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

[Spangled]

"Minnesota Midget Melons" , they have a 60-75 days rather than the 90-100 days. They might be small, but they are delicious.

Got stung on the butt-shelf 4 or 5 times last night by this little guy. My bottom and leg were electrified all night!!

So when does your bottom and leg stop hurting? Yikes! Those things look so scary. And as someone else asked, will the chickens eat them?

The butt-shelf: that part where your bottom hangs--most unfortunately--over your leg. If you were to stand on your head, you might be able to balance a drink on it.

Around here, we call the really big ones "The Continental Shelf."

Here is my entry for Celebrity look alike:

I find myself irresistibly drawn to this chicken ... anybody know why? I think I'm being brainwashed by the celeb look-alikes.

 

[Spangled]

Has anyone started naming their chicks yet? I know we aren't supposed to count our chicks before they hatch, but nobody said anything about naming them before they hatch.

Name #1: Mahonri, though I'll name a pullet Mahonri just as soon as I'd name a cockerel Mahonri.

Maybe Name #2: Alchemist, after SuperChemicalGirl. Or is it a no-no to use that word around pharmacist types? Like maybe I'd name a lead-blue chicken Alchemist and then hope it would turn into a gold chicken instead.

So anyway, I keep thinking about coming up with some more names, but haven't really got around to it. Anybody else?

 

[wolftracks]

First egg hatched today is a little roo from my purple/lav egg project! I'll get clearer pics later but gotta put him in here.



I need more of these!

 

[Spangled]

my Cochin hen came in behind us and got on one of the eggs. I don't know that she has laid an egg because she roosts up on a higher roost/nesting box every night, but we find all of our eggs in the floor level boxes. So she is on one egg and she starts pushing it under her, she works with it for a little while getting it positioned then gets up and does the same thing with the duck egg 2 boxes over.... thought I would ask if this is just normal chicken stuff or if she may be wanting to go broody.

I have non-broody hens (as in they don't ever go broody) that love to push the eggs under themselves while they are laying their own egg. So it is normal chicken behavior (if my one single anecdote counts for anything, which it actually shouldn't). However, your little lady is a Cochin so I wouldn't rule out broodiness with a Cochin acting like that. I assume a Cochin is always liable to go broody.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:

Has anyone started naming their chicks yet? I know we aren't supposed to count our chicks before they hatch, but nobody said anything about naming them before they hatch.

Anybody else?

Mine are named according to the leg bands they get.

Blue 32, Red 45, Yellow 14, etc..........

 

[wolftracks]

Quote:

Mine are named according to the leg bands they get.

Blue 32, Red 45, Yellow 14, etc..........

 

[chicklover16]

First egg hatched today is a little roo from my purple/lav egg project! I'll get clearer pics later but gotta put him in here.



I need more of these!

eek! dying of cuteness!

 

[kathyinmo]

I sold 20 more chickens today. Yep, downsizing here we come.

I'm pretty sure I am under 200 now.

 

[Arielle]

Yea, I'm thinking the ones I saw like the pic above are bad, but I don't know because I have NEVER done this before (hatching and candling!) Should I pitch them?

NO. I kept all mine in the first time, then at the end of the hatch I opened the eggs to confirm what I was seeing. The next time I felt more certain about which to pitch. I really just put them on one side until the bitter end, JIC.

Quote:

Ha! I went to the feed store to pick up my cayugas... with 45 eggs in the bator and 23 chicks in the brooder.... and my 2 year old nephew talked me into 4 more chicks. He didn't have to do much talking.

Hubby said I was not allowed to take him with me to the feed store anymore. lol

THat's why I don't grocery ship with my boys.

Quote: I love my hatchery birds. THe BO and SS in particular. ANd I have FBCM, from breeders and real Ameraucanas, to add more blue genes to my EE. All my EE are hatchery too. Hatchery isn't good or bad just a different line. Like a thoroughbred race horse versus a thoroughbred hunter--same breed different job.

Quote: I tried it after reading about it. Eggs need to be in cartons and held upright like a turner. I have seen PVC tubes glued to the bottom of cartons, just tip the cartons.

 

[ragerkid2]

Hi all! This egg was candled Tuesday. (I just got around to uploading it now. How does it look? Good Bad? It sure dosnt look like the egg pics in the candling post in the sticky thread.
Thanks!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/6698818/width/400/flags/LL