JUNE - JULY HATCH-ALONG!!!!!!!

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Update: Day 25 incubated guinea eggs. Four have hatched, one is zipped with shell pulverized but that tough guinea shell membrane still holding firm as it struggles..., and one pipped. I managed a few pics of the four within the brooder. You’ll note their terror as the aerial phone predator swoops down on them from above to claim its trophy (thanks for the visual, @jolenesdad!). Had to convert one pic to silver tone as I still had that red brooder light on... I totally need @CluckNDoodle’s chick studio! Two of these are lavender, and the other two are either lavender pied or blue, I think... The zipping keet is also blue or lavender! I have a lavender guinea cock that must be the baby daddy, but hen options are lavender, pearl, purple, or pied Suffice to say that I’m surprised that I’m getting all lavender or blue keets and am scratching my head, but love the color!

Day 30 of nest: my mind’s playing tricks on me: I keep thinking that I hear keets, or at least a mama talking to keets, but I see nothing! And I have a bunch of peeping chicken chicks around the guineas, so lots of wishful thinking going on here! We are getting into a much hotter part of summer, and I watched the guinea moms panting on live cam today. I hate seeing them suffer. I guess that tomorrow or the next day I will lock girls out when half take a break in the heat (as happened with this pic), brave the wrath of the left behind mamas, and at least candle some eggs and see if things look hopeless... Response on guineas forum said that she collected eggs this way and hens were angey but didn’t abandon nest.

 

[AquaDuck]

The finished result of my Muscovy hatch is: 37 out of 40 eggs! That's over 90% hatch rate!!!
I'm selling all the blue, and keeping the white/silver/barred/odd looking ones. 20 sold in 3 hours after posting the ad on facebook. People sure love ducklings!

 

[Enigmius]

Number seven, one more to go!!

 

[jolenesdad]

Oh man. Guess I'm going to be making a new brooder!!! I've been using a kiddie pool with a dog play pen fence around it. I've wanted to do an open side one but wasn't sure how I wanted to do it. I have one month to make it happen now. I just ordered 15 broilers for September. My first time!

Yay! I think I’m going to do another batch in September! Meet us on the meet bird forum, there’s so much incredible help, I think I read that particular forum for years and thousands of pages in posts before I pulled the trigger and got meat birds. I have a (kind of long now) post chronicling my experiences. I try and go back periodically and highlight the first post with links and highlights of the thread. (I need to do that again)

Also, there’s a group on Facebook called “Pastured Poultry” that’s super informative.

The finished result of my Muscovy hatch is: 37 out of 40 eggs! That's over 90% hatch rate!!!
I'm selling all the blue, and keeping the white/silver/barred/odd looking ones. 20 sold in 3 hours after posting the ad on facebook. People sure love ducklings!

View attachment 1840562

OMG THEYRE SO CUTE!!!! Muscovy faces as babies are just too much!!!!

Update: Day 25 incubated guinea eggs. Four have hatched, one is zipped with shell pulverized but that tough guinea shell membrane still holding firm as it struggles..., and one pipped. I managed a few pics of the four within the brooder. You’ll note their terror as the aerial phone predator swoops down on them from above to claim its trophy (thanks for the visual, @jolenesdad!). Had to convert one pic to silver tone as I still had that red brooder light on... I totally need @CluckNDoodle’s chick studio! Two of these are lavender, and the other two are either lavender pied or blue, I think... The zipping keet is also blue or lavender! I have a lavender guinea cock that must be the baby daddy, but hen options are lavender, pearl, purple, or pied Suffice to say that I’m surprised that I’m getting all lavender or blue keets and am scratching my head, but love the color!

Day 30 of nest: my mind’s playing tricks on me: I keep thinking that I hear keets, or at least a mama talking to keets, but I see nothing! And I have a bunch of peeping chicken chicks around the guineas, so lots of wishful thinking going on here! We are getting into a much hotter part of summer, and I watched the guinea moms panting on live cam today. I hate seeing them suffer. I guess that tomorrow or the next day I will lock girls out when half take a break in the heat (as happened with this pic), brave the wrath of the left behind mamas, and at least candle some eggs and see if things look hopeless... Response on guineas forum said that she collected eggs this way and hens were angey but didn’t abandon nest.

I cannot believe that nest. Can’t wait for updates.

 

[jolenesdad]

Welp. I have too many eggs. And more come tomorrow and they sent EXTRA extras.

My options are:

Try and set some in the little giant— that I can’t keep consistent for the LIFE OF ME. I can keep it at 98 ish and it spikes to about 100 when the heater comes on. If I try and go above 98, it hits 102-104 every time the heater comes on. Ugh. I think it’s just a Hatcher.

Or

Cram them ALL upright in my Brinsea, don’t turn or touch them for 4-5 days, candle and remove non fertiles and hopefully have space to put in turners or at least do some hand turning then.

Or

Not set the largest and/or most displaced air cells.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

The finished result of my Muscovy hatch is: 37 out of 40 eggs! That's over 90% hatch rate!!!
I'm selling all the blue, and keeping the white/silver/barred/odd looking ones. 20 sold in 3 hours after posting the ad on facebook. People sure love ducklings!

View attachment 1840562

Congratulations on a fantastic hatch!!! They are such adorable little ducklings - worth the wait!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Number seven, one more to go!!

Wow, you are having a wonderful hatch too!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Welp. I have too many eggs. And more come tomorrow and they sent EXTRA extras.

My options are:

Try and set some in the little giant— that I can’t keep consistent for the LIFE OF ME. I can keep it at 98 ish and it spikes to about 100 when the heater comes on. If I try and go above 98, it hits 102-104 every time the heater comes on. Ugh. I think it’s just a Hatcher.

Or

Cram them ALL upright in my Brinsea, don’t turn or touch them for 4-5 days, candle and remove non fertiles and hopefully have space to put in turners or at least do some hand turning then.

Or

Not set the largest and/or most displaced air cells.

I can't fathom NOT setting eggs. My past solutions to that issue has been to buy another Incubator, so I'm probably not helpful for that decision and definitely not a good influence.

 

[jolenesdad]

I can't fathom NOT setting eggs. My past solutions to that issue has been to buy another Incubator, so I'm probably not helpful for that decision and definitely not a good influence.

I know, I know. Argh!!!

I follow a marans breeder who sometimes piles ALL the extras into one incubator, literally eggs on top of eggs, turns twice the entire time, and has regular hatches.

 

[Bookworm0124]

Yay! I think I’m going to do another batch in September! Meet us on the meet bird forum, there’s so much incredible help, I think I read that particular forum for years and thousands of pages in posts before I pulled the trigger and got meat birds. I have a (kind of long now) post chronicling my experiences. I try and go back periodically and highlight the first post with links and highlights of the thread. (I need to do that again)

Also, there’s a group on Facebook called “Pastured Poultry” that’s super informative

Thanks! I've been stalking the forums. Just joined the group! I've wanted to do them for a bit but it wasn't until I culled a few of my own birds that I was like ok, I can do this myself!