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

[kvmommy]

Haven't even caught up. I'm supposed to go into lockdown at midnight. I thought I heard something and sure enough there's a chirp! Crap. Did I set my seramas early? According to my charts I set them on the 19th. Can it be possible that I have a egg about to hatch? Getting the bators ready now. aaahhhhh!

 

[thechickonthehill]

Congrats to all with pips already! Mahonri . . . breathe please, we need you to last at least through the next few days, lol!

Candled mine last night as the light (or the dark actually) is better. Only pulled one quitter but have a half dozen questionable that I marked. Finally figured out how to get mobile broody Silkie to stay put in her nest box so I gave her all 5 of the Silkie eggs from the incubator. She has managed to stay in one place all day! So I now have 27 remaining in the incubator, 5 under the Silkie broody and have 2 more broodies with 7 eggs each all of which are due to hatch Saturday. I only counted the eggs actually in the incubator initially (48), so, including the ones I moved under my Silkie hen, I have 32 eggs of the original 48 still incubating. The most chicks I've ever hatched at once is 23. I would love to top that number by a considerable amount!

Good Luck everyone and Happy Hatching!

 

[ambrosia]

Haven't even caught up. I'm supposed to go into lockdown at midnight. I thought I heard something and sure enough there's a chirp! Crap. Did I set my seramas early? According to my charts I set them on the 19th. Can it be possible that I have a egg about to hatch? Getting the bators ready now. aaahhhhh!

how exciting for you!!!!!

 

[SChunn]

11 SLW went into lockdown at noon. I have several internal pips!!!

 

[debs_flock]

So, can anyone tell me how to figure out my hatch rate? Last time I hatched, I went according to how many went into lock down versus how many hatched. Is that correct?

No, it's the total number hatched, divided by the total number set. Good luck with your hatch!

O.K so how many get better hatch rate setting them to hatch sitting up in egg cartons?

My hatch rate has been better by laying the eggs on their sides out of the turner to hatch. So I've gone back to that. I'm still fairly new to hatching, so I don't know if there were other contributing factors to the poorer hatches I had in the cartons.

Anyway, the theory behind leaving them in cartons is to not change the orientation from turning to hatch. It also prevents the hatched chicks from playing pool with the eggs that are a little further behind. Although, I know of no broody that hatches her brood standing on end. It's already unnatural enough to incubate them on end, I think. I also think there is some advantage to the "encouragement" from the early chicks. Of course, my perspective is from using a hovabator.

Good luck with your hatch.

Deb

 

[Wisher1000]

Okay, mine are locked down. When I opened the bator, I thought I caught a slight odor, it wasn't bad, but I sniffed each egg as I handled it. I didn't identify any that I thought smelled bad. I am so new to this, what do I know. Is the odor real obvious?

I took out the turner, put paper towels in the water trays in the bottom, covered the screen with papertowels, placed the best ones in a cut down egg carton, laid the rest on their sides around the edge. I could only bring myself to leave four out. Two, I think are clear, and two that are so strange looking that it can't be normal. One is very dark, almost black, in a 1/4" stripe around the air cell and the rest looks clear. I know that sounds like a blood ring but is is wider and blacker than any I have seen in pics. The other looks liquidy inside. When you are candling, and gently turn the egg on it's long axis, the stuff inside is supposed to turn with the egg, right? If the contents remain at one spot (like it is floating) while you slowly spin the egg, it's bad, right? I have so much to learn.

The other concern I have is the paper towels on top of the wire. Will they block the air flow of air through the bator? Does that matter, at this point?

I feel better about getting a few fuzzy butts now that I have looked at all of them, thanks again Cynthia, that was sweet of you.......

 

[debs_flock]

All locked down here too, at noon on the dot. Yay, this is my week off work, I can watch all the action!

Of course that means I get absolutely NOTHING else done. I better go get my brooder cleaned and ready before I get a pip. It's all over for me then.

Deb

 

[The Sheriff]

I am on lockdown with 4 of 6 eggs. One was a cracked Isbar eggs that quit early. The rest all looked good until I candled today before locking down. I had one very large egg that wasn't showing any movement. I opened it up and it was a double yolker with one small chick and another fully intact yolk. I had candled it before setting after Kelly suggested it might be a double yolker but all I could see from all angles was one yolk. I feel bad. I wouldn't have tried to hatch it had I known. Here's a picture if you dare look. Scroll Down. Warning graphic.

 

[annabananaandfamily]

AAAARGGHHHH! Just got internet back after being without since saturday!!! So much to catch up on!!!!!

first and foremost though.....when should I go into lockdown? i set at 7am on the 19th....


Now off to read all I missed!

 

[wolftracks]

Finally got the form to work for me and I did add the eggs I set today so my new total is now 120.

Eggs set today at top and eggs set St Patrick's day on the bottom







Shipped

2 White Chantecler
2 Blue Andalusion
4 Double Lace Barnevelder
4 Sussex (split, Light, Coronation)
6 Black Tail Buff Japanese
6 White Silkie
3 Black Silkie
3 Paint Silkie
3 Blue Wheaten Ameraucana
5 Lavender Orpington
3 Barred Olive Egger

My Eggs

6 SPPR
11 FBCM
3 Welsummer
8 BBS Ameraucana
2 Lavender Ameraucana
3 Silver Phoenix
5 Second Gen Lavender Layer Project
30 EE/OE/Lav Layer Project
9 American Game
1 OEGB x Wellie

Locked down in the Sportsman and I've only hatched quail in there, so I hope it works ok.

Above is what I set and although I candled I couldn't find my maglite and had to use one that I kept having to shake to get to work. I couldn't see throught some like the FBCMs, Barnies, and most of the greens and blues.

Here's what I pulled

6 Black Tail Buff Japanese 3/6

3 Black Silkie 2/3

3 Black Silkie 2/3

3 Paint Silkie 2/3

4 Sussex (split, Light, Coronation) 2/4

2 Blue Andalusion 1/2

4 Double Lace Barnevelder 1/4

5 Lavender Orpington 1/5

2 White Chantecler 1/2

6 SPPR 1/6

So although I pulled 16 there are probably some I just couldn't tell about left till later. My purple egg project eggs are all looking good for the ones I checked and the lavender eggs are just so hard to see through, but the darkest I can at least see an aircell, so