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

[jolenesdad]

I just went out to deliver eggs to some friends and I put some thought into egg yolk size too. The chicks that pipped early the mother hens have a fairly large egg but a tiny yolk. Maybe that has something to do with why they pipped 2 days early. Funny thing is the large yolked egg was laid by their maternal grandmother.
I also put some time into thinking if large egg yolks are why Meat Birds tend to be hatched at a different hatchery than egg birds. I am not sure who brought it up or if it was brought up in this thread or another thread in a different section but someone recently told me about how meat birds hatched at a meat bird specific hatching facility are going to turn out better. Likely it was @jolenesdad because his avatar is popping up in my head as I think this. Also he has been doing a lot of researching and sharing lately. Maybe having a larger yolks leads to either longer or warmer hatches, or the humidity needs to be slightly different. I don't know exactly but I am starting to put pieces of this puzzle together.

Wow. Interesting. Yes, that was me. John from Moyers was telling me that broilers and heritage birds have vastly different “commercial” protocols when I mentioned that I had experienced weird deformities in my previous Cornish cross. I don’t know if those translate all the way down to those of us in small incubators, but I can’t see why not.

I was going to inquire to Moyers about hatching broiler eggs and if there’s anything different to do at a home hatch with those eggs and I’ll let you know what they say.

It absolutely makes sense that larger eggs could need more time. I’m sorry you had that disappointment this morning

 

[Compost King]

Wow. Interesting. Yes, that was me. John from Moyers was telling me that broilers and heritage birds have vastly different “commercial” protocols when I mentioned that I had experienced weird deformities in my previous Cornish cross. I don’t know if those translate all the way down to those of us in small incubators, but I can’t see why not.

I was going to inquire to Moyers about hatching broiler eggs and if there’s anything different to do at a home hatch with those eggs and I’ll let you know what they say.

It absolutely makes sense that larger eggs could need more time. I’m sorry you had that disappointment this morning

I love learning this stuff and then applying it to the next hatch or the next time I hatch particular eggs I learned about. Yolks size being a factor just means its one of many factors. Could be a genetically larger bird and a giant yolk may hatch at the 21 day point, but a genetically smaller bird with a huge yolk sac needs a day or 2 longer. A bantam sized yolk with a genetically normal sized bird may cause them to hatch early was was the case with the chicks that hatched from my Dorking x Red Ranger chicks. The yolks are tiny in that egg but the chicks slightly larger than the typical egg laying chicken. So it runs out of food sooner and wants to get out of the egg. This is all speculation and conclusions drawn from an uneducated person. More experience may lead to me finding out I am wrong or the same type off occurrence happens again and I can put a little more faith behind my theory. If it was egg size along my Seramas would hatch much sooner... and peoples do. mine hatch with all the rest as well as my bantam eggs.

 

[jolenesdad]

My best friend and I are about to launch a toddler learning YouTube channel and the ducks from last months hatch a long got to be stars of one of our first videos.

Lots of cute shots of the ducklings growing up, but turn down your volume or the song will be stuck in your head for days.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

My best friend and I are about to launch a toddler learning YouTube channel and the ducks from last months hatch a long got to be stars of one of our first videos.

Lots of cute shots of the ducklings growing up, but turn down your volume or the song will be stuck in your head for days.

Wow! Is the first video you've edited on YouTube? You and your friend did a great job and the ducklings look great!

 

[Compost King]

Those kids got to star in a music video, I would have loved that as a little kid.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Those kids got to star in a music video, I would have loved that as a little kid.

I'm not even sure I've grown out of thinking that would be cool.

 

[jolenesdad]

Wow! Is the first video you've edited on YouTube? You and your friend did a great job and the ducklings look great!

We did a few practice ones. I’m still learning, but I’ve got tons of photography equipment to do actual filming and base knowledge in graphics and stuff. So it’s a fun project I’m trying to do with just a laptop and iPhone in spare time right now and see if somehow we can strike one of those 300 million toddler hits. If we can’t do that (lol) I’d be happy using the farm and animals to entertain and maybe even educate and inspire some kids.

Those kids got to star in a music video, I would have loved that as a little kid.

Kids spend so much time on digital these days we decided if you can’t beat em, join em. This way we are spending time with the kids and creating “art” and also creating the content we want them to see.

And so far the kids are DELIGHTED to see themselves.

 

[Compost King]

Kids spend so much time on digital these days we decided if you can’t beat em, join em. This way we are spending time with the kids and creating “art” and also creating the content we want them to see.

And so far the kids are DELIGHTED to see themselves.

I do frown on kids being on gadgets too much because but this is way different, these kids were engaging in agriculture. Although it wasn't the hard responsible work of feeding and cleaning water dishes... it was still outside with the ducks and having fun. Technology isn't bad, people misusing it is (like me sitting on BYC all day instead of getting work done lol) .
Those kids get to see themselves having fun as kids when they are older, instead of having memories of video games or what ever kids do with these gadgets. Great job on doing something positive with todays tech.

 

[Cerise1924]

Well, this hatch is all done. I got three beautiful healthy chicks from the nine eggs that I rescued from under an Orpington hen who was a good sitter and a murderous mother.

I feel it's successful, because I only paid for five eggs from Papa's Poultry- the rest were generous extras. And I know I've got one hen (the CCL), and I'm nearly positive the dark-combed Marans is also a pullet. The blue Marans has a yellower comb and is slower feathering (no tail yet, at nine days), so it may be a little roo ... but the comb is small, and the legs aren't especially thick. Maybe three little pullets?

It was 88 degrees, so they got to play outside today. In the second pic, you can see the mean mama giving the chicks the side eye.

,

 

[jolenesdad]

Well, this hatch is all done. I got three beautiful healthy chicks from the nine eggs that I rescued from under an Orpington hen who was a good sitter and a murderous mother.

I feel it's successful, because I only paid for five eggs from Papa's Poultry- the rest were generous extras. And I know I've got one hen (the CCL), and I'm nearly positive the dark-combed Marans is also a pullet. The blue Marans has a yellower comb and is slower feathering (no tail yet, at nine days), so it may be a little roo ... but the comb is small, and the legs aren't especially thick. Maybe three little pullets?

It was 88 degrees, so they got to play outside today. In the second pic, you can see the mean mama giving the chicks the side eye.

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Congrats!!!!

Marans are so early to show if they are boys... a week or two more, and I'd say you'll know. Fingers crossed that you got all three girls!!!