MAY 2016 "Land of the Free Because of the brave!" Hatch-a-Long Hosted by, Mike & Sally

[mamahmendez]

I posted this in the April HAL, I apologize to those that are seeing it 2 times. I thought it may be helpful info for those not reading that thread though.

I have 4 wonderful Ancona ducklings. They seem to love each other and really take care of each other (very different than chicks for sure!). They snuggle up together and comfort each other it seems. I did have a cord wrapped around on of the chicks. You can clearly see were it was wrapped around her even 2 days later.

Cord Wrapped Around Chick Info (maybe you need this someday) - I had one duckling born with the cord wrapped around i tightly. The cord held one wing down and she couldn't really balance. When the egg was completely detached from her and she was mostly dry I sterilized some first aid scissors, quickly grabbed the chick, clipped the cord (not removing or pulling it, just cutting it and kinda taking it off the skin) and put the chick back in in incubator. This chick still has a mark across its body with no feathers and a slight indention when the cord was. Her naval seems to be healing great too! You can tell which one she is because her feathers are kinda missing in a strip on the left side of her body. All seems fine with her at this point though.

The cord baby is the one in the front. You can see the "stripe" of no feathers going down her body.


Cord baby on the left


This duckling is snuggling up to the little cord wrapped baby in the incubator. The other ducks tried to get her cleaned up too it seems. They weren't being aggressive at all.

 

[Farmer Viola]

First time incubating...put 18 eggs into a still air incubator yesterday (6 each of Ameracauna, Olive Egger, LF Cochin). Very nervous and some questions!

I didn't get the automatic egg turner, but now I want it. Would it be ok to get one today and put it in? Or will it disrupt things too much?
Also, and I posted this elsewhere, I'm struggling to keep the temp above 100 (read somewhere here it should be 102 in a still air). But then I read a cheat sheet about this particular incubator and I think it's not such a big deal in the first two days as it's stabilizing. But I think having the automatic egg turner would help? So much info on this site, but it's also very overwhelming. The woman who lent me the incubator, looked at me like I was insane when I said I had multiple thermometers. She said, 'it's just incubating eggs!' I'm hopeful that if she hatched successfully while not doing much, I will too by doing a little bit more!

I think it would be fine to add the egg turner in, its only 2 days. I would note that when you add the egg turner, the eggs will be higher up, closer to the heat element so this will change the temperature. Temperature should always be measured at the top of the egg level! (not above or below)

Got them ready to go into the incubator this afternoon.







133 of them.

Break down:
7 Polish/Turken cross. 4 green 3 brown. From another breeder with blood from my flock.
12 Green Egger Naked Neck from a breeder with some blood from my flock.
29 from Cinnamon rooster/ various hens.
22 from Golden Partridge rooster/ various hens
27 from Red Mottled rooster red and barred hens.
10 from Spangled Aloha over Mottled Partridge and Silver hens.
6 Green Egger Naked Neck my Flock from Blue Cream Partridge NN.
8 from Blue Cream Partridge NN rooster over a Black NN hen. Brown eggs.
12 from a Mottled Partridge rooster over various hens (3).

now that's a lot of eggs!

I just got the John Blehm chicks I ordered in February!!!!

I think I am more egg cited than I have ever been about chicks! These are Silver, Buff, Lavender and Black Ameraucana. They hatched yesterday.

they are so beautiful! love the variety

 

[Farmer Viola]

I was lucky enough to win half a dozen "rainbow" eggs in one of the Easter HAL contests here! I asked for primarily green/blue egg layers and boy did they deliver. they even sent me 7 instead of 6!

they were shipped, so I let them settle for 36 hours when they got here.

today is now day 18 and I have moved them over to the hatcher! 2 were clear/didn't start, but the remaining 5 of 7 look good at lockdown.

they had saddle shaped air cells through incubation, but now 4 of their air cells appears to be reattached and looks nice and round and full. 1 egg ("green magnolia") still has a saddle shaped air cell with 2 obvious detached areas when I candle.

I moved them over to the hatcher upright in a carton, and marked their air cells!
I can't wait!

1 olive egger,
1 easter egger,
1 splash ameraucana,
1 ameri-flower,
1 green magnolia

guesses on how many of these shipped eggs will actually hatch?!

we have 3 pips!

OE, EE and AMF eggs have pips! so far nothing from the SA and GM eggs (Day 20)

 

[firedragon1982]

Well, we have our first broody....

Sickie, one of our Ameraucanas has not left the nest in 3 days. She will go outside about 2x's a day to eat/drink/mingle, about 30 min to an hr at a time, and during that time, another hen takes up residence for a while until she returns and boots them out. Trying to decide if I want to see if 1) she's serious about brooding and 2) she'll be a good mom or not... Decisions decisions

 

[mymilliefleur]

Quote:
congrats! What are the green magnolias? I've never heard of them before.

 

[Jessimom]

we have 3 pips!

OE, EE and AMF eggs have pips! so far nothing from the SA and GM eggs (Day 20)

Yay!!! Go chickies go!!!

 

[Jessimom]

I am stuck at work. But the last update I got was 4 pips and 1 baby hatched! I know it was a Mille Fluer D'Uccle that hatched, but not sure what is pipped. This work day is going SO SLOW!!!!

 

[DwayneNLiz]

Well, we have our first broody....

Sickie, one of our Ameraucanas has not left the nest in 3 days. She will go outside about 2x's a day to eat/drink/mingle, about 30 min to an hr at a time, and during that time, another hen takes up residence for a while until she returns and boots them out. Trying to decide if I want to see if 1) she's serious about brooding and 2) she'll be a good mom or not... Decisions decisions

Yay for broodies!!

 

[Farmer Viola]

congrats! What are the green magnolias? I've never heard of them before.

I honestly have no idea!

I won half a dozen eggs from a contest here on BYC from MyPetChicken. Here is what their site says:

Yay!!! Go chickies go!!!

I can't stop checking the incubator window! haha

 

[Farmer Viola]

I am stuck at work. But the last update I got was 4 pips and 1 baby hatched! I know it was a Mille Fluer D'Uccle that hatched, but not sure what is pipped. This work day is going SO SLOW!!!!

yay!!! OMG that is the worst stuck at work when they're hatching at home!