Setting and hatching in December? Come join us! - Holiday Season hatch-along

[TherryChicken]

Wooo my Buff Orpington chicks have JUST begun to start and hatch. There is 1 pip atm. Can't wait to see them all hatched out!!

 

[TherryChicken]

here are my eggs, I really don't remember if i ever asked what breeds they were from LOL

They look Americauna/easter eggers to me.. Idk though, still learning. IS that nail polish on the eggs?

 

[Rachel96]

I might be a bit late joining, but here goes:

I've got two 48-egg incubators going at the moment, hatching at 11-day intervals. I had the first hatch of the season in mid-October and have been going since then (sixth hatch has just finished). I've had 28 chicks hatch over the past three days (from late evening on the 1st to very early this morning, the 3rd), including this weird one-legged little one:


I'm hoping it survives, it seems quite healthy otherwise at the moment but can't stand or move itself around to get food or water. It's actually missing an entire leg from just below the hip! It hatched that way.

I've got some more eggs due to hatch late next week (I'm not sure when exactly, and the incubator's at the other end of the house at the moment so I'm not going to check). I'll set more eggs tomorrow (will then hatch about Christmas Day) and another lot after the ones hatch next week (will hatch around or just after New Years'). I promised my family no more after that, though. We're going to America at Easter and they've all got to be out with the adults by then.

The chicks are all mixed-breed from my own hens. I've got:
"Big Bird", a Wyandotte cross rooster (I think), was a 'mystery chick' and not sure of exact parentage, and
"George", a barred Plymouth Rock cross rooster, mostly crossed with Australorp but might be some ISA Brown blood somewhere.
The hens are:
2 white Leghorns,
2 Anconas,
4 RIR x light Sussexes
2 ISA Browns,
2 light Sussex crosses (one has a silver-laced Wyandotte father, one is probably half white Leghorn),
and one Australorp.

In the last lot, I had four Sizzle cross chicks hatch - mothers are Sizzles and father is the Wyandotte cross. I have no more fertile Sizzle eggs left though, since I moved the rooster out.

I also have one Araucana cross chick which hatched about a week and a half ago... I've moved the Wyandotte cross rooster into a separate area with the Araucana girls in the hopes that I'll get more fertile eggs from them.

I've got some very interesting-looking mixes so far (the oldest chicks are now almost two months old). In most batches I get a chick who looks very Wyandotte (probably from Big Bird and the Wyandotte/light Sussex girl), the two oldest such have feathered out very much like a silver-laced Wyandotte, but one appears gold-laced, which is odd. I've got a lot of barred chicks, and a lot which look very Australorp (odd, considering none of the Australorp girl's eggs have hatched yet), probably throwbacks to George's Australorp ancestry. I've got buff chicks with grey and black legs, ones with strange patterning, a couple of ones with very Welsummer-looking down but as far as I know, no Welsummer blood anywhere, odd colours coming out everywhere that aren't in the parents... I've also got some five-toed Sizzle-cross chicks with pink and yellow legs (I'll be interested to see if they come out either frizzled or silkied). It's very interesting.

I think my mother gets more excited about the chicks hatching than I do (which, to be honest, I hadn't thought was possible).

I'd better wind up now before I write a full-blown essay. I will try to get some picks up but my sister's protective of her camera.

from Rachel.

 

[TherryChicken]

I might be a bit late joining, but here goes:

I've got two 48-egg incubators going at the moment, hatching at 11-day intervals. I had the first hatch of the season in mid-October and have been going since then (sixth hatch has just finished). I've had 28 chicks hatch over the past three days (from late evening on the 1st to very early this morning, the 3rd), including this weird one-legged little one:


I'm hoping it survives, it seems quite healthy otherwise at the moment but can't stand or move itself around to get food or water. It's actually missing an entire leg from just below the hip! It hatched that way.

I've got some more eggs due to hatch late next week (I'm not sure when exactly, and the incubator's at the other end of the house at the moment so I'm not going to check). I'll set more eggs tomorrow (will then hatch about Christmas Day) and another lot after the ones hatch next week (will hatch around or just after New Years'). I promised my family no more after that, though. We're going to America at Easter and they've all got to be out with the adults by then.

The chicks are all mixed-breed from my own hens. I've got:
"Big Bird", a Wyandotte cross rooster (I think), was a 'mystery chick' and not sure of exact parentage, and
"George", a barred Plymouth Rock cross rooster, mostly crossed with Australorp but might be some ISA Brown blood somewhere.
The hens are:
2 white Leghorns,
2 Anconas,
4 RIR x light Sussexes
2 ISA Browns,
2 light Sussex crosses (one has a silver-laced Wyandotte father, one is probably half white Leghorn),
and one Australorp.

