The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[williab]

Ok, we set our eggs at noon, right on schedule, in our still air incubator. Had a couple empty holes in the egg turner sooo went to the coop to see if the girls had laid yet...well it would seem (and we will verify tomorrow...) that one of our black copper marans has gone broody! My question(s)...can or should we take some eggs out of the incubator to place under her? If so when? And another biggie...the boxes are pretty high off the ground sooo can we move her and the eggs to a ground level bucket with shavings?...the best place I think will be in our original little coop, but we recently put a speckled sussex pair in there thinking to get a few fertile eggs to hatch out maybe starting next week in an older incubator...should we give up on that? Or can the broody be in with the pair? I know that having momma hen raise the babies is easier...but also nervous about putting the shipped eggs under her...should we just stick to our own flock's eggs? Ugghh decisions! Help!
Eggs in the incubator
15 crested cream legbars (shipped)
15 blue laced red wyandotte (shipped)
2 marans(hen) X ameraucana(roo)
2 speckled sussex
1 ameraucana
3 easter eggers
1 buckeye(hen) X ameraucana(roo)
ok...I know the last one is odd but she is one of our laying flock in with the protector extrordinaire ameraucana so we included her egg...sooo total set =39...can't hardly wait for lockdown!!

 

[chickenpooplady]

Here goes nothing! I'm a first timer, so hoping for the best! I am setting a total of 25 eggs.
6 Marans
4 Wheaten Ameracaunas
4 Olive Eggers
and 11 California White crossed with Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, and Golden Sex Link.

And based on my mathematical calculations... I'm guessing 6,743 total eggs will be set.

Beautiful eggs!

 

[JD4570]

Well I couldn't stand it, I filled up my turner. . . . . .so I now have 42, 24 PRs and 18 RIRs. I'm so tempted to load the other bator too.

 

[hokankai]

It stopped breathing. It was malpositioned (foot by its head) and only had half the yolk absorbed.

Hey you guys, I need some advice for one of my eggs that was due today. I thought it was dead (several were), so I peeled back a pinky-tip sized hole into the air cell to look for signs of life. Well, there was a beak! The chick had pipped internally and was breathing. I quickly covered the top of the egg with a moistened paper towel and put it back. This was at around 9-10am, and the little chick is still in the egg and breathing but has not made any progress. She squirmed in the egg when I pulled the towel back once but is pretty much just chillin' out. However, since the pressure for oxygen has been taken away because of the hole in the egg...will it hatch on its own? Or will it need assisting? If I do need to assist, how far do I need to assist it and what should I let it do on its own?

Right now the air cell membrane is greyish and I have a wet paper towel over it. I add a little more warm water to the paper towel about once an hour or so. I can't really tell if there are veins or not...I don't think it's that clear. But the membrane isn't white, so I'm assuming that's good? I have no idea how long its been pipped internally for. Right now I am not too concerned because it has oxygen, is breathing, and the membrane is moist...but I'm afraid to check on it every time for fear that it has died. I do not open the incubator to check, I stick a piece of airline tubing through the vent and move the paper towel around.

Humidity in the incubator is hovering around 80% and temp is 99.1 degrees.

 

[mama2my4]

Oh my! I love this pic!!

Me too. I have some CL eggs coming and this got me excited!

 

[Crooked-Creek]

Tried to post earlier, couldn't find my post so here it is. Sorry if it post twice. We set 106 eggs total. 32 Silver laced Wyandotte, 16 Cochin, 35 Buff Orpington, 7 Black Orpington, and 16 Dominique. Good Luck

 

[Wisher1000]

Evening, Peeps!

First, I set a bit late because I had to work today.
As I was getting ready to set the eggs I had collected, I bumped a carton full of Marans eggs and knocked it over. Seven nice dark eggs lost.





So, I filled in with other barnyard mixed eggs to total 42 set at approximately 3:00pm CST.



My boys' youth group at church were having a retreat this weekend. They started with a 36 hour fast, and built houses out of cardboard to feel what it is like to be homeless. They spent the night in their houses and then went door to door collecting food for the homeless shelter. At 6:00pm, they broke fast with a huge meal at the church. I went to collect sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, and three tired boys. My youngest opened the back of the van and then came around to the front seat where I was waiting. With a level stare he asked, "Momma........why is there a chicken in the back of the car?"

