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

[ChickenCanoe]

@Sally Sunshine @ChickenCanoe

Wow, the whole queen bee ID thing is very cool! I love the stuff I learn on here.
I never thought about needing to I.D. queens!

Thanks for all the information! I will take that under advisement. I have a major assortment of rubber bands for hatch chicks, and of course the zip ties I already mentioned, plus marking paint. (many of my girls look the same...lol)

I am wondering/thinking/considering about trying the below types of elastics to sit at the base of the wing IF I can find a size of band that fits and isn't irritating to the bird. ID/info could be written on the elastic. It'd be like a tag, sort of.

I find rubberbands to not work well because of stressing small legs and feet while trying to get them tight enough.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

My Cochin bantam has hatched. I only got 3/8. 3 of the eggs were infertile, one of the eggs pipped, but didn't survive, and the last egg was dead in shell.

Sorry about the losses but congrats on the 3!!

 

[firedragon1982]

Just curious: For those of you who use the Havobators, how do you keep the metal mesh down on the bottom from curling up? Using paperclips does not work well.

With mine, I've been flipping the mesh every time I start incubating. Of course I have a turner, so it seems to help pin it down.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I was a little behind on changing the coop so a couple sneezed a couple times but nothing major I noticed and I think we may be having minor mite troubles or knats (sp?) Because they seem to be scratching semi a lot lately because I stopped putting DE in the coop and run a couple weeks ago (never had any issues when I was using it) but anyways, I let them free range yesterday while I fully cleaned out the entire coop. I saw lots of knats then. But took everything out, sprayed the whole coop (floor, walls, outside walls, roof, roosts, everything) and the run down with Poultry Protector then put a bit of DE and Sweet PDZ down in the coop floor and DE in the nest boxes then a really thick layer of pine shavings over all of that, used the entire bag between the nest boxes and coop floor. Then I sprayed them with Poultry Protector too. Some let me do the whole thing and others fought it more so that I wasn't able to get under wings really. But so far today they seem much much better and happier. But anyways, I guess my question, since I saw mention of antibiotics on a different thread, is if you think antibiotics are necessary for minor sneezing or if now that the coop is cleaned out any issues should rectifiy themselves???? Next on the list is treating for possible scaly leg mites. Not entirely sure if they have it but I've had a suspicion about one for a little while (okay... a couple months..) and seems to maybe be spreading but I initially thought it was normal chicken legs but so I figure it's better to treat them all just in case. Already bought the Vaseline last week. Just a matter of if they're gonna let me wash their legs off and apply it. Probably not. That should be fun. Thinking of wrapping them tightly but not too tight in a towel so that they can't flap their wings and get free and possibly coming up with some sort of a blindfold so they can't see as from what I've heard from animal shows and such, not being able to see or get free generally calms most other animals down so we'll see if it works on the chickens. And I noticed a couple days ago, Tuesday I think, that one of the chickens also managed to chip her beak somehow. No clue how. So gotta treat that too. Picked up some Vetericyn spray today. Fortunately, she appears to still be able to eat perfectly fine, wven eating treats like a pig still, and it appears to just be a surface layer peeling/chip type thing rather than a really bad issue. But still annoying. Ugh. Lots of issues this week. But I suppose I'm lucky that we have had zero issues the whole time I have had them except losing the one chick at 6 days and one hawk attack when I wasn't looking last month (and even then, everyone made it home and zero injuries except one chicken losing lots of feathers and being terrified). It's just kind of annoying everything happens at once.... Guess that's how it goes thoug . When it rains it pours. Although they all seem healthy so fortunately it's minor issues, if it's even an issue at all, and of course it wouldn't have occurred if I hadn't gotten behind on cleaning but I wasn't even that far behind. Chickens I guess.

 

[wingedshade]

Progress so far: 4/15

I assisted 1 that was partially shrink wrapped, it's alive but not very active and is having difficulty drying fluffy.

2 hatched normally

1 zipping

I couldn't tell if there was any other activity, the hatched chicks moved all the other eggs around! I also moved the incubator and brooder into the spare bedroom. Once the chicks started moving and peeping loudly the cat took a huge, not good interest in them!

 

[SunnysideFowl]

Just curious: For those of you who use the Havobators, how do you keep the metal mesh down on the bottom from curling up? Using paperclips does not work well.

Flip the metal as someone else said. I'll also gently roll it opposite the way it wants to curl. Bends it back into shape usually.

 

[cabinchicky]

Well the broody eggs are gone. Partial development then quit to turn nasty. Ewww! So hopefully the eggs in the incubator will have better results. I need to candle them!

 

[Wickedchicken6]

My lockdown eggs started hatching sometime early this morning!!!
I love seeing the above for so long and then BAM you got chicks!!

Giant Brahma are always a day late, DONT ask me why! ugh I should set them a day earlier I assume.

Fantastic pics!

Very awesome!

Quote: X 2 !!!

This is him or her!!!! My new little silkie that I have been waiting to get for over 2 1/2 years!!!! My Best of Show blue silkie has been holding back on me, and for 2 1/2 years she has not given me a single fertile egg to hatch! (She is getting up there in age.) Well, she finally did!!!! And it hatched! Here is my new little monkey! I was very shocked at its appearance. I bred my beauty to a white roo, that has always produced beautiful blue chicks. So, I'm not sure where the chipmunk look came from, or how it will grow out, but it will be fun to watch. And I know it will have major fluff in all the right places! I happen to have 5 more from her and him in the incubator, due to hatch on Tuesday or Wednesday, so it will be very interesting to see what color they appear as! But, regardless I am happy as a clam! I'm tempted to put my black rooster back in with her, but she was not producing fertile eggs with him, even though he is very fertile, and he also has bleed through in his hackle feathers, and most of his babies so far have too. So, I may just leave as is.


You can hardly tell where his face is in the first picture, it is facing toward the back a bit.


With my blue silkie baby that is 1 week older.




I have 1 internally pipped (I can hear the cheeps, and 1 externally pipped, both blue silkies, from other parents. You might have seen my big blue babies that I posted last week.

Then, I have another small batch hatching on Tuesday. In it, I actually have 5 more of these precious little silkie ones from my very special best of show hen, then 3 more blue silkies, 5 rocks, and FINALLY A FERTILE BLACK AMERAUCANA EGG that I am very excited about!!!!!! (After pitching around 120 infertile eggs, and trading in my rooster, for the most gorgeous Ameraucana rooster ever!) So, I am very, very excited for this upcoming batch!

That's very exciting, and I'm so happy for you after all that.

Hoping everything is great with the upcoming batch!!

 

[wabbit1964]

Got home from my graduation and STILL no signs of pipping or anything from the 2 turkey and 6 duck eggs that are due to hatch today...

 

[weegarden]

Got home from my graduation and STILL no signs of pipping or anything from the 2 turkey and 6 duck eggs that are due to hatch today...

Hang in there. 2 of mine just pipped yesterday, on day 24. The others all hatched 3 days ago! CRAZY!