June Hatch-A-Long

[ChickyChickens]

Day 19 for me today! Can't wait till the chicks hatch! It is my broodies first time and I hope she is a good mother!!!

 

[JenBoughtHens]

Ya you can bring one in to keep your little one company as chicks or any poultry do not like to be alone ...

Thank you Gander! I wouldn't want to be alone either!
I know I shouldnt open the bator yet.. for fear of shrink wrapping the other eggs..

But if they arent pipped.. it doesnt sound like much of a gamble to just reach in and pluck that sweet baby out of there.. im tempted to get her out.

 

[Joplus]

Wow, that poor chick is the worst mess I have ever seen.

6pm yesterday started our day 21.  So far I have 1/10 on shipped Tolbunts and 4/6 my Polish Egger crosses.  There are 4 more Tolbunts pipped.  Of course they didn't start hatching until late last night, so I was up until 2am, then back up at 3, then again at 5, then stayed up at 8.  I need toothpicks to keep my eyes open, but I am cheering on the pips right now.  

Oh yay! I think a little late is better than mine hatching on day 19 with issues. Post pics.

 

[mrchicks]

I'm hoping they all hatch today, and will post pics as soon as they are all in the brooder. Hubby said I jinxed the timing by having the brooder ready, and food and water all set up. He's right. I won't tell him that of course.

 

[JenBoughtHens]

Awww. Size difference between just hatched and 4 weeks!

 

[emorems0]

Can I join in here? I'm on day 14... it's our first time hatching chicks (or raising chickens for that matter). We started out with 16 black australorp eggs (shipped from ~7hrs away), 6 RIRs eggs (local, but sat for a week+ waiting for the shipped eggs; one has a crack that I sealed with wax), and 1 yokohama egg (local, also sat for a week+).

I candled on day 10 and tossed 7 eggs (6 black australorp and one RIR). There were another 4 that I couldn't be sure of because the shells were too dark to see or I just couldn't tell whether or not they were quitters. So, I have 10 black australorp, 5 RIR (including the cracked one), and 1 yokohama left in the incubator. Hoping to end up with about 6 hens.

Hatch day should hopefully be next Saturday, but we had some low temp issues the first week so I'm thinking it could be delayed a bit. We have a little plastic wading pool for a brooder (I guess that's what DH did as a kid when they had chickens). I have a portable dog play yard to put around it when they get big enough to hop out. Borrowing a heat lamp from a friend and planning on picking up chick feed, little feeder dish, and pine bedding from Tractor Supply this week.

Any tips/advice for first timers?

 

[Cynthia12]

Can I join in here? I'm on day 14... it's our first time hatching chicks (or raising chickens for that matter). We started out with 16 black australorp eggs (shipped from ~7hrs away), 6 RIRs eggs (local, but sat for a week+ waiting for the shipped eggs; one has a crack that I sealed with wax), and 1 yokohama egg (local, also sat for a week+).

I candled on day 10 and tossed 7 eggs (6 black australorp and one RIR). There were another 4 that I couldn't be sure of because the shells were too dark to see or I just couldn't tell whether or not they were quitters. So, I have 10 black australorp, 5 RIR (including the cracked one), and 1 yokohama left in the incubator. Hoping to end up with about 6 hens.

Hatch day should hopefully be next Saturday, but we had some low temp issues the first week so I'm thinking it could be delayed a bit. We have a little plastic wading pool for a brooder (I guess that's what DH did as a kid when they had chickens). I have a portable dog play yard to put around it when they get big enough to hop out. Borrowing a heat lamp from a friend and planning on picking up chick feed, little feeder dish, and pine bedding from Tractor Supply this week.

Any tips/advice for first timers?

 

[gander007]

Quote:
Oh you can wait as I normally allow my chicks some warm up time and it is alright for the other eggs hearing a healthy chirp of a friend no he ant alone yet as the others are talking to him ................

 

[Cynthia12]

Can I join in here? I'm on day 14... it's our first time hatching chicks (or raising chickens for that matter). We started out with 16 black australorp eggs (shipped from ~7hrs away), 6 RIRs eggs (local, but sat for a week+ waiting for the shipped eggs; one has a crack that I sealed with wax), and 1 yokohama egg (local, also sat for a week+).

I candled on day 10 and tossed 7 eggs (6 black australorp and one RIR). There were another 4 that I couldn't be sure of because the shells were too dark to see or I just couldn't tell whether or not they were quitters. So, I have 10 black australorp, 5 RIR (including the cracked one), and 1 yokohama left in the incubator. Hoping to end up with about 6 hens.

Hatch day should hopefully be next Saturday, but we had some low temp issues the first week so I'm thinking it could be delayed a bit. We have a little plastic wading pool for a brooder (I guess that's what DH did as a kid when they had chickens). I have a portable dog play yard to put around it when they get big enough to hop out. Borrowing a heat lamp from a friend and planning on picking up chick feed, little feeder dish, and pine bedding from Tractor Supply this week.

Any tips/advice for first timers?

Just try and keep the temp around 99 to 100 in a dry incubator..one with a fan you will need to keep it around 99. I don't worry about the humidity too much at this point. Mid 30's or low 40's. Then at lock down I do 59 to 63% Sounds like you are going to get some babies. Good layers those breeds. I just hatched out some HRIR's. I love them. Always get my eggs from the same guy in GA. They come all the way to Utah in good shape.

 

[emorems0]

Just try and keep the temp around 99 to 100 in a dry incubator..one with a fan you will need to keep it around 99. I don't worry about the humidity too much at this point. Mid 30's or low 40's. Then at lock down I do 59 to 63% Sounds like you are going to get some babies. Good layers those breeds. I just hatched out some HRIR's. I love them. Always get my eggs from the same guy in GA. They come all the way to Utah in good shape.

Thanks, I've been trying to keep it between 99 and 100... it was stable for a whole week before we put the eggs in (my first order of australorp eggs never showed up *thanks USPS*, so it took a bit of waiting and then re-ordering before I had all my eggs here to get started). I have a feeling one of my kids were 'helping' and adjusted the heater around day 1 or 2 because it took several days of turning up very gradually to get it back to where it was. I don't have anything to measure the humidity, but the friend who we are borrowing the incubator from told me which reservoirs to fill on day 18 and he's had lots of successful hatches, so I'm trusting his experience and hoping it all works out!

I've been wanting chickens for a long time, we currently save veggie scraps and trade to my friend for her backyard chicken eggs. I wanted good layers, but also breeds that were friendly and good with children since we have a 6yo and 3yo who will consider them pets. Couldn't decide between the australorps and the RIRs so we got some of both. The single yokohama was from our friend and is apparently going to be my 6yo's chicken (please let that one hatch out successfully!!!!), when we went to pick up the incubator and heat lamp, he took the girls around to see all of his chickens and the yokohamas happened to have a fertile egg.