The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[Time-Out]

Finally got to the end! It's been quite a sad read; seems like a few people have had some losses over the weekend :-(

How's your ball of fluff holding up, Sally?

Okay now the weather is really making me upset. Went to check temp and this popped up
Winter storm warning.....Remains in effect from Sunday afternoon though Monday afternoon.... accumulations of 4 to 8 inches of snow
HELLO it is spring not winter, and I thought if March comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb

What the heck. The ground hog said early spring, he's not to reliable, now is he. This can't be good, I have a bad feeling it is going to go like this temp. wise
40 42 44 48......90

I read somewhere that Phil is only reliable 30% of the time. Sounds worse than taking a random guess!

I almost had a loss this week but fortunately she is doing well now. Is it okay to post pics? Some could be graphic to some people. It was an accident that the vet said happens rarely when the rooster breeds the hens. He cut her with his spur and each time he bred her he kept cutting her. It had made it all the way to her air sac before I found it and the only reason/way I found it was when I went to put a saddle on her because her back was looking bald. It was horrible. She will be isolated from the flock (we have a small medic house) and be on antibiotics for 14 days.

This is PS after surgery & you can't see the stitches.


Is it okay to post pics of the stitches or would it be better to make a folder on my profile if people wanted to see?

I had a hen get badly damaged too. There was a large triangular flap of skin that had been pushed right back, revealing her flesh underneath. I put some Neosporin on it daily and would massage it daily. The skin gradually moved back into place and healed over. It was pretty horrific. I put saddles on any hens that are looking even slightly worn now. Don't want to risk even a small tear going unnoticed and getting infected. They're skin isn't very thick, is it? Did it stitch ok? I did wonder if mine, at the time, would need stitches.

I opened them to check fertility, and there was no blastoderm at all. I contacted the seller, but this may turn into a paypal dispute. So depressing.

They are advertising either fertile or hatching eggs. Surely it should be an easy case to win. Fingers crossed the seller is reasonable and will offer you replacements.

Yay our setting got recorded, but I see I didn't put down my guess for how many would hatch. Is it too late for that? If so no problem, if not I'll guess 31,111

Wow! You're expecting a lot of triplets lol

Quote: I hatch eggs that were incubated upright in egg cartons and those that sit on their side during incubation get hatched on their side. I think that seems to work better.

well I had a mircale hatch today

on day 14 I candled eggs and accidently broke one(craked the shell at the top), in an effort to save the developing chick, I dampened a piece of paper towel and smoothed it over the egg, in the bator the paper towel dried slightly and stuck to the egg nicely. today day 23. the egg finally hatched and a healthy baby cochin is now chirpping away in the bator

i am amazed!

Blimey! You did well to fix that! Truly a miracle hatch.

Quote: Best advice of the year: a cup of tea

I was a bum today, accomplished only the bare minimum. I had to spend a little time on my art work after all!
I posted these on the contest thread for natural eggs. Lot's of cool pictures over there!
#1 "Ode to the 2nd Annual Cinco De Mayo Turkey Hatchalong"



Entry #2
"Easter Tree with Halloween Cat"

Amazing!

 

[Sueg4332]

Lol! Kid had it coming. Bet he thinks twice before challenging a rooster!

I had two little seabrights rooster that would do that to kids. They had my grand kids afraid to come to grandma house. Roosters had to go. These little devils just got mean. Never bothered me but love to get kids.

 

[Sueg4332]

Ahhh!!! You're a genius!

Lol! Kid had it coming. Bet he thinks twice before challenging a rooster!

I had two little seabrights rooster that would do that to kids. They had my grand kids afraid to come to grandma house. Roosters had to go. These little devils just got mean. Never bothered me but love to get kids. There is a hen over where I keep 2 of my mares She hatched out 17 or 18 chicks, she is game hen nothing gets near her babies. She hatched 15 last year and raised 15. all cats give her a wide range. I tried to get a picture of her when I went over to take a picture of this. The camera was dead. I'll try again today.

