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

[Chaos18]

Thanks! Was so happy that all our daughter's "purple chickens" were doing so well, so sad to lose one, but we're hoping for 8-12 hens, so even if that one doesn't make it we're right on track. We may keep one rooster if we get a nice polite one, lol. The rest will go to the freezer. The breeder we got the purebreds from said the Orloffs do tend to have a much lower fertility rate so at least I know it's not my fault.

Hopefully she'll get to watch her purple chickens hatch.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

Bill called me at work. Couldn't answer because I was on another line. Then he texts this pic

White crested black Polish chicks! There were 5 at the feed store, he's turning around to get the other three. I LOVE that guy!

That's great! I love that guy too!! Lol

So I now have 11 ducklings I'm cuddling with them all right now. Pretty sure I was successful in getting them to imprint.

Awww!!! Cute

So cute! My 6 week old orpington cockerels are totally imprinted on me. I let them out with the big hens yesterday for the first time & when the hens would chase them the little ones would dash over to me & try to hide under me, lol. I never had chicks that friendly before.

hilarious!

I left school with 12 chicks hatched, one nearly out of the shell and one pretty far into the pip process. Five FBCM, five OE, and two BO by FBCM crosses. Today was day 22.

good luck with the rest!

[COLOR=4B0082]Thank you guys for the congrats and well wishes.[/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]As far as the DIS though, I'm not sorry. It's a bit disheartening as always ...but I'd much rather have the strongest, most robust chicks make it out.[/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]The DIS are that for a reason (which could be entirely my fault with my oopsies this time)[/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]But I feel it's unrealistic to expect every live animal to be make it, and the chicks are no exception.[/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]Maybe 10 years down the road I'll have my "invincible" chickens...lol. I've got a l-o-n-g way to go to get the chickens I expect...lol.[/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]Lol...thank you! (Still have that ONE egg left) [/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]And I agree, the whole eggs' surviving stuff that long...is totally awesome!![/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]I always had budgies as a kid and most were ok. Very loud in the early morning, even with the cover...lol. And yes, they were terrible mess makers! [/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]I also had one that was bad for regurgitating the seeds and flinging them everywhere. [/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]About 23 years ago, DH gave me a young male. My mom pawned off an older female and a couple of days after she arrived, my male was dead. [/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]And the old female was an old boot. I haven't had budgies since.[/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]I know these guys are new and I'm expecting them to loosen up a bit...but if this is ANY indication of what they're going to be like, it's going to be very nice![/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]They came with a new fangled cage that has no mess feeders and the cage bottom is really deep. They haven't fluttered around yet or made ANY mess.[/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]They've just chattered away to each other and have been SO well behaved. I have the cage sitting on our tax container ON THE CARPET.[/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]Not ONE seed hull yet. Amazing!! [/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]Even the DH and son are liking them.[/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]I must be conditioned to chicken poo because I'm amazed at how little poo they produce! (I remember it as being a HUGE job...lol)[/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]I've also hinted at acquiring a male...and I think it's a go!![/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]Bill sounds like a total sweetie!! That's fantastic!! [/COLOR] [COLOR=4B0082]Awwwwwwww[/COLOR].

sorry about the losses but it sounds like the budgies are doing very well

All my babies hatched! Number 3 arrived early this morning.I started with 7 eggs. Three never developed. One met an early death but the remaining 3 are doing well. This was our first experience hatching. Great experience. l.

thats awesome congratulations!!!

I have 2 pips!

C'mon chickies!!

Sorry about the book lol

So sorry about the predators! I am dealing with one myself, again

Got a total of 3 babies out. Had a temperature spike today, hot day caused house to warm up. No signs of the other 5 eggs hatching so far, might've been baked from the heat wave . On the bright side, I have a lovely trio of ameraucanas- one each blue, black, and splash

Congrats on the 3! Awesome on the colors!

I know I am late to the party but I wanted to share good news!!! My guineas are starting to get really upset about their eggs in their nest meaning they are going to go broody soon!! So excited! So far there are 30 eggs which were laid from May 13 through May 19! I'm hoping one of the five guinea hens will go broody and start sitting on the eggs!!

woohoo!!

Well I fried the 20 eggs I put in the bator wed night. Apparently neglected to plug the incubator into the temp controller but went straight into the power strip. Spent the first 24 hours of incubation at around 130F. Broody is still sitting tight on the nest so I'm hopeful her hatch will go better than mine. Time to start collecting again for another batch.

