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

[kathyinmo]

Quote:

I can't believe this place is a ghost town.



I guess I'll float over to the egg art and see what's cracking over there

I was just thinking the same thing, Michelle!

 

[featherz]

Gooooooooooood Morning! Haven't peeked out to see how much snow we got yet. I have a delivery guy coming so I guess I better snowblow the drivewaY, something I am not all that good at. We have a huge driveway and a huge snowblower and I am not a huge person. It usually runs off with me.

Most of the chickens won't come out in the snow except one coop that will go out in anything.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Love the goat and dog pictures!

Our driveway washes out too, in severe rain. Had it redone but it didn't really help for long. I need better ditches dug alongside my driveway so the rain goes there instead of making canyons down the driveway.

Hope everyone's safe and sound.

We only have a dusting so far, but now we've been "upgraded" to 6 to 12 inches of snow today. I'm still going to be an optimist and hope that it just somehow misses my little slice of heaven here.

Boyfriend got a heavy tarp put over the duck run last night so hopefully that'll minimize the amount I'll have to shovel in there. I covered their wire front with a quilt last night so they didn't get too much blowing on them.

Probably going to be a day with a lot of call outs, so I'd better get moving to get in earlier than usual.

 

[Mahonri]

Nature called, I get up and you East Coasters are already getting out the snow blowers!

I'm going back to sleep

 

[dsqard]

​

Morning all. Well we wound up with a few inches last night with more predicted for later today. We are delayed an hour in to work to let the plows get the pass cleared before heading over the mountain. If this is the last hurrah for winter, then I am fine with that. We haven't had a lot of snow this year but I am so ready for spring.
(Oh how I wish it were true)
By Sunday the snow might be gone, they are saying it is supposed to get into the 50's.

 

[NotAFarm]

There are 16 days left until we set chicken eggs! Don't forget to check Post #1 regularly for updates. The links for the Contest Page, Hatching Hints and Participant Map are there, along with other important info!

 

[Spangled]

Okay, when you're gone all day, how do you know which eggs have been frozen and shouldn't be set?

All I can think of is to buy a really thin strip thermometer and wrap it around the egg and see what the temp is. They do make those, right? Where do I buy a flexible strip thermometer?

Any other ideas that you'll share? Please. I hate not being able to know which eggs I might be able to set if they were still 45 degrees and hadn't frozen.

 

[NotAFarm]

If I'm collecting eggs to hatch, or to give someone else to hatch, I try to collect them as often as possible, but there are times when that is not possible. Then I will only save those eggs which don't feel really cold. If an egg has been frozen, it will crack and break. An egg may have gotten cold and therefore the hatchability is lessened, but it doesn't mean it won't hatch. Do you have alot of nests? If you only have a couple maybe finding a way to warm that/those space(s) would be an option.

I have a couple of digital hygro-thermometers that have a function that I can check the lowest and highest temperature and humidity it has experienced. Right now one is in my coop that has my broody and her chicks in it and the other is in the incubator. I've never used it in a nest box, but I don't know why you couldn't. It's a Compact Hygro-Thermometer, from FarmTek.

 

[Spangled]

It's a Compact Hygro-Thermometer, from FarmTek.

Hilarious. We have the exact same one. I use it in the incubator. They sent it to us free last summer when we placed an order. Thanks for the ideas. It never occurred to me to put a thermometer in the coop itself. Now that you've got me thinking, I can tell by the water if it's been freezing in there. So often it's freezing outside, but the water is ice free because the chickens keep the place warm all by themselves.

 

[ChooksChick]

Okay, when you're gone all day, how do you know which eggs have been frozen and shouldn't be set?

All I can think of is to buy a really thin strip thermometer and wrap it around the egg and see what the temp is. They do make those, right? Where do I buy a flexible strip thermometer?

Any other ideas that you'll share? Please. I hate not being able to know which eggs I might be able to set if they were still 45 degrees and hadn't frozen.

I set any that haven't frozen and cracked. I also generally keep only one nest per 20 or so hens, so any that are laid have attention throughout the day- the silly dolls only want to use one anyway, so I stopped giving up space in my coops and use one unless there's a broody. They prefer covered cat boxes, too, which are easy to move around, clean out, don't harbor mites (no wood) and fit 3 hens in a pinch better than the traditional nest (some of them like to have a tea party while laying).

With a steady rotation of hens over the eggs, they aren't as exposed.


The storm and unpredictable weather out here has got the hens all frazzled. I was getting great consistency for a bit and now they've put on the brakes! Sheesh. I did hatch my first chick in my Chocolate Marans project last night...that's going to keep me in a good mood for a long time.