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

[fisherlady]

Your broody pens is awesome!!!

Thanks! In the spring I think we'll cut a hole out through the wall to provide a 'porch' and then a ramp to an enclosed outside area... it will share a common gated fence with the other chicken's outdoor run. Mama and chicks can use it themselves for a week or so and then open the gate between the outdoor runs to mix them in. Spring is going to be some busy building/improving time for the outside pens.

For this batch of chicks they will have to use the indoor people area to play until the weather breaks a bit.

 

[Peggy-Sue]

2 days till lock down for us! We will be candling Thursday night then going on to lock down for Friday morning! We have no idea what to expect in our maran eggs!!! There's only 2 out of the 10 eggs that really haven't gotten darker in the past 16 days... The other ones have gotten darker every time we've candled them! When we do candle them they are soooo hard to tell whats going on inside.... We don't see any movement, just a big dark blob... It makes us nervous... We do not think any of them have any blood spots or bacteria rings but who knows... those eggs are just so hard to see into... Also we have been keeping track of our temps and humidity and looking at our data there doesn't seem to be anything we have done wrong. As for our six mystery eggs, 4 out of 6 are doing great! We see movement in 4! It's so much easier to candle light brown eggs... I wish our marans were that easy!!!!!!!!!

 

[aka Rachel]

Lockdown in two days for us as well, but I will refrain from candling. My temps have been up at 102 a few times so I'm not sure what to expect. Last time I candled (this weekend past) I removed the clears and noted quite a difference in growth in the remaining so who knows whats gonna happen.

I did go ahead and order the incu kit from incubator warehouse tho. The tension from wondering if the temperature jumped over night on me was too much!! lol

 

[FeyRaine]

Thanks for the broody info... our first time, I don't know if Gracie ever did this before or not because the lady we got her from didn't either. We will check for the pipping Saturday (our day 21) so we have an idea of how long to let her sit after the first hatches...

Oh, I guess I was unclear. Check for chicks from a distance, they will peek out once in awhile under a wing etc!!

Disturbing a broody hen in that critical "lockdown" time esp. if her first chick has hatched could upset her to the point she will abandon the other eggs
(trying to save her "threatened" live chick).

Basically right at the end there, they kinda "space-out" or go into some almost hybernation like state so they can sit there w/o even food or water for 24-72 or so hrs while the chicks hatch at their own pace. You don't want to mess w/ the broody during that time, the first chicks will be fine up to that 72 hr point, they will snuggle in w/ mama broody hen and call to those trying to hatch.

The only issue is when it gets to around 72 hrs if there are unhatched eggs, b/c then those first chicks (now 72 hrs old) really need a drink, and mama broody hen has to choose between the live chicks needing water, and any eggs not yet hatched which won't make it w/o hen or incubator heat. So for at least that first 24-36-48 hrs when the chicks are due give her as much space as you can stand. A couple times when I got worried b/c there were 36+ hr old chicks in August heat and broody hen was zoned on eggs I slipped a tiny water w/ pebbles dish close enough to her that she could peck it and thereby teach the older chicks to get a drink w/o moving off the unhatched eggs. It all kinda depends on your broody & her personality, but if come 72 hrs she has both chicks AND eggs she can get really distressed trying to decide what to do, so then you should jump in and make the choice for her (you can take the unhatched eggs and candle at that point & incubate if any are still alive). Be advised even the nicest hen will peck at your hand to protect her chick/eggs during this time, esp. if she is stressed due to a conflict between thristy chicks & unhatched eggs.

Mostly just trust Gracie, if they have the instinct to go broody, and really sit those eggs this far (2 weeks plus) they almost always make it through hatching the viable eggs if not messed w/.

I can't wait to see pictures of her strutting around w/ her clutch, broody hens are so proud and it is cute as can be to watch them interact.

BTW- thanks for the photos of your setup, that broody pen w/ the fold away for cleaning top&wall is great!

 

[chicken pickin]

I was wondering if anyone else is going to be keeping their eggs in egg cartons for lockdown. I think I want to But was wondering if it should be a styrofoam carton or is the cardboard kind ok also? I know they should be cut down and holes cut in the bottoms for air circulation. Any other suggestions or tips for hatching in cartons?

 

[BroosterSpringsteen]

I put my hatch on lockdown this morning. Although, I think I need to unlock it briefly and raise my humidity with some paper towels in the channels. This is my first time with the Brinsea, and even with both channels full, I can't get my humidity above 40%.

 

[gabrielle1976]

I candled last night, there are some wierd eggs some look like they should be dead but saw the baby move. I'm not holding my breath. Tammrow is lock down. Im just gonna wait till they hatch and see what comes. Should have known better then to use mt LG. Oh well.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Lockdown here is Friday. If I remember right (haven't looked in the bator today) I still have 42 of the 50 eggs & all of those will go into lockdown because I just don't have time to candle that many eggs right now. I have 3 bators running right now, 1 quail egg went in lockdown Sunday, 1 goes in today, 3 go in Friday & 1 on Saturday (staggered that batch bad

). Then I have another 5 due on the 2nd & 1 on the 3rd, 37 chicks due on the 5th & I think 2 due on the 6th. The 3rd bator has 8 due on the 8th & 4 due on the 11th & space for more that will likely be set in the next week.

 

[gabrielle1976]

A little cot hatched between my last post and when i was in the bath think its two days early.

 

[Antgarner]

Both of my clutches lock down on Thursday. I'm excited! I'm going to look into getting some runner duck eggs next, because I've always liked ducks and everyone in my family wants some. The plan is: I get a lot more eggs than I need and the extra chicks or ducklings that hatch get distributed amongst the different households. Solid plan, eh?