Setting Eggs 12/28 - Hatching Buddies? Hatch-Along

[Sphinx]

I don't know why some of my hens' eggshells are kind of porous- they get calcium supplements and their feed is 18 or 20% protein, and that egg was only about 3-4 days old when I set it. Because I KNOW my girls have a good, varied, healthy diet, I understand that some hens just naturally don't have great looking shells, and I try not to hold it against sellers because I honestly don't know what more I could do for them, you know?

That particular egg cracked because it was snowing really hard that day, and that hen likes the OTHER henhouse to lay (my run has a henhouse at either end). She sleeps in the bigger one, but prefers to lay in the smaller house. It was snowing really hard that day, and instead of going out in the weather to walk to the other hen house, she just laid on the floor of the original one. Awesome. Incidentally, she did the same thing yesterday.

 

[seclusionfarms]

Regarding the "saddle" air sac? Do you mean the kind of weird, malpositioned air sac that usually is the result of shipped eggs? I had my first shipped eggs just barely over a year ago, and almost all of the eggs had crazy air sacs. I ended up having a great hatch rate anyway. Here's one of the eggs with it's weird air sac. It hatched just fine.

Welcome newbies!

Ducksinarow, I REALLY hope you have a great hatch rate because I think ducklings are cuter than chicks.

SeclusionFarms, are you going to keep all those babies, or are you going to sell them? Are they your own stock? Do you know what you mixed to get your EE?

LilJunie, good luck on your first hatch! Are the eggs from your chickens, or did you order them in? Odds are, if you stay home from the show, nothing will happen with your eggs until later. If you go out and enjoy yourself, they'll come while you're gone. I have to admit part of the reason I set up a webcam when I hatch is so that I can leave the house, but check on my eggs whenever I want.

This morning I candled, and all eight of my eggs are developing! The brown egg is tougher to see through, so I'm not 100% sure I see veins or if it's my imagination, but I feel pretty confident it's developing as well. Here's a picture of my little "crack baby":

This is my second hatch, the first one didn't go so great and my mom just wanted some more chickens for eggs so i'm hatching them for her again. They are from a local man,i'm not sure what he used however from my last horrible hatch from him for my mom I had two survivors.(seen below). The lesson learned from my first hatch is that I can not let my husband baby sit my incubator lol. I plan to sell the ones that my mom doesn't want.

 

[DraigAthar]

It's day 4 for me, I candled again while refilling the water reservoirs. Out of the 16 eggs, I've got 12 that I can definitely say there's a growing chick in there, three that are maybes because the shells are hard to see through, and one that is a pretty definite no, probably infertile. I also weighed them all for the first time since setting. I was going to wait until day 6 but I figured why not, I had the time to do it tonight. Did the math and everyone is right on track for weight loss, whew. Here's hoping that keeps going steadily!

 

[farmgirl44]

yeah, some of the air cells look like the one you had a picture of. they aren't floating, but they go down the side.

 

[eggorthechicken]

well I see some veining on a few...some not so sure about lol but im gonna plug in the turner friday.

 

[eggorthechicken]

do any of you let ur broodies hatch? I have a silkie setting on a few and wondering if I should just leave her for the time being and move her closer to hatch time. the others arent bothering her

 

[eggorthechicken]

I guess I prov should check to see if the eggs are ok first tho....im counting my chickens lol I didnt go out there today but the family said she was sitting.

 

[OR4-hmom]

I seperated a nest box and small area in my main coop for my broody to hatch out my BLRW eggs. She did fine but I didn't want to risk the rest of the flock going after her or the chicks so I moved them again to a grow out pen. This was in July though.

 

[hokankai]

I've had hens hatch several times, all intermingled with the flock. I did, however, move her to her own nest and pen on the floor of the coop so that the chicks could hatch and would be safe for the first week from the others. Mine have always done very well this way. I'd move her as soon as you're sure she's committed to sitting.

 

[eggorthechicken]

ok I can move her to a broodimg pen in my building we made for chicks.