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

[Chaos18]

Now that I have ducks actually developing, I have no idea (okay, I do but I'm nervous) how to incubate them.

I know others do it successfully (ducks and chickens together in same bator) but I think ducks need higher humidity......my 2 cents on the matter. Guess I will find out in a couple days if any of mine actually hatch.

 

[BantyChooks]

I know others do it successfully (ducks and chickens together in same bator) but I think ducks need higher humidity......my 2 cents on the matter. Guess I will find out in a couple days if any of mine actually hatch.

Higher? I thought they were tough to loose weight on so you kept it lower, and you just misted them to increase evaporation?
-Banti

 

[Chaos18]

Higher? I thought they were tough to loose weight on so you kept it lower, and you just misted them to increase evaporation?
-Banti

They incubate longer so have more time to lose the needed weight. Misting them increases the humidity not evaporation. Increasing the heat will increase evaporation. Ducks don't lay there eggs in the desert, they lay them by bodies of water. Hence more moisture in the air. Momma duck probably get's off the nest every now and than and goes for a swim and comes back dripping wet. Again increasing the humidity........any of that make sense?

 

[mlm Mike]

Nice looking birds!

Oh my goodness! Everyone is so busy. Everything is hatching! I love all these picture of all these chicks and ducklings and goats and other fowl. Congrats to everyone!
Cheers! A round of Chicken Electrolytes for everyone!!!!

Day 16 for the Modern Game Bantams under my broody and only 1 is left. The others have quit. She's a good broody and I have her separated so I know it's not her fault. I guess these things just happen sometimes.

Unfortunately sometimes they do just happen.

Day 17, one chick in the air cell, 3 chicks working on it. The eggs from my flock always hatch early, whether they are under a broody or in the incubator. Might have chicks out by tomorrow night!

EXTERNAL PIP!

Congratulations!

 

[banannalee]

Very timely I am trying to hatch out a lone duck egg and just went on lockdown

 

[BullChick]

I know others do it successfully (ducks and chickens together in same bator) but I think ducks need higher humidity......my 2 cents on the matter. Guess I will find out in a couple days if any of mine actually hatch.

I will be fine with that. I think.

It is the waiting part that has me concerned.

 

[Chaos18]

I will be fine with that. I think.

It is the waiting part that has me concerned.

It's just like waiting for the chicken eggs to hatch......actually you have to wait longer so it's even more better........kinda like thick caramel vs thin caramel.

 

[mlm Mike]

Well 30 chicks hatched so far. 4 pips and 4 not doing anything yet. I had 4 that were questionable at lockdown but I left them in anyway.
Heading to bed we'll see what it looks like in morning. Hopefully they will all be hatched when I wake up. I would like to get coolerbater ready for a dozen duck eggs that were given to me yesterday.

Good luck with rest!

My Pekin eggs are fertile!!! Egg after ag has not been fertile. I even incubated a dozen or so a few months ago. Nothing. I decided to try again since it's spring. The first was a clear, and I checked one of the chicken eggs. It looked odd because I'm not used to my eggs laying down for incubation. I wanted to look at a duck egg again to see if it looked funny too. Imagine my shock to see veining!! It's a good thing I did not simply toss all three!

Glad they are fertile!

6 out of 8 eggs in lockdown in the incubator

Haven't candled the 8 eggs still under my broody

Good luck!

Pile o duckies

Cute!

This has just been a terrible hatch. First the chick died partially hatched on Saturday, then the chick who hatched on Sunday died yesterday, then the one who hatched yesterday was found this morning after drowning in a 1/4 inch of water in the water bowl.

I don't want to tell my son so I hope there are chicks at TSC. If there is a yellow chick I'm getting it just so my son doesn't have to know that ours died. I just can't let him go to the basement before school.

Sorry you are having such bad luck.

Getting ready to head to work, but wanted to report in. 7 external pips this morning, so hoping to see some fuzzy butts when I come home for lunch.

Oh... and GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE!!!

Good morning everyone, i just popped in to report i have a chickie hanging out in the bator

hopefully he will have buddies before to long

Good morning! I hope more hatch soon.

 

[mlm Mike]

Very timely I am trying to hatch out a lone duck egg and just went on lockdown

Good luck!

 

[chickendreams24]

Easter hatch-a-long chick pics!!!!

The first two pics are of the EE we kept from the hatch. I'm pretty sure she's a pullet and I'm head over heels for this chickie. While flighty on the ground she's calling down and when picked up she is sweet as pie and super calm. Her Daddy is our slw roo and her Mommy is one of our EE. We're not sure which one but we're trying to recreate this little chickie poo! Her hackle feathers are the same shade of blue as her back maybe a bit darker with white edges on them. Also check out those ears!

The next pic is the MPC EE cockeral that has an attitude problem. At two days he started biting at 1 week he bit held on and tried to spur us. He has done it a few times since too. I wish he wasn't like this I would love to keep him. If he calms we still may or rehome him that being said if his aggression continues he will be grown out and sent to freezer camp. We have not handled him more than a few times to move him from the incubator to the brooder and then out to a larger brooder. The aggression does usually happen when the other chicks are upset even if it's not from us, but I've never heard of a cockeral chick acting like this so soon. Also the pic isn't the best but maybe you can tell that he has hardly any feathers at all. Only about half his wings are feathered the rest of him is just down.

This chick is the one DH2B dubbed Super Chick the first chick to hatch she(pretty sure) feathered extremely fast, twice as fast as the other chicks. Her daddy is the slw and her Mommy is an Isa Brown. She's extremely calm and easy to handle and very curious as the picture shows.

One of our three broodies and her babies.

One of our 5 speckled Sussex pullets they're really beautiful calm and easy to handle. I can't wait to see their adult feathers. We also got 5 st run white rocks, a light Brahma pullet, two brown Leghorn pullets, and two cuckoo Marans that were supposed to be sexed pullets however they gave us a cockeral at the feed store and didn't believe me when I told them as the head spot was completely different. I wish I had asked them to exchange it but oh well. We have too many cockerals again or I would be thrilled at the chance to make our own OE. We're hoping to pick up another pullet or two in May and hopefully a couple salmon faverolles pullets in May too.

 Nice looking birds! 

Thank you I added notes for each picture last night but they didn't take for some reason so here's this morning's edit.