MARCH 2021 HATCH-A-LONG 🌷🌸🌼

[gimmie birdies]

Feels very spring today, snow melting fast. I still have not gone to visit chickens, I am having coffee. How greedy of me. Just turned 9am.

 

[jasonvanorder]

Who said beards aren’t good for something

 

[HenneryTheEighth]

Looks like the perfect beard function to me.

 

[Cluckatar]

We just candled our eggs again (day 15). 8 of the original 9 eggs are developing and moving. We discarded one on Friday that clearly had not kept up. It had begun to develop and stopped early, maybe three or four days in. The rest are kicking and seem good. This is our first hatch, so total newbie. I didn't manage to capture any of the chicks moving around, but we definitely saw them.

 

[jasonvanorder]

So we are on about day 15 of incubation and just candles the 6 we have and I can’t believe I was able to watch some of them move!!! 3 for sure had definite movement one of the 3 the shell is real dark and it’s just hard to make out anything but it looks to be developing normally one looked the same as the 3 with movement just didn’t see any from that one. But I also didn’t look too long and the 3rd is a bit smaller and doesn’t quite fit in my home made candler that well so some light was leaking around the outside making it hard to see. In 3 days we go into lockdown and hopefully by the weekend we will have more little fuzzies running around

 

[LadiesAndJane]

We just candled our eggs again (day 15). 8 of the original 9 eggs are developing and moving. We discarded one on Friday that clearly had not kept up. It had begun to develop and stopped early, maybe three or four days in. The rest are kicking and seem good. This is our first hatch, so total newbie. I didn't manage to capture any of the chicks moving around, but we definitely saw them.

They look great!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

So my little lavender chick passed today. She was a weakling from the start. Her feet corrected nicely with the shoes on for only 24 hours. She just never was able to eat or drink on her own. We tried everything, and considered even tube feeding, but she passed before this was even attempted.
My hatches this month were not good.
1 out 10 earlier this month.
1 out of 25 this past week-end, then that it the one that passed after 2 days.
The first set were not packed very well, I have one lovely blue silkie out of these.
The second set could not have been packed better, packed in egg foam and double boxed, zero chicks from these.
I have excellent incubators, I have some experience doing this, so of course it is frustrating to get these kind of results.
Goes to show how many factors are involved when incubating and hatching shipped eggs. I went "by the book" with both of these sets of eggs. Though, in reality there is no book and there are so many theories and ideas about how to go about it. I have some more eggs on the way from the same breeder (lavender and paint) and will be in time (though a bit delayed) to join the Easter hatch a-long. After reading a lot in the past several weeks, my plan is to let these eggs settle for 12 hours, place in the incubator without turning for 24 hours at most and then incubate them ON THEIR SIDES and let them turn normally in the turner. I will also NOT candle prior to setting and candle first after 7 days. I will really have to sit on my hands!
It will be interesting to see what kind of results I get. Can't be worse anyway.

 

[Chickeria]

Who said beards aren’t good for something View attachment 2569848

I love this!
...Now I wish I could grow a beard

 

[The Cave]

@LadiesAndJane
How many of your shipped eggs made it to full development previously? Did they attempt to hatch or no?
I started with 24 and I am down to 10 Hedemora and 6 of the 55 flowery...which is really stinking good for shipped eggs based on my findings. Now they are only on day 11 today but all showing good development.
Here is what I did:
24 hours resting outside of incubator (unless the Hatchery had a date on them and it was older than 7 days then I put them right in after 12 hours (but NOT in turner!)

After my 24 hour rest...air cells still weren't that great (they originally were only a bit detached..if thats even possible) no saddles from shipping or air cells floating to side of egg just kinda on the one edge they would go to it if turned the right way.

I put them in the incubator in egg carton and didn't turn for 5 days, I heard 2-3 is suggested but I am taking a risk here. I did little twists the first 5 days when checking in on air cells but didn't plug turner in. After putting the turner on (upright) day 5, I got 2 more blood rings. I am not 100% sure, but I am pretty sure it is related to turner because prior they were developing. And here we are now on day 11 and everyone is still developing well...air cells look scary but Im just holding my breath on that.

I did watch a video of a lady that left them in carton for entire incubation process only turning slightly by hand 3-6x a day (unrealistic for me as I go to work!) and she even hatched them in lid of carton laying upright on sides with success.

For hatch I think I am also going to leave them upright due to the air cells being so wonky....and see how that goes

 

[Cluckatar]

They look great!

That's good to hear!