The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[Wax Myrtle]

take pictures or video and then view them

I took your idea and I'm going to run with it. Going to try taking a couple photos and then upping the contrast, maybe even finding edges. Thanks!

Don't be too hard on yourself. That Easter Egger photo is fairly dark to begin with. I let the light come through a bit on the top on purpose to show more of the blue coloring and air sack rather than veining & embryo. Also, it helps to take your eggs into a completely dark room. I shut myself in my pantry so it's pitch black. Use a bright light and even a homemade candler with foil helps if you need it. If you block out all the escaping light it makes it easier to see.

Thanks! I have a bathroom with no windows, but I'm terrified to carry eggs that far. Lol Candling tonight after dark - I'm beginning to get excited!

Okay now the weather is really making me upset. Went to check temp and this popped up Winter storm warning.....Remains in effect from Sunday afternoon though Monday afternoon.... accumulations of 4 to 8 inches of snow HELLO it is spring not winter, and I thought if March comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb

What the heck. The ground hog said early spring, he's not to reliable, now is he. This can't be good, I have a bad feeling it is going to go like this temp. wise 40 42 44 48......90

This made me laugh so hard because so often this is exactly how it goes!

Ughhhhh today is a bad day. Took a break from the funny post thread to go do chicken chores. Went up to the barn first where I have 4 new cochins in quarantene to find one of the chickens flat out missing. There were a few feathers around but no other signs of a bird. I can't find where any critter could get thru except a spot in the fence way up high, but how could they have carried a bird out thru there? A beautiful white cochin. So bummed. So then decided for the safety of those three birds that I would move them to my cochin pen. Got down there to find my one lone frizzle bantam huddled up on the ground unresponsive but alive. So now I am worried that I am exposing the new, traumatized but healthy in appearance chickens to something in my cochin pen??? Brought the frizzle inside where she is laying on a heating pad. Can't get her to eat or drink. Can see her breathing but thats it. Only opened her eyes once. Tryed to get her to swallow some antibiotic, but had to pry her mouth open and can't get her to swallow. Hopefully after she warms up some she will atleast be a bit more responsive. Never mind, just turned to look at her and she is laying her head off to the side, went over to check and she had passed. Bummer...what a day. Think I will go try and cheer myself up on the funny post contest thread.

So sorry to hear this. I've just lost my best Salmon Faverolles pullet this same way yesterday.

My buff brahma died today. went out and she was lying upside down under the roosts, as though she passed and fell off.

Aw, I'm so sorry!

[COLOR=FF0000]ENDED![/COLOR]​

Random Funny Posting Contest​

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POST 1500 WINNER! Hatching Eggs 6+ Blue/Gold Partridge Brahma [COLOR=008080]Sally Sunshine[/COLOR] GARDENINGMAMA! GARDENINGMAMA Hatching Eggs 6+ Blue/Gold Partridge Brahma [SIZE=10pt][COLOR=008080]Sally Sunshine[/COLOR][/SIZE]

