March Hatch A Long... anyone with me??

[Coldweatherbirds]

Ohhhh...... I just can't wait!!! Will they hatch at all? Will they really be that cute? It's only day 13!!!!!!!!

 

[Chicken Junkies]

Just hatched some chicks yesterday. Here are two of the little Russian Orloff from that batch.

Locked down another 44 eggs today and should have more chickies in less than 3 days. Whoot!

 

[gryeyes]

I have six chicks out now, and five are in the brooder. Got a couple more pips... Tomorrow is day 21, so I'm not disturbed there are 19 more eggs in the 'bator.

I am using a Brinsea EcoGlow so, I just tucked the five little ones under it and they snuggled down and are apparently sleeping under there. Or they're just happy to be under something dark and warm and are keeping quiet.

 

[ItsAZOO32]

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Right there with you!! I have 28 on day 17 now. ALMOST lockdown!! Can't wait! I can't even focus on anything else... COME ON BABIES!!

 

[chickette]

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That is the cutest pic ever

congrats

 

[dsqard]

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for an Adonis and not an Aphrodite! Thank you on the congrats! These chicks are so friendly!

 

[HHandbasket]

So.... the reason we leave the eggs in the bator a few extra days is this.

My hatch date was Sunday. But, there were some issues, and I didn't freak TOOO terribly bad when I had only about a 30% hatch rate (15 chicks out of 48 eggs originally set). Only 32 eggs made it into "lockdown", so 15 chicks isn't too bad. I was disappointed, though, that the FBCM and EE project eggs I bought from a lady up in the foothills didn't hatch a single flippin' chick, not one. She did offer to replace any and all that do not hatch, but come on... 8 BCMs and 9 EEs and not even so much as a pip.

So yesterday, day 22, we took all our newly hatched li'l chicks and put them in the brooder, as some of them were a couple of days old at that point (they started hatching Saturday, on day 20). I decided to go ahead and candle the remaining eggs, and most of them still look like there's a chick in them, though a couple of them had obviously demised. There was this one BCM egg that was just certain from the very beginning wouldn't hatch anyway because it was covered in chicken poo. I flicked off as much as I could but didn't wash the egg before setting it. There were a couple of other eggs that just didn't look right... the funny thing was, the healthiest "looking" egg out of the bunch never developed anything. On day 10 candling, it was completely clear with 0 development. Anyway, so I'm candling the leftover eggs yesterday & as I'm candling the dried-up poopy egg, pieces of shell come off in my hand... I hold up to my ear... "peep peep" he says at the end of day 22! So back in the bator he went. I put in fresh sponges to ramp the humidity back up, and put any and all eggs that I think even MIGHT still have a chance back in.

As I type this, my little BCM is pushin' his or her way out of a dried up poopy egg on day 23.

I was so discouraged yesterday, but I have way renewed hope today! There are still 8 eggs in the bator so let's hope we get some more out of them!

 

[vfem]

I love this tread, lots of crazy cuties!

 

[kfchickenlady]

question on dirty eggs...I would think its better to at least dry brush them off before setting? I took a damp scrubber to my really dirty eggs that I bought, then wiped them off with a dry paper towel, I didnt want all that bacteria in the incubator..?

 

[Heluerto]

My chicks hatched back on 5th/6th March, but I couldnt resist posting again with this pic!