The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[wolftracks]

I sold most of my breeders last month, but some of my younger ones are laying now. Just not very many yet. I just had a bunch hatch 2 days ago. I forgot about them and I had quail all over the place. Had to scoop them all out of racls in the Sportsman. But I'm getting a couple here and their, so I'll be setting some Cots too.


OK speaking of quail. I've been trying to load a pic of an egg I found from a Marans. It was cracked and sitting right next to another egg in the same spot on the patio. My girls will only use 2 of the nest boxes, so instead of just using an empty one with clean fluffy shavings, they fight and even poop on eachother to get in one of those 2 boxes. One has the hen that is trying to collect eggs to hatch for herself. So, when the higher ups are in or waiting for a box, these goofy girls will lay in the dirt, on a brick, on the patio!!! Where ever. I'm trying to get this darn pic to load, but don't think it's going to happen. Anyway, it's the size of a Coturnix egg! I couldn't figure out what it was then picked it up and though, man that's a dark quail egg, but the quail are penned!



OH I did it! It was a perfect little egg, other then them cracking it.

Well now I know for sure. Fart egg! I'd never seen one before. LOL

 

[Sueg4332]

There is a thread on here somewhere I saw from a couple years ago - that goes through the whole process of her "twins" very interesting and they Both hatched and lived! I'll see if I can find it if your interested....

I saw that the gal was so very careful with them. I wondered if they survided . more than a few days..

Anyone out there from Australia that knows anyone with fertile quail eggs??? Who can get them in overnight?

I was going to pick up new eggs today but the people we reserved eggs with 2 weeks ago, told us today they didn't have any fertile eggs as we were driving down to go pick them up...

(not cool since it is an hour drive to their place!!

) .... /End Rant

how far is your closest neighbor with chickens, see if they have barnyard chick eggs. it would due in a pinch...

 

[Sueg4332]

Finally, got all the " chicks to be " nestled down in there prespective "bators

6 EE / OE's
7 Blue Sex links
21 Australorps



9 Aracaunas
6 Speckled Sussex
12 Blue Bantam cochins


and 3 Australorp eggs for my little broody Mille cochin !!!

64 total !!

I'm late because, I had to do some research, here on BYC. I posted earlier about the dirty eggs I recieved asking for help in deciding what to do.
You guys are sooooo willing to help. Many had good suggestions and a few pointed me to some very helpful articles.
So I decided to clean those nasty eggs. I figured what do I have to lose, I wasn't going to put them in the bator like that. So now we wait and see.

Thank you for all the advice & help. It's awesome when experienced people ( enablers ) come together to help a novice in a new hobby ( addiction )

what a great learning experience. Those were some nasty eggs.

 

[RavenWood]

Ahh, but there are SOME contests all BYCers anywhere can enter.... Regardless of location. Like mine, for instance. Don't even have to be a Hatch-a-long participant! Remember the Hen Tiara and Rooster Crown Contest I started? Prize is a full year's GFM each for the best Hen Tiara and Rooster Crown.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/752143/2013-easter-harch-a-long-create-a-chicken-tiara-contest/

I hadn't seen this one - is it on the front page, or is this a separate contest?

...and this may be the last contest where I'm not set up to export. I'm working on setting that up to be able to do both UK and Canada. That way the eggs I give as a prize can go out to more folks!

Awesome!

As a reminder, post pictures of your total eggs set for the hatch - so we can record them and get the "How many will hatch contest going". The eggs need to be set between 3/7-3/11 to qualify for this hatch.

I set most of mine today ... (aside from my muscovy and khaki X ducks which were set the 24th and 3rd respectively). Does that mean I can still enter the hatch-along? I thought I couldn't enter if I didn't set on the 9th.

I have a total of 75 eggs set of various breeds, 67 are in my incubator plus I put 8 under my broody hens. My DIY incubator isn't done yet so I had to put them all in the my Hovabator temporarily.

 

[chiques chicks]

Sure hope my ordered eggs come today, my broody wants them!

 

[cochins1088]

I keep forgetting to take a picture of my eggs..

I will try to do it first thing tomorrow morning.

I set 11 silver laced cochin bantam eggs at noon on Saturday.

 

[Sueg4332]

is it SMZ he needs? call our vet he should have some (Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim) is there a dairy or goat farm close ? they usually keep it on hand. If you were close I'd give you a few. But I am in california

 

[misskeeter]

My grass is very short-- and no bugs left in the grass!!

In the section where the hens are, there is no grass.... And also no bugs. If I could get them to be quiet, he'd probably cave... So far there's no luck. Especially when I leave in te morning or get home and don't I talk to them immediately. They are very spoiled girls!

 

[misskeeter]

Candled eggs tonight to check air cells.... Looks like I've got way more clears than I originally thought. And I've got two, maybe three, that look like quitters. WTH?

 

[myfivegirls]

Quote:

And since all the roosters, except for the Freedom Ranger, has access to all the hens within the last couple weeks, there's no telling who's going to be the father of each chick! I love it being a surprise, and later trying to figure it out!

I've been looking forward to this, and I'm so excited to be hatching eggs out from my own chickens

How big the Pumpkin the Freedom Ranger Rooster ? he looks huge

I haven't weighed him, but Pumpkin is huge! When I pick him up, he is a solid bird - it feels like he's mostly muscle. If the other roosters are 5-7 lbs (Andrew is quite small), I'd estimate he's at least 10 lbs, but he's probably more. This is the longest I've kept a Freedom Ranger - he's almost 8 months old. He was raised by Daisy the broody hen, and doesn't seem to have any problem getting around, dancing for the hens, roosting, scratching, etc. But, I don't know if any of the hens have let him mate - they mostly squawk and try to run away! His crow is the most pathetic I've heard - it sounds like a old hinge that needs some oil!

In 2011, I kept Rocky the Freedom Ranger rooster for seven months, and he looked like a small turkey when I processed him and was about 15 lbs live weight.