Mahonri's 3rd Annual, BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[wolftracks]

Wolf Tracks-- thanks for the clarification on the sanding of the marans eggs.

Very pretty girl!

Thank you. I just love her.

 

[champer]

No, she's not as full as my pips&peeps pullet Lavern, but she's a little darker in color. I'll try to remember to get a pick of her, but here's one of Lavern. I think her feathering is really good.

Thanks for the pic, she is a beauty! Hope my little one grows up as nicely.

 

[Mahonri]

I'm still trying to decide if my purebred lavender Am hatched from bargain's eggs is a male or female....

I so hope it's a female... but it is HUGE.

 

[ChooksChick]

Hey!
Some of the chicks from your eggs that you sent me hatched out but I'm not sure which ones are from you and which ones are from the other person(because I had two shipments from two different places in my incubator). They're all mixed together so I'm not sure how many hatched out from yours(and I threw the egg shells away), but I do know that its a lot and I still have some that have just started peeping.Its day 20 by the way. I have 9 eggs left in the incubator out of 19, all the others have hatched out. I'll post pictures on here once they've all hatched out.

That's awesome! All of the really cute ones are from me!!

Chooks CHick--Thanks for the hints on the marans. I'm a little lost on how much of the egg to sand. Do you remove half the color around the egg or all the color? Any risk of filling the pores with egg dust?

Are marans eggs thicker than other eggs? Would the kind of pellets make a difference? Breeder pellets are a lower (2.? % Ca v. 3.25% in layer) . Does this help reduce the egg shell thickness??



ChooksChick wrote:

5. DARK COLORED EGGS-- from ChooksChicks - I only sand until I'm just through the color, and then I mist the eggs with betadine-water, mixed to the color of iced tea. This covers the contamination that could occur now that I've removed the bloom.

The idea is to promote evaporation to allow the chick to grow smaller than it would if it contained all of the moisture it started with. I have had too many chicks large enough that they couldn't pip or hatch properly- fully formed chicks that didn't make it at hatch. Once I started using this method (got it from an Emu farmer!) I have had significantly better success with shipped eggs. It doesn't seem to really be necessary with local eggs (my own) and I'm not certain why. When hatching in a really nice incubator, like a Sportsman or an rcom, it also doesn't appear to be necessary, but with most affordable models, it's a helpful method.

I do increase humidity at the end of my hatch, as per my Incubation Cheater, the same for Marans as for other eggs. My feeling is that if you have evaporated the proper amount during the first 18 days, you can't drown them with humidity at the end. Humidity merely prevents evaporation, it doesn't make eggs 'take-on' water.

This works well for me, but like most on BYC, I don't consider myself and egg-spert... I just like to share my egg-speriences to help anyone else who might be able to learn from them!

MORE - Regarding sanding the Marans (or Penedescenca, or Wellies, etc.) eggs, I use an emery board or 400+ grain sandpaper. I use a circular motion and make sure I'm moving the hand with the sander, not the egg.

I then put the eggs on a paper towel and mist them with a 30% povidone iodine to 70% water blend

I then wait for it to dry, turn, repeat, dry, turn, repeat. You can't be too careful about making sure the whole thing gets lightly misted, but don't

saturate it.

This is the original post that came from and may help you. Let me know if you have any questions!

I 'think' I just got caught up with the thread.

Who is partcipating? --- 117 so far!!


If you don't see your name on the list in POST #1, please say so here on the thread OR PM me.


SCG... you simply look radiant there in that barn with the calf.

Hope you have a great, relaxing weekend.

Work today was BUSY! We had a new window put in. $487!

I seriously don't know how I worked as tired as I was. I've had a short nap since arriving home, but I've got to try and get some more Zzzzzz.

At 9:30AM I'll be going to the funeral of one of my neighbors 19... almost 20 year old son. Complications from diabetes.

At 12:30PM I'll be going to a graveside service of a 91 year old fellow I've known for at least 20 years.

At 6PM I'll be going to a friends baptism.

My DS#6 is on his first scout campout tonight... They are up in the snow in the mountains of AZ. He is developmentally disabled and I've got lots of anxiety for him, but I guess we've got to let him grow up.

In between all of that tomorrow I've got to clean coops and grow out pens.

..... Thanks for all of the well wishes and updates... my receptionist was very upset at me that I didn't have the cops come and go into the building first.

All's well that end's well?????

Amen to it ending well!!

 

[tazcat70]

That's awesome! All of the really cute ones are from me!!

She is telling the truth! I have the most beautiful EE hen from Renee.

I wish I could have had more hatch. Darn PO!

 

[bestusnestus]

Sounds like a good time! I'm in.

 

[ChooksChick]

Hint ## One way to really get a good control on your temp when using an LG incubator is to get yourself an old dimmer knob or stove knob and superglue it to the adjustment peg on the incubator. It allows you to make much more slight adjustments with a good idea of just what, exactly, you did. The thing that always kills me about the silly white pegs is you have no idea how much it really gave when you touched it...and then you have to go back and check on it again and again...it's brutal.

 

[ChooksChick]

She is telling the truth! I have the most beautiful EE hen from Renee.

I wish I could have had more hatch. Darn PO!

Tonya, next time someone is going from Lawrence in your direction, I'll send some more eggs. For that matter, I may be heading toward Wichita in the next 2 weeks myself! Likely a week from Tuesday...

 

[tazcat70]

Tonya, next time someone is going from Lawrence in your direction, I'll send some more eggs. For that matter, I may be heading toward Wichita in the next 2 weeks myself! Likely a week from Tuesday...

Are you serious?!?!?

I would get to meet you AND get some eggs?

 

[ChooksChick]

Are you serious?!?!?

I would get to meet you AND get some eggs?

Heck, yeah! Have to go down for work, and I'll probably try to visit a few of you folks.