Suggestions on how to keep the same kind together when hatching in the bator?

[Three Girls Farms]

I have 3 different types of eggs in my bator right now. I am on day 16 and concerned about them hatching when I am not around and do not know who is who. Could someone suggest how to keep them with their mates so they don't get mixed up?

Thank you!

 

[AwallRooster]

I have 3 different types of eggs in my bator right now.  I am on day 16 and concerned about them hatching when I am not around and do not know who is who.  Could someone suggest how to keep them with their mates so they don't get mixed up?

Thank you!

Would use a lead pencil and mark the eggs, just initial the eggs for what breed they are,as for as doing it after they hatch,your guess is as good as mine! ! lol

 

[chickencoop789]

A few days before they hatch, I would put some hardwire mesh in between the 3 kinds of eggs. It will be like dividers. When they hatch, the wont be able to get mixed up.

 

[CarolJ]

I made a cardboard divider. You have to make sure it's high enough that they can't climb over it - and I had to do a lot of taping to make it sturdy enough - but it worked for me.

 

[ejctm]

I have the same issue! Marking the eggs won't help unless you are watching each chick hatch individually.

I have resigned myself to enjoying the guessing game during the first few weeks as I try and identify which one is which breed (with the help of BYC of course!). Just an added bit of fun to the practise of raising chickens!!

 

[CarolJ]

A friend of mine uses self-sticking vet-wrap from TSC - you can get it in many different colors and patterns in the equine section of the store - cut it into short, thin strips (maybe 1 1/2 inch by 1/4 inch) - and then use it to "band" the legs of the chicks. Just wrap it around one leg - make sure it is snug enough not to fall off but not too tight - then mash it together - really press hard to make sure the sticky stuff sticks together. The wrap won't bind too tightly and it will identify the chicks. You can use cardboard as I suggested above to keep the chicks separated as they hatch - then band each breed with a different color. The vet wrap isn't as secure as a twist-tie or other banding methods. However, it is gentler for the chick.

 

[Nsampsel]

I typically try to hatch chicks that can easily be told apart together & separate ones that can't into another bator for lockdown (I'm running 4 bators with a 5th on the way). If this isn't possible, I have heard (in addition to the suggestions already made) someone suggest using women's pantyhose or knee highs to slide the eggs into at lockdown to keep them separated, They tie them in loosely with adequate "wiggle room" & just pull the chicks out when hatch completes. Another suggestion I saw was "hatching baskets." I saw people using the baskets designed for small items in the dishwasher to set eggs in & leave room for hatch with no question as to what eggs/chicks were in each basket after hatch completed.

 

[cochins1088]

For the actually hatching, Nsampsel's "hatching baskets" sound like they would work well, for after the hatch, if you are brooding them together, I usually take food color and put one drop on the back of their necks, it's harmless and stays untill they feather out. You could do one breed blue, another green, and remember, just a drop to make a little circle of color. When I only hatch one breed of chicks, I use this to idenitify males from females since you can only tell early on.

 

[Nsampsel]

For the actually hatching, Nsampsel's "hatching baskets" sound like they would work well, for after the hatch, if you are brooding them together, I usually take food color and put one drop on the back of their necks, it's harmless and stays untill they feather out. You could do one breed blue, another green, and remember, just a drop to make a little circle of color. When I only hatch one breed of chicks, I use this to idenitify males from females since you can only tell early on.

I use dots of nail polish on the backs of their heads for after hatch.

 

[Three Girls Farms]

Oh my gosh, thank you so much for all of your help! I definitely like the idea of those hatching baskets, I will look for those. I am at day 19 now so I am not sure that I will be able to get them in in time. I have Ameraucana's and Olive Eggers that I know look silimar when hatch.