Set eggs 4/6, EDD 4/27 & 4/28...wanna hatch with me??

[loopy12]

Annarie: awww, they're gorgeous, hope my ducklings are even half as cute. Guess you should hatch some more and sell them as breeding pairs.

daniellenoel: did you sniff the few 'bad' eggs you kept in? Thank goodness the exploding one didn't do it before. I wouldn't worry about deformities, I think rough shipping and temp problems lead to death not deformity.

for the new batch of eggs, what breed are they?

So, I think I'm becoming addicted...
Because we gave away our rooster 2 weeks ago my hens are probably nearing the end of laying fertilized eggs, and the bator is half empty right now so...think I might slip a dozen eggs in there tonight.

Just barnyard mixes, but last chance at free fertile eggs so why not and if my BO goes broody in the next few weeks then I can move them under her instead.

I'm going to see how this duck hatch goes this weekend/early next week then may consider putting some more pekin eggs in too. Hmmm.

I am conscious with staggered hatches and having multiple brooding lamps the electricity meter must be whizzing around. We have solar panels but these things drink electricity and I think when DH realizes he'll ban further hatching so I'm getting in what I can now...
I was going to give away/sell the 4 babies that hatched yesterday but I soooo want to keep Angel and I can;t keep her on her own or put her in with easter chicks, so I guess all 4 will be staying.

Oh, a interesting observation. My husband, in a teenage boy moment, tried putting 3 of the easter chicks in with the new babies. Intriguingly the two I think are girls lay down and spread a wing out in invitation to the babies to snuggle. The one I think is a boy didn't. He just stood there. I wonder if this is a good test for early sexing???????

 

[raimnel]

setting more eggs Loopy? now I know why the name "Loopy"

I think you got a winning way to sex chicks, Loopy!

Annarie, what is auto sexing??
I was told that Lyndon station is straight across the river from our camp. I don't think I was ever there but I have been down 82 to the town whos name totally flew out of my brain............

maybe I was there..... something about a train...... one can ride?........ hmmm I'll have to venture that way this summer to see if anything brings back memories

 

[Sweetfolly]

Auto-sexing just means that you can tell the difference between the males/females as soon as they hatch. With the Welsh Harlequins, males have a dark bill, and females have an orange bill with a brown tip. Basically the same thing as sex-linked, just a different term. I like being able to distinguish boys from girls right away.

To get to Lyndon (from the Corner Pump - there's so many campgrounds in the area I'm not sure which one you're at) you'd have to follow Hwy. 12 out of the Dells towards Mauston, past the Golf course, along side the train track for about 8 miles - I don't think you'd have to go over the river at all. But then, I'm terrible at directions, and I may have it all turned around!

I have two adorable Bantam Cochins that just hatched! I'm reeling out those staggered hatches, I tell ya.

I have 8 Indian Runner duck eggs due next Wednesday, I just set 9 turkey, 9 brown-layer chicken, and 6 Dark Campbell duck eggs this week, and I have two more batches of Bantam eggs on the way in the mail!

 

[raimnel]

annarie, can't get there down 82 from the corner pump, with out going into the dells? Dells Christian camp, 2 miles??? toward the dells from the corner pump. I know that small train there in the dells past the golf course, isn't there a big train there in Lyndon?

sorry kristie for hijaking ur thread, just trying to pass time.

did I tell ya that I candled last night, I pitched 2 eggs. one had a blood ring and one was clear, well I could see the yolk in there and it looked like the yolk was broke. I was right, I just had to crack them. curiosity got me. didn't learn much. in the blood ring one the chick was very very small if at all. the clear one was what I thought yolk was broke?? not a clue why? it was one from our own chickens.

. im down to 12 eggs but I only started at 14 soooooooo. 2 of which are under my silkie. Let me tell ya, it's not all a piece of cake with a broody, I gotta go take her out the next morning and 5ish. oh and remove the new eggs from under her. what a horder I tell ya. I'm still not sure what I'm gonna do when they hatch under her?? do I let them under her...... take them from her...... put these others in there....... or just keep hers separate from the 'bator one??? so many questions...... well I got us back on track....... well until annarie answers me back....... oh well I tried

 

[juniper8209]

I'm in the process of candling my 42 eggs before lockdown on Saturday. I found one dud (no development at all) so far, but I've only candled a few.

Also, has anyone ever had their Black Star hen go broody...I thought in general they're not supposed to go broody since they're bred for laying mainly. I left for vacation on Tuesday and saw this one in the box late in the day on Monday and thought nothing of it since I have a few late layers, but we got home today, and there she sits. I went into the coop and squatted next to the box and slowly passed my hand by her and she made a warning noise at me and tried to peck my hand...sooooo I may have some more little ones running around in a couple of weeks.

Good luck everyone! It's almost time!!!!

 

[loopy12]

Amy: well, my plan for our broody is let her sit on 7 eggs on the same time line as ten in the bator, then I'll either put them all under her for lockdown or put the chicks under her as they hatch.
I know a hen can sit comfortably on 15+ eggs but I'm hedging my bets in case she abandons the nest. Question is, how many chicks can she keep warm as they grow????

Well, anyway, I don't even know if our eggs are still fertile. They were 4 days ago but it must be 2.5 weeks since they last saw the rooster now

Will look in a few days to see.

Just washed out the incubator. Will switch it on tonight or lockdown tomorrow.

Wonder if I should candle tonight and then just lockdown in the morning, or wait until later and candle and lockdown tomorrow night - ?
When I locked a week ago the few cayugas that were ok were so full I can't imagine how they could grow anymore let alone another week of growth.

 

[loopy12]

Juniper: no, never had a black star go broody (I only have one though). Mind you, never had ameraucanas go broody either but the last few days when my BO leaves the nest the 2 ameraucanas babysit the eggs. Cooperative brooding. Cute.

 

[raimnel]

I had hens "babysit" too the other day when my silkie got out of the nest. It was so cute...... of course I had to remove the eggs that they left behind

 

[loopy12]

my ameraucanas weren't laying. No sign of their eggs at all today, in the bushes perhaps (which is why I don't like broodies in the nest box). They sat there like real broodies, slightly fluffed, a bit pancaked and glaring at me

almost like they were under orders from Buffy. As soon as she returned they got out and caried on with their chickeny business.

Right, incubator is warming up. Think I will candle tonight and lockdown in the morning - day 25 for the eggs tomorrow. I have heard ducks can hatch a bit early sometimes so I will put them in first thing tomorrow then its back to sitting on my hands. I was angelic last hatch. Might be harder this time with (hopefully) more hatchlings and especially as I've never done ducks before Its a whole new world.

 

[juniper8209]

Just candled my 42 eggs...only four weren't showing any signs of life so they got tossed. The rest are doing GREAT!!