Mid January Hatch thread....

[suzeqf]

Schunn they are so cute, I can't wait for mine to hatch we are on day 19 and when I replaced her heat lamp bulb last night i did a quick visual no pips yet and i'm glad i had sit her down while i checked the eggs(i usually hold her) because she had a nasty broody poo

the instant i sat her down and it would have been extremly hard to get that smell out of my jacket this way all i had to do was scoop it out and pitch it out the door

 

[SChunn]

Thanks guys! I could soooo become a hatchaholic. I'm searching for ameraucana eggs and my have found them within driving distance....probably not a good thing..hehehe.

I have 2 RIR, 2 BR, 2 Polish, 2 Light Sussex and 1 SLW.

 

[donnavee]

Yippee, Ducky #1 just hatched. They aren't due until Sunday, but guess he just couldn't wait to get out of that egg. He is taking a well deserved nap after all the hard work. Hope the others make it out OK.

 

[ambrosia]

I HAVE A PIP!!!!! No movement before hand to tell me it was coming... it is a BO I think.... I'm so excited!!!!

 

[suzeqf]

now you are making me want to go home even more to check my eggs for pips but i'm stuck at work

and don't get off for another 3 hours.

 

[ambrosia]

now you are making me want to go home even more to check my eggs for pips but i'm stuck at work

and don't get off for another 3 hours.

It's so hard to get anything done!!! I made DH go get groceries after he got off work... such a nice guy to understand I can't leave them now! I made myself do the dishes, clean the house, and make him a list

for town, but other than that, I am not even capable of rational thought right now! The excitement is too great....

 

[joneus]

I checked a couple of eggs while my broody was stretching her legs & getting some breakfast. She's on day 14 & of the 6 (out of 13) I was able to check, ALL of them had obvious development, 2 were moving & I could even see the little feet in one!!! I have no clue how the other 7 are doing because she came back & started grumping at me, LOL!

I may get lynched for this- but I think I like letting a broody do her job better than incubating artificially. I dont have nearly the emotional investment (because I dont, er... "interact" with the eggs every day) and I dont feel compelled to check their development as much.

I just really REALLY wish she could have waited until spring to get all hormonal on me!

 

[ambrosia]

If I had a broody, I would let her hatch eggs... but I have all pullets right now so it wasn't an option for me. My need for fuzzy butts was so great that getting an incubator was my only option!!! You just wait til these wee ones grow up ~~ then I will have my own little incubator in the coop ~~ but don't tell DH...lol

 

[suzeqf]

My eggs are under a broody and I feel just as attched to them as I prob would if I had them in a incubator but incubators scare me i'm afraid i would screw something up royally and i just don't want to take the chance. This time I promised myself time I would leave these eggs alone and only candle them twice but I candled them 3 times thinking that me messing with the my first set so much caused them not to hatch but I raise my silkie up daily to check on them. The last batch of eggs I had were my 3 banty's first eggs and the nest got tossed on a daily basis by my young polish hen so i candled them just about everyday to make sure they were still alive and in the end one out of 10 hatched. I honestly think the only way i wouldn't be attached to the eggs is if a hen went broody and hid her nest where i coudn't find it and just showed up with chicks

 

[ambrosia]

I'm scared of messing things up every minute! I even dream of bad things happening! I have one RIR who is an egg hider, and always lays her daily egg in the same spot far from where they free range. At first I was unhappy, because the local elevator depends on my weekly eggs for sale, but then I got to thinking that maybe she is just motherly.... woo hoo!!!!