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

[fisherlady]

Also we get to candle our eggs tonight for the first time! Can't wait to see what we have developing!!

 

[FeyRaine]

We just use a little waterer... I think it's a 1 qt, designed for chicks because the lip on the base is much narrower than the regular chicken waterers... just a generic type that is available at tractor supply (the white plastic top with red base one)
We have used it without any trouble since they were 2 days old, but ours are with Gracie and the waterer area is coop temp pretty much, so not a problem with them wanting to go to sleep in the area. I wouldn't worry to much about your little ones if they have good balance now and the water isn't near the heat lamp, that way they get their food and drink but don't hang out in the area.

They may give the waterer the stink eye right now, but if you remove the other water source, then dunk their beaks in the 'new' one and give it a short while I think they will do fine with it. Chickens are suspicious of everything! But they are also very nosey and once they are exposed to something they seem to then act like they are little experts and have always done it!

2x Exactly , well said.

 

[nothingbutbirds]

How long does everyone usually keep the marbles etc. in their chicks water? Ours make such a mess with the little containers we use with the marbles and they are afraid of a normal water container lol they just give it a stink eye. any suggestions?? They are about a week and a half old

I use a quail base unless i have silkies or large crested breeds.

 

[dblea202]

OKAY THATS WHAT O HAD BOUGHT. AND I ACTUALLY BOUGHT BOTH BOTTOMS BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE WHICH ONE WOULD BE BETTER I WILL TRY WHEN IM HOME AND CAN WATCH THEm...SORRY FOR THE ALL CAMPS IM ON MY PHONE AND I CAN'T GET IT TO STOP USING ALL CAPS

 

[SilkieSensation]

OKAY THATS WHAT O HAD BOUGHT. AND I ACTUALLY BOUGHT BOTH BOTTOMS BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE WHICH ONE WOULD BE BETTER I WILL TRY WHEN IM HOME AND CAN WATCH THEm...SORRY FOR THE ALL CAMPS IM ON MY PHONE AND I CAN'T GET IT TO STOP USING ALL CAPS

I never use marbles for any of my birds. I use tissue or toilet paper in the water for quail but everyone else goes straight to the quart waterers with the regular red chick base. I don't even mess with the quail base. Once my quail are a week old I put them on a regular waterer too. I've never lost anything to drowning except newly hatched quail & a silly serama who stuffed it's head in the quail waterer & got stuck when it fell in head 1st. The little cup I use for quail is a dressing cup, so it's tiny. It didn't have the tissues in it when the serama fell in.

 

[dblea202]

So we candled our eggs and we had to get rid of 3 total today...one this morning because it was stinky and looking like it was starting to leak a little. One tonight because it also smelt and the last one because of a bacteria ring. So we are down to 9 out of 12 eggs and we saw definite movement in 7 of them the other two were kinda dark and couldn't see much. But we did see movement in our one Maran egg! So we have 1 Golden Lakenvelder, 1 Wyandotte, 1 French BCM, 2 Barred Rock, and 2 Welsummer that are good so far and are moving around. Two more weeks!! can't wait to see what we get out of this batch!!

 

[nothingbutbirds]

So we candled our eggs and we had to get rid of 3 total today...one this morning because it was stinky and looking like it was starting to leak a little. One tonight because it also smelt and the last  one because of a bacteria ring. So we are down to 9 out of 12 eggs and we saw definite movement in 7 of them the other two were kinda dark and couldn't see much. But we did see movement in our one Maran egg! So we have 1 Golden Lakenvelder, 1 Wyandotte, 1 French BCM, 2 Barred Rock, and 2 Welsummer that are good so far and are moving around. Two more weeks!! can't wait to see what we get out of this batch!!
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yay!!!!!

 

[SarahJaneB]

So we candled our eggs and we had to get rid of 3 total today...one this morning because it was stinky and looking like it was starting to leak a little. One tonight because it also smelt and the last one because of a bacteria ring. So we are down to 9 out of 12 eggs and we saw definite movement in 7 of them the other two were kinda dark and couldn't see much. But we did see movement in our one Maran egg! So we have 1 Golden Lakenvelder, 1 Wyandotte, 1 French BCM, 2 Barred Rock, and 2 Welsummer that are good so far and are moving around. Two more weeks!! can't wait to see what we get out of this batch!!

Exciting!!!

I will candle my 30 again tonight and toss those seven that I first thought weren't developing if there's still nothing. Hatch on the 26th if everything's going ok in the incubator. Had some temp fluctuations this go around

On a side note I will never ever ever ever ever ever brood pekin ducklings in the house again, that was torture. I have them outside in their brooder in their coop now they're about 25 days old or 3 1/2 weeks. Under a heat lamp covered up. Temps were ranging around 52-54 degrees in their brooder, reccomended for their age I read minimum is 59 degrees. They've done well the past two days and it was coooolldddd last night. I've caulked some cracks between the boards in the brooder stuffed straw under the wire they're on and around the brooder. I just can't bring them back in. As cute as they are the smell was torture. The little temp thing that is in there isn't directly under the light either so they are doing good so far. They keep soaking theirselves from their drinking water which worries me but they never shiver or anything so maybe i worry for nothing?

also all 13 of my chicks that hatched are alive and kicking. I just recently moved them from their temporary brooding tub to their big wooden one in my bedroom and notice one had curled toes on a foot

I didn't handle every single one of them as they were aging only the few that ran up to my hand when I put it in the brooder. I think it's a rooster though so it won't have to live long on that foot. I just feel bad that I didn't catch it in the beginning. I read that sometimes it happens because they had to much room in the incubator while hatching? I also had them on paper towels over the wood chips the first few days. Maybe that was it? With this second batch the incubator is definitely full this time and I'm putting rabbit wire over the paper towels next time so they can grip something i guess.

 

[SarahJaneB]

Ok not seven looks like only six seemed infertile that I tossed. Although another egg seemed to have a blood ring. It was very noticeable but there was movement in it still so I didn't toss it just in case.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Ok not seven looks like only six seemed infertile that I tossed. Although another egg seemed to have a blood ring. It was very noticeable but there was movement in it still so I didn't toss it just in case.

If there was movement then it wasn't a bloodring. Sometimes veins can look funny & appear to be bloodrings for a few days. Check it again in 3-4 days & see if there is a change. I never toss the 1st time I think I see a bloodring unless it's obviously WAY behind on development & more clear than cloudy. They often surprise you.