In the last lot, I had four Sizzle cross chicks hatch - mothers are Sizzles and father is the Wyandotte cross. I have no more fertile Sizzle eggs left though, since I moved the rooster out.

I also have one Araucana cross chick which hatched about a week and a half ago... I've moved the Wyandotte cross rooster into a separate area with the Araucana girls in the hopes that I'll get more fertile eggs from them.

I've got some very interesting-looking mixes so far (the oldest chicks are now almost two months old). In most batches I get a chick who looks very Wyandotte (probably from Big Bird and the Wyandotte/light Sussex girl), the two oldest such have feathered out very much like a silver-laced Wyandotte, but one appears gold-laced, which is odd. I've got a lot of barred chicks, and a lot which look very Australorp (odd, considering none of the Australorp girl's eggs have hatched yet), probably throwbacks to George's Australorp ancestry. I've got buff chicks with grey and black legs, ones with strange patterning, a couple of ones with very Welsummer-looking down but as far as I know, no Welsummer blood anywhere, odd colours coming out everywhere that aren't in the parents... I've also got some five-toed Sizzle-cross chicks with pink and yellow legs (I'll be interested to see if they come out either frizzled or silkied). It's very interesting.

I think my mother gets more excited about the chicks hatching than I do (which, to be honest, I hadn't thought was possible).

I'd better wind up now before I write a full-blown essay. I will try to get some picks up but my sister's protective of her camera.

from Rachel.

OMGoodness!! What a cutie the chick is.. I have yet so come across one with no eyes, missing limbs, added lims, ect. I know i will one day though. I did come across a chick with spraddler leg, with a tendon issue, plus it's bone sticking out of it's foot, but none of the others. Hope this one can get enough strength to live.

 

[chicken pickin]

Wow very cute chick sad though that it is missing a leg. I hope it makes it for you i suppose it could adjust and hop around. Im not looking forward to those type of defects turning up in a hatch and having to face the fact that we may need to cull a small chick. But we know it can happen.

Keep us posted.

 

[chicken pickin]

I finally set my eggs this morn. 21 eggs YAY! I will candle them on day 7 to look for veining and possible movement and then remove any clear or bloodring eggs.

 

[Little Wing]

Well the 36 eggs that I was locking down this morning has dwindled to 8 and 2 of those are cracked! Last night as I was starring at my hoova bator counting my chickens before they hatch, one of my dogs got hung up in the cords and pulled off of the sewing machine and it crashed to the floor. The bator was fine but it dumped the eggs out. It was horrible! Most of the eggs broke open with 17 day old chicks inside. Not sure if the ones that aren't cracked will make it after the shock but I got them back in quickly and temps have been stable.
I have 16 more going to lock down Thursday out of my cooler bator and am still setting 18 tomorrow for Christmas.

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

I feel you pain.. my kids got a whole bator full of eggs and smashed near every single one :/ new bator has a padlock on it
On this hatch all but 3 are ready to go in the brooder. 1's pipped other 2 nothing as of yet. Thinking I may use up some of my laybox plywood and build another brooder today.

 

[Runawaylobster]

Well the 36 eggs that I was locking down this morning has dwindled to 8 and 2 of those are cracked! Last night as I was starring at my hoova bator counting my chickens before they hatch, one of my dogs got hung up in the cords and pulled off of the sewing machine and it crashed to the floor. The bator was fine but it dumped the eggs out. It was horrible! Most of the eggs broke open with 17 day old chicks inside. Not sure if the ones that aren't cracked will make it after the shock but I got them back in quickly and temps have been stable.
I have 16 more going to lock down Thursday out of my cooler bator and am still setting 18 tomorrow for Christmas.

How awful ...... I know that dog thing, I have 3 so none of them are allowed in the room where the eggs are. My Irish setter is tall enough to put his head on the table to see what's good to eat and he is a TERRIBLE counter surfer.. not sure what he would do with an incubator, but he can open the bread box!!!!

BTW: someone told me once to put a hot dog on the counter and tie it to a load of cooking pots, so that they fall when he sneaks the hot dog and scare the stuff out of him.... haven't tried it yet though!

 

[TherryChicken]

I havn't had that problem. I keep my son away from the bators (he's 1 year and 7 months) however when the chicks hatch he will sit in my lap and we will watch them. I also don't allow our dogs in door as they are NOT house trained and will want to go back out instantly.