One day old filly

 

[Happy Chooks]

I had two little seabrights rooster that would do that to kids. They had my grand kids afraid to come to grandma house. Roosters had to go. These little devils just got mean. Never bothered me but love to get kids. There is a hen over where I keep 2 of my mares She hatched out 17 or 18 chicks, she is game hen nothing gets near her babies. She hatched 15 last year and raised 15. all cats give her a wide range. I tried to get a picture of her when I went over to take a picture of this. The camera was dead. I'll try again today.

One day old filly

Beautiful! Congrats!

 

[Razadia]

Morning everyone! It's official, I have two broodies! One I knew would stay on the nest and one that hatched my lovely Tally last year. Fox is about 4 or 5 years old and still lays like a champ. She has been a fantastic mother in the past, but she will try to take your arm off over her eggs. Honey didn't start laying until she was 1 1/2 years and didn't go broody until she was 2. I'm not sure how she does with chicks because I had to take them from her last year. I'm not separating them from the others because I've never had a problem in the past. I've also had two hens brood the same bunch of chicks and never lost one that way. Normally it's Fox and her sister Cream, but Cream hasn't made a move to go Broody this year.

I candled last night. 14 eggs had quit, so I have 23 eggs left out of 60. Both duck eggs are still going strong. You can see into one a little, but in the possible double yolker you can't see anything but the veins near the air cell and minimal movement. I wish I had another bator to keep it in so I can keep a very close eye on it without compromising all my other eggs.

 

[Razadia]

Quote:

Aww. So cute.

My broodies are game hens. They make fantastic mothers!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Morning everyone! It's official, I have two broodies! One I knew would stay on the nest and one that hatched my lovely Tally last year. Fox is about 4 or 5 years old and still lays like a champ. She has been a fantastic mother in the past, but she will try to take your arm off over her eggs. Honey didn't start laying until she was 1 1/2 years and didn't go broody until she was 2. I'm not sure how she does with chicks because I had to take them from her last year. I'm not separating them from the others because I've never had a problem in the past. I've also had two hens brood the same bunch of chicks and never lost one that way. Normally it's Fox and her sister Cream, but Cream hasn't made a move to go Broody this year.

I candled last night. 14 eggs had quit, so I have 23 eggs left out of 60. Both duck eggs are still going strong. You can see into one a little, but in the possible double yolker you can't see anything but the veins near the air cell and minimal movement. I wish I had another bator to keep it in so I can keep a very close eye on it without compromising all my other eggs.

Congrats on the broodies!

One of my barnevelder hens is plucking her belly, but she's not broody yet. $10 says she goes broody AFTER all my eggs hatch.

 

[Jessshan8]

Quote Cynthia 12:

Thanks for the response... Nope... Not shipped. I got them from two local dealers here close to home. The only thing that might make a difference is one of the people who was collecting eggs for me worked until 5 o clock, so he would try to collect the eggs right when he got home. He would only keep the ones that weren't cold to the touch. But they all still developed! (Most of the ones that stopped were from his flock though.) Could this be a factor? I thought so, but then thought... but hey! they still started developing! So I discounted that theory...

I would then look at the parent stock. The eggs will retain their warmth when turning the eggs thrice a day and I know that is not an issue unless the bator was open for an extended amount of time broodies will leave the nest for up to ten to 15 minutes a day to drink, feed, and defecate with no harm to the developing eggs. I suspect the underlying issue here is the parent stock that coincides with feed (nutrition), diseases, and any infestations they might have unknown to the parent stock owner. Mother nature is unforgiving in that she only lets the strongest survive and if the embryo's are compromised due to the overall health of the parents the hatch rates and survivability of the young is bismal to say the least.

 

[Wax Myrtle]

Congrats on the broodies!

One of my barnevelder hens is plucking her belly, but she's not broody yet.  $10 says she goes broody AFTER all my eggs hatch.

I have a 2yo production red that I think mey be getting broody - very, very slowly. She has yet to begin laying after her molt/winter break, but for the past month, she's been hanging out for hours in first this nestbox, then that one. No eggs, no baring skin, just hanging out. She's in the top tier of the peck order, so I doubt she's hiding. I know a little more than the guy on the street about broodies, but only a little more. Ideas?

 

[Razadia]

Quote:

I decided I'm not putting any of my eggs from the hatch under them. I won't be keeping the chicks that hatch for very long. I think I'm only keeping the ducks.