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

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Morning UR have a great one. Egg production is way down due to the broody hens. Not liking this. It's during the summer that they pay for their feed. I can usually raise the meat birds along with them while they are laying. I hope they get back into routine quickly.

I haven't had to deal with a broody, but can't you break them by moving them off the nest and taking the eggs?

My last two Dominique hatches have been male dominate. First hatch was 4 B 2 G & second hatch was 11 B 3 G so I'm batting 15 boys to 5 girls

Whoa... that's extreme! Lots of culling to be done. I went from 14 BR cockerels and 9 pullets, to 1 cockerel and 6 pullets... a much better ratio. Only keeping the boy to help protect the girls...

 

[Chaos18]

Morning Chaos were you the one trying the vitamen spray on the eggs? How did it work?

Yea I tried it. In my opinion it was inconclusive. My sample size might have been to small for this experiment but it's what I could afford. I didn't notice any marked difference between the ones in my sprayed groups vs my control groups. The only difference I did notice was that the eggs that I cooled did not hatch as well. However the sprayed ones that I cooled did hatch better than the control group I cooled. But neither group that got cooled hatched as well as the other two groups. However I did have to assist two eggs in CG1 (which were humidity related in my opinion) and one malpo assist in SG2. One of these days I need to do a write up on the experience. Am thinking about doing another one with no cooling involved. Just dip half of the eggs and do nothing to the others.


CG1 Hatch Rate - 87.5%
CG2 Hatch Rate - 62.5%
SG1 Hatch Rate - 87.5%
SG2 Hatch Rate - 75.0%

CG1 - Control Group 1 (No Spray, No Cool)
CG2 - Control Group 2(No Spray, Cool)
SG1 - Spray Group 1 (Spray, No Cool)
SG2 - Spray Group 2 (Spray, Cool)

 

[Chaos18]

I haven't had to deal with a broody, but can't you break them by moving them off the nest and taking the eggs?
Whoa... that's extreme! Lots of culling to be done. I went from 14 BR cockerels and 9 pullets, to 1 cockerel and 6 pullets... a much better ratio. Only keeping the boy to help protect the girls...

Will keep one for the Dom girls and maybe one or two others as backups and they can help with the layer flock. The rest will get ate by the family.

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Will keep one for the Dom girls and maybe one or two others as backups and they can help with the layer flock. The rest will get ate by the family.

I thought about keeping another BR boy, but since I'm not breeding them together, don't see a need to waste feed. Got some RIR roos coming, and will use them to breed the BR girls to get BSL for the laying house.

So 8-10 Doms will come full circle (back to the dining room)?

 

[mlm Mike]

Tonight's day 7 candling results for are:

Set # 1: 11 viable, 3 blood rings, 1 highly questionable (will give it more time), and 1 slightly questionable. A few have good veining, but can't see the embryo.

Set # 5: 11 viable, 2 blood rings, 1 clear, 2 highly questionable (will give it more time), and 1 slightly questionable. A few have good veining, but can't see the embryo.

I pulled the 5 blood rings and 1 clear, and put the questionable eggs back in the bators. There are 24 eggs cooking, and all will (most likely) stay in until next candling. I'm almost positive that the 3 highly questionable eggs won't make it, but I'll be extremely happy if I only lose those 3 from here on...

Not too bad.

For a good hatch.

I am completely flabbergasted. I counted all my eggs last night, numbered them, candled them, and wrote down notes on all of them. My silkies are only 6 days old so I wanted to check them again today. #66 is missing...as in not there!?!? I had 18 shipped and 1 from a friend. We dropped one on day 2 and tossed it, dropped one on day 4 and waxed it (#71)...so should have had 18 silkie eggs in the bator. Have only 17. I've looked on the floor, around the bator, the dog isn't acting guilty (plus everything was in place in the bator, lid on, other eggs fine). If my dog would have gotten to the bator they would have been massacred (German Shepard) I looked through the trash and threatened the kids I was going to look and they swore up and down they didn't touch them. (I have a 9 and 13 yr old). I'm completely at a loss as to what happened to it...

Strange.

