"Springing in the Chicks" 2016 April Hatch-a-Long Hosted by Mike & Sally

[Balloonjuice]

That sounds good. If the mesh holes in the bator are less than 1/4", it should be fine without the liner. You just don't want the holes to be big enough for the chicks to catch their hocks in and mess their legs up. Just thought I'd throw that in...

Yes, that's what I *think* I'm trying to do. Give the chicks a firmer place to stand. The screen in indeed smaller than 1/4". I'm not used to working with 1/4" but I use 1/2" hardware cloth a lot and after the chicks are a couple of days old they seem able to stand on 1/2" pretty easily. But they need something a little smaller at the first.

Anyway, thanks for all your help.

 

[Purpletie3]

Yes, that's what I *think* I'm trying to do. Give the chicks a firmer place to stand. The screen in indeed smaller than 1/4". I'm not used to working with 1/4" but I use 1/2" hardware cloth a lot and after the chicks are a couple of days old they seem able to stand on 1/2" pretty easily. But they need something a little smaller at the first.

Anyway, thanks for all your help.

Put down a layer of bounty paper towels for the first week or so. You can roll it up real easy and keep them clean. It's just expensive for the bounty. At least until they get their legs under them!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Ugh, no pips yet. They are moving in the eggs, so they are alive, but none pipped yet. Getting nervous. My first-graders are waiting and very anxious to meet the new babes.

I found 3 presents for me when I got home. Set 4 eggs, 1 was infertile so had my first 100% successful hatch!!!!!!! one looked weak, gave it some electrolytes and vitamins. Crossing my fingers that it pulls through

awwww good luck!!! was humidity too high?

I'm back. Sorta. Stuffs been not so great, but starting to look up. I sold off a good bit of my flock to pay for feed. So my Andalusians, Comets, BJGs, and a few others are gone. Including Saint, the not so saintly Chantecler. Two of the spots he got me are infected, but healing now. I was accused of selling one of my Adalusians as a hen, but they think she's a rooster. They'll be getting a rude awakening once Spot starts to lay for them. She was laying when I sold her.

I made a friend out of the lady that bought the rest I had for sale. We have a lot in common and she's really happy with her new birds. I'm glad I was able to do that for her.

Blu has found a job! He hasn't started yet, but he has the job. I won't have to sell any more of my birds to feed the ones that are left. My friendly Buckeye went broody and my silkie's eggs should be hatching any day now.

My horse has been separated from the neighbor's horses and he's much happier now. He isn't being bullied by the mare and he's gaining his weight back. He's almost ready to start working his way back to being ridden regularly. I need to do some basic groundwork with him to refresh his memory, but he's been doing good otherwise. I'm really happy he wants to ride again, but we both need to get our confidence in each other back. It's not going to happen over night, but it will happen.

Hi RAZZZZ I miss you beautiful!!!! how is yer tongue all healed and good? I am so happy Blu got a job!! Good luck with the silkies babies!!!

Hey all think I might have gotten missed in the hatch-a-long list
@lindalouly

I had one broody, a buff silkie, due on 4/1 she had a rough time with eggs accidentally getting broken until we seperated her. She ended up hatching three chicks, two black oegb and a silkie. She had one other egg that internally pipped but never externally. Upon opening it up we were shocked to discover a little crossbeak chick, with possible misplaced/missing eye(one was normal) and a complete lack of a right leg. This chick was a slw/buff Orpington mix. One of the little oegb did require some minor assistance when we discovered the membrane was stuck to the back of its head gluing it in the egg.

After two days one of the little black oegb chicks stumbled too close to our Buff Orpington broody due on 4/4. She acted aggressively and pecked the little one to death.

The buff Orpington was sitting on 1 slw egg, and 7 slw/buff Orpington eggs. All hatched perfectly healthy leaving yet more mystery about the little deformed chick.

These two along with two broodies due the week before were our first broodies.

I am currently waiting in the doctors office as I've been running a fever for over a week. Courtesy of some illness complicated by my asthma.

I have been in a haze for over a week now. Well the bator was cleaned and prepped and late on 4/6 in a haze from my cold I decided to jenga eggs into the bator, determined to fit as many of the eggs we had been collecting as possible into the bator. I will tell you idk how many I set. Lol we will be counting them at first candle in the meantime we are running dry and tilting the whole incubator to turn the eggs. I'm hoping we get a good hatch.

