Hatch-Along - Setting eggs this weekend (Jan5/6) WHOS WITH ME!

[Conchis]

I candled last night. Out of the 9 eggs, only 2 looked liked nothing was going on. I think one of them is infertile. It's a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte so the egg shell isn't so dark that I couldn't see through it and it was uniformly shaded. I didn't toss it yet, but it looks like a dud. One of the others was just so darned dark who knows.....All in all, looking good. Candling is just too much fun!

 

[SilkieSensation]

I am so sorry. I didn't think they would explode so soon. Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me will read and help. I don't have Welsummers but I do have pure BCM I could give you. I'm planning on separating the EE rooster from the rest as soon as the turkeys go (any day, any day). I think I have to have them tested before I can share but that wouldn't be a problem. Let me know if I can help. I had wanted Barnevelders and Welsummers but read that Barnevelder's aren't so good in the cold. Let me know if I can help. Sue. (Again, so sorry)

Eggs can explode at any time. I had turkey eggs I got from a friend at the end of summer & he left them in the car while he went in to eat lunch. I set them that same evening & when I went to turn the other eggs that were in the same bator the next morning I found a turkey egg had cracked completely around 1 end & was leaking all over my bator. 2 days later another one began leaking. All together, from 11 eggs, 1 had 4 leakers before lockdown & only 1 egg developed. The 1 that developed never hatched. They had gotten too hot & had instantly spoiled.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Yes I know the feeling, it really is hard to believe that we are already halfway to chicks!

Very exciting. Tonight while turning and candling I went ahead and removed the three that looked like they weren't developing. Cracked them open, they were infertile it looked like, no blood and no veins just messy yolk. The other fifteen still look good I think. Some are getting way to dark to see anything though

But I hope that's a good thing. I also cracked and went for the sale from Ideal poultry and bought 20 Pekin Ducklings ... Will be our first time with ducks so it'll be interesting! They'll be shipped on the 23rd and will be getting here around the time my eggs go into lockdown.

I have found the best way to brood ducks is on wire. If you put them in where you have to have bedding you will get nothing done except changing bedding every time you turn around. I have a stack cage for puppies that has the nice deep plastic pans under each cage. Duckies go in there so all I have to do is dump the pans about every 2 days. Ducks will dump & splash any water you give them. Also, they poop A LOT!!! You would never think so much poop could come from something so little. Ducks need to be able to dunk their entire head in the water, but not their bodies unless you are letting them swim (not a good idea to leave this option available all the time). This lets them clean their nasal passages & helps them swallow their food. Never feed ducks without water. They can choke very easily, especially as babies. A chick waterer will work for the first few days, but as they grow you will need a deeper container to allow them to get their heads in. For 20 ducklings you could use about 4 cottage cheese containers or butter bowls WITH lids for a couple weeks. You may need to start with shorter bowls like chip dip containers. Cut a hole in the lid that allows the head in without rubbing but not the body (holes will need to be enlarged as they grow). Fill containers about 3/4 full of water to allow them access to water without being able to climb in & dump it all. After they get tall enough, 1 gallon buckets work well for several more weeks until they are feathered enough to head outside. Flock Raiser or All-Flock type feed is best. Do NOT feed medicated feed as it will make the ducklings sick. Many people say to add niacin to duckling's feed, but if you use something formulated for ducks like the Flock Raiser or All-Flock it's not necessary. This same feed can also be fed to chicks & even adult birds. You can add a little grit or sand to the feed after the 1st few days & allow them to nibble fresh or frozen veggies diced up small for younger ducks & graduating to whole as they grow. They love diving for veggies in their water at bath time. Ducklings shouldn't be allowed to swim unsupervised until about 3 weeks old because their oil glands are not developed enough to keep them from getting waterlogged & tired babies sink quickly.

 

[chicken pickin]

Im also planning another batch shortly after these hatch out. I have a rotation going on. I have the small brooder in the bathroom can hold them until 3-4 weeks of age then the big brooder in the garage can hold them until 8-9weeks of age and then a grow out pen outside to house them untill they get sold, move into a permenant coop, or go to freezer camp. I have a batch of chicks in my bathroom brooder moving out to the garage this weekend to make room for the new ones thatll hatch in 8 days. So as long as I keep up a rotation I think I can feed my addiction. hopefully I dont get overrun with poultry

. My husband makes fun of me and says im like a crazy cat lady only with chickens.

 

[CamiLynn]

Haha...think one of my silkies has gone broody! If she has, I'm so placing some of my shipped eggs under her!

 

[SusanRenee]

Day 15! Candled with a much brighter LED flashlight tonight and had awesome results. Of our 42 eggies, 36 are veined, and most with visiable movement, 5 are questionable, but all darker so are staying in, and one lighter blue/white layer cross is for sure a dud, the blood ring is very pronounced. I think we're going to need all three storage bin brooder boxes. Not bad for our first hatch ever

 

[Egghead_Jr]

 

[fisherlady]

Here are a couple of pics of the broody pen set up... it is in a corner of the coop (which has insulated walls/floors) with an adjoining small area of the general coop fenced off to allow her a dusting area, a door off of the other side can be opened to allow her and her new chicks out into the 'people area' of the coop for another 20sq ft or so of running around room. The bottom sections of the broody pen area are enclosed with 1/4" hardware mesh so the babies aren't able to get snagged in it, the top of the door side has 1" chicken wire to allow nosey humans to watch what is going on inside without disturbing the new brood.



The side of brooder seen in above pic is double hinged, which allows it to be folded completely up and out of the way and give us access to the broody box area, I snapped this pic while we were building it.

 

[fisherlady]

I went in to lockdown this morning and am hoping to get my humidity up a little bit by this evening. I left my eggs on their sides, since they have been in that position the whole incubation. Last candle all were good, but now the real show and tell begins. Not sure I will be able to contain my excitement if I see a pip! Lol

Good luck everyone and can't wait to hear and see the hatches! :-D

So I guess since Gracie is doing the lockdown for us then we get to increase our own humidity with a couple of shots of favorite liquids???? Maybe that will help our nerves!

 

[fisherlady]

We have chicks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We went out to do our morning chores and checks, we cleaned the other coops and collected eggs... all the while we could here all kinds of chirping coming from the broody pen...

after getting the chores finished we uncovered the wall of the broody pen and couldn't see anything different... but boy could we hear them!!! So Radioman got the camera ready and I did a quick lift to check.... and.......

Looks like 4 or maybe 5? so far... I took out a few egg shells that were laying right in the front, but didn't lift Gracie any higher or otherwise try to touch any chicks... One looked damp yet so I only held her up a few seconds... just long enough to snap this pic and grab those shells....
It was happy time in the coop after we finally saw fluffy butts!!!