MARCH HATCH-A-LONG come join in

[Madcap621]

My 10 Speckled Sussex eggs came today!

beautifully packaged and candled - no apparent air cell problems - thank you USPS!

Will set them tomorrow, along with 36 trial [fertility check] Australorps. Wish us luck!! Hatch date March 23.

Will also be testing an LG still air - going to add a PC fan.

 

[Madcap621]

Quote:

so sorry. Good wishes for those 2!

 

[BGCNVLA]

I'm so excited to be joining this thread. I run an after school program with about 200 kids in grades K-6 in California. As part of a month-long program on sustainability we are hatching chicken eggs. I picked up 24 BEAUTIFUL eggs in an array of colors (I'll post pics tomorrow) but the bator we're borrowing from the science teacher has 38 cups in the turner so I think I'm going to go pick up 12 fertile eggs from trader joes tomorrow if they have them. Why not? There's a local far which has agreed to take on any chicks that I can't adopt out and lots of families have asked to take chicks home so I'd rather hatch too many than too few

Speaking of the bator, after ordering two and having them both arrive with broken fans, I tried to make one this weekend and failed. Luckily, the science teacher has an LG she's used before (still air) and even after all of the bad things that I've read, I've managed to maintain temp and humidity for the last 5 hours so I'm hopeful. We're setting the eggs on Thursday evening, hopefully making the hatch date the 25th. We're cutting it close though because the last day before spring break is the 26th and it would be really sad for the kids to miss them hatching. I plan on aiming at 40-45% for humidity days 1-lockdown. Is that too low? I'm really nervous about the chicks drowning because the humidity's too high.

 

[Barred Rocker]

Only day 2 but the bator is holding steady with temps between 99 and 100.6, humidity at 42%. Hope the next 19 days go as well.

 

[TheReidHomestead]

I'm very excited to be joining you all! I just paid for two orders of eggs, both shipping to me on Monday and they will be going in probably Tuesday morning next week.

I ordered a dozen lavender bantam cochins from JamesA and 18 BBS bantam cochins from LMEggs. If there is room, we will put in a few of our own eggs from our black cochin cockeral/white cochin hen. We are trying to determine if either carry the frizzle gene. The white cochin hen was our mystery chick from McMurray last year, and as a chick, her feathers looked very frizzled, but she seemed to grow out of it and looks totally smooth today. Our black cochin cockeral was purchased out of an assorted frizzle bin at a feed store last spring, but has turned into a beautiful smooth cochin who never showed any frizzle since we got him.

Anyway, this will be my 3rd hatch. My first was a staggered hatch last fall, and we did ok with the first batch but the ones we put in a week later never hatched. I think the humidity might have been too high for them.

The 2nd hatch was last month and I participated in the February Hatch Along. We did the dry incubation method and placed the eggs in a carton for hatching and we did very well. We had 10 out of 13 hatch. 9 of those were also from JamesA. Unfortunately, the day after most of them hatched, we had a catastrophe, the heat lamp went out in the brooder overnight.

We ended up losing 7 we hatched (we still had 3 in the bator) and 11 we had bought at the feed store. It was heartbreaking to say the least. And a good lesson learned. We now have 2 heat lamps in the brooder, just for back up purposes! And each is plugged into a different circuit. The one that went out was plugged into a GFI outlet that tripped and shut off.

Anyway, here's to March hatching and baby chicks!!! I'm off to go look at pictures!!!!

Tamara

 

[zephyrcreek]

I set 19 eggs 2/26. This is my first hatch and I am using a Dicky incubator. I plan on adding more eggs this week. I set 3 Black Java eggs, heritage Del eggs, and there may be a few Del X Dixie Rainbow eggs as I do have a couple of DR hens in the Del flock. I can't wait. Our Java project has been passionately frustrating. It is a very difficult breed to find, but we just love them.

 

[Bravo]

Quote:
I candled last night and:

22/22 EE's are developing

6/12 EE eggs that were sitting in the fridge for several weeks are growing--AMAZING!!

0/6 of the BCM's are viable (3 clear and 3 quitters) sooooo sad

Today is day 10 so hopefully the little ones that are growing keep up the good work!

 

[cthrash1]

Good luck to all that are in lockdown... Sending good hatching vibes your way

 

[lisal124]

I set 11 BCM eggs and tomorrow will be day 14. If everything is going well, at what point will I be able to see the eggs move?

 

[Spore]

Went to bed with 2 fuzzy butts in the bator, woke up to 5. Came back home after an appointment and there are 2 more pips!! They look so healthy and happy and of course fuzzy. I will upload some photos this evening for everyone. How long can they stay in the bator before they need food? They keep looking at me like "daddy, we want to come out and play" and then they peck and each other and flail around before all collapsing into a pile of yellow fuzz for a nap. lol