Assuming my sudaphed steeped brain did the math correctly we should be locking down on the 25th and hatching on the 28th.

@Chaos18 are you going to take over for Louly Love while she is busy please??????

oh Allissa I am so sorry you are feeling bad, please take care of yourself sweetie!! hugs and praying you get it out of you quickly!

I have chicks

Also apparently a bad broody.

oh crap!!!!! bad momma!!!!

Good Grief! My silkie mommas first chick just hatched and it looks to be a beautiful white silkie chick until I looked at its legs and beak! It has 5 toes and white legs and beak. I guess either the duccle rooster or the bantam salmon fav got in the silkie pen sometime? I have never hatched a silkie with white legs-ever

got pics?

RH finally got up to 69% so I'm happy with the lockdown. I'll check it again before retiring for the night. Thanks for all those who chipped in to help (or cheeped in?).

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

 

[Razadia]

Good to hear that you are back! Sorry you had to sell so many but at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Glad to hear about your horse too! Sending good vibes your way

Selling them certainly made things a little easier on me! Thank you.

Hi RAZZZZ I miss you beautiful!!!! how is yer tongue all healed and good? I am so happy Blu got a job!! Good luck with the silkies babies!!!

Hey Sally! It's healed up pretty good and I can completely talk normal.

I almost wish I had silkies under her, but I don't. I didn't get enough before she went broody, so she's sitting on mixes and Chanteclers. Wish I could have gotten some of my Marans mixes under her or my Buckeye, but I didn't get the chance. I'm leaving the bators alone for a while.

 

[chickiebaby1]

So I am going to join!!!

I just had a hatch yesterday and still some coming and I am also setting eggs on a weekly basis. I have 21 eggs in one bator hatching on the 19 and 41 more the 24th and I have 3 broodies sitting on over 30 eggs right now. It is defiantly hatching season here.

Here is this weeks hatch bantam cochins and LF cochins

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote:

Hi RAZZZZ I miss you beautiful!!!! how is yer tongue all healed and good? I am so happy Blu got a job!! Good luck with the silkies babies!!!

Hey Sally! It's healed up pretty good and I can completely talk normal.

I almost wish I had silkies under her, but I don't. I didn't get enough before she went broody, so she's sitting on mixes and Chanteclers. Wish I could have gotten some of my Marans mixes under her or my Buckeye, but I didn't get the chance. I'm leaving the bators alone for a while.
I am glad you can talk normal!! ohhhhh well Chanteclers are good too! Chicks arent selling that great local for you?

 

[Chaos18]

I have chicks

e freakin' chickens

Also apparently a bad broody.

frickin' chicken

awwww good luck!!!  was humidity too high?



Hi RAZZZZ  I miss you beautiful!!!!  how is yer tongue all healed and good?  I am so happy Blu got a job!!  Good luck with the silkies babies!!! 


@Chaos18
  are you going to take over for Louly Love while she is busy please??????  

oh Allissa I am so sorry you are feeling bad, please take care of yourself sweetie!! hugs and praying you get it out of you quickly!







oh crap!!!!!  bad momma!!!!


got pics? 

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Thats up to her but I will definately be helping her with it.


I gotta do an update to the list. So please tag either me or @lindalouly with updates.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

So I am going to join!!!

I just had a hatch yesterday and still some coming and I am also setting eggs on a weekly basis. I have 21 eggs in one bator hatching on the 19 and 41 more the 24th and I have 3 broodies sitting on over 30 eggs right now. It is defiantly hatching season here.

Here is this weeks hatch bantam cochins and LF cochins

YAY!!!! Welcome Crystal!!!! Glad to see you over here!!! babies are so cute !!! congrats!!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

thank you!!!

 

[kimalulu]

I candled my eggs last night for day 14 and I had 2 clears. Nothing going on inside. I think that the air cells look better except for the dark brown eggs. They seem to have lost a lot of moisture compared to the other eggs, should I do anything differently for them? (Day 14 eggs have two pencil ring marks on them)

I'm using this... 20 year old hand me down hovabator? Forced air incubator.

I had the temp holding really steady at first but since yesterday I had to turn the temp WAY down. Is this normal? Or just faulty / old equipment?