March Hatch-A-Long

[Tatuana]

After a harsh learning curve with my first batch in December, I've decided to go at it again. One wonderful member sent me a dozen of their mixed breed eggs to try. Now that I have literally an entire notebook of notes I'm ready to try hatching again and do it right. These are going to be my eggs, not a science project, so we will see if that helps the success rate. I LOVE watching the eggs develop. And I'm excited to see what they'll be!

Fingers crossed all goes well this time! They go in tomorrow morning. (Settling overnight and warming up)

 

[Bonniebooboo]

March 1st. day 20, chicks started hatching, 5 so far. more tomorrow.

 

[cppeace]

After a harsh learning curve with my first batch in December, I've decided to go at it again. One wonderful member sent me a dozen of their mixed breed eggs to try. Now that I have literally an entire notebook of notes I'm ready to try hatching again and do it right. These are going to be my eggs, not a science project, so we will see if that helps the success rate. I LOVE watching the eggs develop. And I'm excited to see what they'll be!

Sounds good. Good luck!

Fingers crossed all goes well this time! They go in tomorrow morning. (Settling overnight and warming up)

nice progress so far. Keep on coming little ones!

March 1st. day 20, chicks started hatching, 5 so far. more tomorrow.

 

[MedicDog]

After the girls all decided to pile into the nest box last night I'm down to five eggs after one got cracked and leaked a bit. I've now blocked her off from the rest and I hope it works.

Opened the egg up in the sink and I think it had been developing but the egg shell seemed a bit thin, oh well. Fingers crossed for the other five.

 

[Sinful chick]

This looks like so much fun!!! I’ve never done that, but I really want to! I don’t have a clue where to begin AT all!!! How much are incubators? Do I find them at a feed store? Can I buy a used one somewhere? Forgive me if I sound totally dumb, but I am in the blind!! Can’t wait to see what happens!!

 

[GotCoop]

10 Cochin eggs scheduled to hatch next Saturday (9th)...my 6year old grandson arrives on Friday the day before.

 

[GotCoop]

This looks like so much fun!!! I’ve never done that, but I really want to! I don’t have a clue where to begin AT all!!! How much are incubators? Do I find them at a feed store? Can I buy a used one somewhere? Forgive me if I sound totally dumb, but I am in the blind!! Can’t wait to see what happens!!

Feed stores, Ebay, Amazon, Craigslist...are all options, or if you are handy you can make your own. The Styrofoam base models do well enough if you are only going to incubate a couple times a year. Used ones are usually about $40-50. New $80-90. Also will need a decent thermometer (or 2) and hygrometer to measure humidity...these will cost another $10 or so.

It is worth it, even once, to wait with anticipation and then see chicks hatch before your eyes. I timed a hatch one time for Christmas day. Nobody cared what was under the tree, they were glued to the incubator watching chicks pip and hatch.

 

[Stick Chicken]

Because our weather was so cold weeks ago, our Governor declared a state of emergency. I didn't collect my duck eggs that week as it would have been too much effort, and they had been freezing/cracking because I couldn't get to them in time.

Nearly a week passed by (polar vortex week) until I decided to go throw their eggs out of their nest as I was sure they would all be cracked (the ducks NEVER sit on them). For some unknown reason, NONE were cracked. They were ALL VERY COLD (we had -32 deg with wind chill weather.) The ducks lay their eggs out in the open area of coop. Anyhow, brought them in to room temp for a day, and threw them in incubator for giggles and grins. ALL WERE FERTILE AND ALL HATCHED TODAY THESE DUCKS ARE AWESOME!! They are White Layers by Metzer. Hands down better than Khaki's with temperament, too. Eat out of my hand. My Khakis would never get that close (EXTREMELY SKITTISH).

I LOVE MY WHITE LAYER DUCKIES!

Congratulations on your hatch! That's wonderful!

 

[Stick Chicken]

10 Cochin eggs scheduled to hatch next Saturday (9th)...my 6year old grandson arrives on Friday the day before.

I love cochins. Unfortunately, I only have two hens (my three pullets haven't started laying yet) and they tend to lay much later in the year. Last year I ended up hatching in September because that's when my cochins were laying. And that's all I hatched at that time.

 

[Peep_Show]

Is it too late to join? My eggs go into lockdown on Monday. This time around hatching mainly Black Copper Marans (13 eggs), some blue-feathered olive eggers (5 eggs), and some of those same blue-feathered olive eggers bred back to Marans for a darker olive egg (4 eggs) Picture is of what the blue-feathered olive eggers look like all grown up (which is also the hen that laid the -- hopefully -- darker-olive egger chicks...which will be either blue or black in color.)