<<Ahem>> May I have your attention please? I have two new chicks! Noticed a little hole in the shell of one about 12:30 in the morning. Got all excited, double checked humidity, and finally went to sleep. Woke up at 4:45 to the sound of very demanding cheeping! Little Olive Egger named Yokel (for @LocalYokel just as I promised I would) and it's so doggone strong! Then later on in the morning I noticed a pip in another egg - and we have a little Cream Legbar! And that was another one that hatched fast....nothing at 7 am, pip at 8, and hatched sometime around 10.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

So I'm home and thank goodness no more hatchlings when I got home but now u feel bad for my one lonely chick in the brooder, poor Earl-y, all alone ...

Why thankful for no new hatchlings?

HELP my hens have come down with a contagious case of broodiness. 4 and counting. So I'm officially in on the April Hal. Approximately 40 eggs.
@Sally Sunshine

Send some of that disease here! Welcome!

Ok, so did have 11 silkies hatch, but one passed this morning. It looked like it had a yolk sac infection Was a blue silkie, it breaks my heart. It also had fluid it inhaled possibly during hatch? It was still in the incubator, and when i took it out after it had passed, it had fluid leaking from its beak. Never had that happen before... But all others, including the black one are doing great, including the last hatch.

I did do eggtopsies on 4 (2 silkie, 2 D'uccle) unhatched eggs. Two were malpositioned, head above wing, one had head between legs. One looked like it had tried to internally pip (beak up towards aircell) but didn't get thru membrane. 2 others I didn't do eggtopsies on, one just by candling looked like it had quit around day 16-17 because of the amount of yolk/fluid in the shell, and the other probably shrink wrapped, but didn't want to open it up, too depressed with the rest of them.

Congratulations on the 11, sorry about the ones that didn't make it.

 

[Chaos18]

I thought about keeping another BR boy, but since I'm not breeding them together, don't see a need to waste feed. Got some RIR roos coming, and will use them to breed the BR girls to get BSL for the laying house.

So 8-10 Doms will come full circle (back to the dining room)?

Realistically probably 10-12 will enjoy the circle of life.

 

[mlm Mike]

I have 18 or so Serama eggs on day 17 and a couple of little hens also on day 17, one with 5 eggs and a tiny tiny hen with 3.

My hatcher has an emu in it at 97 degrees, so I guess I'll have to hatch the seramas in the bator they are in. I prefer to hatch in still air... Oh well. I still have a few days. Air cells are pretty tiny though.

When the seramas are out of this incubator, I want to use the thermostat for my new experimental incubator. I only got to use it for a week before I had to commandeer the thermostat because the emus needed their own incubator, but the eggs I started with it all hatched later which was impressive for my seramas. I am excited to try a full incubation with it.

Day 5 candling here for my overloaded Incuview. Out of 3 dozen set, I pulled 18 clears. 50% fertility from my cockerel. I guess he needs to work on his balance.

The rooster must have his favorite hens.

I'm hoping for a couple more babies at school this morning! There are three eggs that I'm hoping to see hatched or well on their way! One is a silkie and two are Rocks. I also have a back up incubator with a couple of eggs, just in case we had problems with these (don't want to let down my first-graders,) so I should have 4 more hatching tomorrow too. The kids will love that, because they didn't even realize that those would be hatching. I snuck them in from home, when I saw that my hatch was going slower than expected. Peeps and Mikey need some friends.

Good luck!

Calling all roosters! It is time to wake up your owners!!!! Good morning everyone!

Good Morning

Morning to those that are up.

Good Morning

Quote: Good Morning Joey!

 

[mlm Mike]

My lone rescued chickie egg had a small pip late last night. Still looks the same this morning. Hurry up chickie. I'm not good at waiting.

Hope she hatches soon.

 

[Pensmaster]

 Not too bad.   For a good hatch.

Strange. 

  

  Why thankful for no new hatchlings? 

 Send some of that disease here! Welcome!

 Congratulations on the 11, sorry about the ones that didn't make it.

Morning Mike thanks. Off to work for now.

 

[mlm Mike]

I hope everyone enjoys their day!