That stinks! Hopefully the broody will have better results

Candled again day 13 of our first hatch and pulled out the 6/24 that still looked infertile (3 Russian Orloffs, 2 French Black Copper Marans, 1 mix) plus one blood ring Russian Orloff. Cracked open in ziplocks, nothing but yolk in all 7, including the blood ring one. 13/24 alive with movement, 2 fertile Marans too dark to see much besides dark and light areas, one Lavender Orpington may have died will leave in till lockdown to see if there's growth. No veins and the embryo just rolls in the egg when I rotate it. Can see definite veining in all the others besides the Marans.

sorry about the losses ! Good luck with the rest!

update on the incubator full of eggs that was due 5/19.... I have lost count but guessing over 25 hatched? had 3 die during hatch.. Then this morning one hatched and one more is in process of hatching... from this batch of eggs I culled over 25 eggs that were quitters at various stages. The 6 silkies were early quitters, I am bummed about the silky eggs. Also had a couple of white eggs that neither of them made it. Oh well will have to go egg shopping for some more eggs to try when I get back from my weekend away with the girl scouts. Still have a few odd EE eggs from my flock that I stuck in the incubator to test fertility from the new roo.. those are due over the course of next week along with another attempt at 3 turkey eggs from a friends flock. I am not giving up until I get some turkeys to hatch!

always sad to hear about Silkies not hatching but congrats on the rest !

 

[junebuggena]

Day 18 for my broody. One pip!

 

[Chaos18]

Day 18 for my broody. One pip!

 

[mlm Mike]

@mlm Mike Haven't heard from you in a couple days. Hope everything's alright.

Yes, everything is fine, just getting things done at home. Thanks for asking.

 

[Chaos18]

Yes, everything is fine, just getting things done at home. Thanks for asking.

Glad to hear it.

 

[mlm Mike]

Quote: Thanks.

 

[mlm Mike]

Well I fried the 20 eggs I put in the bator wed night. Apparently neglected to plug the incubator into the temp controller but went straight into the power strip. Spent the first 24 hours of incubation at around 130F. Broody is still sitting tight on the nest so I'm hopeful her hatch will go better than mine. Time to start collecting again for another batch.

Sorry about that. I hope the broody has a good hatch!

Candled again day 13 of our first hatch and pulled out the 6/24 that still looked infertile (3 Russian Orloffs, 2 French Black Copper Marans, 1 mix) plus one blood ring Russian Orloff. Cracked open in ziplocks, nothing but yolk in all 7, including the blood ring one.

13/24 alive with movement, 2 fertile Marans too dark to see much besides dark and light areas, one Lavender Orpington may have died

will leave in till lockdown to see if there's growth. No veins and the embryo just rolls in the egg when I rotate it. Can see definite veining in all the others besides the Marans.

Good luck!

update on the incubator full of eggs that was due 5/19.... I have lost count but guessing over 25 hatched?



had 3 die during hatch.. Then this morning one hatched and one more is in process of hatching...
from this batch of eggs I culled over 25 eggs that were quitters at various stages.

The 6 silkies were early quitters, I am bummed about the silky eggs. Also had a couple of white eggs that neither of them made it. Oh well will have to go egg shopping for some more eggs to try when I get back from my weekend away with the girl scouts.

Still have a few odd EE eggs from my flock that I stuck in the incubator to test fertility from the new roo.. those are due over the course of next week along with another attempt at 3 turkey eggs from a friends flock. I am not giving up until I get some turkeys to hatch!

Congratulations! Sorry about the 3 that died during hatch.Good luck with your EE eggs and the turkey eggs.

Day 18 for my broody. One pip!

Wonderful!

 

[cree57i]

Well, some of my now 14 broodies have begun to hatch their chicks.

Broody #1 is a 2 year old Cuckoo Marans, her first hatch ever. She abandoned her chicks after hatch. I was able to save 2.

Broody #2 is a repeat broody, white marans. She managed to have 3 live chicks, but it looked like she smushed about 5 others. They are free ranging wherever they want to. She is not a very good mother.

Broody #3 is a first time BCM's. She hatched 5 chicks and is a great mom. She is with the flock, but takes the chicks to a chicken tractor at night.

