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

[mammat]

6 hatched and waiting to see if the other 2 hatch

1 has a crack in it but i think the other chicks or the mum did that

Great!

 

[ChickenChaser43]

Started this motley clutch on April 10th. Starting from the motor of the egg turner are 9 eggs in the first 2 rows, from my son's Ag Sciences teacher. The next 12, starting with the bantams, are from my dad's mixed flock. The 20 others are from a friends mixed flock. The teachers are Ameraucana. My dad's are the Tractor Supply variety. Friends are Barred Plymouth Rock rooster and hens, Wellsummer hen, and other unknown hens.

 

[melnjerm]

@chickenjoe12 All of mine are for sale

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: me too

Hatching questions - Hello my name is Shannon, we are in Central Pennsylvania.
We are new to backyard chickens. Our flock is at my daughters house. We have 3 "Easter Eggers" (the small brown one, Anna, has never laid a fertile egg as told to us by previous owner).

Then we have Big Blue, and Mama. All three give us blue/green eggs. Mama and Big Blue have some "muff" not sure exactly what kind of "mutts" they are.

Anyway we bought a Farm Innovator forced air incubator with egg turner and set some of their eggs, along with some others from the same flock our hens came from.
Temp was really steady-99.5-100. Humidity 40-45% until day 18 when we took out egg turner and increased to about 70%, had some fluctiation during lockdown.
Yesterday on day 20 we had 2 chicks hatched, and today 7 more. 6 of the 9 have bald necks, and a couple have a little balding on the shoulder. We did not see any Naked Necks in the flock.

Any ideas why we have baldies? Anything I may need to do differently next time?

I love the NN!! @swallace your not far from me at all in PA WELCOME to the THREAD!! you set more eggs come join the MAY HAL TOO some amazing prizes and coop giveaway!

Quote: MUST GET EGGS AND INCUBATE THEM!!!!

now i have 4 hatched and 2 hatching

sweet!!! but no pics? oh the shame !!!! lol

Okay ladies and gents I'm a little irritated with my phone and myself right now because I just typed up q whole darned thing and my phone decided to lose it all. Including my quotes. So I give up, I'm hopelessly behind, about a thousand posts but I'm busy the next two days so I'm sure it will be more than that.

Congratulations on all chickies and sorry about all that have been lost. If anyone would like to tell me some highlights I would love to hear them. Any more updates on the emu? Did #4 make it?

I love the chick in Barbie clothes and it didn't seem all that bothered in the picture. What breed?

@lindalouly
@Sally Sunshine

Okay now for the nitty gritty. You all know about the 113 temp spike well we had one two days ago that got as high as 109 and I caught it at 106. I don't know what's causing these except I think when it's been warm outside it has raised the house temp maybe just enough to cause them. Idk its insane and I'm amazed we have any eggs left. My incubator has always been steady as a rock never deviating more than a degree or so. Ugh.

We lost about half of our April hatch so far. Which started at 8-9 dozen eggs BC well SET ALL THE EGGS!!!!!

As some of you may remember I was sick and in a fever stupor(literally with my fever spiking) I decided to set the incubator and see how many eggs I could fit into it. So we lost about a quarter of the hatch from early quitters, eggs that were infertile and the first temp spike. Surprisingly not as many as I was expecting at first then more and more quit when I opened them it appeared that they had almost begun to cook just a bit around the air cell. Ugh all in all I think we lost over half. All but two of my buff Orpington's eggs were infertile(I checked when I pulled them) this go round apparently she isn't letting the roo breed her... Idk. I have since set some more eggs to check again.

The eggs I set on the 13th from the fridge never did anything not one of them did. They were old for hatching eggs though plus being refridgerated, so I knew it was a shot in the dark.

Well when we pulled the eggs DH2B thought we should set more so we have a staggered hatch again with some eggs set on the 16, 19-21, and the 24th, BC every silkie egg I've been getting I've been throwing in. We got down to the point where the eggs could not stand each other up so have switched all but 4 of the eggs(that were on their sides all through incubating) into modified egg cartons.

I've tried the cartons once before but the eggs were shipped and a flop. I guess I'll give it another shot.

We also added the largest chicken egg I've ever seen which I'm pretty sure is a double yolker BC DH2B wanted to just see if it would develop.

