March 2023 hatch-a-long

[3KillerBs]

My March babies are in the integration pen. I've got one or two who aren't as well-feathered as I'd prefer, but they should be fine cuddled up in the deep straw I laid down.

 

[Canadian Wind]

My March babies are in the integration pen. I've got one or two who aren't as well-feathered as I'd prefer, but they should be fine cuddled up in the deep straw I laid down.

I read 'Interrogation pen'... I was going to ask what they did!

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

If I have a lot of eggs to candle, I try to be quick bc it is open longer and they hold heat less (it seems) when the embryo is small. I don’t worry about it too much, though. I candle pretty often so I only candle the ones I was wondering about at lockdown and remove ones I’m positive are dead. Only time I open after that is to get the humidity up again, and I TRY to take them out quickly in batches (one at a time since I take a picture and band a leg, which takes longer than just grabbing the hatched ones and putting them in a basket). And then wait till I have a good amount to remove again. I also try to time it so nobody is zipping when I open. I do hatch in cut down egg cartons and use an egg turner so the process at lockdown for me is getting my second incubator set up, separating by various parentage, putting them in cartons, and removing the turner. I try to be all set up before I open the incubator so I’m not fumbling and rushing.

Can you explain the cut down egg carton thing? Is this so you know which babies came out of each egg? Do you have any pictures of how you do the lockdown with the cartons?

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have chicks in a separate pen, they get out sometimes. One that got out, I call Nub. It may be part araucana. The side ear tuffs stick straight out. Like photo but feathers that stick straight out.

 

[NagemTX]

I have pips outside under broody Star and Goldie is back to stealing Stars nest again. Lol, I think she wants all the babies.

 

[NagemTX]

Two days on incubator eggs, and 5 weeks till shipped chicks arrive and I get a vacation.

 

[NagemTX]

I have chicks under Star this morning!

 

[NagemTX]

And while it's not a hatch Midge has had her kittens last night this morning in the burn pile. The burn pile is currently just a pile of dead branches.

 

[NagemTX]

So Star has hatched 11 of 14 eggs so far. I also gave her two TSC bantams and its going good. I may need to move Goldie out because she might want to steal all the babies.

Photo!

 

[NagemTX]

Oh pips in the incubator!