1. [COLOR=FF0000]EPetrilli[/COLOR] POST 1286 Hatching Eggs 6+ Blue Barred Rock eggs [COLOR=008080]brookhavens[/COLOR]
2. [COLOR=FF0000]QuirkySue[/COLOR] POST 1173 Hatching Eggs 6+ [COLOR=333333]Ancona[/COLOR] Duck [COLOR=008080]sarasweatman[/COLOR]
3. [COLOR=FF0000]Gardengirl73[/COLOR] POST 1226 Hatching Eggs 10+ Bantam Langshun [COLOR=008080]wolftracks[/COLOR]
4. [COLOR=FF0000]mommachick1[/COLOR] POST 945 Hatching Eggs 4+ [COLOR=333333]Muscovy[/COLOR] [COLOR=008080]delisha[/COLOR]
5. [COLOR=FF0000]Maah[/COLOR] POST 65 Hatching Eggs 6+ OE eggs [COLOR=008080]mstricer[/COLOR]
6. [COLOR=FF0000]Breshcandra[/COLOR] POST 1477 Hatching Eggs 12+ Egg Layers + Bonus Coturnix Quail [COLOR=008080]patrickschick[/COLOR]
7. [COLOR=FF0000]wildriverswolf90[/COLOR] POST 1232 Hatching Eggs 18 Mix egg layers [COLOR=008080]wingstone[/COLOR]
8. [COLOR=FF0000]gardeningmama[/COLOR] POST 50 Homemade Chicken Lovers Basket [COLOR=008080]EPetrilli[/COLOR]
9. [COLOR=FF0000]cuppycake[/COLOR] POST 1083 The Complete Chicken: An Entertaining History of Chickens [Hardcover] [COLOR=008080]Anonymous[/COLOR]
10. [COLOR=FF0000]MNfarmgirl[/COLOR] POST 121 Golden Feather Membership [COLOR=008080]BYC[/COLOR]
11. [COLOR=FF0000]mstricer[/COLOR] POST 458 Weigh scale & a super led flashlight for candling [COLOR=008080]ozexpat[/COLOR]
12. [COLOR=FF0000]Cynthia12[/COLOR] POST 3 Country Rooster Coffee Mug [COLOR=008080]tadpole98[/COLOR]
13. [COLOR=FF0000]mstricer[/COLOR] POST 383 Chicken Addict Mug [COLOR=008080]gardeningmama[/COLOR]
14. [COLOR=FF0000]Eggzausted[/COLOR] POST 596 Free-Range [COLOR=333333]Chicken[/COLOR] [COLOR=333333]Gardens[/COLOR] [Paperback] [COLOR=008080]Sally Sunshine[/COLOR] (Possible Canadian Winner)
15. [COLOR=FF0000]arcountrychick[/COLOR] POST 1413 MannaPro Egg Skelter [COLOR=008080]Anonymous[/COLOR] (Possible Canadian winner)
16. [COLOR=FF0000]Maah[/COLOR] POST 319 crocheted Chicken Pot Holder/Trivet & 2 Crocheted Egg Cozies [SIZE=8pt][COLOR=008080]mommachick1[/COLOR][/SIZE] [SIZE=8pt][COLOR=0000FF][COLOR=0066CC]https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheresasThisnThat#[/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE] [SIZE=6pt][COLOR=333333](Possible Canadian winner)[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[COLOR=FF0000]PLEASE NOTE... I WILL send out PM's tomorrow to both donators and winners so we can get prizes awarded![/COLOR] [COLOR=FF0000]CONGRATS EVERYONE![/COLOR] [COLOR=FF0000]I hope you had fun![/COLOR] [COLOR=FF0000]THANK YOUR DONATORS![/COLOR] [COLOR=FF0000]THANKS EVERYONE![/COLOR]

Congrats to all the winners!

 

[TMNfarm]

I have a question...

Prim is just about a year old BO hen. She was broody last fall and hatched and raised 7 chicks, 6 of which are cockerels. They were hatched in late November, so they are 4 months old. I put them back in the coop with the layers about 6 weeks ago and they are breeding the hens. I have seen them do their job and I have eggs developing in my incubator from them right now. I gave my other rooster away because of aggression 3 months ago, so I KNOW they fertilized these eggs... Of the 6 cockerels, 4 are still in with the layers. 1 of them is my little guy who froze his feet, so I put him in with the younger NYD chicks, and one other guy decided he wanted to live with the NYD chicks too. Every time I would let them free range, he would not go back to the coop with the rest, but hang out around the NYD coop in the barn until I finally relented and let him stay...

About 3 weeks ago, I thought Prim was missing from the coop. I looked everywhere for her and couldn't find her. My daughter finally found her, smushed INSIDE THE WALL of the coop!!! There is a piece of thin panelling type board in a corner of the coop, and it misses a stud by about 3 inches. She shoved herself in between the outside wall, the stud and that board. We pulled her out and she went right back. We pulled her out again and she ate a bit, then went right back. Every time we would go out to the coop, Prim was in the wall. No matter how many times we pulled her out, she would go right back. If I threw food near the wall, she would stick her head out from under the board (it is about 2" off the floor) and eat, but stay in there. There were no eggs in there, so she wasn't trying to sit... The other day I went out and she had managed to get herself past another stud and into a space she had no way of backing out of! I had to pull the board away from the wall and grab her by the legs and pull her out! She is a bit thin, but otherwise seems fine.

