The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[Arielle]

Quote: Several of my eggs look like that too. I cleaned a few of them, but left most of them alone. It's been incredibly muddy around here lately.

I set 43 Eggs. I can't wait!!
I set and hatched one of my own eggs that was far worse. It was solid mud, but the shell was so dark (marans), I couldn't not use it. It hatched fine along with the rest of the set. It had been laid in the mud and I couldn't pass it up.

Yup--- well worth it for a dark marans!! I wouldn;t have passed it up either. Everything is mud here. I've been shoveling up the mud . . . and someone puts it back the next day.

 

[Arielle]

Quote:

 

[Arielle]

Quote: x2

 

[CayuseRanch]

Seems like I am a day late for this but I set 41 eggs today.  I have a mix of LF bbs Orps, EEs and EE over BCM.  This is my first ever attempt at hatching.

If you don't mind I will follow along since I should just be a day later on my hatch if I have any to hatch that is.

 

not too late participants can set eggs until Monday. So join in on the fun

 

[Arielle]

Quote:
I don't worry about spelling any more either-- wy swet the small things. LOL

 

[Arielle]

I set 45 eggs. All wyandottes...blue, barred and silver laced. Not sure if the blue roo is taking care of business, but the test egg had a bullseye (to my inexperienced eye). Fingers crossed. On a related note, still waiting on the 'dottes in the other incubator to hatch. It's day 20 just rolled over to 21 and nothing. No pips. No wiggles. Nothing.

 

[Sueg4332]

I set 42 eggs in Genesis 1588 incubator (abt 1 pm EST). It's my first time using an incubator, so I'm excited! In fact, it's the incubator that was partially paid for by the Amazon.com gift card I won from the BYC article contest last year.







There were so many other eggs I had saved for hatching that I didn't have room for, after setting the incubator, I'm trying a few ways to hatch some more.

I have one broody hen - Lydia the Partridge Chantecler - that I put a few eggs under; she's been trying to go broody all week, staying in the nesting box most of the day. But, she still laid 5 eggs this week, which are now in the incubator. I have to move to her a dog crate tonight and see if she'll continue setting there.

I have 3 other hens that show signs of wanting to go broody - including Daisy the EE who hatched out two batches last year. I'm doing an experiment to see if I can help them decide it's time to go broody. I set them up in plastic dog crates with sheets over them to make it darker inside, and put the "extra" eggs that it doesn't matter if they hatch or not. We'll see if it works or not. Daisy already settled down on them, but the other two pullets aren't quite sure what to do. (Even though when they're in the nesting box, they growl, hiss & one even pecks me hard.)

As far as breeds, they'll all be "barnyard mixes".

Michael Jessie - Blue Andalusian/ Easter Egger mix


Andrew - Easter Egger Rooster (the lighting wasn't so great - he is a gorgeous rooster!)



Main two roosters: Easter Egger, Blue Andalusian/ Easter Egger mix - ran with most of the girls, but also spent the night with the other two roosters to maintain their 'friendship".
Hens that I'm hatching eggs from: Easter Egger, Red Star, Partridge Rock, Partridge Rock,Partridge Chantecler, Dominique, Blue Andalusian/Partridge Rock mix


Secondary two roosters: Freedom Ranger rooster (Big Boy raised by Daisy in July 2012) ; Golden-Laced Wyandotte - these were in the 'chicken tractor' with a few Red Stars, one Freedom Ranger pullet all week; a few days later, I added 2 RIW, 1 Blue Andalusian/Red Star pullet, 1 Dominque






Pumpkin the Freedom Ranger Rooster & Zaccheus the Golden-laced Wyandotte

And since all the roosters, except for the Freedom Ranger, has access to all the hens within the last couple weeks, there's no telling who's going to be the father of each chick! I love it being a surprise, and later trying to figure it out!

I've been looking forward to this, and I'm so excited to be hatching eggs out from my own chickens

How big the Pumpkin the Freedom Ranger Rooster ? he looks huge

 

[Arielle]

Quote: My grass is very short-- and no bugs left in the grass!!

 

[Sueg4332]

I set 51 bantam Polish, 15 Tolbunt Polish, 2 Nankins, 3 bantam Cochins, 18 Olive Eggers (89 eggs total). I am hatching in a Sportsman 1502.
Set at 1:15 PM (I wasn't home at noon)

Since the eggs aren't pretty I will show you what I'm hatching.

Bantam Polish:





Tolbunt Polish


Cochins


OE's

Nankins (our rooster went trick or treating with us)

your chickens are so beautiful. PS so are your girls....

 

[wolftracks]

Trying to break my broody FBCM. She's a hard head and will sit and wait till someone lays for her. I take eggs, she has a fit and keeps sitting. Then there's my Silver Phoenix hen. She's great at hatching, but not raising chicks. I don't have a lot of the Phoenix eggs and only 2 hens, but I'm seriously thinking I should move her and give her the Phoenix eggs and some FBCM and maybe AMs too. If I can get a little mini hoop coop up tomorrow I just might do that. The FBCM??? No way! Get out of that box!!