MARCH HATCH-A-LONG come join in

[GlitterKitty]

I wanna join! I just let my hen keep 4 eggs today! Its my very first time! I hope they are fertilized

My roo has been havin feet problems...And one egg was rather large...but Im sure hoping their all healthy and hatching! Good luck to all of you too!

 

[Sock Puppet]

Well, my little girls came running in with eggs and said Basil left the nest. I about freaked! I explained to the girls that she was just taking a break and she would go back to her nest when she was ready and they needed to put the eggs back. I went out with them and made sure they put them back.

That was a close one.

Its day 15. Im down to 3 eggs. 2 when candled are all dark with chick. the other one Im having a hard time telling.

Sooo cant wait.

 

[gaeamama]

So I heard peeping earlier this afternoon (just at the end of the egg's 19th day) when I opened it up to add more water, but I haven't heard anything since. I keep going over there to look in, but nothing! I really didn't have it open long at all, just a few seconds really. Now I'm worried I killed it/them. I can't get the humidity to go over 65%, but am keeping it 60%+ with all channels filled and two wet paper towels. All the vent holes are closed, and I have a humidifier running in the room right under/near the incubator.

I have 9 due to hatch tomorrow, and I got soooo excited when I heard peeping! Is it normal for them to go quiet again inside the shell? or is that a bad sign?

 

[princessmama]

We are due to hatch around the 16th. Started with 8 eggs in the bator(our mutt chickens, down to six, one of those looks like it has quit developing though, I will leave it for now and see what happens.

My FIL just brought us eight chicks from the feed store (after bringing half a dozen last week)

I asked him not to a couple of times because all the chicks we bought last year died (we didn't lose one of the ones we hatched and raised) so I wasn't really excited about trying it again. But he kept bringing it up and finally called from the feedstore and asked how many of such and such kind I wanted. I gave up, gave in, whatever. I am hoping for much better results this year, needless to say

My eggs in the incubator have very tiny air cells, so I'm not adding any more water for now. It's totally opposite of last year where I kept the humidity as high as i could manage and still had plenty large air cells. Hopefully there's enough time for them to dry out enough before they hatch.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Congrats to you all....It is Very Exciting!! My 6 that hatched out are doing fine and I love them sooo much.

 

[aceschix]

Quote:
If you are going to use ths hygrometer...calibrate it frist. I have two. One is 7% high the other is 2% low...do not assume! Just letting you learn from my experience.

 

[Woods_Woman]

The hygrometer I bought from Walmart was not very reliable at all. I purchased this one from ebay and for the money it's so worth it. It needs to be calibrated, but once that's done it's very accurate & gives piece of mind.. http://cgi.ebay.com/Analog-Hygromet...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5d28489b49 Strongly recommend.

 

[lisal124]

2 more chicks now! but one is yellow!?!? aren't BCMs supposed to be BLACK? Also, the yellow one was born with something green on her bottom...I didn't notice anything like it on the other two....should I be concerned? I love my little chicks!!

I have noticed that the chick born this morning is now pecking at the other two..especially the toes and bottom of the yellow one...even the new black one is pecking at the yellow chick...is this normal and how long should I wait before taking them out? The chick born this morning is so much stronger than the other two...amazing how fast they get their strength..

 

[lisal124]

Second little chick to arrive

Latest addition...but I don't think it's a Black Copper Maran...any ideas? Sweet little chicks!

 

[chickenmeadow]

gaeamama: The chicks in the eggs don't chirp all of the time, & yes they do start & stop chirping; some people never get to hear them chirping in the egg at all. So, not to worry; just have to wait (that's the hard part). Besides 21 days is the usual & mine don't always do the usual, sometimes even longer. I do "dry (dryer really) incubation" & my humidity is usually around 55%. Hang in there! Looking forward to hearing about your hatch.

tbanks: Those chicks are beauties! I've never seen Sultan chicks before. Thanks for the pics.

lisal124: I was wondering how many more eggs there are left to hatch? Pecking at the belly of the chick repeatedly can cause a problem for the chick; keep an eye out for blood or tugging at the "belly button" cord/area. I had a chick this year that didn't make it after a stronger more aggressive chick tugged away at it's belly. Pecking on toes does not worry me. If you decide to remove the stronger ones, then it will have a chance to get stronger too. The green stuff may have been "poo." It's all a judgement call & again, how many eggs are left to hatch & worry about? I usually leave my chicks in the bator for 12 to 24 hrs, they seem to do much better & get strong before removing. Good pics, you've got more chicks!

ptig78d: Calibrating your hygrometer (see # & read the calculation correction at the bottom) (see #241
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=271098&p=25