May 2020 Hatch-A-Long

[SueT]

Take it out if you can.

well at this point, I'm leaving it the roller rod as is, we're locked down. Next time, I'll address it. Maybe put some kind of ball or cushion over it.

 

[CindyinSD]

Good morning! I missed a good bit of posts again. I'm really bad about reading through them when there are multiple pages, lol.

Yesterday my daughter and I went to help a friend sex what I'm pretty confident was over 100 chickens of varying ages. Once we got to the youngest pen that I was able to pull out the early developing roosters but I was feeling really unsure about one in particular...my daughter of course fell in love with it and my friend gave her the chick as a thank you....so I probably have a 4 week old rooster now. LOL

I also picked up 5 Turkey hatching eggs on our way home...I haven't set them in the incubator yet because 3 of 5 are poopy and I don't want to set them with my peacock eggs. Decisions, decisions...Should I turn on another incubator and just hand turn them? Or should I attempt to wash them? I've never been big on washing hatching eggs but I really don't want to contaminate my already developing peachicks.

If I had an available incubator, I would wash them and put them there. If not, I'd wash them and put them in one that was running. I don't think I'd do this with valuable eggs though, just in case. But you certainly have more experience with hatching than I do.

I've received filthy eggs on occasion from on-line sellers. I paid good money and am reluctant to toss them, so long as candling doesn't reveal other indicators such as cracks, unexplained artifact inside, etc. If it's not too bad, I've used a knife blade to scrape, or sandpaper. Otherwise I wash in warm running water and spray them all with a ~10% original gold Listerine/water solution and set them. I don't think they hatch any better or worse than other shipped eggs have done for me. I'd rather not have to do this, but I haven't seen any indication of them having caused infection.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

If I had an available incubator, I would wash them and put them there. If not, I'd wash them and put them in one that was running. I don't think I'd do this with valuable eggs though, just in case. But you certainly have more experience with hatching than I do.

I've received filthy eggs on occasion from on-line sellers. I paid good money and am reluctant to toss them, so long as candling doesn't reveal other indicators such as cracks, unexplained artifact inside, etc. If it's not too bad, I've used a knife blade to scrape, or sandpaper. Otherwise I wash in warm running water and spray them all with a ~10% original gold Listerine/water solution and set them. I don't think they hatch any better or worse than other shipped eggs have done for me. I'd rather not have to do this, but I haven't seen any indication of them having caused infection.

Good to know! I went ahead and plugged in another incubator so I'm not taking chances with the peachicks. I wiped off the worst if it. Surprisingly all but 1 of the turkey eggs seems to rotate just fine in the NR360 turner. So I guess I'll need to mark the one that just coasts on top to hand turn it.

I'm really bad at NOT setting more eggs.
I thought for sure I was ready to store all but one incubator...I have 3 running again. Hahaha!
They're really small hatches though! Lol

 

[FortCluck]

Oops I did it... Again

NOW I got 4 leghorn pullets

 

[cmom]

Found this idea on Pinterest for splayed leg chicks....wonder if it would work? It looks like it would be a lot easier to do than trying to tape/vet wrap their little legs.View attachment 2117215

I tried the idea from a BYC member and put the chick in a cup for a little bit. It did exercise its legs and seems to be much better. It wanted out of the cup. I think if you correct it early enough it shouldn't take long as they grow so fast their first few days. Good luck and have fun...

 

[cmom]

Good morning! I missed a good bit of posts again. I'm really bad about reading through them when there are multiple pages, lol.

Yesterday my daughter and I went to help a friend sex what I'm pretty confident was over 100 chickens of varying ages. Once we got to the youngest pen that I was able to pull out the early developing roosters but I was feeling really unsure about one in particular...my daughter of course fell in love with it and my friend gave her the chick as a thank you....so I probably have a 4 week old rooster now. LOL

I also picked up 5 Turkey hatching eggs on our way home...I haven't set them in the incubator yet because 3 of 5 are poopy and I don't want to set them with my peacock eggs. Decisions, decisions...Should I turn on another incubator and just hand turn them? Or should I attempt to wash them? I've never been big on washing hatching eggs but I really don't want to contaminate my already developing peachicks.

I have washed poopy eggs and put them in my incubator and had no problems. I don't make a habit of washing eggs either.

 

[cmom]

Oops I did it... Again

NOW I got 4 leghorn pullets

View attachment 2119002

I love my Leghorns. I have SC White and RC Dark Brown Leghorns.

 

[kelseyk]

Lockdown day for my incubator! I did a candling and saw movement in all the eggs. So far so good.....
View attachment 2118661 Question for those of you w a Janoel 12...that rod that moved the egg rolling tray, so it's still sticking down there. Can't the chicks get poked running into it?

I have not had any hatched chicks get hurt by the turning rod.....I have accidentally smashed an egg with it though. Just make sure eggs are clear of that area before you put the lid on.

 

[kelseyk]

I've never had this problem with chicks. I started my first ones with a brooder plate and have never used anything else with new babies. I have used lights with older chicks after putting them outside, but this was for a short time with broiler chicks and double-digit sub-zero temps. Since then I've gotten several black (no light) reptile bulbs for my heat lamps. I will use these for a few days for home-hatched chicks, for their "front yard" area just outside the brooder plate (or mhhp), with their food, grit & drink at the perimeter of the lamp.

I think the constant light stresses them out. My chicks are in the garage, so if they were to peep constantly as some have said here, I wouldn't necessarily hear them, but we are in the garage quite a lot, and all I hear from them are contented/excited little chirps when they've just gotten a new dish of food.

People pick at one another when under stress. (Anyone in quarantine?) Maybe birds do too? I can't say enough good things about brooder plates or mhhp's. (mama hen heating pads--basically a homemade brooder plate)

I have 1 brooder plate and it is in my brooder pen inside my chicken coop as a heat lamp will not fit where the brooder pen is. I have a heat lamp in our shop bathroom where my tank brooder pen is. My chicks always seem very content with the heat lamps. I would like to get some more broody plates for use in the shop....it's just convincing the hubby that I need them that is the problem. His thought process is "if we have something that works then why do we need to invest in something else." I am interested in hearing more about the reptile bulbs though! I would love to do away with the light if I could so that the chicks can get into a natural light cycle. Do you just use them with the metal heat lamp shields?

 

[kelseyk]

The OE eggs I was expecting yesterday are finally on the move!