The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[Chick Li]

dead :-(




14 out of 18 eggs are still going strong!! 2 are dead :-( and the other 2 are duds. not bad for shipped eggs!

I'm glad I joined the hatch-a-long. Love all your posts and great advice given. Alas, I have two dead eggs. My number 5 egg I didn't see anything when I candled the other day and nothing today. You took great pictures Tadpole98. My number 10 egg looks just like your last egg pictured. It was moving two days ago, but now has no movement and that blood ring all the way around and a little blob just floating with two little specs in it. I am down 2 now from 18 to 16 eggs waiting to hatch between March 29 and April 2. This will be our first hatching with a homemade cooler incubator. So far I think we are doing okay. Licorice the black cochin bantam has 4 of the 18 eggs. She is doing her thing. Sitting, puffing, zen like stare, running out to poop ( my word, I didn't know that much could come out of a little bird.), eat and drink and to say a few clucks to the other hens. I added a bust bath for her this time. The first time she sat on eggs she got mites bad. Is this from her not drinking as much and getting a little drying skin and non-movement? None of the other hens in the coop had them. It took two weeks to get rid of them. This was our first battle with them. No sign of them this time. Yes!

 

[ronott1]

Quote: Thank you for the update!

Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth helps to prevent mites. Mites live in the wood and mostly feed at night. Keeping the coop free of them is important. They hide in the cracks and then march out to feed. It is not a bad idea to spray with a miticide inside the coop when you clean it.

It might also help to get the Broody to use a plastic nest box. McMurray sells mite strips that will treat the coop. http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/no_mite_strips.html

 

[CherokeeFlats]

Good Morning everyone... Finally getting around to getting on BYC today. Trying to get ready for my grandparents and my mother to visit this weekend (they are on their way from PA now). Keeping it chicken related... I got my first egg from my Silver Ameraucana hens lastnight!!! So now the question is how many will I get to set in 6 days??

Well.. off to do more cleaning!!! Have a great Friday everyone.

 

[Maah]

We are going to have a
Random Funny Posting Contest Saturday NIGHT!

Saturday, March 23rd
Refer to map below for times, I will post the thread in the morning on Saturday to allow early posting so that it’s fair to everyone that has to work or has plans for the evening, HOWEVER depending on how many posts are added I may have to up the goal from 1500 Posts! ​

Looking forward to this one. Have some funny stuff saved up.

Sally, I have crocheted some "chicken" items for Easter and a Poultry clinic. Would you accept handmade chicken items for a donation. I have handmade, crocheted "Chick Chore Mitts" which are fingerless mittens, a hen potholder, and some Egg Cozies. I could send you some pics if you would like to see them first?

They sound nice!!

Today is day 13. This is a video of one of the silkie eggs that I candled. You can see the whole chick. It's pretty amazing. The last half of the video is a little more clear. You can see it kicking it's own head! It's head is on the bottom left, body curling up the right side, and the feet are on the top left. You can even see it's little beak!

Love the video!! I watched that, and it helped to keep my hands off my eggs! I'm waiting until tomorrow to candle them again... but I love watching the chicks in the shell.

8 serama babies out and 4 to go, looks like one is gone but I would say Harmony Does it AGAIN, oh wait, I ended up with all the turning this time around! I think we need a break until next year or I get my NY eggs, wait we have brahma to set this weekend and more silkies! I need a turner in the coolerbator at this point I think.


BHEP = BETH SHIPPED PERFECTLY! proof is in the box!

Nice hatch!!! Some cute looking chicks in there.

Anyone notice that the numbers when I listed the rules show up as 1? I edited and it looks normal in edit mode! I think Si is working behind the scenes! Everything is RULE NUMBER 1

It's because each rule is just as important!!

Like when I say to DH... Rule #1, wife is always right. Rule #2, if wife is wrong, see rule #1. Every rule is rule #1. LOL

 

[noahsmom]

I have a spanking new Genesis, also going through a first time. Mine seems to do the same thing, though I don't recall seeing the same swings you're seeing. More like 99.8, 99.9, 99.8, and so on. I figure temp swings so small for such a short period have no effect on the inside of the eggs. But I have yet to make it to a live chick yet.
I also do a lot of knit and crochet. Considered also stitching up some chickeny cross stitch smalls, like bookmarks, but I may have to offer this sort of thing for another contest, maybe during another hatch along.

Well it always blinked like 99.8 then 99.9 or 99.7 then 99.8...that was normal but this is random numbers.

I lock them anytime that day.

Thank you.

Have you candled them?  I'm sorry.

Is it a still air hovabator?  If so, you want the temp at 101.5 degrees.  If it has a fan, you are good on your temp.

It is a forced air brand new hovabator genesis 1588 w the digital controls, just bought about 2months ago.

I have a new style and an old style. The old style did not have adjustments on the top--It had rockers in the bottom. I do not incubate in the new style any more. I use it as a hatcher. The old style is my backup incubator for those times when I need to incubate more the 48 I can fit into the Octagon 40.

It seems that the new style is sensitive to Humidity level. If you let it drop below 20% it starts cranking up the temperature in the incubator. Oddly, it seems to encourage more fiddling than the old style. I wonder if they had a less then optimal batch of electronic components recently?

Try keeping the humidity closer to 30%.

Hmm, that may be why the temp has gone all crazy, yesterday a couple times himidity dropped to 16 and today it did too. I did notice a temp increase. You may have figured out the deal, I'm going to contact GQF. It has done great so far and my eggs are developing and air cells look great, but this is a little worrisome.

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Wow, I missed a bunch of great stuff! Super job Ron on the recap! Very entertaining!
The baby Lambian is so cute! All the babies are adorable! Great egg vids & chicks too! Wish I could sit on butt all day to keep up with you all!

On computers - we bought a Mac desktop & iPads, then threw out the stupid laptop! Had a Sony Vaio. Had it in the shop 2x. There's a stupid little plastic piece that breaks inside the hole that connects power supply to computer. Breaks way too easily! It's not like we were playing hockey with the thing! Thought it would be useful for my hatch as an egg turner under my incubator. Nope! Loving my iPad now! Best thing ever!

Did you get the mini iPad or regular?

 

[mbmess2003]

well i probably won't be around for the funny line contest tomorrow......so this is for bad pun friday!

 

[ronott1]

well i probably won't be around for the funny line contest tomorrow......so this is for bad pun friday!

 

[loves2hatch]

OMG I'm finally caught up! Ron where were you when I started this morning? Sally, I really needed one of those pottyseat computer chairs today! who's in charge of making that and is it a prize for your saturday contest? LOL

note to self... Don't skip a day of reading ever and never ever skip 2 days.

Quote:
I love Betta's. Beautiful, and easy keeping! I preferred to give them more room than the little bubbles they sell for them at the pet stores, but definitely a wonderful starter fish. One BIG tip. keep a screened lid. They are jumpers, and do jump out! I swear one of mine had nine lives. I had a tropical fish tank that had a lid, but a cut out where the heater and filter were. That boy would jump out the opening, half dry up on the floor, I'd pick him up drop him back in and eventually he'd revive. It did finally do him in though!
I had a betta I put outside in the summer here in a small container garden pond. It had a small fountain grass in the middle. I'm pretty sure it loved it out there. I had to bring it in before winter.
I candled my eggs again on day 12. It looks like I only have 1 clear.

8 more days until I'm glued to the bator.

 

[chirpingcricket]

Except for candling, I do very well not touching the eggs/incubator. That is until lockdown. Then I am constantly hovering, panicking and fretting. I think we need a lockdown madness contest those days to keep me distracted lol

Here, Here!!!