick
20 assorted hatching eggs from TaylorHobbyFarm Will include at least three different breeds and may include French Black Copper Marans, Blue/Black/Splash Jersey Giants, Dark Brahmas, Lavender Orpingtons, White Leghorns or Easter Eggers
1 dozen rare hatching eggs from git-r-done
1 dozen LF Columbian Plymouth Rocks hatching eggs from Yard full o' rocks

 

[HereInOz]

Hoping it's not to late to join in....I'm new here at BYC and just found this thread. I have 2 Golden Buff Orpingtons set to hatch on Groundhog Day and 15 Lavender Orpingtons set for Feb 8th hatch. This is my first time hatching chickens and reading your posts has been very helpful, thank you! I have a homemade incubator made from an old ice cooler with a GQF wafer thermostat which has been holding my temps pretty steady between 99.5 to 100 degrees. Humidity seems harder but trying to keep it around 40-50%. I'm realizing now that I should have purchased 2 backup thermometers and hoping this digital one I have is accurate

I had my eggs shipped to me knowing that is a gamble, but will be happy if I can get 3 hens and 1 roo out of 17 eggs. Don't have a candler...tried to use a cheap little flashlight today and did see one lavender orp 'waving' at me

soooo exciting! The rest are just dark inside and I really have know idea what to look for. Plan on getting a real candler for any future hatches along with extra thermometers.
Less than 6 days now and I can't hardly stand the waiting!!!