Ready Set Hatch! Set 3/17 Hatch 4/7 - ready now! Hatch-Along

[Bens-Hens]

Yes mate, so far so good.

Won't know if she got all the Barnevelder's by the weekend as she said she is laying slow at the moment but said it should be fine.

If not, we will make the numbers up with another breed. Have to visit two different places over the weekend, but it will be worth it.

DIY 'bator is pretty much sorted too, couple more days to verify humidity and then we are away! Just in time as my last (and first) hatch will be just about ready to depart the brooder and move into our mobile coop. Then we will have a break for a few months and let the 'hatch dust' settle. We are restricted to numbers in suburbia and we will be over by a bit if the next hatch is successful.

Can't wait, down side is it will make the birthday count down go even slower hahahaha. Will be worth it when we are getting blue eggs from an Araucana though!

 

[Wrightsx4]

My daughter told me to stop tweaking the DIY incubator before I mess it up...trying to get it perfect. I told her it's better to do it now and know how the changes affect it than to adjust while there are eggs depending on it. It's odd how simply moving an object (such as a heat sink) a few inches one way or the other can change the airflow and create cool/hot spots. My heat source, fan, thermostat and heat sinks are all beneath the mesh that the eggs sit on. This will be our only planned hatch for this year so hoping it goes well.
I received requests yesterday for seven dozen eggs Then my husband came home with an order for two more dozen . Chicken math strikes again... we need more chickens!

 

[Wrightsx4]

Anyone else?

 

[Bens-Hens]

Just sent off my confirmation emails.....if they come back set to go there will be a grand total of TWO of us hahaha.

Easy to navigate the updates at least!

 

[Wrightsx4]

So we'll have to post twice as many photos! .

 

[Bens-Hens]

That's fine with me.

What's not so fine is my Araucana egg supplier just emailed me and said she has sold all her stock and won't be able to fill the order until next Wednesday.

Not sure if we want to do a staggered hatch, but I really do want those blue eggs!

Also sent an email to the other supplier to verify that they can fill my order.

 

[Wrightsx4]

What's not so fine is my Araucana egg supplier just emailed me and said she has sold all her stock and won't be able to fill the order until next Wednesday.

Not sure if we want to do a staggered hatch, but I really do want those blue eggs!

Sorry to hear that. My silkie eggs (for my daughter) arrived today. Packaged extremely well but I can't see the air cells except in one and it's rolling. I will let them rest until Sunday and still give them a try. I only ordered 4 in hopes 1 or 2 would hatch. I've collected some of our own hens' eggs today then tomorrow is the road trip for the rest.

 

[Bens-Hens]

It is all coming together then.

I have found a third back up supplier, but from their ads they have more mixed breeds. Would be a mystery hatch if we got from them, but they did say that the have Americana's in there so there is the chance of some blue eggs.

Could be a bit of a lottery.

We will have something to put down that's for sure, so you and your family won't be alone.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Awaiting confirmation about the half dozen Araucana's. The seller said she would have some Wednesday, any longer than that and I will pass them up. Hoped to hear back today, but could be a couple of days. Don't really want to do a split hatch, but I would rather them be 3 days apart in age than 6 weeks.

The other dozen we ordered is having some trouble filling the Barnevelder quota of a whopping 4. She has only got one so far, possibly two by the time we get there tomorrow afternoon.

The rest are fine to fill. We may complete the dozen with some French Wheat Maran's she has laying. Will really come down to whats fresh when we pull into the drive tomorrow. The list may change again.

Looking forward to it, 'bator has been running perfect for two days now, all set for tomorrow afternoon. Will keep myself busy in the morning by finishing off the new brooder I have been working on.

 

[Wrightsx4]

My list has changed a little as well. We just got home from picking up the eggs and their Delawares quit laying I am not too disappointed though because they replaced them with wheaten and golden cuckoo marans - awesome! So here is my final tally:

4 Blue silkies - (shipped)
4 bluebells
2 wheaten marans
2 golden cuckoo marans
1 each - french cuckoo, blue copper, black-tail buff, blue splash marans
Then from my own hens (roosters are EE, RIR, and SS) BR, BA, SF, RSL, EE, BO, SLW,NH

My incubator is running perfectly, just waiting now til morning to put them in so they're likely to hatch on the weekend while we're home