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

[featherz]

Woot! Can't wait for hatch day!! =) =) I have only moderate hopes for my hatch although I have a LOT of eggs still going. Only pulled 6 I think, so around 40 still in. But half are in the hovabator and I never have good luck with that one.

Good luck everyone!! =) =)

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Yes, turning by hand in LG. Lifting the lid is ok--I have a way to prop the lid as soon as I lift it up and back like it was hinged on the back. ANd this is the largest batch I've ever set. Of course putting in a turner means figuring out the new knob setting on the LG.

I think i've went to bed at 730 maybe about 12 times in my life and they were all after the kids were born! Of course, I was night owl since I was little. I can't fathom waking up at 330. Thats my bedtime.

And yes...a couple days in the hotel would be soooo awesome. I haven't told DD yet. She bugs me everyday with whining and crying about missing her daddy. So, I'm going to drop the kids with my friend so when he gets home I can freak out and scream and kiss and hold him first then we'll go to her house and surprise DD so she can have him mostly all to herself. I'm not sure DS will remember him. Im sure he will but I don't know how he's going to react. I'm definitely going to film it. I'm soooo excited. I think deployments are good for marriages because you miss your other half so much and really remember to appreciate them. Just not long deployments, those make life sooo tough. But I don't understand how many women cheat on their husbands and take their money and disappear. Its sooo cruel to their spouse. I see it all the time. It makes me sad. I love that I can trust my husband so wholeheartedly and he can trust me. He knows that he may come home to more chickens, maybe another dog...or even a hedgehog. But, he knows i'll be there waiting for him. I'm just sooooo excited!

I hope he knows how special you are!! You manage a huge load as a single parent. ANd yes, the little one might not recognize Daddy, that is normal after a long time separated. Just try to take it in stride and hopefully Daddy will be understanding, too. Perhaps a picture for your other chold to have and hold and look at when feeling sad and missing daddy. You do a great job!!

Originally Posted by Arielle

Again, this is not the only form of sexing I use. I do this to compare to traditional sexing answers to try to figure out if there is any truth to it. It was about 50/50 in the beginning but the more I do it the more accurate I have become. However, I would not use this as a sole method of sexing. Right now, I am about 85-90% on vent and feather sexing(the main forms I count) and about 75% on egg.

75% is quite good!!!

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:

Kathy, I have some of these that I use when incubating but I have never hatched in them because I was afraid the chicks would get hung up in the holes. Have you hatched in these? Had any problems with chicks getting stuck? I'd love to use them if they work for hatching. I bought mine on eBay pretty inexpensively.

I hatch in them, and have not had a problem.

My broody is done hatching. She left the nest with one egg pipped, to care for her 5 chicks. The egg was cold and the little yellow-buffish chick was dead. The five look great though.

 

[HortonFarms]

I would like to learn how to feather sex the chicks at least. I will have to try that on this hatch if all goes well.

Day 3 is easiest. Look at the pin feathers on the end of the wing. One row is a roo and two rows is a pullet.

This was the best pic I could find to show to you.

 

[thechickonthehill]

Quote:
I hatch in them, and have not had a problem.

My broody is done hatching. She left the nest with one egg pipped, to care for her 5 chicks. The egg was cold and the little yellow-buffish chick was dead. The five look great though.

Thanks Kathy, I may try it this time then. Congrats to you and your broody on a successful hatch! My Silkie hen that is broody is driving me nuts!

She is "mobile broody". I have her in a 3' x 3' dog crate that has a nest box in it. Both the floor of the crate and the nest box are covered with shavings. Every time I check on her she is sitting in a different spot. She moves all over the crate, sometimes in the nest box, sometimes in the corner, sometimes by the waterer, sometimes by the feeder. I had pulled 5 Silkie eggs out of the incubator for her to hatch but came in one morning and she had left one behind in her travels so I put that one back in the incubator. I checked on her a couple of hours later and she had left 2 more behind so I put those in the incubator (all three still showing movement, whew!). Two seems to be her magic number - she just takes them with her where ever she goes. Those are two well turned eggs, let me tell you! I am going to let the other three hatch in the incubator and just slip them under her after she (hopefully) hatches the two she is traveling with.

 

[Talbott Poultry]

Thank You, Have been looking for a decent pic.

Quote:

 

[Mahonri]

WAHOO! For the third day in a row, one of my Wheaten Ameraucana hens is still on the nest!!!

How many do you think she'll be able to raise?!!!!

How many do you think I'm going to hatch??!?!?!

I'll be cutting up styrofoam cartons in preparation for lockdown/confinement!!! Can't wait to shut off the turners!

When I was a kid, we had a Light Brahma that raised 33! I suppose I can put her in the Laree brooder with a heat lamp and an ecoglow in one corner? Guess we'll have to see!

I love having a live brooder!

 

[Arielle]

I've totally missed out on this year's thread, I must say. I've not been online, I have been avoiding my incubator. After finding 24 of 24 eggs had detatched cells, I have only really checked for signs of life twice and now am still not really expecting anything to hatch after the disaster that befell them at the hands of the post office. Plus, my health is't too good and I'm just trying to stay awake all day at the moment. So, wish me luck, I set them at noon my local time (GMT) on Sat March 17th, and have a few banty sized eggs in there, so may have something happening from Thursday pm onwards. Sad, sad hatch.

I don't give up until about day 25, and then I still give them to day 30!!! JIC. Hope you are better soon.

This is worth the listen. As a youth, I grew up listening to Paul Harvey!

During my college years, I rarely missed his noon broadcast.

He was truly a visionary who could, through the wisdom of the ages, predict the future.

47 years ago today, he predicted our future. SCARY!

Click this link------>PAUL HARVEY! APRIL 3rd, 1965

Take a careful listen. GOOD DAY!

Goodness--has he been off the air??? I can still hear him in my head!! Loved his dry wit. I miss Walter Cronkite, too.

 

[crazypetlady]

crazypetlady ' there is doubt that the goose egg has a goose in it ,' why could it be something unwordly???

No just a goose, I am so used to looking at chicken eggs that the goose egg doesn't look right it's just a blob and you can't see the veins so I was surprised to see it move and the fact that I only see the male geese mating with each other and not the female.

I guess they got it right at least once.

 

[mbleily]

Yes, Where did you find them?!

I found a good place to buy them. Just bought 2. The postage is cheaper than anyplace else the they were just what I wanted. With the gas prices the way they are now it doesn't pay to have to run around looking for things. I feel it is cheaper to buy on the internet most of the time. Of course I live out away from any big towns so that makes a difference, http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230764586013&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:US:3160