Broody #4 is a white marans. She is a repeat mother and the best one I have so far. She hatched 9 chicks in my feed room and has since moved them in with the flock. She free ranges with them and takes them in the woods to scratch and peck.

Broody #5 is a BCM's. She may be a repeat from last year. She has hatched 5 chicks also in the feed room, but so far is not convinced to move them.

Broody #6 is poop board broody. She has 2 chicks up on the poop board with her and is insisting on continuing to sit on the eggs she has left. I have given them food and water up there, but wondering if she plans for them to stay there until they are grown. They are with the main flock in the hen house.

Broody # 7 is a blue copper marans in the marans pen. They are not being nice to her at all and yesterday, she must of hatched a first chick and the others ate it. I don't have anywhere to move her to and besides she is under the pen. This one is concerning...as is ...

Broody #8. She is sitting in a built in egg box in the main hen house and clearly has rotten eggs under her. I am just going to have to intervene on this one whenever the deluge stops. She still has a bunch of eggs under her, but it stinks bad. Not looking forward to this.

Broodys #9 and 10 are in the feed room. #9 is due any day. #10 has a week or more.

Broody # 11 is under the poop board in the marans pen. She is a black copper marans and fiercer than #7. I hope she will defend her chicks when they hatch.

Broodys #12 is an awesome mother. She is a little EE. I don't think she has moved since she started this. Her name is Survivor because she has used up at least 7 lives already. She was rejected by her mother and left for dead last year, but now she is being the mother she didn't have.

Broodys #13 and #14 are SFH's. #13 had been sitting about 3 days in the covered cat box when #14 decided that looked like a good thing to do. So they are squeezed in the cat box together sitting on no telling how many eggs. There should be a bunch of little SFH's under these ladies because I am getting no eggs from that group currently.

27 chicks from broodys so far and I'm not 1/2 way done.

 

[Chaos18]

Well, some of my now 14 broodies have begun to hatch their chicks.

Broody #1 is a 2 year old Cuckoo Marans, her first hatch ever. She abandoned her chicks after hatch. I was able to save 2.

Broody #2 is a repeat broody, white marans. She managed to have 3 live chicks, but it looked like she smushed about 5 others. They are free ranging wherever they want to. She is not a very good mother.

Broody #3 is a first time BCM's. She hatched 5 chicks and is a great mom. She is with the flock, but takes the chicks to a chicken tractor at night.

Broody #4 is a white marans. She is a repeat mother and the best one I have so far. She hatched 9 chicks in my feed room and has since moved them in with the flock. She free ranges with them and takes them in the woods to scratch and peck.

Broody #5 is a BCM's. She may be a repeat from last year. She has hatched 5 chicks also in the feed room, but so far is not convinced to move them.

Broody #6 is poop board broody. She has 2 chicks up on the poop board with her and is insisting on continuing to sit on the eggs she has left. I have given them food and water up there, but wondering if she plans for them to stay there until they are grown. They are with the main flock in the hen house.

Broody # 7 is a blue copper marans in the marans pen. They are not being nice to her at all and yesterday, she must of hatched a first chick and the others ate it. I don't have anywhere to move her to and besides she is under the pen. This one is concerning...as is ...

Broody #8. She is sitting in a built in egg box in the main hen house and clearly has rotten eggs under her. I am just going to have to intervene on this one whenever the deluge stops. She still has a bunch of eggs under her, but it stinks bad. Not looking forward to this.

Broodys #9 and 10 are in the feed room. #9 is due any day. #10 has a week or more.

Broody # 11 is under the poop board in the marans pen. She is a black copper marans and fiercer than #7. I hope she will defend her chicks when they hatch.

Broodys #12 is an awesome mother. She is a little EE. I don't think she has moved since she started this. Her name is Survivor because she has used up at least 7 lives already. She was rejected by her mother and left for dead last year, but now she is being the mother she didn't have.

Broodys #13 and #14 are SFH's. #13 had been sitting about 3 days in the covered cat box when #14 decided that looked like a good thing to do. So they are squeezed in the cat box together sitting on no telling how many eggs. There should be a bunch of little SFH's under these ladies because I am getting no eggs from that group currently.

27 chicks from broodys so far and I'm not 1/2 way done.

Holy broodys.

Good luck for those that haven't hatched yet and Congrats to those that have.