JANUARY 2015 Hatch-A-Long

[Renee572]

Well, luckily on this chat forum there are lots of other places to talk about our growing chickens!

I know...I have to build a couple more brooders for the bigger guys...1 month to 3 months. I want to make another on that fits on the one I just made that is 4 feet long and two feet deep and 4 feet high.  Then I have plenty of storage under there too.   

I have three for the little babies right now...but, I have heat for 5 if necessary. 

I wanted to grow out my flock through the winter so come the nice weather they can all be booted out of my back room and garage and kitchen and dining room table.  I pretty much took over the whole house with this project. But, it's ok. I am home most of the time and it's on me! And truly I have fallen in love with the little buggers!

you mean I can't stay in this hatch a long forever? I am so in love with my chicks and chickens too. Never ever did I think I would ever care about one the way I do.

I'm freaking out thinking my rubbermaid tote is not going to be big enough for much longer for these 18 chicks. I'm going to have to do something and quick. How long do you figure it will be big enough for them?

Hausfrau77, ChickenLady2014 and Purpletie3 I am really hoping all of your hatches go well.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

you mean I can't stay in this hatch a long forever? I am so in love with my chicks and chickens too. Never ever did I think I would ever care about one the way I do.

I'm freaking out thinking my rubbermaid tote is not going to be big enough for much longer for these 18 chicks. I'm going to have to do something and quick. How long do you figure it will be big enough for them?

Hausfrau77, ChickenLady2014 and Purpletie3 I am really hoping all of your hatches go well.

Thank Renee, how big is the tote? From experience in my past hatches, they out grow them pretty fast. Especially with 18. Can you purchase a second tote the same size as the one you have and either split the batch or cut a hole in the side of each of them and then duct tape the openings together?

 

[Purpletie3]

you mean I can't stay in this hatch a long forever? I am so in love with my chicks and chickens too. Never ever did I think I would ever care about one the way I do.

I'm freaking out thinking my rubbermaid tote is not going to be big enough for much longer for these 18 chicks. I'm going to have to do something and quick. How long do you figure it will be big enough for them?

Hausfrau77, ChickenLady2014 and Purpletie3 I am really hoping all of your hatches go well.

Hey thanks! I know..I am totally addicted too! LOL
I am with Chickenlady...if they outgrow it just attach another...then you really still need heat in one area maybe???

 

[Peep_Show]

The end of day 18 I removed turner, candled ~ all 12 eggs had a moving chick, no internal pips. Put them in lockdown. Increased the humidity to 45-50% and waited for the first external pip to increase to 65-70% humidity. That was on day 20, at 11 pm it will be day 21. 6 have pipped externally, 4 of which have been in the side of the egg. 2 pipped the air cell. One of the 4 is just below the air cell, but that one has a good hole & has been breathing air sick last night. Out of the other 3, 1 is deceased, 1 you can see red veins, but it hasn't broke thru the membrane yet and the last one you can just see cracked shell at this time. The incubation process has went beautifully up until now. It is frustrating to see this many malpositioned pips.

Questions for you: Were they shipped eggs? If so, have you tried hatching in cartons?

Shipped eggs are notorious for having wonky air cells. When you hatch them upright in cartons the chicks tend to gravitate to where they need to be for pipping.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

Questions for you:   Were they shipped eggs?   If so, have you tried hatching in cartons?

Shipped eggs are notorious for having wonky air cells.  When you hatch them upright in cartons the chicks tend to gravitate to where they need to be for pipping.

No they weren't shipped eggs. They came from my brother-in-law. When I got them I candled them right away. All aircells looked great. Haven't had a chance to update yet, have another pipped & 2 finally hatched, yay!

 

[ChickenLady2014]

Update, two of my silkie mixes have hatched ~ Yay!!! and another has pipped. From what I can see the black one has 5 toes and a light colored (possibly buff) one has 4 toes. Both are black skinned. My brother-in-law doesn't know what the banty cross was with the parents. He got them someone else who said someone else got in their pen, but wasn't certain which breed.

 

[ChickyChickens]

2 chicks in the abtor and 1 eggs is pipping! The others are just sitting there...

 

[Purpletie3]

Update, two of my silkie mixes have hatched ~ Yay!!! and another has pipped. From what I can see the black one has 5 toes and a light colored (possibly buff) one has 4 toes. Both are black skinned. My brother-in-law doesn't know what the banty cross was with the parents. He got them someone else who said someone else got in their pen, but wasn't certain which breed.

Yippee...They are finally breaking out!! Very happy for you! They are so cute once they fluff up!

 

[Purpletie3]

2 chicks in the abtor and 1 eggs is pipping! The others are just sitting there...

Yeah Chicky! How many more do you have left to hatch?

 

[Purpletie3]

So, this is me sleeping in...all the way to 6am. At least I am up before the birds, dogs, kid and boyfriend...lol My quiet time!

I had one of today's mystery eggs hatch..another yellow chick...can't see it's toes though to count. These chicks are the size of a Yetti compared to my silkies.

So, Monday's hatch is done...I had 3 eggs I kept in lockdown...still no action.

Thursday's hatch i still have 4 silkies who did not hatch and one mystery egg....

Today's hatch I have 13 mystery eggs and one hatched overnight.

Monday's hatch ran late so, I put a puppy pad liner with water down under my eggs cartons in the cabinet...on the bottom so it would not rotate the eggs to simulate a lockdown for the Thursday guys. Then when Monday's hatch was down to a few eggs...I threw Thursday's hatch and Saturdays hatch into lockdown in the styrobator. I did open it twice since to retrieve handfulls of chick. But the humidity was at 80 and the temps only dipped slightly. So, this is kinda a trial to see how the hatch rate will work....Technically, Thursdays hatch crew was a day late in lockdown and Saturdays crew is a day early. I should have been a mad scientist...although, it is never too late!