MARCH 2021 HATCH-A-LONG 🌷🌸🌼

[Melontine]

Day 4,
I candled four of my eggs today. I'll do four more tomorrow and the last four the day after.

The results I have so far;
Appenzeller mix (1/1, my flock) - Growing, nice veining, doing very well.

Lavender Orpington (1/3, shipped, the one I almost tossed but kept) - No sign of growth, but the egg looks alright. I will leave in and hope to see some in the future, but we'll see.

Speckled Sussex (1/4, shipped) - A tiny dot of growth, but it appears a bit strange. A saddled air-cell as well will have to keep an eye on it.

Welsummer (1/1, shipped) - No sign of growth, yolk looks potentially damaged? I'll leave it be for now, but I don't expect improvement.

I stand by that the eggs were packaged with great care, but do think the journey may have been too cold. It was relatively nice for a Maine February the day they arrived, but I know the days before that were well below freezing. I don't think any of the eggs fully froze, as I'd see cracks from the liquid expanding, but partial freezing is a definite possibility.
After all this, I don't think we'll get a good hatch from these eggs, but maybe a couple of the Speckled Sussex will make in.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the next bit of candling.

 

[kelseyk]

Received 7 Cream Legbar hatching eggs in the mail today. I tried to candle them to check the air cells and can't really see anything. I think there was one with a detached air cell because there was a distinct "bubble" that moved when I slowly turned the egg. With the others, I couldn't see anything other than the yolks. Going to let them rest overnight and then put them in the incubator tomorrow along with 2 Blue Andalusian x EE cross eggs.

I'm wondering if my DH will notice the eggs in the incubator....lol. He's absolutely going to kill me if I keep getting more chickens. In all seriousness, this is the last batch for a while. If I lose a bunch over the summer, then maybe I'll get some more hatching eggs in the late summer or early fall.

Glad to hear that I am not the only one whose husband is going to kill them if they get more chickens! LOL! He says what I have right now is too many.....but I keep telling him that I have extra roosters that need dealt with and some pairs/odds and ends that I plan on selling this summer. I also have informed him that some of the ones I will be hatching are to replace ones that I either don't like or ones that I have lost over the winter. Then of course I will be hatching some from my own flock to sell as chicks and/or pullets/layers later. Trying to be fair and hatch him out a bunch of pheasants this year.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Glad to hear that I am not the only one whose husband is going to kill them if they get more chickens! LOL! He says what I have right now is too many.....but I keep telling him that I have extra roosters that need dealt with and some pairs/odds and ends that I plan on selling this summer. I also have informed him that some of the ones I will be hatching are to replace ones that I either don't like or ones that I have lost over the winter. Then of course I will be hatching some from my own flock to sell as chicks and/or pullets/layers later. Trying to be fair and hatch him out a bunch of pheasants this year.

Exactly! I have at least a dozen ladies who are 3+ years old. While I'm getting a lot of eggs at the moment (15-20/day), these chicks are really for ensuring a good season NEXT year. Always got to plan ahead....

 

[AUChickenGal]

I’m a compulsive daily candle-er. Lol. Tonight is day 3 for my eggs and the first day I can usually see enough to detect development. 3/4 of the eggs from my Olive Egger show definite development, with one slightly ahead of the others, and the 4th one wasn’t definite either way. Only 1/4 of the eggs from my Barred Rock was obviously developing, but her eggs are darker than average, so it may just be too soon to tell on the others.

So far, so good. I also have a mare due to foal April 10th. She’s making rapid progress and looks like she might go a week or two early. Guess I just won’t sleep at all this month.

 

[Nero70002]

They take around 21 days regardless!
You could join the Easter Hatch-a-long.

I wish! but where I live we aren't allowed roosters.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

No more March Hatch Along for me... All my eggs were infertile, poor hen sitting on them probably wondering what I'm doing giving her those eggs! (well not really because I don't think they can tell if they are fertile or not

... Now I've reset her with more eggs and given another broody eggs today so looks like I'll have a 2 x April Easter hatches. Hopefully I'd hate to break the broodies after giving them eggs!

 

[Chickeria]

Hi, I would love to join the hatch-a-long, eggs arrived today, I will set them tomorrow - is it ok if I participate March hatch-a-long if the chicks will (hopefully) hatch in April?
Eggcited

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Hi, I would love to join the hatch-a-long, eggs arrived today, I will set them tomorrow - is it ok if I participate March hatch-a-long if the chicks will (hopefully) hatch in April?
Eggcited

Welcome!
Yay! You can join any, and as many, Hatch-a-longs you like. You may want to join the Easter Hatch-a-long, it is a big one. Check it out, I think your timing may be perfect for that one!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

So, just one little one has just hatched from the 25 set! Two eggs are still in the incubator, but I suspect they are DIS.
She is a lavender silkie, still wet, a bit shrink wrapped. I will post a photo when she is all dry and fluffed up. Going to have to integrate her with 10 day to 3 week old chicks, will be a challenge.
I was hoping for two, but I can make this work!

 

[Chickeria]

Welcome!
Yay! You can join any, and as many, Hatch-a-longs you like. You may want to join the Easter Hatch-a-long, it is a big one. Check it out, I think your timing may be perfect for that one!

Thank you
Ok I will check out the Easter Hatch-a-long, I wasn't aware they will probably be Easter babies (funny, I was born an Easter Sunday )

So, just one little one has just hatched from the 25 set! Two eggs are still in the incubator, but I suspect they are DIS.
She is a lavender silkie, still wet, a bit shrink wrapped. I will post a photo when she is all dry and fluffed up. Going to have to integrate her with 10 day to 3 week old chicks, will be a challenge.
I was hoping for two, but I can make this work!

Congrats on your little lavender silkie baby - fingers crossed for the two remaining eggs
Looking forward to pics from your little one!