The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[Sueg4332]

Getting ready to set at noon California time.... probably close to 100 eggs finally count at noon
anybody need chicks. LOL two different bloodlines Wheat Marans, two different bloodline Cuckoo Marans, Brown Leghorns, Splash Marans and Black Copper X= BLUES AND EE/ Ameraucana slp. my favorite hatch is the EEs
This a gal that said No Hatch this year. Right
1/2 the marans probably won't hatch. Any secret in hatching them?
Total count at noon per breed.
Happy Hatching
Ordered BCMs eggs but don't think they will be ready for this hatch....12 eggs

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I'm setting 24 eggs. My shipped didn't come so hopefully they were never shipped and I can have them come Easter weekend with extra dozen.

 

[angelobutter]

Ok What I am going to do is just post what i have in the incubator, what i am putting in today at 12 and i will mention what i have coming next week even if it doesn't count, just cause I am excited about them
I have 16 lf white face black spanish eggs that i set 3/1 (don't know if that was too early to count)
I am putting in 14 of my own barnyard mix today at 12 (test hatch- young rooster hope some are fertile)
and even thought they don't count I have eggs arriving monday, tuesday and wednesday- welsh harlequin ducks, silkie showgirls, olive eggers, easter eggers, ameracaunas and marans.
anyways probably only my barnyard mixes count toward the hatch a long- and i really hope some hatch - both my roosters are pretty young and very timid, plus it has been freezing here so hopefully i collected some fertile eggs that didn't get too cold. I will post a pic of the ones I am putting in today once it is noon.

 

[rarebear]

Okey Dokey...51 eggs are going into two incubators. The breeders sent extras so I am putting 10 eggs into an LG still incubator with no fan or turner. I have the eggs in eggs cartons with holes in the bottom of each cup for air circulation. To turn I will use the book under the bator sides method to tilt the eggs rather than going into the bator and turning. I have read that the water will come out of the wells when tipping the whole bator but since I am using less water I will just have to wait and see if it does run out...in that case I will put something under the eggs cartons to tip them and change every few hours. I am doing a dry 'er' hatch, maintaining about 30% this time as so many here suggested it but will go to 70% humidity at lock down. My other LG has a fan and a turner but even after the 24 hour rest of these shipped eggs I am going not turn the turner on until after 4 days to allow the air cell to settle. I am using four new Accurite therms with humidity gauges as suggested by several members. My others were all off. Keeping my fingers crossed that there are no storms and power outages common to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina this time year! I am incubating Cream Legbars, Swedish Flower Hens, Chocolate Orpingtons, Lavender Orpingtons, Barnevelders, and some beautiful project birds called Blue/Gold Partridge Brahmas.


High anxiety time! Good luck to you all!

 

[TnT Poultry]

Incubator heating up, will set 18 chicken eggs and maybe a few under a broody duck. My broody chicken gave up on me. I was hoping to set here today.;(

 

[noahsmom]

Thanks for the suggestion Egghead_Jr, but there really isn't anywhere else I can put it. I said "back bedroom" but to give you a clearer idea, our house is a smaller one story with 3 bedrooms down one hall on the west half of the house. One of these, which is across from the Master bedroom at the end of the (short) hallway, is the room the incubator is in. It is on the south west corner of the house. The only reason it is unoccupied at the moment is because of some room re-arranging after my Gpa passed away last year and we wanted to re-do the floor in this room before moving a bed and other furniture back in it. So it is currently a seed starting room, and duckling brooding room, a sick hen room, and now, a hatching room!

Not sure why the temp dips so much in it at night, perhaps if I left the door open all the way to the hallway... Anyway, I will try the space heater, and yes, it does have a thermostat. Thanks anyway for trying to help!

Yes, leave the door open to this bedroom at all times. We have sort of the same kind of set up in our own home and I notice that if the door is closed the temp dips some, but if I leave it open at all times the temp is staying steady as well as humidity. We've thought about a space heater as well if the temp really drops, but I have yet to go below 99 degrees only just to 99.2 or so at times.

 

[DragonOxeWeasel]

Hey guys!
I have 6 olive-egger eggs and 3 Cream Legbar eggs of mine ready to set today.

I also have 11 Cream Legbar eggs that were shipped to me. When I checked the air-cells yesterday only 3 were nice and intact. I checked 4 of the ones that were loose just now and 1 of those had somewhat reattached. What would you seasoned hatchers do?? Wait another day, start my other eggs and add the rest tomorrow, or start them without the turner on?

 

[ImpulsiveFarmer]

I was driving home from the feed mill and I looked at the clock and saw it was 11. For the life of me I couldn't remember what was supposed to do at noon and then it hit me. DUH I need to set my eggs!


I can't believe I almost forgot!

 

[noahsmom]

Everything is going good so far, temp staying steady and humidity is staying around 20-25%, I haven't added any water and don't plan to until lock down time. Just 4 more days until our first candling. I will admit I did maybe just open up the bator and check a few eggs quickly... Air cells are developing nicely in all the eggs I checked, only checked around 6 a couple of each - Temp went back up to normal with in just a minute, I really like my incubator. Will post my candling results this wednesday night when I candle. So excited for everyone!!!! Just 30 more minutes and it will be noon.

So nerve wracking to think in just a few feeks we will be official chicken owners!

 

[ImpulsiveFarmer]

I have a dozen barnyard mixes from our Mennonite friend up the road. These eggs and the ones I already have in the bator are going to him once they hatch.