The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[Shellz]

metzerfarms.com did all the work, I just worked the mouse....but thank you.

I have poured over that chart for hours. I follow the links to each of the breeds they carry and read some more. Then I wonder through BYC reviews and read some more.

This next trip I am hatching some Pekins. In May I will order the Roens and Pekins from Metzer if I cant get locals. They will also sell me guinea fowl eggs as a special need,

That's what I was doing yesterday! Research! Was starting to think maybe a few geese would be good, but hubby not into building new house for them. Already have a duck house, so....more ducks it is! How many can you lock up at night in a 4X8 shed? I had 8 before, but think that may have been too tight.

I've narrowed my choices down to muscovies & welsh harlequins.

 

[Shellz]

Good morning! Or is it? Now having coffee, but its snowing! Aaaargh! Weather forecast keeps pushing the good weather further away from us! No sap will flow for the next week! Bummer! Oh well, enjoy your Sunday everybody!

 

[chicken pickin]

And I've definitely lost 11 out of the 30 fancy local eggs... Most of them are clear.... Others have nasty blood ring and obviously dead embryo....

I'm thinking I should call her and tell her that all the polish eggs developed blood rings and quit around day 6-8.... And all the Mille fluer Cochins were clear) I'd want to know if I were selling hatching eggs.... Thoughts?

I would definitely contact the seller. I always update the seller on their eggs wheather good or bad so they know what is going on with their breeders eggs ect. I have had some super awesome hatches, a hatch that barely any made it out of the shells, a hatch that had clears and blood rings and only 2 chicks hatch but then one chick died right after, oh and a chick with a crossbeak that is genetic. I always tell the seller, not because in upset in anyway but because I feel they should know what is going on within their breeding stock and eggs.

 

[Gardeningmama]

MORNING ALL!! HAPPY SUNDAY and..... HAPPY ST.PATRICK'S DAY!!!

 

[JoyfulPromise]

Watch those air sacs..they say a lot. Can't see the babies, but if the air sacs are coming along..they are good. I have some pretty dark Olive Eggs that I can't see into, but I know that they are good because I can see the air sac.

Thanks Cynthia. I didn't mark any of the air sacs, but I did weigh all the eggs at set and again last night, and I also rotated all of them last night to opposite locations in the incubator.

I did want to ask - can you go by weight for development the same as watching the air sac size, or is the weight decrease just tracking correct humidity? It looks like all the eggs were about 7% less weight right now. BTW, I am doing a dry hatch - my digital thermo/hygro shows around 26% humidity. Does this sound ok?

 

[noahsmom]

I just candled the eggs and got to see little chickies moving around.

My EE eggs have shells that are way too thick to candle, so no idea what is going on in them. But was able to candle the eggs from my Maran and the Ameraucana & Maran eggs that I bought.

Very exciting.

People think that smiley face is a joke, but half of us are really running and dancing around like this when it comes to our eggs and chicks I think! lol But congrats! I think I have candled to much throughout my hatch, I'm trying to be strong and not candle again until day 14! I do it quickly, gently and get the cover back on immediately, I don't want to large of temp drops on them.

For the most part, it does get easier. For this cockerel, he was a spare, so he was destined for the freezer anyway - BUT I certainly didn't want him to be hurt or suffer. There are the "special" ones that are the exception. A couple years ago, I lost my favorite girl (and first broody) to a bobcat. I cried for days. I tell myself that they had a great life while they were with me - and focus on the joys of those I still have.

My original hens are 4 years old now, so I'm trying to prepare myself that I will probably start losing them.

That's exactly what I tell myself when I lose any animal, we gave them the best life that we could and I believe our animals know they were loved. I STILL cry once in a great while over my first dog, she lived through some very hard times with me and my parents took her off to be shot by my uncle instead of telling me (she developed cancer), that will bother me until the day I die. She was given a great life, but what she must have been thinking holding her down and.. .
Anyway, That's great that you are keeping some hens until they pass, That is my plan to hold onto my hens and give them the best life I can until they pass as well. It's good that you can make swift decisions when you animals are in pain, I for one am a little worried about this for myself, but I think it will come with time and may be get a little easier to let go and do the right thing even if it hurts.

