March Hatch-A-Long

[Spartan22]

Well I'm late to check in here but I have several staggered hatches going in the new ovation 56ex! Tbis thing is a beast I love it literaly no maintenance all (50ish) eggs developing nicely and 9 more in the janoel 12. Due bw 14th and 20th. Gonna have some full brooders. So some of them were an experiment, a friend from work sells eating eggs and I grabbed 2 dozen out of the fridge and aaid what the heck and threw them in the brinsea and 20 of 24 are swimmers now! I got rid of 4 just for space for some purchased eggs. So yes refrigerated eggs do stay viable in my case at least, now keep in mind these were collected and handled and refrigerated as eaters not hatchers and still basicly all of 20-24 started and I kept 20. More to come!

Wow! Something I need to experiment on, though I collected eggs on 20* temps and hatched them last year.

 

[SA Farm]

I just looked at the wood shavings we got for the chicks bedding and it's literally sawdust! Will they eat it and die? Could we use itas a base and put something else on top?
Also should we put a hen in there and hope she adopts them? None of our hens are broody and the chicks are surprise-mixes and pure bred livornese and piedmont blonds.
Regarding food we were intending to give chick feed from the feed store, then i read the "treats" thread on raising chicks here and wonder if we need to do treats too? I also read about putting additives in the water, is that necessary? Last time with the broody hen we didn't do any of that. If it makes a difference our eggs are all homemade from happy and healthy roos and hens.

I’d probably just rip up some newspaper into little squares to mix with it.
A non-broody hen isn’t going to adopt the chicks. More likely will just kill them.
Treats are great, but you don’t have to give them as the feed is nutritiously complete.
I always put organic apple cider vinegar in the water because I use unmedicated feed, but it’s up to you what you want to do. I also add a bit of honey and garlic for the turkeys since they tend to need a boost when they hatch-much more so than chicks or ducks.

 

[SA Farm]

As for my hatches, things are progressing well. I’ll be locking down this week for my first hatch of the season!
I also set two dozen bought eggs and topped up the bators with my own.
I’m hopefully going to be overrun with babies soon!

 

[Raptorchick]

I got some sleep last night, was trying to think positive, this morning the new incubator is holding temp...
The old incubator (with my eggs) dropped another degree overnight, reading 96-97 this morning. I just candled (quickly) and transferred to the new incubator.
None of the ayam cemani eggs, now day 22, had any movement. I candled one at midnight last night, it was internally pipped, gave me hope. This morning nothing has changed.
I also have four buff orpington/rir cross from my own hens, due in four days, two of those are still moving.
Gosh freaking danggit.
The original plan was to hatch the cemanis, then set 6 cream legbar eggs. The buff orp crosses were for funzies. Apparently I'm meant to be a cream legbar lady.
So, trying to make lemonade with fresh lemons, can a styrofoam bator keeping temp at 90-96F work as a brooder for the first week?

 

[Merrymouse]

View attachment 1695194 View attachment 1695195[/QUOTE]

I got some sleep last night, was trying to think positive, this morning the new incubator is holding temp...
The old incubator (with my eggs) dropped another degree overnight, reading 96-97 this morning. I just candled (quickly) and transferred to the new incubator.
None of the ayam cemani eggs, now day 22, had any movement. I candled one at midnight last night, it was internally pipped, gave me hope. This morning nothing has changed.
I also have four buff orpington/rir cross from my own hens, due in four days, two of those are still moving.
Gosh freaking danggit.
The original plan was to hatch the cemanis, then set 6 cream legbar eggs. The buff orp crosses were for funzies. Apparently I'm meant to be a cream legbar lady.
So, trying to make lemonade with fresh lemons, can a styrofoam bator keeping temp at 90-96F work as a brooder for the first week?

too bad about the ayam cemani...did you leave them in..maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised

 

[Raptorchick]

too bad about the ayam cemani...did you leave them in..maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised

Yes I did, just in case.....

 

[Peep_Show]

Here are some of the Black Copper Marans and Marans-cross (in blue feathers) chicks from the hatch on the 7th. (Yeah, just try and get chicks to pose!)

 

[Peep_Show]

The blue-feathered chicks will grow up to look like this:

 

[BlueBaby]

The blue-feathered chicks will grow up to look like this:
View attachment 1696167

So those are mixed with the crested cream legbar's?

 

[Chicksnmind]

Well I’m late for the March hatch but too early for the easter hatch . Since yesterday my broody silkie is sitting on 8 bantam Orpingtons eggs (though the eggs look big for bantams) that I bought off eBay. The extras 10 eggs that I got I’m putting in a magicfly incubator . I’m going to dry hatch. One isn’t going to fit into the egg turner so I will hand turn the first week and the second week I’m out of town so I’m unable too. Crossing my fingers that it goes ok while I’m gone.