July 2022 Hatch-A-Long

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Hey yall...my babies from July hatch...could yall let me know what u think?
Thread '13 day old Silkies' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/13-day-old-silkies.1539205/

 

[FreedomFarm13]

Oh they are so gorgeous!!!

What's the purpose of separation? Is it to keep the breeds together?
Cuz at first I thought yall were meaning to keep.em from bumping unhatched eggs...but that doesn't make sense after seeing your pic.

I did it to keep the breeds separated, since a splash Ameraucana and wheaten Ameraucana can look very similar sometimes, and also to keep the egg soccer to a minimum. Obviously, it didn't work to keep breeds separated, but I think the egg soccer wasn't nearly as bad as it's been in the past. I'll probably make lids for them and use them for the next batch too.

 

[FreedomFarm13]

In other news, all 6 wheatens have now hatched. Last one came out a couple mins after 9. Decided to candle the other 2 silvers that didn't hatch...both were dead I don't know what happened, but I'm super upset about it. I started with 15 silver eggs and ended up with only 2 babies....and I'll have to post a pic of them tomorrow once it's light out and I can show you all the color difference with them. It's so weird. One is just a black and white type chipmunk (fainter stripes) and the other is the typical brownish chipmunk. I'm wondering if this may be a way to sex them and that would mean I got a boy and a girl..if that's the case, I'd be thrilled. I'm gonna mark which is which with leg bands and see how they feather out. I'm really interested to see if their chick down indicates gender. I may start a thread to track their progress, too. There's 3 bbs babies out so far...1 splash, 1 blue, and 1 either light blue or splash(not totally dry yet). The last one to hatch has a bit of an issue with her eye...it's all bulged out and swollen. I hope it goes down a bit and starts to look more normal, but even if it doesn't she'll make a wonderful addition to my layers, or a decent meal if it's a boy. Been calling her Eye-rene, lol. My mom says that's mean, but my daughter thought it was hilarious. Will post fluffed up pics tomorrow, when hopefully the remaining 3 pipped bbs eggs will have hatched. Hope everyone's babies stay snug and cozy and happy tonight! I'm going to bed, I never did get a nap and I'm dead on my feet. Goodnight!

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

I’m loving all the babies! So much variety.

As for separating eggs I’ve had decent luck using those calm shell containers you get fruits and veggies in. Most typically seen with strawberries. The already have great ventilation. Just add a liner and you’re ready to rock.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

In other news, all 6 wheatens have now hatched. Last one came out a couple mins after 9. Decided to candle the other 2 silvers that didn't hatch...both were dead I don't know what happened, but I'm super upset about it. I started with 15 silver eggs and ended up with only 2 babies....and I'll have to post a pic of them tomorrow once it's light out and I can show you all the color difference with them. It's so weird. One is just a black and white type chipmunk (fainter stripes) and the other is the typical brownish chipmunk. I'm wondering if this may be a way to sex them and that would mean I got a boy and a girl..if that's the case, I'd be thrilled. I'm gonna mark which is which with leg bands and see how they feather out. I'm really interested to see if their chick down indicates gender. I may start a thread to track their progress, too. There's 3 bbs babies out so far...1 splash, 1 blue, and 1 either light blue or splash(not totally dry yet). The last one to hatch has a bit of an issue with her eye...it's all bulged out and swollen. I hope it goes down a bit and starts to look more normal, but even if it doesn't she'll make a wonderful addition to my layers, or a decent meal if it's a boy. Been calling her Eye-rene, lol. My mom says that's mean, but my daughter thought it was hilarious. Will post fluffed up pics tomorrow, when hopefully the remaining 3 pipped bbs eggs will have hatched. Hope everyone's babies stay snug and cozy and happy tonight! I'm going to bed, I never did get a nap and I'm dead on my feet. Goodnight!

Sorry you lost so many of the silvers.
If silver in Ameraucana is anything like silver partridge in Silkies (also known as grey), then the amount of brown can vary quite a bit and unfortunately is not sex-linked.

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

In other news, all 6 wheatens have now hatched. Last one came out a couple mins after 9. Decided to candle the other 2 silvers that didn't hatch...both were dead I don't know what happened, but I'm super upset about it. I started with 15 silver eggs and ended up with only 2 babies....and I'll have to post a pic of them tomorrow once it's light out and I can show you all the color difference with them. It's so weird. One is just a black and white type chipmunk (fainter stripes) and the other is the typical brownish chipmunk. I'm wondering if this may be a way to sex them and that would mean I got a boy and a girl..if that's the case, I'd be thrilled. I'm gonna mark which is which with leg bands and see how they feather out. I'm really interested to see if their chick down indicates gender. I may start a thread to track their progress, too. There's 3 bbs babies out so far...1 splash, 1 blue, and 1 either light blue or splash(not totally dry yet). The last one to hatch has a bit of an issue with her eye...it's all bulged out and swollen. I hope it goes down a bit and starts to look more normal, but even if it doesn't she'll make a wonderful addition to my layers, or a decent meal if it's a boy. Been calling her Eye-rene, lol. My mom says that's mean, but my daughter thought it was hilarious. Will post fluffed up pics tomorrow, when hopefully the remaining 3 pipped bbs eggs will have hatched. Hope everyone's babies stay snug and cozy and happy tonight! I'm going to bed, I never did get a nap and I'm dead on my feet. Goodnight!

I'm so sorry about the silvers. It's especially rough when you get them all the way to lockdown and then they die in the shell for whatever unknown reason.

 

[Poodlemum]

OMG, tomorrow is lockdown!!!! That went so fast, I feels like I’ve been waiting forever and then it’s here

 

[lexi234]

i’ve got 2/3 eggs starting to hatch! day 20, 4:30am.

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

i’ve got 2/3 eggs starting to hatch! day 20, 4:30am. View attachment 3191832

Yiippeeeeeee! Go babies!

 

[Dragon Slayer Trinket]

Aw, sorry about your Guinea hen.

I think the eggs will do okay, though. Guineas take a little longer to hatch anyway (typically 25 to 28 days), and after the chicken eggs all hatch, you'll be able to up the humidity a little more for them...they tend to have harder shells and tougher membranes than chicken eggs.

She wasn't very nice. Thanks though. Her name was Quigley and the roo Cora (we could tell them apart, but not gender). Now Cora is Mr. Marston. I figured... Don't know if you saw, but I dropped a guinea egg in this thread. Any chicken shell would have been demolished. The membranes must be pretty tough.

Meat n eggs
But next year I'm planning on build them an enclosure and run
I have a quail coop already but would like to make a better one

Got it. I've become interested in quail for meat. Do you keep them in super small separate enclosurs, or in like a real coop and let them free range, or what?

@FreedomFarm13 , I'm so sorry about your silvers! I do hope you get a male and female!

I made a huge mistake last night, I assissted too early. The mutt and the W-dotte. Lots of blood, too much. Both are miraculously alive and hatched. I'll take them out shortly. Last night an Isbar and a Copper Maran pipped and hatched. Don't know which is which, they're under my puffed up three week old. Current pip chart: 2 marans, the legbar, the Swedish Flower, 1 Pita Pinta, the Deathlayer. Just waiting on the Barbezoiux and one more Pita Pinta Austuriana. And of course the guineas, in about a week. Pictures coming soon.