***JULY HATCH-A-LONG come join in***

[flgardengirl]

I ended up with a total of 12. I got 7/7 from my pullet eggs that some had even been in the refrigerator a few days! From my shipped eggs I only got 5 from 22. I knew they had a rough trip because 2 were broken when they got here and its been so darn hot. I will have to wait until it cools down to get any more shipped here, its gonna be 100 today lol. Least I know its not my incubator now since all my own chickens eggs hatched

 

[Kedreeva]

Sweet, I candled the two light colored eggs- both were duds, and the yolks split when I cracked them to see if I could check fertility. I should have popped them in the fridge first, but I was tired and I was more concerned about cracking the polish eggs. As for the other six... well, I think I may need to get an actual candling light, because it is hard to see anything through their thick, tan shells. I could see a clear air cell and it LOOKED solid underneath (at least, it looked darker on top and lighter on bottom of the egg). In short, I have no idea but they still have a week and change. It didn't look like any were in danger of exploding, so I will let them all go to lockdown and see what comes out; my bator will be empty except for them so even if something goes boom I don't have to worry about other eggs.

As for the ducks, between my sick cat trying to puke on my bed every 15 minutes through the ENTIRE night and the duckling that started screaming inside its egg at 2:30 this morning, it was a long night. I finally got up at around 4:30 because I could NOT take ONE MORE SECOND of this duckling screaming inside its egg (two hours.... two straight hours of screaming!). I went over to the incubator, cracked the top of the egg open way quicker than I've ever 'helped' an egg ever before, and pulled its head out. It shut up instantly and looked at me like Hi Mom. I just wanted to say hi. *facepalm* I shoved it back into the incubator and tried to get a little sleep before work at 6:30. When I got up this morning, it was sitting in the incubator amongst the other 3 pipped eggs, just turning in circles, pecking at all of their beaks every time they moved *facepalm* So I set up the smaller brooder box in my room and slipped the under-box heater under and on.... put the top and heat lamp on.... and the heat lamp won't turn on. ARGH. So I just took my small heater fan, plugged the AC vent in my room, and left the heater running to keep the ENTIRE room warm while I'm at work. I grabbed the white egg to see if it had pipped (as long as I was in the bator anyway) and lo, it HAD pipped- on the side away from the air cell, and it had shoved its nose through a hole barely big enough for its beak, its nostrils didn't make it past the shell and the beak was unable to open... I scrambled to peel away shell to see if it was still alive and maybe had JUST done this, but it was very dead, and probably died in a matter of minutes after pulling this move.

With that taken care of for the moment, I go downstairs and the two ducklings from last week's hatch had again managed to drain their entire waterer into the brooder (thank god I had the foresight to securely duct tape the bottom of the box before use so there was no leakage or soakage). They were splashing around in the mess they'd made, happy as pigs in you know what. So today on top of getting a new bulb for my heat lamp, I will be picking up a rabbit run cage to put them in OUTSIDE where they can have a water bowl to go crazy in.

As adorable as they are, I can't wait to take them back to my friend to ditch them to their rightful home >.>

 

[amysflock]

I have 10 eggs from my mixed flock under a very broody little Easter Egger hen. Today is Day 8. I tried candling yesterday but it wasn't quite dark enough in the barn and my flashlight was too big. I'll try again late tonight.

Incidentally, one of my formerly broody BLRW has decided to "help" the Easter Egger. She'll go into a wire cage for 2 days (again!). I think I need to move Mama and her nest (which is in a cardboard Costco box) to a secure outdoor pen for the duration. I worry about how the rest of the flock would do with new chicks anyway, and one of the other BLRW hens went broody in May and broke and ate the eggs on Day 4 and Day 5.

Now, this is not Mama's first hatch, but it is my first hen-hatched brood. Is there anything special I need to do for her or the eggs/chickies?

 

[PandoraTaylor]

we have 6 empty shells
5 black chicks
1 yellow chick,

there were 30 eggs to begin with , they are due today and tomorrow, but with the heat outside and inside the schedule is all off....

 

[jossanne]

Quote:
I just put her in a nest box that none of the other hens can get into, and leave her food and water where she can get to it. Right now I have a hen in a big dog crate in my computer room with eggs. My usual broody boxes, though, are a fenced-off part on the bottom level of the nest boxes in the hen house, and that has worked well for many a batch of chicks.

Otherwise, she knows what she's doing, and she'll get the job done without much interference from you. After they hatch, if you want to let mama raise them, then they'll need a place to live for a while away from the rest while the chicks get strong. I keep mine separate for a couple of weeks, and then let them mix with the others. My birds all free range, so I don't know how it would work if you keep yours cooped, but when I let them back out with the rest mama does a good job protecting the babies from the cats and the rest of the chickens. The babies integrate into the flock very easily this way.

 

[amysflock]

Thanks, Jossanne. I don't have a lot of extra room in my coop to provide her food and water separate from everyone else, so I'll just move her into the old empty rooster kennel (chain link coop) in the yard. It has more shade, too, so she'll be cooler there. (Hopefully that'll be ok...it's been in the 90s here the last few days and will cool to the mid- to high-70s for the next 10 days.)

 

[jossanne]

Quote:
Sounds perfect. She'll probably move the easiest if you move her at night.

Good luck!

 

[Kedreeva]

I came home to the three little ducklings I expected to have to crack out myself after all the fussing of last night's screaming escapades sitting quietly in the incubator together NOT crushed to death by the turner. They get mobile a LOT faster than the chickens, I must say. I popped them all in with the duckling from last night and got this picture a few minutes after getting them food and water:

I went to the pet store nearby to get a new heat lamp for them (the last one's bulb died last night after the stores closed, of course). I also picked up a brand new rabbit cage because they are STINKY inside! They can't help themselves, they MUST empty their water the instant I put it in there- and they empty it all over the floor, not into their bellies! So I set the two from last week into a brand new condo on my back deck!

I created a little pond that's too deep for them to spill all over everything, put together ramps they can use to get in and out, and made them a bed on the other side. I will have to bring them in at night, but they will be very happy to be outside during the day! The one in the upper right has got a weird head issue, mostly keeps it cocked to one side... Been working with him to 'get his head on straight' XD He's doing much better than when hatched!

So I've got... 5 more ducks on lockdown for this weekend (although I'm not hopeful for 3 of them, they look..... off.) and then peacocks are next weekend! *glee*

 

[amysflock]

Sweet! What breed of duckies are they? I saw two brand new khaki campbells last weekend. I'd never seen ducklings so teeny.

 

[NaomiSarah]

...I'm using the exact same rabbit cage :-D