Okay so here's where my illness strikes again. My phone calendar says Monday night should be lockdown for the first set of eggs in the stagger. My incubator says I have a week left! Ugh I will never set eggs when I'm that sick again. I am thankfully well on the way to being better. I'm still exhausted and my asthma is still moderate instead of the mild-moderate it usually is but I feel more like me. Unfortunately Idk how to sort out what the heck to do about my set date dilemma. And then there's one other thing, I haven't drawn air cells until tonight so I think they look pretty good but not knowing what day the eggs are on is hard! Ugh.

I will post a couple pics of the bator and current air cell marks and please anyone with any advice I would appreciate it. Tomorrow I will also be updating about my Easter chicks! Including pics.



Not the two eggs in the bottom of the pic in the middle are at 1 week according to my phone so not in the first set of stagger. These I wrote the set date on them. Lol
How do the rest of the air cells look?

I forgot to mention when we candled the night after the last temp spike was when we really lost most of the original April hatch. It was a rough candle pulling egg after egg as you can see we're down to the two cartons and a few more eggs on their sides. From about 8 original dozen(the other dozen were the 4/13 eggs from the fridge) it was sad and frustrating BC I still don't know what caused it. We have added many more eggs since losing them a few dozen and there are now a few double stacked eggs here and there in the bator. Still I'm pulling more eggs that I think were killed by the heat. I pulled half a dozen or more tonight. After these eggs finish up I will be double checking all calibrations to be sure that I can trust the thermometer.



Without counting tonight I can't say for sure but I would guess we have a total of about 7 dozen eggs in the bator right now. Some probably aren't fertile.

I also want to point out that the huge egg on its side is a chicken egg and that the eggs next to it are air cell up instead of on their sides. Still the size different is incredible. I'm not sure which of my ladies layed it and I can't believe it wasn't bloody.

Thank you all for your help and support as always!

Oh my goodness WOMAN!!! you have some downs didntcha!! I pray the breathing is better and better with each day!! I know what it feels like not to breath well, it sucks, so sorry you go through that too! Have you tried to put insluation around your styros and then cut a box out to surround that? Or in a closet or even lower level where temps are more stable? good luck on the double

who here is hatching for their own flock and who is hatching to sell

SELL

My nanny goat gets here today!

SWEETNESS!!!! Nanny Nanny Nanny!!!! Naaaaaa Naaaaaaa Naaaa Naaa NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA pics of bubba riding yer nanny lolz

Hatch update-
Broody Number one hatched 4 of 5 silkies
Broody number two hatched 4 of 5 silkies
Broody number 3 is sitting on 7 silkies one is pipped

Both incubators on lockdown as of this morning- 8 silkies,5-german bielefelder,12 barred rock,6 lav orphingtons -SO EGGCITED- cant wait!

YAY GO BABIES!!!

Started this motley clutch on April 10th.

WELCOME TO THE THREAD AND BYC!!!! Great looking eggs!!!

 

[CherriesBrood]

Wow 450 posts since I was last here!
Eggs go on lockdown in 2 days!

 

[billiejw89]

So Sweet!! CJ

Hatched most are gone this afternoon already, have 25 serama leaving tomorrow
more hatching tomorrow...
set double stacked eggs in a cooler bator today too

They are too cute!

 

[billiejw89]

Okay ladies and gents I'm a little irritated with my phone and myself right now because I just typed up q whole darned thing and my phone decided to lose it all. Including my quotes. So I give up, I'm hopelessly behind, about a thousand posts but I'm busy the next two days so I'm sure it will be more than that.

Congratulations on all chickies and sorry about all that have been lost. If anyone would like to tell me some highlights I would love to hear them. Any more updates on the emu? Did #4 make it?

I love the chick in Barbie clothes and it didn't seem all that bothered in the picture. What breed?

@lindalouly
@Sally Sunshine

Okay now for the nitty gritty. You all know about the 113 temp spike well we had one two days ago that got as high as 109 and I caught it at 106. I don't know what's causing these except I think when it's been warm outside it has raised the house temp maybe just enough to cause them. Idk its insane and I'm amazed we have any eggs left. My incubator has always been steady as a rock never deviating more than a degree or so. Ugh.

