The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[Shellz]

I have a quick question off topic for a sec sorry. I read a few of you who do maple syrup. Ive been wanting to try it for some time and my DH bought me a tap and a bucket so we went outside and found what we think may be a maple tree and tapped it and clear water like fliud immediatley began to flow. I read maple sap looks similar to water. Do all trees have clear sap like that or are we correct that we tapped a maple? Im a wicked newbie with maple trees but thought it couldnt hurt to try. I LOVE REAL MAPLE SYRUP! Any tips would be great

Can you post a pic of the tree? I can tell by the bark in most cases.

 

[Roxannemc]

Sally Is this what we need to do? Now i dont have to take the OTHER eggs out do i?
The hatch along eggs are the green carton at the bottom and the yellow on the right and 2 of the eggs laying on the floor of the bator. Bottom 2 i think,.Should be marked LO, LB or 2 are GLB

 

[Sally Sunshine]

We got baby goats today!! Taffy is one of our nubians and had quads!! Three made it and are looking good... First babies of the year so Spring must be here!! We have more goats and pigs to come and of course just a few chickens and turkeys.. LOL

They dont exist until we see pics!!! CONGRATS!!!!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Contest #8
2013 Easter Hatch-a-long



"Flapper Contest!"

Post your best Fowl Flapping in action!
All fowl flappers accepted, NO Staging photos, birds must be on their feet!
No more than 3 entries per contestant!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/752768/2013-easter-hatch-a-long-contest-8-flapper-contest​

 

[Cynthia12]

They dont exist until we see pics!!! CONGRATS!!!!

I agree BIRDGUY..pictures! Did you post them on the Utah thread..you know we all like goat pictures there as well. blu would love to see them.

Ooops! Asked too soon! They are soo cute! Four? I only see three in the picture..did you have a surprise?

 

[myfivegirls]

I have one broody hen - Lydia the Partridge Chantecler - that I put a few eggs under; she's been trying to go broody all week, staying in the nesting box most of the day. But, she still laid 5 eggs this week, which are now in the incubator. I have to move to her a dog crate tonight and see if she'll continue setting there.

I have 3 other hens that show signs of wanting to go broody - including Daisy the EE who hatched out two batches last year. I'm doing an experiment to see if I can help them decide it's time to go broody. I set them up in plastic dog crates with sheets over them to make it darker inside, and put the "extra" eggs that it doesn't matter if they hatch or not. We'll see if it works or not. Daisy already settled down on them, but the other two pullets aren't quite sure what to do. (Even though when they're in the nesting box, they growl, hiss & one even pecks me hard.)

Moriah the Dominque wasn't convinced to go broody, as I found her scratching through the litter in the dog crate and had buried a few eggs. I let her go back in with the rest of the flock.
So, I put Alix the Black Sex Link who brooded one clutch last July in that crate, to try her. She hasn't show any broody signs, but it's worth a shot.

I think Daisy the EE is seriously considering setting on those eggs, as she's now clucking, growling and puffing up her feathers. She even went back into the dog crate (wrong one, though) after a potty/food break.

Lydia the Partridge Chantecler doesn't like the dog crate as much as the nesting box, but is sitting on the eggs because there's no other choice.

The Blue Andalusian/Partridge Rock mix pullet isn't quite sure if she wants to go broody or not. She'll growl, fluff up her feathers & peck me in the nesting box. But, she will sit on the eggs part of the time, but not constantly.



Even though I have extra eggs (34) under the possible broddy hens, I don't know if they'll stay broody. Even if all or some of them stay broody, I may not keep all the eggs that are under them now.
They're simply there to try to convince them that it's time to sit on them. They don't have to hatch them out, just become broody by the time for the incubator eggs to hatch. I'd like the incubator chicks to be hatched and raised by the broody hens, but I do have a back-up brooder if my experiment doesn't work.

So, I don't know if those extra eggs should be entered into the hatch-a-long or not.

 

[Roxannemc]

I set 45 eggs. All wyandottes...blue, barred and silver laced. Not sure if the blue roo is taking care of business, but the test egg had a bullseye (to my inexperienced eye). Fingers crossed. On a related note, still waiting on the 'dottes in the other incubator to hatch. It's day 20 just rolled over to 21 and nothing. No pips. No wiggles. Nothing.

Haha had the same.... a young roo checked an egg...a bullseye YEA! set 15...not a chick even forming..WHAT?
Found out when it rained and was muddy he has a special girl. Only one had a muddy back. He likes only her
Plus some others chase him off if he gets fresh.

Hope you have better luck.

 

[Cynthia12]

Can't wait for three weeks from now.......

CHICKS!!!!

Mahonri..how is that beautiful AZ weather? Beautiful? We are getting warmer here. I know you didn't miss the Utah weather this year for sure. I thought of you! For reals. I thought I might have to come on here and ask if we could come and stay a month until that cold cold weather passed that we were having..unreal! You would have been doing the ~ I told ya so song for sure. This had to be one of the worst winters I've seen in a long time. The report was that it hadn't gotten that cold since the 80's. Can't remember the exact year.
Now you will tell us all about your wonderful warm weather in AZ. When it's scorching hot out there, you may want to come and stay with us for a while...lol....

 

[TashaJD]

I would like to be part of the Hatch but I set my eggs on Wednesday the 6th. I set 26 eggs, 12 Americauna and 14 Maran.

 

[Gardeningmama]

Were you talking about my project?

LOL! Yes, I was! Love, Love those eggs.

calm down !!!!! use one of your other thermometer gauge to test new little giant . There is more than one way to skin the cat. I an't get the spell chec to work. had to use the dictionary and the print was to little for me to see. so I had to get a magify glass to see it. Golden years suck. And I cannot spell either. the old brain isn't what it use to be...
By the way love the bottle of water and thermometer idea. OZ
So glad almost caught on the post.
Happy hatch to all the addicts......LOL

Well said, and I understood every word. Who needs spell check as long as you get your point across!

shhhhhh the coolerbator hasnt been empty for ummmmm.... lets just say its due after this month!

Sure, sure! We'll see about that, LOL!

If you have ANY doubts at all, leave the egg in there until lockdown. I had 1 egg in my last hatch that looked like a blood ring, but I wasn't 100% positive, so I left it to candle later. It was viable and hatched!

I'm not aware of this.

Are you sure it was for this hatch?

I almost tossed an egg for the same reason. Thought better of it, 2 days later it was very apparent I was wrong. Also, even if 1 has it, it doesn't mean they all do. I've never had more than 1 bloodring in any given hatch.

LOL We sure could use some help with everyone coming over for help! Sometimes we just cant keep up with the hatchers that ask for help, but we do our best! Everyone is ALWAYS WELCOME in the thread! https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/704328/diary-notes-air-cell-detatched-shipped-eggs

Didn't realize it was a helping thread....Duh!

I always go straight to page one and read and re-read the article.