March Hatch-Along Thread- Come Hatch With Us!!!!!

[LONDON HENS]

Thanks, same to you....what are you hatching?

Im hatching 6 Light Sussex eggs. I bought them on eBay and they traveled pretty much the length of the UK in freezing conditions, so I am pleased they are developing!
But for the first time since we have kept chickens we have fertile eggs being produced here so im hoping to hatch some of them soon. The cockerel is a Crested Cream Legbar and the hens are a mix of breeds.

 

[Brookhavens]

What do you all think about free range chickens?

I ask because the farm we got the eggs from is mostly free range, very few coops and most chickens of so many different breeds roam free. There are barns and places for them to lay eggs and such. Well over 100 chickens though just roam the farm.

As our chicks will be going back to that farm because we live on a military post and hatch for homeschool projects and experience, I have time to plan. Some day I want to be able to KEEP them. I love the farm and how they have their chickens but I am not sure it is best and not sure it would work in a backyard with a coop and no barn?

That's all I have is 3 coops and I rotate out who free ranges everyday. Whoever is out for the day always goes back to their coop at the end of the day to roost.

 

[animaladdictions]

Holy COW you people have been busy since my last post!!! Took me a while to catch up! Congrats to all with new babies and to those who are pulling their hair out waiting on pips to turn into zips!

BOOK>>>> How's it going with the backward baby? Don't worry yourself too much about the bit of blood...it happens. Is it still alive?

 

[TheH Klan of 10]

We have 9/31 pipped!!!
Wondering if blood while hatching is normal?
It was about a drop came out of the shell when it cracked it and chick that I can see inside is acting normal and no blood inside shell but it did have some come out of a crack.... It pipped at wrong end last night and is still chirping

 

[Irishgirl]

We have 5 of 8 pipped! The mystery eggs are chicken, I just don't know what breed ANY of them are.

 

[TarheelBirdy]

Lockdown day for 7 of my SFH eggs, along with 10 shipped SLW. For the first time, I will be locking down seperately by breed.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Wow! That's hardcore. I just tossed my numbers into an Excel spreadsheet and let the formulas to the work.

I made the charts in excel but it was my first time in the program and it just aggravated me (I'm an artist). So I just printed the blank chart (that I somehow managed to produce) and filled it in by hand. They wouldn't have done me any good on the desktop computer anyway, especially if it were turned off and I wanted to consult the numbers (no fancy laptops, pads and phones in my possession).

Yup! I have been playing youtube videos of chicks peeping on my kindle fire layed on top the bator. The kindle fire HD has a great sound system!

Cool. I found a really nice clip of chicks cheeping. I don't have a kindle but I do have my kids' Nintendo DS that can record sound as m4a's (desktop comp doesn't have an internal microphone). I could record the sound, upload it from the memory card and put it on the ipod. I *do* have one of those! If need be, I could dangle some earbuds in there on max volume. I must be bored.

 

[animaladdictions]

Klan...yes, when they pip backwards like that there will sometimes be some blood or sometimes a bit of what looks like yolk. When I have a backwards chick, I go in and help it most of the time. I like to make sure they at least have an area big enough so they can breathe through.

 

[LONDON HENS]

At what time do the chicks inside the egg break through the air sack before hatching?

 

[Brookhavens]

We have 9/31 pipped!!!
Wondering if blood while hatching is normal?
It was about a drop came out of the shell when it cracked it and chick that I can see inside is acting normal and no blood inside shell but it did have some come out of a crack.... It pipped at wrong end last night and is still chirping

Sometimes they hit a blood vessel when they pip. As long as it did not continue to flow you are in good shape.