We lost about half of our April hatch so far. Which started at 8-9 dozen eggs BC well SET ALL THE EGGS!!!!!

As some of you may remember I was sick and in a fever stupor(literally with my fever spiking) I decided to set the incubator and see how many eggs I could fit into it. So we lost about a quarter of the hatch from early quitters, eggs that were infertile and the first temp spike. Surprisingly not as many as I was expecting at first then more and more quit when I opened them it appeared that they had almost begun to cook just a bit around the air cell. Ugh all in all I think we lost over half. All but two of my buff Orpington's eggs were infertile(I checked when I pulled them) this go round apparently she isn't letting the roo breed her... Idk. I have since set some more eggs to check again.

The eggs I set on the 13th from the fridge never did anything not one of them did. They were old for hatching eggs though plus being refridgerated, so I knew it was a shot in the dark.

Well when we pulled the eggs DH2B thought we should set more so we have a staggered hatch again with some eggs set on the 16, 19-21, and the 24th, BC every silkie egg I've been getting I've been throwing in. We got down to the point where the eggs could not stand each other up so have switched all but 4 of the eggs(that were on their sides all through incubating) into modified egg cartons.

I've tried the cartons once before but the eggs were shipped and a flop. I guess I'll give it another shot.

We also added the largest chicken egg I've ever seen which I'm pretty sure is a double yolker BC DH2B wanted to just see if it would develop.

Okay so here's where my illness strikes again. My phone calendar says Monday night should be lockdown for the first set of eggs in the stagger. My incubator says I have a week left! Ugh I will never set eggs when I'm that sick again. I am thankfully well on the way to being better. I'm still exhausted and my asthma is still moderate instead of the mild-moderate it usually is but I feel more like me. Unfortunately Idk how to sort out what the heck to do about my set date dilemma. And then there's one other thing, I haven't drawn air cells until tonight so I think they look pretty good but not knowing what day the eggs are on is hard! Ugh.

I will post a couple pics of the bator and current air cell marks and please anyone with any advice I would appreciate it. Tomorrow I will also be updating about my Easter chicks! Including pics.



Not the two eggs in the bottom of the pic in the middle are at 1 week according to my phone so not in the first set of stagger. These I wrote the set date on them. Lol
How do the rest of the air cells look?

I forgot to mention when we candled the night after the last temp spike was when we really lost most of the original April hatch. It was a rough candle pulling egg after egg as you can see we're down to the two cartons and a few more eggs on their sides. From about 8 original dozen(the other dozen were the 4/13 eggs from the fridge) it was sad and frustrating BC I still don't know what caused it. We have added many more eggs since losing them a few dozen and there are now a few double stacked eggs here and there in the bator. Still I'm pulling more eggs that I think were killed by the heat. I pulled half a dozen or more tonight. After these eggs finish up I will be double checking all calibrations to be sure that I can trust the thermometer.



Without counting tonight I can't say for sure but I would guess we have a total of about 7 dozen eggs in the bator right now. Some probably aren't fertile.

I also want to point out that the huge egg on its side is a chicken egg and that the eggs next to it are air cell up instead of on their sides. Still the size different is incredible. I'm not sure which of my ladies layed it and I can't believe it wasn't bloody.

Thank you all for your help and support as always!

I am not sure what breed it is. Some sort of brown egg layer. I think she really liked that outfit haha

 

[Sueg4332]

at
Quote: I ;love those FBPP at Foods for less here in California you can buy pepproni pizza french bread both halves for $3.47 I just love them. I add green onion and bell pepper
@Chaos18 SET MORE EGGS 2 1/2 dozen CLB someone didn't pick up OLDER eggs see if any hatch in the Dickie. 18 partridge brahmas, 3 wheaten marans, 3 wh marans
have chicks hatching every weekend until these are done.
These broodies are driving me crazy.
I must unplug the bators after these.

 

[chantelhatt]

checked nest today with the two hens and we have a pip and the incubator eggs will be going into lock down tonight !!!!!!

 

[IHeartPoultry]

I am finally setting 3 eggs from my grandfathers flock today!

Now that he has a breeding rooster and quite a few hens.... that means he has lots of fertile eggs... **EVIL LAUGHS**