How many chicks will you hatch in 2026?

[Tex452]

I set 74 eggs Sunday, it’s a barnyard mix, speckled Sussex, NHR, leghorn, different Wyandotte, black australorps, barred rock and some I’m sure I’m leaving out.
I got the eggs from my son, brother and sister.
I have 2- nurture right 360 and one maticoopx 30 incubator

 

[JenniMcChick]

Same! But I'm pretty sure all of them but the Production Blue have plans. So 5 x ???

Although since I've decided to make my life easier & just let whoever wants to sit do so this year since we now have a rooster, and have an actual plan in place for all the resulting chicks, they may all decide that it's just not fun that way & not go broody. Only time will tell.

Here's the 1st hatch of the year!
Feb 14, marked eggs in her clutch & let her set on 9 eggs.
Since she was in a nest in coop, had to pull new eggs throughout incubation time. Missed one early on & found it a couple days later. I marked it 17th & let it stay in w/her as it's from our best laying & never gone broody Production Blue hen (BA x RIR). Only one of those in clutch was from that hen, so I figured "why not?".
Candled eggs on Day 18. 4 viable eggs, 1 iffy as couldn't see through the dark shell very well, but I left it.
So now had 5 eggs under her. 1 of those eggs being the one that was behind.
Woke up to 3 babies this morning!
2 eggs (both from the Production Blue) still under her.
Have moved Mama, the 3 babies & 2 eggs left into the brooder so other hens could go into nest boxes to lay as they were leery & fussing due to black panel I used to block off Mama's nest last night so she would not have visitors today.
We'll see how the other 2 eggs do. Not too worried about the one that was behind. Question is just whether she'll sit long enough to let it hatch. But for the one marked 14.
& of course, she did NOT check my calendar prior to making her plans. We'll be gone for an entire week! We leave Monday night, so my friend who's caring for all of our animals while we're gone has some babies to enjoy.

 

[JenniMcChick]

And so it begins!
Have one broody. Been sitting on 9 eggs for 8 days now. I'll candle them in a couple days and see how many are viable.
She's one of the chicks from last year: Splash Orpington/Cochin cross (most likely). She's a big, beautiful girl, but my poorest layer. So if I was only going to allow one to stay broody & be allowed to sit & hatch eggs, she's the best one to let do so. I left eggs from all the others to see how they turn out, but pulled the one she laid. Made up the extra from my Production Blue as she's the best layer I have & has also yet to go broody.
So now I'm praying Cookie is able to hatch some of those eggs & that she's a good momma!

Woke up to 3 hatchlings so far!
2 are from Buff Orpington eggs. The other could have been BO, but most likely the blue orpington x Cochin cross.
Both Production Blue eggs still under her, unhatched.
One of those marked 14th (so set on same day as the others), the other 17th. So we'll see...
Gonna be interesting to see how these baby crosses grow out!

 

[JenniMcChick]

Woke up to 3 hatchlings so far!
2 are from Buff Orpington eggs. The other could have been BO, but most likely the blue orpington x Cochin cross.
Both Production Blue eggs still under her, unhatched.
One of those marked 14th (so set on same day as the others), the other 17th. So we'll see...
Gonna be interesting to see how these baby crosses grow out!

Rooster & possible mama for hatched chicks.

 

[Skyeknight]

This is a very fun idea for a thread! I am planning to hatch out about 55 eggs this year. Already cheated a bit as I put 11 eggs under broodies at the end of last year . Eight of those hatched begin-mid January they are Ayam Cemani Polish crossbreds and Ayam Cemani Silkie crossbreds.

I do plan to hatch out 25 chicks in an incubator very soon. These being Ayam Cemani Brahma crossbreds and Ayam Cemani CX mixes. Will be raising these for meat.

The final 20 should be offspring from the Ayam Cemani Polish/Silkie crossbred males on Polish, Silkie and Brahma hens. Hopefully I will have broodies by then, prefer that over raising them myself.