Jan./Feb. 2014 hatch a long

[otis7]

How much longer do I wait? One more day? Two more days?

 

[Timba]

Night one of incubating: temperatures held pretty steady in both incubators. I had to move the incubators to another room due to the low temperatures outside. My still air incubator spiked up to 102, I guess they should be okay. My forced air was rocksolid at 100. Hand turning seems to be the biggest pain so far. Oh well just got to keep at it.

 

[DeannaA]

As I read all your posts, about hatching eggs, and the cute little chicks, I so want to do it. But I am a first time owner of 4 hens, who a spoiled with treats, and totally funny and wonderful. I would love to hatch them my self, but I need to do a whole lot more learning. to do. So far, i have been so lucky. My sweeties have had no illness. (If you don't count a broken toe and a limp that somehow went away by it self. BYC has been so helpful. We decided not to heat lamp them, due to a lot of opinions regarding humidity etc. My sweeties have laid eggs just as if it were warm. ( Our coldest has been 16 below). They do not like walking in the snow. We put down some tarps to keep at least some area of grass. When I call them, they try to step in the brown spots, and kind of hop over the snow. Fun to watch. We also have a rescued Sheltie, and 3 cats, a Maine Coon, a street cat and another rescue who has a bum let. They all get along just great, and sometimes chase each other. We grow lots of vegetables, and find that they stay out of the tomatoes, squash etc. with a small fence. (a roll out one). The real stuff, like kale, peppers, lettuce etc. we had to fence off.

We have lots of roses, and they eat them, but doesn't seem to have a big effect.

But I am looking into doing more with some new chicks. We have been so lucky that I am sort of scared about hatching, or even getting new little chicks when the time comes. I have so much to learn, and so appreciate all the info provided. Not that i get or understand all the "chicken talk". But thanks to everyone with all your great stories and advise.

We are still pretty depressed real estate wise here in Western Co. After living in LA for 30 years, I love it and of course it helps that I grew up here. But without chickens. My grandfather had them, but they were kind of mean to us kids, and pecked at us when we went with him to gather. He always culled, guess it is now, but then it was just chopping their heads off. Hand them by the shed, and then my Mom would pluck, and cook them. I don't remember being traumatized by this as a child, but could never do that to my sweeties. I can't even kill a bird or a mouse. (insects not included). I guess I would rather have a processing place do that for me.

However, I have learned a lot from the professionals and hope to learn more and be a really good "chicken person".

I think you will do well. You have a the right attitude. Learning first helps a lot but no matter how much you prepare, you will come across surprises. Read here long enough and you will laugh and cry. Same with raising and hatching. And I will warn you, hatching is amazing but soooooo addictive.

Night one of incubating: temperatures held pretty steady in both incubators. I had to move the incubators to another room due to the low temperatures outside. My still air incubator spiked up to 102, I guess they should be okay. My forced air was rocksolid at 100. Hand turning seems to be the biggest pain so far. Oh well just got to keep at it.

You can stick something under the edge of the incbator to raise up one side. Then move it to the other side every few hours instead of hand turning. I have a rack in my incubators. I tilt the rack and flip the egg cartons. Depends on your setup. How your water is added and if your eggsarein cartons.

 

[Timba]

I think you will do well.  You have a the right attitude.  Learning first helps a lot but no matter how much you prepare, you will come across surprises.  Read here long enough and you will laugh and cry.  Same with raising and hatching.  And I will warn you, hatching is amazing but soooooo addictive.

You can stick something under the edge of the incbator to raise up one side.  Then move it to the other side every few hours instead of hand turning.  I have a rack in my incubators.  I tilt the rack and flip the egg cartons.  Depends on your setup.  How your water is added and if your eggsarein cartons.

If I place them in a carton, it's pointy side down? And how much of a tilt?

 

[DeannaA]

If I place them in a carton, it's pointy side down? And how much of a tilt?

Yes, pointy side down and cut the bottoms out of the egg hole for air circulation. I tilt mine about 25' the two directions add up to over 45' difference.

 

[AmericanMom]

How much longer do I wait? One more day? Two more days?

I think at this point it would be up to you, I don't know how and am not comfortable with doing the float test so I cannot walk you through that. What about candling to see if there is an internal pip before proceeding

 

[Ashdoes]

My Cream Crested Legbar cockerel hatched on the 13th December 2013 (1 month and 4 days old) started trying to crow yesterday. It's amazing how fast CCLs grow they are fully feathered and about twice the size of their hatchmates.

I was amazed by how fast they grew also. But, on the flip side of that, they don't start laying eggs till close to 28 weeks. Such a long wait! My girls have been laying for almost three weeks, and their eggs finally have some size to them. I'm practicing with mixes and silkies in the incubator, and am hopeful to start hatching Creams the second week of February.

 

[wonachickencooptoday]

Would like to join this Hatch a long- as I missed New Year's day. Got a new Genesis Hovabator 1588 for Christmas, so it is up and running now. Set 8 lavender orpington eggs I purchases from Ebay and 4 mutt eggs of my neighbors. Nothing more exciting than waiting for baby chicks.

 

[klj491]

They're here!!!

 

[chicken pickin]

They're here!!!

What kind?