The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[CayuseRanch]

I was bad tonight. Last night when I was heading to bed and took my last look at the incubator, I opened in and put the flashlight to the top of one of my eggs. That little chicky is a future gymnist. It was all over the place. I didn't take it out, just put the lid on and went to bed thinking, man I wish I would have video taped that for BYC. So tonight, I brought my camera home from work and of course it wasn't moving around as much, but I did video it for you. Hopefully I can get it to load. It is 13 days. How do you think it is doing development? Seems like it has a long way to go in the next 5 days before lockdown.

 

[Jessshan8]

Looks pretty darn good to me!!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote: No problem. It was a quick fix. I don't know what you were doing wrong - it was just easier to fix it for you.

2 Ameracauna are out, 2 are pipping! (with some help from the hatched chicks!)


Ameracauna Eggs Chicks Hatching pecking to get the newbe out!

Congrats!

Woot, almost time to start collecting eggs for set day.

Found the first pullet egg yesterday from my young Iowa Blue quad at POL, so maybe I'll have some eggs from the new group to incubate as well!

No Muscovy for this round, but here's one from last round! DS2 loves his duckies.








And for fun, caption this!

Adorable!

Here she is.

Be sure to take pictures of her with her chicks when they hatch. There is a contest coming for that.

I was bad tonight. Last night when I was heading to bed and took my last look at the incubator, I opened in and put the flashlight to the top of one of my eggs. That little chicky is a future gymnist. It was all over the place. I didn't take it out, just put the lid on and went to bed thinking, man I wish I would have video taped that for BYC. So tonight, I brought my camera home from work and of course it wasn't moving around as much, but I did video it for you. Hopefully I can get it to load. It is 13 days. How do you think it is doing development? Seems like it has a long way to go in the next 5 days before lockdown.

Nice! I love watching them wiggle in the eggs. Amazing that they can develop and hatch so quickly.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Contest #1 is ending March 1st. Be sure to get your guesses in!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-guess-how-many-eggs-are-going-to-be-set/0_50

 

[Razadia]

Went out to the coop after work to feed and gather eggs and heard some chirping from under my broody!

She is separated from the rest of the flock so the other hens wont push her off the nest. she is still hunkered down on the nest so not all have hatched yet. I will post pics as soon as she lets them come out to play in a day or two. She accomplished this in weather in the mid 20's to high 30's. Such a good broody! I posted a pic of her on the eggs a couple weeks ago on here.

I never have to separate my broodies from the rest of the flock. My broodies are evil and will try to kill you if you even look at them wrong.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
I have had fights over chicks, so I separate broodies and their babies for a week before integrating them with the flock. Last year (2012), I had a fight over a nestbox that resulted in a dead chick in one coop. Then, in another coop, I separated 2 broodies that hatched at the same time, but the wire was too big and a chick got through to the "wrong mama hen" (a 3 1/2 year old production red that had never been broody before vs. an exhibition quality Barred Rock) and she killed it to protect her babies.

I let them brood wherever they choose, but I try to separate them (if possible) for a week after they hatch to have some private time with their momma.

This Icelandic hen brooded 8 ft off the ground on a storage shelf, in a shavings bag. (notice she is at the roofline in the picture below) I moved her to "private" quarters, after she hatched her babies and they all did fine. This was her first time going broody at 7 months old. I have since learned to deal with (meaning redirect) Icelandic stubbornness and have her laying in a nestbox now.

Hopefully, next time she goes broody, it will be in a nestbox. Icelandics are lovely, but they break all the "rules". (hence my signature line) I had 8 broodies last year.

 

[Jessshan8]

way too funny!

 

[Brookhavens]

I calculate hatch rate as Total eggs set - Infertile then # eggs hatched/fertile eggs

So for example lets say I set 10 eggs
at 10 day candle I remove 1 because of a crack or something...I open it and check for development, no development, so minus 1
Day 18 Remove 1 for blood ring, again open it and confirm development. So do NOT minus 1.
8 eggs in lockdown, 7 hatch, open last egg and it confirms late quitter.
7 eggs hatched / 10eggs set - 1 infertile (9) =78%

To me if it is fertile it has the potential to hatch and the rest falls to me and my incubating, hatching equipment and skills.

x2

 

[Toast n Jelly]

http://www.greengardenchicken.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=20_27&product_id=118 how abou that one, for a temporary duck house to hold 3, we would let them free range.

I think that they'd prefer to have no steps.

 

[Tammy N]

Quote: can you make a list of all the numbers ? I hate math LOL