setting today 9/15/11 - anyone else?

[BairleaFarm]

43 went bye bye out of the 120. I hate a rooster shortage for a brief period and it showed in this hatch.

 

[teamsunbelt]

I am locking down late friday night. I have to work on Sat, would not get to them until Sunday about lunch.

With about 2 dozen actively growing eggs, I think it will be tight in the LG. Who uses egg crates or cupcake papers to hold the eggs still when the others start moving around?

What is your lockdown plans.

 

[chickette]

My lockdown plan is to keep my hands out of the bator this time. Its like a moth to a flame with me

I think I will have to get out of the house for a bit when they start to hatch as that is when I want to pick them up to put them in the brooder so they dont rock and roll into each other.

 

[Cattitude]

Quote:
I know exactly what you mean! I keep wanting to "help" and unless one has rolled pip-down, I need to keep my fingers *out* of the bator!!

 

[SkyWarrior]

Candled them all last night. I suspect I have a blood ring on one, but rather than dump it, I'll hang onto it through hatch. All the rest look good and viable. I could even see movement, which was way cool. If all come out except the one I'm thinking won't, it'll be 6 chicks this time.

Because I'm hatching in a Brinsea Mini, I have to pull the chicks out, or they'll never dry. (Gets WAY too humid and crowded). So far, hasn't affected hatches yet.

Yesterday, the local recycling home store had a "bunny prison" -- their term, not mine!

It is a pen that is 5 ft long by about 2 ft deep and 28 inches tall and only cost me $10.

It has a top that opens with hinges so you can feed, water, and play with the animals. I moved the 6 week old chicks into that. They're doing really well with that.

 

[Cattitude]

That's a good deal! I keep scouring Craigslist for birdcages that folks are trying to get rid of. So far, nothing. *sigh* Glad to hear that your eggs are developing well!

 

[chickette]

Quote:
Thats funny,

I do the same thimg on craigslist. Looking for things that can be used for chicks or chickens. Its a full time job somedays! Well, my DH would not think so as I seem to spend more on the item and the gas it takes to get me there

 

[SkyWarrior]

Quote:
Yeah, I do that too. Occasionally I actually find something useful. Another place to go is Freecycle.org and look for your community and join up. I've gotten (and given) a lot of cool things on freecycle.org.

 

[packmomma]

Well I had set 13 I was hoping were fertile. I candled today because I should definitely see a darker shadow..even in the brown eggs. I ended up tossing 3.

I cracked them open and sure enough no development. I still have hope for at least two eggs lol. I'm not sure if I should toss more or not.

Next week I'll look again. Its so hard to tell. Of the bad, two were clear and the third the dark spot moved all sloshy. I hope I get at least one chick out of these and don't end up having to wait another whole 21 days!

If I do a silkie egg is going in so I can see whats going on in at least one of them. This is my first batch so I'm still learning what to look for in brown eggs.

 

[teamsunbelt]

I had originally posted this on another thread, but thought it may go here as well.

Quote:
Egg did not make it. I candeled today and did not see any changes. I opened it up and found only a small little chick that appears to have stopped not long after I found the problem. I am sure that air cell down would have caused issues at hatching.

Also, after looking at the calender, I think I will do lockdown on Sunday instead of late friday. If the day I set does not count as day 1 (9/14), then Sunday would be day 18.