Hatching BCM, Blue Copper Marans, Cuckoo Marans, Olive, Welsummers

[dave27889]

This is the hatch I started on 2-10-2011. I got the eggs from several people including sandspoultry, fowlrus and gamebirdsonly. The other eggs I got from breeders. I also have some eggs from midget white turkeys, white holland turkeys and beltsville turkeys. I almost forgot the 14 white Empordanesa eggs. The olive eggs came from fowlrus all with some BCMs. The hatches should be 2 days apart for the chicken eggs and then 6 days later the turkey eggs should start hatching.
I have eggs from very good breeders and from the better known blood lines. I have about 100 eggs hatching. This is the first bunch of eggs I have not been able to candle. The turkey eggs are the only ones I could see into. They all are doing well. I got 16 BCM eggs from sands poultry along with the turkey eggs. I picked them up at Steve and Sharon's home all the other eggs were shipped. I bought some id bands so I could keep all the chicks seperate as far as blood lines go. I am praying for a good hatch. I am adding pictures of the eggs. The first eggs are mostly from sands poultry, fowlrus and one other breeder. The 2nd incubator is full of 14 white Empordanesa, welsummer, welsummer rooster over BCM hen, 6 Blue copper Marans, 4 blue splash marans 6 cuckoo marans and the rest are BCM. The flash took some of the color out but most all of these eggs are really dark. The white Empordanesa are as dark as the BCM eggs and the person I got them from said they were kinda light because they were almost at the end of a laying cycle. I am really blessed to have gotten these eggs and I appreciate everyones help. I am going to try and do heritage RIRs next hatch. I have talked to several people on here that are hatching them right now to replace their own flock. They said I could get some later in early spring. I really hope I can get some . I have a really nice heritage rooster and want to get him several lady friends.

These are mostly from sands poultry.

A lot of these are from gamebirdsonly,white Empordanesa and bev-davis line of BCM.
These are just different angels of the eggs.

another view

Thanks for looking everyone and I can't wait untill March 2nd gets here. Good hatching to all.

 

[redheadmama13]

Wow! Those eggs are beautiful. I haven't hatched any of my own yet, but hope to this summer. Can't wait to see pics of your peeps.

 

[macdoogle]

WOW! Good luck with all of your eggs. I've got some 'true' Auracanas due to hatch on March 3rd. I'm not hopeful. From 16 I'm down to 4. I'm expecting some BCMS at the end of next week. I can't find eggs locally so everything is shipped. What beautiful eggs you have.

 

[macdoogle]

Also. What kind of bators are you using and how do you candle dark eggs and when?

 

[dave27889]

I have not been able to candle any of these eggs except for the 8 turkey eggs. To candel an egg you go to a dark room and with either a special light or strong pen flashlight put it ontothe egg and look for developement. There should be veins showing after the 7th day. I then check again on day 14 to make sure everything is still going well. Look up candeling on here and they give a lot better answer and pictures.
I made the 2nd incubator out of an igloo cooler, light bulb and a wafer type thermostate. The other is a hovabator still air type that I added a computer fan to. It circulates the air for a better hatch. I also don't turn my eggs by hand. I just raise one end up at a 45 degree angle and rotate the ends at least 3 times a day. You need to rotate the egg an odd number of times a day to keep the embroy from sticking to the side of the egg. I have an idea to put automatic egg turners in both incubators in the summer of this year.
I am hoping that I will have a good hatch as some of these eggs were really expensive and they are really dark. I wish the flash would not come on so you could see how really dark the eggs are. The white Empordanesa are really nice and dark. I don't know anyone in my area that has any of these. I pray that I get a 50% hatch out of them. I am also looking forward to seeing how the Welsummer rooster over the BCM hen comes out. It should make a nice egg. I am also looking to see how the chicks come out. I have made a promise to myself to raise a rooster and a hen out of that group if I get a mateing pair. I think they would make a nice looking bird. Gamebirdsonly has some really nice welsummers. I have had some of his welsummers before. I wish I had never sold them but my health came first. I am doing better this year and the good Lord willing I am going to raise a lot of birds and have a great Garden.
Thanks for the interest and I will post pictures of the chicks.

