May 2020 Hatch-A-Long

[Honora]

2 more chicks out this morning! My first pip finally zipped and hatched overnight. She looks just like the first one, black and white. And then a yellow one hatched. 6 more pips. Can’t wait till they are in the brooder & I can get better pics!

 

[Honora]

8 chicks out now and 3 more pips! So far it looks like I have 2 blue chicks, 1 yellow, 3 black, and 2 brown. All Swedish Flower Hens. I have 4 eggs with no pips, including all the Buff Orpingtons. I got the SFHs from one person and the Buff Orps from someone else, and I will be really annoyed if none of the eggs from the other breeder hatch. Well, at least the SFHs are hatching well. They are very active too; I think I will have to move the fluffy ones into the brooder because they keep attacking the newly hatched chicks lol

 

[CABINHOLLOWNC]

Your bunch looks like mine will be fun to see how our hatches compare

I’m excited to see what colors I end up with and then what color eggs they lay later! When are yours due to hatch?

 

[chickiebaby1]

My silky broody has hatched 2 chicks so far. SO excited! This is her first time and she has done such a great job!

 

[ariri30]

My OEGB is sitting tight on 4 large eggs. She’s is due May 21st!!!

 

[Trisseh]

Day 7 today on my runner eggs; one clear/non developing so pitched that one, 3 developing very nicely (the best shape eggs, air cells have stabilized well) and 2 iffy ones. Funnily enough, I ordered 6, and received 3 normal sized eggs, and 3 small, very round eggs. The 3 normal sized/shaped eggs are the ones that look good. The smaller rounder eggs took more of a beating from the trip, it looks like. We’ll see what happens. The one with the detached air cell is still doing ok, surprisingly.

 

[FortCluck]

I have 6 chicks out. I'm not liking the coloring I am getting on the Cochins, I think Squatch is still in this hatch I will have to set some more and see what happens. I dislike all black or white chickens, I do have some in my flock though that's the reason I do not want anymore. I want to add more color into my flock.

I will have more Polish hatching in 3 days and I should have some Bantam Brahma hatching shortly after.

My quail are hatching on Sunday or Monday, which I cannot wait for. I have to move the other 3 quail out. One I will not be keeping because I do not like the coloring.

Then I have my friends ducklings that are hatching.

 

[Erin80]

Day 18 today! Just put the incubator on lock down! Did a final candle....everyone is alive, saw lots of movement. Now we wait and see how many make it out! Good thing I’m working this afternoon and all day tomorrow, otherwise I’d be checking constantly.

 

[CindyinSD]

Hi all,

I hope you don't mind me hopping on this thread. I have 2 Brinsea mini incs on the go with a total of 11 viable silkies in. I started with 12 (all were fertile but I got an early quitter with a blood ring), so fertility is good. I have one detached air cell (shipped eggs) but it is doing OK so far. My first set is on day 12 and the other set is on day 8. All looking as it should - fingers crossed.

I do have a question though. My eggs are bantam silkies, but even then, there's a huge variation in size and weight between them. My smallest egg is going to be about 28g by day 18. I know bantams can hatch early. Is the small size of these little eggs making that even more likely? If so, should I consider lockdown earlier?

Please be kind, I am only finally being allowed to get chickens after years of nagging the husband

Thank you <3

Bex

Hey! Welcome to the hatch-a-long! Someone(s) may already have answered and given you better advice than mine, but my solution to this is simple--candle regularly and often (especially toward the end.)

I put mine in lockdown when I see internal pips. With ducks and geese the hatch time varies between breeds, so unless you're an expert on your breed, you really don't know precisely what to expect. It's hard to argue with an internal pip. Very convincing.

 

[CindyinSD]

Weirdness. How do a cushion and v comb make a single these genetics are killing me

Someone told me that rose combed breeds have trouble with fertility. Maybe that's true of cushion combs as well. I do know that all the "alt" close-to-the-head comb styles are dominant over the single, V, etc. styles. Hatcheries and breeders throw in a single when fertility seems to be suffering. Soooo, you can by chance get just that rare combination that will express the recessive single-comb trait.