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE !!! have a great Sunday. Sitting here watching DIY network and drinking my coffee
If anyone has a Sam's near them try some of their brand coffee. It's members mark Columbian in a red bag.It is some of the best coffee I have tried. And the bag is really good size and less that 15 dollars. I grind my own. But you can get it ground. It is awesome.

Thanks, we just recently got a Sam's card and have been eye balling the coffee lol I'll be honest even though I go up there to buy bulk I still have a hard time paying $9654 for a bulk container of whatever. Much of it really is savings, some is not from my calculations, but its tough thinking I might spend $24 on bulk box of foam cups lol I'm cheap and I know it.

Thanks Cynthia. I didn't mark any of the air sacs, but I did weigh all the eggs at set and again last night, and I also rotated all of them last night to opposite locations in the incubator.

I did want to ask - can you go by weight for development the same as watching the air sac size, or is the weight decrease just tracking correct humidity? It looks like all the eggs were about 7% less weight right now. BTW, I am doing a dry hatch - my digital thermo/hygro shows around 26% humidity. Does this sound ok?

That sounds about right for dry hatch, Mine stays anywhere from 20% to 26% right now, although since I have had further development I'm on day 11, I've noticed my humidity isn't dipping down as low and we aren't doing anything different either. As far as egg weighing goes I'm not sure on that since I don't do it myself.

 

[uphilljill]

We did our first ever candling last night. So exciting to see the chicks developing! Thanks to all the great tip sheets on this site we actually knew what we were looking at.

Out of 37 shipped eggs, we had 7 clear, 2 definite blood rings (no veining), and 3 more possible blood rings (showing veining as well.) We're removing the obvious clears, and giving the possibles a few more days. Thrilled to have at least 25 viable eggs at this point!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I set zero.
I had two issues. I didn't get the roosters put back with the hens till a few days before set day and as of the Friday before I didn't have fertiles.
I thought I could set the ones I gathered Saturday morning but I forgot that I was teaching a chicken class all day so I just had to give up on Easter.
Good luck everybody.
I'll be setting some tomorrow though.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Thanks Cynthia. I didn't mark any of the air sacs, but I did weigh all the eggs at set and again last night, and I also rotated all of them last night to opposite locations in the incubator.

I did want to ask - can you go by weight for development the same as watching the air sac size, or is the weight decrease just tracking correct humidity? It looks like all the eggs were about 7% less weight right now. BTW, I am doing a dry hatch - my digital thermo/hygro shows around 26% humidity. Does this sound ok?

Your goal is 11-13%, optimum total weight loss, to day 18. What I don't know, as I just watch the air cells, is if this is a linear progression. As in if you lost 7% in 7 days does that mean 14% loss day 14? I would hazard a guess it is linear therefore would raise humidity. You'll want it upwards of 45-50% to slow things down and reweigh day 14. You can always stop loss of weight by finishing last 4 days with 60% if needed.

ETA: I just read a study on quail eggs, viewing data table it's clear weight loss is linear so definitely raise your humidity to slow it down.

To add a bit more...

To simplify weight loss, 0.667% per day would result in 12% day 18 (optimum but obviously not essential):

Day 7 Under 5%
Day 10 6.7%
Day 14 9.33%
Day 18 12%

 

[mstricer]

Quote: Thanks everyone.

Yes, i was very surprised when i saw his bare leg. I feel bad that I didn't see it sooner, but I probably still wouldn't have known the break was that bad. Putting him down was not easy, but it is certainly better than having him suffer.
Sorry, I had to do the same thing to, my first Barred Lavender OE project, He had a peacomb and a bearded. I don't know what happened, I went to feed the young birds and there he was in the splits and all the other birds are walking all over him like he's part of the ground. I put him alone and watch over night, Didn't work he looked like he was in pain. So my BF culled him yesterday.