 

[btpeters]

I didn't know you could incubate turkey eggs with chicken eggs...I just got an incubator (its in the mail) and plan to do BCM as well. Its our first time, and with as expensive as these eggs are, I hope it works! we just got a brinsea eco 10 and will be turning by hand. didn't know about the odd number either. good tip, makes sense. Good luck with those beautiful eggs!

 

[bargain]

Quote:
Yes, you can incubate chickens with turkeys but remember that turkeys really need that humidity to hatch...I often mist our eggs before incubating and definitely before lockdown

Way to go with the hatchathon Dave!!! We've bought a used cabinet and just put about 50 into lockdown....It's a bit boring in this though as I don't mess with the humdiity and temp near as much as though styrofoam incubators!!!! But the lower stress is great!

DO remember that turkeys hatch in 28 days! and lock down at 25 days....This is different than lockdown at 18 days and hatch at 21 days for chickens, so if you hatch together, remember to plan for that!!!!!

=======================================================
Our current auctions are:

Bonus Lavendar Orpington Eggs & 10+ Blue/Black/Splash Orpington Eggs
12+ Easter Egger Eggs (Lavendar Ameracauna rooster in pen!)
10+ Wheaten Marans Hatching eggs

 

[dave27889]

Good luck to you also. To hatch the turkey eggs at the same time you have to put them in a week before the chicken eggs or do like I did and have 2 hatches going at the same time. I can put the turkey eggs in with the cooler incubator while the hovabator eggs are hatching. Then after the chicks hatch out in the havabator I put them in the brooder which I made out of a big plastic storage bin I bought at Walmart. I then put the turkey eggs back into the Hovabator to finish hatching. That way the cooler incubator can go on lock down when the incubator is stopped rotating and you raise the humidity level. Then the turkey eggs are ready to hatch. Clever ain't I? No just stay broke and have to make things myself with help from people at BYC.
Thanks for the comment Nancy. I am sorry I did not get any eggs from you. I didn't see any up and I was kinda in a hurry to get what I had started. Hope next time I can get some from you and hubby. I have a chart hanging above each incubator so I know when to stop turning the eggs and to raise the humidity. I also have times turned during each 24 hours, room temp, incubator temp, Humidity and a blank space fornotes. I also have the type egg,person bought from a x on the egg so I can tell what the egg is and who I got it from. I also have a chart next to the incubator chart that tells who I got the eggs from, and their place in the incubator.
That chart also tells me how many eggs total are in each incubator, the break down of what each type of egg is in each cooler. I then have a chart to let me know what band color goes on which type chick and from who the eggs came from. That gives me all the information I need. That way I can keep tabs on which eggs hatched, the type and bloodline of that chick and I can tell what the hatch rate of each set of eggs is. Lots of info but it helps a lot down the road and it helps keep the blood lines straight until I can put wing bands on the birds.

 

[ginormous chicken]

Wow!! You have some gorgeous eggs! I like the attention to details- I like how you have digital temp. gauges, and the fact that you penciled in almost all your eggs. I notice you wrote hatchery and if they were crosses and to what! Stylin like a pro.

. I would love to hatch but then inn is full right now. By April I will be up to 16. That is a lot for a person who has only about an acre and a half! I am esp. jealous or your BCM eggs. They are so dark and puuurrrttyyyy!!!


I would love to see pics. of the hatch!

 

[bargain]

Quote:
Good way to handle that Dave!!! We love to hatch chickens first so that they can "mother" the turkeys and show them water and feed and help them during those first awkward days of life!!!
Happy and blessed hatching!!! Nancy
=======================================================
Our current auctions are:

Bonus Lavendar Orpington Eggs & 10+ Blue/Black/Splash Orpington Eggs
12+ Easter Egger Eggs (Lavendar Ameracauna rooster in pen!)
10+ Wheaten Marans Hatching eggs