May Hatch-a-Long!

[RockingA]

I know that this can't just be me... I've been looking for eggs to put into the incubator THE SECOND my eggs hatch this round! This is my first hatch and I feel like I'm probably going to be steadily hatching forever it's just so exciting!

 

[jnckids]

I know that this can't just be me... I've been looking for eggs to put into the incubator THE SECOND my eggs hatch this round! This is my first hatch and I feel like I'm probably going to be steadily hatching forever it's just so exciting!

I'm addicted. I'm on my second and third hatch already. Ask with broodies. But this is my first time using shipped eggs. But I received more than my little broody can sit on. So we are thinking about having an incubator.

 

[teaton]

Sorry to hear about your eggs

Hopefully the rest will do just fine

What kind of incubator are you using? This is my very first time hatching & im a nervous wreck that I'm not doing something right,lol. It's only day 3 for me, still have a ways to go! Good luck with the rest of your eggs!

Mine is just a little giants, it was a still air and that failed miserably so I bought the fan, it was my mistake,the incubator has a heat sensor that sits in it and i moved it when I candeled the eggs, I was so tired I went to bed without even remembering to move it back and I didnt check on them again until afternoon the nect day

other than that the incubator has been fine and holding steady where it should be. You will be fine as long as you keep an eye on everything since its your first time using yours. The first time is ALWAYS nerve wracking! But youll be hooked! My first time I used a homemade stryofoam cooler lol and I still had a good hatch rate considering. Good Luck!

 

[yeye5]

Received my shipped eggs today. Great packaging and got 3 mystery eggs... The problem, my broody can likely only sit on 6-8... I guess it's time to make the incubator purchase. Need something affordable and still decent. A good balance.

Isn't it always like that? When you have eggs, a hen doesn't go broody. When a hen goes broody you have Too Many eggs! Have you decided which ones your broody will get? I don't recall if you said--has this little hen gone broody before? (That way you have an idea how many she can cover).

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Hi there. I remember you when we hatched-along together a few months ago. I have no sense of time so it could've been feb or nov of last year...no clue, but I do remember you had great advice to share!

I did hatch a few in Feb... before that I think I quit after September because of the cold and I like to brood outdoors

Thank you! I feel like a seasoned vet even though I've only been hatching chicks for a year. I guess since it's been hundreds of chicks, guineas, and turkeys in that time frame, that accounts for a bit of my level of experience

 

[yeye5]

I did hatch a few in Feb... before that I think I quit after September because of the cold and I like to brood outdoors

Thank you! I feel like a seasoned vet even though I've only been hatching chicks for a year. I guess since it's been hundreds of chicks, guineas, and turkeys in that time frame, that accounts for a bit of my level of experience

So it must've been February.
You Are a seasoned vet after hatching so many. There is so much to learn in observing that many. Plus since you're using an incubator (I'm still in the dark ages with broodies) you've been able to observe a constant. I feel like each new broody is a totally different experience. I'm noticing that each has her own style and tendencies so I can't apply one broodie's behavior to the next.

 

[sunshinechick83]

I locked down 17 eggs yesterday. I think originally said I set 24, oops lol it was 26. I pulled 2 blood rings and the others were clear.
We are getting excited here! I may be already thinking towards another hatch in the very near future.... oh how addicting it is! My hubby is glad my Bator isn't any bigger! Lol.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

So it must've been February. 
You Are a seasoned vet after hatching so many. There is so much to learn in observing that many. Plus since you're using an incubator (I'm still in the dark ages with broodies) you've been able to observe a constant. I feel like each new broody is a totally different experience. I'm noticing that each has her own style and tendencies so I can't apply one broodie's behavior to the next.

I agree. My incubators are on break right now as I have broodies up to my eyeballs. My Japanese hen has 10 babies, ranging from 4 days old to 11 days old. She is so good that I can give her babies spread that far apart and she makes sure each is getting the right help and attention. She's very protective of the babies when it comes to the other birds, but lets me come and sit in their midst and bring them food and water on a hot day while they are "free ranging" in the run with the rest of the flock. This is her 5th (I believe) batch of babies since she hatched her first babies almost exactly one year ago. She lives to be a mom and it shows.

My OEGB, on the other hand, is a different story. She's aggressive toward the Japanese hen's chicks, whereas the Japanese says the more the merrier, and she yells at the chickens and guineas but does not actual do much to protect the babies. She has two little babies that are 4 days old and I think that's about the most she can handle. I also have four more broodies sitting on eggs. Two are on guinea eggs, one is on two chicken eggs, and one is on a ceramic egg and I will give her a guinea or two once they start hatching, since they will likely be staggered. I don't know what to expect from these girls. They are biters when I collect the eggs from under them, whereas the Japanese and OEGB just yell at me. These are their first babies, and I'm a bit nervous about it. I hope I can figure out brooding spots for everyone. Right now the OEGB and Japanese are sharing a brooder with a divider, but they only use it to sleep in at night.

