July Hatch-a-Long (including 4th of July hatch-a-long)

[FortCluck]

I see it’s time to migrate to this thread since it’s almost July

I have a mixed batch in my incubator with no dates on any eggs

Welcome back!

 

[hysop]

Welcome back!

I didn’t think I was going to be hatching chicks year round but ever since my March hatch I’ve been hatching away. Mostly because I want my own food (roosters) and then I sell the girls to cover raising them all

I’m impatiently waiting for this chick to hatch so I can give them to my broody hen but it is taking its sweet time. Normally I would ignore them til they all hatched.

 

[TheBajan]

I found my local one through a friend there who knew, but if you have a weekly agricultural newspaper sometimes they will list the weekly results for the various items, like grain, cattle, pigs, poultry....
Also, you can ask at your local feed/supply stores. Usually if there is one around they probably know. Maybe not every employee knows about them, but sometimes. Check their bulletin boards too for flyers, and lastly maybe check the area craigslist. I do see them from time to time about an hour from me, but those are mostly cattle and sheep as those are the bigger ag items in my area now.
Oh, and maybe your local ag extension office or cooperative may know too.

Great ideas! Thank you!

 

[AgnesGray]

My broody ducks are now down to three eggs that are alive and three that look like ticking time bombs. I decided to candle their nest after they tossed out an egg with a fully formed duckling in it. I'm thinking they're not as ready to be mom's as they think they are.

 

[kelseyk]

Lots of candling today! Both of my Opal Legbars are doing well (day 14), tossed 1 clear from my Blue Birchen Marans - so down to 3 eggs (day 14), tossed 2 clear Salmon Faverolles - down to 6 eggs (day 7), Could see veining in 3 out of 7 Welsummer eggs but they were hard to look into with the darker brown and speckled (and they are in the vertical turner - day 4), and could see veining in 6 out of 7 Call Duck eggs (day 4).

 

[slbenter]

Set 9 Salmon Faverolle eggs in the new Hova-Bator today. Not sure about one of them, as I saw a floating dark spot that I suspect is a chick that may have started to develop before or during shipping.
I do NOT like this incubator much, but it is quite a bit cheaper than the Brinsea (but lord does it show)
Getting the humidity right was kind of a nightmare but I got it done. I had to put a cocktail shaker cap with a small amount of water in it, just to get it to stay consistent at roughly 40%
My Brinsea is a dream compared to it.

 

[hysop]

The other chick hatched so I placed both under my broody hen and she accepted them!! Now I need to move her to her brooder so the chicks can access water and food.

Hoping she’ll accept each chick as it hatches as long as it’s not more than a week apart.

 

[kelseyk]

Set 9 Salmon Faverolle eggs in the new Hova-Bator today. Not sure about one of them, as I saw a floating dark spot that I suspect is a chick that may have started to develop before or during shipping.
I do NOT like this incubator much, but it is quite a bit cheaper than the Brinsea (but lord does it show)
Getting the humidity right was kind of a nightmare but I got it done. I had to put a cocktail shaker cap with a small amount of water in it, just to get it to stay consistent at roughly 40%
My Brinsea is a dream compared to it.

I have incubated 3 eggs with dark spots floating around in them and all 3 have developed and hatched just fine. I've noticed some eating eggs with a meaty looking thing floating around in the white that is not a chick - when looking into it it looks like it is tissue that has sloughed off from the reproductive track and got stuck in the egg. I wonder if what I saw/you are seeing is just one of those.

 

[slbenter]

I have incubated 3 eggs with dark spots floating around in them and all 3 have developed and hatched just fine. I've noticed some eating eggs with a meaty looking thing floating around in the white that is not a chick - when looking into it it looks like it is tissue that has sloughed off from the reproductive track and got stuck in the egg. I wonder if what I saw/you are seeing is just one of those.

Hmmm, maybe. I set the egg anyway so...we shall see.

 

[hysop]

I have incubated 3 eggs with dark spots floating around in them and all 3 have developed and hatched just fine. I've noticed some eating eggs with a meaty looking thing floating around in the white that is not a chick - when looking into it it looks like it is tissue that has sloughed off from the reproductive track and got stuck in the egg. I wonder if what I saw/you are seeing is just one of those.

Aww now I wish I would have waited a while before doing an eggtopsy on some of the eggs I saw something similar in.

3 out of the 5 were for sure infertile/quitters. But 2 of the ones I cracked open were questionable. Still had a tiny trace of blood but barely any.

These two:

Spoiler: Questionable Eggtopsies