Official Christmas Hatch! c'mon and join

[Cornychick]

This is my first time and I am probably starting out with bad odds, but giving it a go! I bought my first bator last week (LG w/ turner) and let the temp stabilize a couple days. Then we went to the last barnsale of the season friday night and froze ourselves! The temp got down to 34 at the auction so I am worried that was too extreme for the eggs. We bought 4 flats of assorted eggs and let them hangout in the livingroom next to the bator overnight and set them saturday at 6pm. My temp is going between 102 and 99. I have water in the bottom wells and one of the vent plugs out for ventilation. I hope I am on the right track so far.

 

[technodoll]

Is it too early to candle eggs?

My silkie has been sitting on 7 eggs since last Wednesday morning...

We're hoping to get a couple chicks for Dec 23rd!!

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

I set 35 (I think) Barred Bantam Cochin & Silkie eggs on the 4th (I think~LOL), I'd have to go check I'm set for the 26th, but my BBC always hatch a day or two early, so Christmas hatch here we come! The roo with my BBC girls is a BBC Frizzle and I've been getting about 70% frizzle lately. Those babies are too cute!

 

[kysilkies]

We just put 3 Pekin/Khaki's on lockdown today, 2 silkies are due in a week and a half and we just put 9 more silkies in today which could make it in time for Xmas!!!!!!

 

[neferset]

Quote:
When did your hen go broody? The reason I ask is "at the time" is right now. Actually, it's going on a little late for a Christmas hatch. Anything you set from here out will hatch on the 27th. But if your broody set on the 3rd or 4th, you are right on target.

 

[neferset]

Quote:
In turner racks in the incubator (not taking the eggs out) I have candled as early as 3-4 days. Though I don't candle eggs that are under a broody at all, there are some who haven't had any problems.

 

[technodoll]

ok thanks... I really am so curious to know what's going on under that flat hen!

 

[neferset]

Quote:
i know there's nothing wrong with them.. they just give me the willies.. like a hairless guinea pig.. lol...
did you read about my handicapped rooster i adopted?? chickens didn't notice anything was srong with him.. but the peahens sure did... was constantly breaking up fights between Loony and Pergus... loony is the peahen.. pyrgus is the new roo... but if they took him in.. and let him become alpha roo... they'll probly take in the turken too.. lol.. it's mixed w/ an ameracauna so it may or may not be nacked... lol... time will tell...

I think the naked neck gene is dominant, but even so there's a small possibility depending on where the parent birds came from. I actually got my two turkens from Ideal, on purpose, because the "bonus" egg we got with a small batch of RIRs didn't hatch this summer. Every time I would candle, BD would ask me how his turken was doing. So, of course, the little guy developed right along, tried to pip in the wrong place, and broke his umbilical. When I ordered chicks, I got a turken and a spare, just in case something happened.

 

[evonne]

so you're saying i can send this nakie to your house when it hatches?? rofl....

for some reason i've got a good feeling about this hatch... the last couple not so much.. but this one has 9 mix breed from the designer egg train, and i put in 3 of my green eggs to fill out the dozen....

i've still got these 2 duck eggs that i think have quit, and the lone RIR mix that came from nov swap.. lol.. i think it's still kickin around and should hatch on wed/thur...

i have entirely too many chicks right now... lol...

 

[neferset]

You have too many chickens?

Is that even possible? I no longer have an accurate count of the chickens we have. Last I heard it was over 120. But, we aren't planning to keep them all.

If you really want me to, I'd take another turken. I'll send you a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope. Just be careful about how you fold him. Does he also have long crower ancestry by any chance? We have this neighbor with a noisy dog who barks all night long...

I feel I really missed the boat for Thanksgiving. Mainly, I didn't plan it at all. If I had, I would have set a dozen turkens along with everybody else. I didn't even think about it until my ducklings were hatching. As it was, my late arriving leghorns didn't hatch. I'm putting it down to weather and will reorder in the spring, though what I really want to do is go down to the veggie stand and buy 30 of their eggs, then test for fertility. The very worst that can happen is that they turn out to be infertile and I have to make 6 batches of pasta.

My next holiday hatch will either be St Paddy's Day or Easter, depending on what the folks at the hardware stores say about spring time. They always seem to know.