I am also wondering how this guinea will be, if she makes it back with any babies. The one that I let hatch and brood last year was a total headache. She lost all but one of her babies the second day. She took them out into the crops and they were attacked. She flew up in the tree a distance away and stayed there overnight, calling out periodically. I don't know if she was telling them to stay put or just trying to distract the predator. In the morning she went to look for them and only came back with one. I don't know if the predator (fox, probably) got the rest or if they died from the wet and cold. She was not that great at caring for the one that was left. She would leave it cold and getting rained on so she could chase away chickens that weren't even near her. I imagine this other girl is sitting on a large clutch, but she's pretty far away and I expect that she will lose some babies on her way back, unfortunately, unless dad goes to help her bring them back. But he hasn't even been checking on her, and she hasn't been coming back for food and water like the other one did. I wish I knew exactly where she was so I could check on her, but sometimes I think that makes it worse because if you bring a lot of scent around it can make the foxes and raccoons curious and they start scoping out the area.

 

[yeye5]

I agree. My incubators are on break right now as I have broodies up to my eyeballs. My Japanese hen has 10 babies, ranging from 4 days old to 11 days old. She is so good that I can give her babies spread that far apart and she makes sure each is getting the right help and attention. She's very protective of the babies when it comes to the other birds, but lets me come and sit in their midst and bring them food and water on a hot day while they are "free ranging" in the run with the rest of the flock. This is her 5th (I believe) batch of babies since she hatched her first babies almost exactly one year ago. She lives to be a mom and it shows.

My OEGB, on the other hand, is a different story. She's aggressive toward the Japanese hen's chicks, whereas the Japanese says the more the merrier, and she yells at the chickens and guineas but does not actual do much to protect the babies. She has two little babies that are 4 days old and I think that's about the most she can handle. I also have four more broodies sitting on eggs. Two are on guinea eggs, one is on two chicken eggs, and one is on a ceramic egg and I will give her a guinea or two once they start hatching, since they will likely be staggered. I don't know what to expect from these girls. They are biters when I collect the eggs from under them, whereas the Japanese and OEGB just yell at me. These are their first babies, and I'm a bit nervous about it. I hope I can figure out brooding spots for everyone. Right now the OEGB and Japanese are sharing a brooder with a divider, but they only use it to sleep in at night.

I am also wondering how this guinea will be, if she makes it back with any babies. The one that I let hatch and brood last year was a total headache. She lost all but one of her babies the second day. She took them out into the crops and they were attacked. She flew up in the tree a distance away and stayed there overnight, calling out periodically. I don't know if she was telling them to stay put or just trying to distract the predator. In the morning she went to look for them and only came back with one. I don't know if the predator (fox, probably) got the rest or if they died from the wet and cold. She was not that great at caring for the one that was left. She would leave it cold and getting rained on so she could chase away chickens that weren't even near her. I imagine this other girl is sitting on a large clutch, but she's pretty far away and I expect that she will lose some babies on her way back, unfortunately, unless dad goes to help her bring them back. But he hasn't even been checking on her, and she hasn't been coming back for food and water like the other one did. I wish I knew exactly where she was so I could check on her, but sometimes I think that makes it worse because if you bring a lot of scent around it can make the foxes and raccoons curious and they start scoping out the area.

Wow, talk about nerve-racking! Your Japanese hen sounds like my silkie Mima. She loves being a mom. I suspect she'll go broody before long too. The others are 1st timers. One silly silkie girl keeps "loosing" her nest and ends up sitting on fake eggs. This morning I just removed all eggs that weren't being sat on so hopefully that stops.
I hope your guinea hen and her babies are safe! I'd be beside myself. But I wouldn't have known about the scent attracting predators so that's a very good point! Are all of ours free range? Or maybe I should say, can you try containing that guinea hen (next time) to see if she gets the mother clue that way?

 

[yeye5]

I wasn't sure if I was going to be a part of the May hatch along or not, but it looks like I'll be speaking in at the end of May. I just ordered a dozen LP Marans eggs and will be getting a dozen from some other lines. I am currently hatching my first set ever (7 hatched, 3 currently pipped, 6 waiting!) so it'll be interesting to go on to such difficult eggs to candle.

What are the other 4 if you set 12 Marans?