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June hatch-a-long!

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@CJClucks I'm sorry for the loss of your eggs. Your poor hen must be traumatized.

Since I'm new to the thread, I was wondering what day everyone is on and what you're hatching.
I’m on many different days, LOL!! This week I have one chick expecting to hatch every day.

I’m hatching 3 EEs, a few Mille Fleur d’Uccle eggs, and a few SSHxEE. :)

Welcome to thread!!!
 
@CJClucks
Since I'm new to the thread, I was wondering what day everyone is on and what you're hatching.

I have a 11 little mix breeds currently trying to hatch and boy has it been an adventure. We started off with 20 under a broody hen but she stepped on/ate a few and four were unviable. Right now they’re on day 16 in an incubator that semi stabilized pretty quickly (humidity fluctuates a bit but not for long and not too much). They’re due to hatch around the 18th and lockdown is Friday.

My friends roosters are a Speckled Sussex and a Buckeye/Speckled Sussex and her hens are Welsummer, Egyptian Fayoumi, Barred Rock, Gold Sexlink, Langshan, Jersey Giant, and Buckeye. I only know two of the eggs by their breeds and those are the two Welsummer eggs and the one remaining Fayoumi egg.
 
Well I candled my batch and here are the results for day 7:
3 out of 7 Seramas are progressing. 4 were discarded (2 clear no development and 2 blood rings)
5 out of 5 Molted Cochin Bantams are progressing.
5 out of 5 Red Cochin Bantams are progressing.
3 out of 5 Barred Cochin Bantams are progressing. 2 were discarded (clear no development).
 
A raccoon got in my coop & got all but one viable egg. My poor mama chicken had obviously been trying to protect what she could. She actually saved two eggs but one looks like a yolker. One that I lost obviously had a chick in it from the cleanup. I feel just sick about the idea of it all. I’m guessing my livestock dog interrupted the attack & ran the raccoon up a tree. I didn’t see any injuries on mama chicken other than a tiny bit of blood on her comb but I’m worried about whether the stress will kill her. I ran in for the pistol & managed to wound the raccoon before it got to another tree & I had to reload so I can only hope it ran off to die somewhere. Even now mama chicken is back on the two remaining eggs.

I'm so sorry for your loss! :hugs I'm glad your hen is okay though. Raccoons are the worst! I just lost one of my duck hens, Tiny, to a raccoon a few weeks ago. It got into my coop during the night (first time that has happened in 11 years of owning my coop). Then just tonight I went to lock up my ducks and chickens and noticed that Piper, another one of my duck hens, was missing. I searched my whole yard and all of my neighbors yards but couldn't find her. I went back to my own front yard and there was a raccoon sniffing around! It wasn't even dark yet! I don't know if that is what took her or not, but I think it probably is.:(

Tiny is the white duck in front and Piper is the black duck behind her:
WP_20171022_14_55_43_Pro (2).jpg


On a more positive note, yesterday I candled the eggs that my duck has been sitting on. Four eggs were on day 10, one was on day 11. They all looked good! I'm thinking I might give my broody a couple more of Piper's eggs. I really want at least one of her babies now. Willow, my broody, is only sitting on one of Piper's eggs and there is a chance that the duckling won't hatch or that it will be a boy. I can't have anymore drakes. I was already having problems with over-breeding when I had two drakes and 5 hens, but the problem will only get worse now that I'm down to only 3 hens. I'm just trying to figure out what to do since the new eggs will be so far behind the rest. Do I build an incubator and take the new eggs to finish incubating once Willow has hatched the others? Or would it be better to take the ducklings when they hatch and brood them indoors while she hatches the new eggs? Suggestions?
Sorry for the long post! :oops:
 
I’m on many different days, LOL!! This week I have one chick expecting to hatch every day.

I’m hatching 3 EEs, a few Mille Fleur d’Uccle eggs, and a few SSHxEE. :)

Welcome to thread!!!

Thank you! Fingers crossed for your hatch! Do you have a separate hatcher? :pop

I have a 11 little mix breeds currently trying to hatch and boy has it been an adventure. We started off with 20 under a broody hen but she stepped on/ate a few and four were unviable. Right now they’re on day 16 in an incubator that semi stabilized pretty quickly (humidity fluctuates a bit but not for long and not too much). They’re due to hatch around the 18th and lockdown is Friday.

My friends roosters are a Speckled Sussex and a Buckeye/Speckled Sussex and her hens are Welsummer, Egyptian Fayoumi, Barred Rock, Gold Sexlink, Langshan, Jersey Giant, and Buckeye. I only know two of the eggs by their breeds and those are the two Welsummer eggs and the one remaining Fayoumi egg.

What cool mixes! I'm especially interested in Buckeyes.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss! :hugs I'm glad your hen is okay though. Raccoons are the worst! I just lost one of my duck hens, Tiny, to a raccoon a few weeks ago. It got into my coop during the night (first time that has happened in 11 years of owning my coop). Then just tonight I went to lock up my ducks and chickens and noticed that Piper, another one of my duck hens, was missing. I searched my whole yard and all of my neighbors yards but couldn't find her. I went back to my own front yard and there was a raccoon sniffing around! It wasn't even dark yet! I don't know if that is what took her or not, but I think it probably is.:(

Tiny is the white duck in front and Piper is the black duck behind her:
View attachment 1430301

On a more positive note, yesterday I candled the eggs that my duck has been sitting on. Four eggs were on day 10, one was on day 11. They all looked good! I'm thinking I might give my broody a couple more of Piper's eggs. I really want at least one of her babies now. Willow, my broody, is only sitting on one of Piper's eggs and there is a chance that the duckling won't hatch or that it will be a boy. I can't have anymore drakes. I was already having problems with over-breeding when I had two drakes and 5 hens, but the problem will only get worse now that I'm down to only 3 hens. I'm just trying to figure out what to do since the new eggs will be so far behind the rest. Do I build an incubator and take the new eggs to finish incubating once Willow has hatched the others? Or would it be better to take the ducklings when they hatch and brood them indoors while she hatches the new eggs? Suggestions?
Sorry for the long post! :oops:

You guys are making me worry about raccoons. We definitely have them, but so far weve never had a break in. It sounds so awful.
 
Incubation is all done. The last 2 eggs just...stopped. I don't know when or why. Not shrink wrapped, didn't bleed out. All I can think is something was wrong genetically. *shrug* They were slightly malpositioned when I opened them up after float testing them.

10 chicks out of 18 viable eggs, 14 of which made it to lockdown.

They're all so cute and sleep in the funniest ways. View attachment 1430008 View attachment 1430009 View attachment 1430010 View attachment 1430012

Aww they're so cute!!

The egg I thought was hatching under my broody was actually another that had been popped under her by another hen that had cracked!

Anyway, the broody was moved inti her own coop and all seemed to be going well. Checked her late last night and all fine. Checked her again this morning and found a chick on the far side of the house, freezing cold and weak with a cut on it where the broody much have gone for it :barnie

Brought the chick and other egg that had started to pip into the incubator. Chick has warmed up and had some sugar water and seems a lot perkier. Fingers crossed :fl

The one that is pipping seems nice and active too, can see it's little beak wiggling about in the shell.

My large fowl seem to be good broodys but dreadful mothers (except my ayam cemani, she's an amazing mum!) I think I may have to raise some bantams to use as broodys next year, not sure what breed to go with though.
 

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