I brought her into my kennel building and put her in the brooder with my 4 week old Spitzhauben crosses. She literally ATTACKED the food! The chicks, however, were obsessed with her wattles and kept pecking at them and swarming her like those little tiny dinosaurs that killed that guy in Jurassic Park... After just a few minutes, I took her out of there and put her in her own little brooder box. She isn't broody. She digs down to the bottom of the box scratching for goodies and is usually perched on the edge of the box when I go in there... She seems perfectly content to be there.

My question is why??? Do you think she was trying to get away from being bred by the boys she raised?? The other hens didn't seem to pick on her at all. This is the same coop and the same hens she was raised with until she went broody and raised her little clutch...

 

[CowgirlHC]

Yay our setting got recorded, but I see I didn't put down my guess for how many would hatch. Is it too late for that? If so no problem, if not I'll guess 31,111

 

[acemario]

Finally did a full candling last night. I'm definitely out for best hatch rate. Not sure why but had eight early quitters (clear) out of twenty-four. One that I left in looks like it quit a few days ago but not tossing it. Temps have been steady and even looked back on the days they were collected and didn't see seriously cold weather though still winter. Can't figure why unless it's my water bottles rolling into the egg cartons when I tilt the entire incubator to turn eggs. Definitely going to secure those to side on my shipped eggs due this week.

I had the same problem! I'm a firsty, so it doesn't surprise me... But last night when I was candling, 9 of the 25 looked much more clear than the others... I'll wait til i put them in lock down and candle one last time... Here's to hoping!

And Happy Palm Sunday!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Yay our setting got recorded, but I see I didn't put down my guess for how many would hatch. Is it too late for that? If so no problem, if not I'll guess 31,111

There is a thread you can link to on the first page of this thread. All contests have links in that first post. There were 7,600ish eggs set. I think you hit the 1 digit one too many times. No worries, you still have to post your guess in that contest thread.

 

[Sueg4332]

Just got back from the post office with my chick order... but they are the wrong chicks. I have already figured it out with the hatchery and they were great and easy to work with, but I thought it would be fun if everyone guessed what they were. (although what the hatchery says they are and what i think they are is still different- so this will be a fun experiment)

brown leghorns or barnies

 

[ImpulsiveFarmer]

Quote:
Speckled Sussex... I have a dozen from Tractor Supply and they look just like this.

 

[angelobutter]

Speckled Sussex... I have a dozen from Tractor Supply and they look just like this.

neither- the hatchery doesnt sell any of those breeds.
It would be way easier to just say where i got them from but i don't want the hatchery to get a bad name for sending the wrong chicks, even though i don't care some people might view them as unprofessional or something but it is a very good hatchery.
they are obviously a sex linked breed, since there are two obvious colors but just the one breed. and by looking at the photos on the website from what breeds they raise i am sure they are either bielefelders, or rhodebars. (hatchery says bielfelders, i think rhodebars) here is a pic of rhodebar chicks- you can see why i think they are rhodebars

their picture


my chicks

 

[angelobutter]

although now that i look at the pictures side by side, the lighter chicks dont have as a distinguished stripe as my chicks do.. now i am questioning my guess lol
here are two pictures from a google search of "bielefelder" and i am thinking maybe the hatchery is right... i guess i just have to wait and see what they grow up to look like.

 

[Sueg4332]

Got our brooder ready today just need a 100w bulb and to hang the lamp better! It's a 45gallon storage container and I have equine bedding under the paper towels.


I'm stil completely on the fence whether to lay the eggs on their sides or upright for lock down? I feel like its a fateful decision. Laying on their sides seems more natural and less of a chance possible of pipping the wrong way and then dying then upright where it either up or down. If that makes sense. AHH! I just don't know.

I hatched laying the eggs are their side this last hatch (Saint Patty Hatch) I like the way it turned out. Eggs zipped beautifully. most of the eggs the cap ended back in the shell like shown in pictures. I think I am going to experiment with this hatch 1/2 laying down 1/2 in the up right position.....
I got a high 70 % of all the eggs set I don't candle.