Good news and bad news........

Good news is -- I have a broody to help with the hatch!
Bad news -- She nested in the luggage area in the back of the van.

Guess why I am just now posting my egg picture...............

 

[Cynthia12]

It stopped breathing. It was malpositioned (foot by its head) and only had half the yolk absorbed.

Hey you guys, I need some advice for one of my eggs that was due today. I thought it was dead (several were), so I peeled back a pinky-tip sized hole into the air cell to look for signs of life. Well, there was a beak! The chick had pipped internally and was breathing. I quickly covered the top of the egg with a moistened paper towel and put it back. This was at around 9-10am, and the little chick is still in the egg and breathing but has not made any progress. She squirmed in the egg when I pulled the towel back once but is pretty much just chillin' out. However, since the pressure for oxygen has been taken away because of the hole in the egg...will it hatch on its own? Or will it need assisting? If I do need to assist, how far do I need to assist it and what should I let it do on its own?

Right now the air cell membrane is greyish and I have a wet paper towel over it. I add a little more warm water to the paper towel about once an hour or so. I can't really tell if there are veins or not...I don't think it's that clear. But the membrane isn't white, so I'm assuming that's good? I have no idea how long its been pipped internally for. Right now I am not too concerned because it has oxygen, is breathing, and the membrane is moist...but I'm afraid to check on it every time for fear that it has died. I do not open the incubator to check, I stick a piece of airline tubing through the vent and move the paper towel around.

Humidity in the incubator is hovering around 80% and temp is 99.1 degrees.

Sorry. So close! Those are hard ones for sure.

 

[Cynthia12]

Evening, Peeps!

First, I set a bit late because I had to work today.
As I was getting ready to set the eggs I had collected, I bumped a carton full of Marans eggs and knocked it over. Seven nice dark eggs lost.





So, I filled in with other barnyard mixed eggs to total 42 set at approximately 3:00pm CST.



My boys' youth group at church were having a retreat this weekend. They started with a 36 hour fast, and built houses out of cardboard to feel what it is like to be homeless. They spent the night in their houses and then went door to door collecting food for the homeless shelter. At 6:00pm, they broke fast with a huge meal at the church. I went to collect sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, and three tired boys. My youngest opened the back of the van and then came around to the front seat where I was waiting. With a level stare he asked, "Momma........why is there a chicken in the back of the car?"

Good news and bad news........

Good news is -- I have a broody to help with the hatch!
Bad news -- She nested in the luggage area in the back of the van.

Guess why I am just now posting my egg picture...............

My goodness Wisher!! It WAS your day wasn't it? Good Grief, now, take a breath, and let those other eggs do their thing..develop!
Ok, time do a little giggle here...it is kind of funny. I wish I could have seen your son's face..then yours!

Ok, so it's more than a giggle.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

It stopped breathing. It was malpositioned (foot by its head) and only had half the yolk absorbed.

Hey you guys, I need some advice for one of my eggs that was due today. I thought it was dead (several were), so I peeled back a pinky-tip sized hole into the air cell to look for signs of life. Well, there was a beak! The chick had pipped internally and was breathing. I quickly covered the top of the egg with a moistened paper towel and put it back. This was at around 9-10am, and the little chick is still in the egg and breathing but has not made any progress. She squirmed in the egg when I pulled the towel back once but is pretty much just chillin' out. However, since the pressure for oxygen has been taken away because of the hole in the egg...will it hatch on its own? Or will it need assisting? If I do need to assist, how far do I need to assist it and what should I let it do on its own?

Right now the air cell membrane is greyish and I have a wet paper towel over it. I add a little more warm water to the paper towel about once an hour or so. I can't really tell if there are veins or not...I don't think it's that clear. But the membrane isn't white, so I'm assuming that's good? I have no idea how long its been pipped internally for. Right now I am not too concerned because it has oxygen, is breathing, and the membrane is moist...but I'm afraid to check on it every time for fear that it has died. I do not open the incubator to check, I stick a piece of airline tubing through the vent and move the paper towel around.

Humidity in the incubator is hovering around 80% and temp is 99.1 degrees.

I just had a silkie die in the shell from its feet over head too, it breathed really hard for an hour and then just passed.