The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[ceocka]

Just curious. When do we find out who the winner of the hatching short story is?

 

[chirpingcricket]

Tomorrow is day 18 which is lock down day, chickens normally take 21days to hatch although can hatch earlier or even a few days later. Remove the turner and bring your humidity up to 55-60% and keep it there the best you can. Some do this by wetting a sponge and placing it in or if you have an incubator with a plastic tray for adding water you can do this. Dont add to much at first, play with how much will keep your humidity at optimal levels for how long without dipping to low or getting to high. That's what I've done and is working ok now.
Also forgot to add, you can either lay the eggs down on their sides on some shelf liner or you can sit them upright with the bottoms cut out for air circulation. I have chosen to lay them on their side.

Good luck

Exciting news!

 

[Major_in_MS]

[COLOR=800080]"If only we had a holocaust cloak....."[/COLOR]

He's only mostly dead. (Great movie!)

 

[wolftracks]

WARNING: Cuteness Overload!! Cross posted






I woke up to baby Angora goats!! Meet Martha and George! We're using famous leaders in history as names, our does are Marie and Antoinette and the buck is Napoleon. Holy hell, they're adorable!

ya it is the worst thing in the world. I am currently pregnant now 38 weeks and everything looks great- which has helped a lot, but it is something that is always on my mind even years later.

How nice of the black hen to leave you fertile eggs, though. Sure wish I had that luck! I'd loooove some OEGB's. Don't care what color. Too bad I already have 14 chickens

Yeow! Good on ya! That is a hardcore workout, friend.


I knew it!

I just spent almost a week in rehab with "bubba" black cochin who turns out to be a girl too, if you remember I posted here when we first started, I cant tell her from the rest now!
Blarney showed me a great way to give therapy to a chick, if you have a tea cup that slowly tapers in the bottom you can put her in it to force her legs underneath her, just don't over or under heat her.

I will post the pics when I find them.... for now here are some links that helped me too, they are always found in the article https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

​

CHICKEN ORTHOPEDICS ~​

https://sites.google.com/a/larsencreek.com/chicken-orthopedics/leg-braces
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/72885/boot-for-curled-toes-on-3-month-old-chicken-update-w-pics
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/spraddle-leg-in-baby-chicks-what-is-it.html​

​

Curled Toes
http://www.chickenchatter.org/view_topic.php?id=2586&forum_id=30​

I have to say I have had great success with filthy eggs myself. It's less worrisome to see them covered in crud than to see that they were washed, in my opinion. The bloom is still generally intact under the grime, and its antimicrobial protection is doing what it's supposed to. I try not to send eggs like this to my customers, but I usually have a disclaimer stating that I do not wash eggs, and that the conditions may be too sloppy for me to prevent a mess. I ask that if that bothers someone, they should shop around. Hens hatch cruddy eggs, too.

That being said, I want the eggs pristine and do whatever I can to mitigate the slop. It's best to have a deep covered area so they take several steps in an area protected from poop and mud before reaching the nest...sort of space to wipe their feet. My girls have 20 gallon former saki barrels on their sides filled with hay. It works fairly well, but the Chocolate Ameraucana have a penchant for messy feet.

I think there needs to be good communication and that can help prevent disagreements...

I expected my first chick for the Easter hatch to be an Icelandic but was't expecting it out today!! First one out and drying off already!! I'm thinking that egg must have had a little extra loving at the barn for a day... LOL


We got some other new babies today too..

That's a good idea on sending a pre-paid box. ron..on your thread, have you seen anything like this yet? I got some eggs packed real well..as you can see at the first part of the year. None broken, of course!

I got some wrapped this way once.

 

[SusanRenee]

Quote:
Angora is from Angora rabbits.

Mohair is from Angora goats.

Wool is from sheep.

So nice and confusing, right?

 

[RavenWood]

First of all.... LOVE the pics... Second... My kid also has "designer genes"

my almost 6 year old has Down syndrome.=
That story is awesome...

I like that - designer genes! I have 3 children and I love them all dearly, but this kid is the absolute apple of my eye. Never a day goes by that I don't enjoy his company, love his smile and adore listening to him laugh. I could not imagine life without him exactly as he is!

Looks like he had a great time

He really did, but the Emus were definitely the highlight for him.

He looks madly in love. Future emu rancher? Beautiful chicks too.

If I get brave enough to try hatching a couple, he may very well be! Thanks for the comments on my peeps too.

Looks like you two had a blast! "Pick up chicks" That had me cracking up! He looks like he is ready to help out with the Emu's!

I still chuckle at it. Thanks everyone for the wonderful comments on my chicks, and my son.

Those emu eggs are gorgeous- I never knew they were so beautiful, almost like a dragon egg or something

Check these emu art eggs out - fantastic! https://www.google.ca/search?q=emu+...CIY7yigLXiICQCw&ved=0CDIQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=685

What a great story..too cute! I have a mentally handicapped sister, not Down..and she is so loving. I had her for a couple of years after my mom passed, then my health took a turn, and I had to place her in a home. She loves it! She gets to do more there than she did here. They do a lot with them, even have them go to work and earn some money. She is in a place that has a lot of the kids that were in her school back in the 70's. She's 47 years old.

We live quite remotely in Canada and our town has very little in the way of community living situations or programs for adults such as these. We have been very fortunate that my son is high functioning and gets on very well in social situations, but he would definitely benefit from more activities and a job if we had those types of options here.

That's a good idea on sending a pre-paid box. ron..on your thread, have you seen anything like this yet? I got some eggs packed real well..as you can see at the first part of the year. None broken, of course!

Fabulous packing job!

 

[misskeeter]

Got two from the assist.... One did the job herself after I made an external pip for her.... Took her all night to zip. She's got that tilty head back thing. I started giving her sugar water and will buy vitamins later. I couldn't find where the beak was in the Araucana egg... it passed sometime in the last two hours as I was stupidly waiting to see if it would turn at all.....

The silkie is the last one.... I was able to remove enough shell to find the beak and make an internal pip... Almost no bleeding .... It's in there gasping away right now, but the assist article said that's what happens at this step. All I can do is pray.... So that's what I'll be doing until I see veins disappear ... I have to go to work in 2.5 hrs, but ill be home on my lunch break to check her 4 hrs later.... Praying I can save her.... My two strugglers are still holding on.... Not sure if they will make it.... They look bad....

 

[Tammy N]

I am so sorry How can they be helped you mentioned Baby vitamins ? Can you use Electrolytes like Pedialite ?

 

[misskeeter]

I am so sorry How can they be helped you mentioned Baby vitamins ? Can you use Electrolytes like Pedialite ?

several people have mentioned vitamins helping. I'm headed to the store the minute I get off work today to try to find some. I saw them on Sunday when I bought food for my hens.. I had the package in my hand. I am KICKING myself now for not getting it "just in case"...

I'm also going to buy new thermometers... I'm almost positive that's what the issue was with this hatch. Last one was humidity too high... I can't win...

Crazy that my first ever hatch when I knew NOTHING...checked nothing but temp.. did amazingly well.. My two others have stunk a big one.

My buff orphingtons in my classroom were supposed to hatch yesterday. When I left at 3:30, 3 had pipped at least... hoping for better luck there. I only have one heat lamp, so I'm not quite sure what to do there either.. I know they will be fine in the incubator. Can I send them home with the secretary straight out of the incubator? It would be about a 20 min drive for her to get them to her house under a heat lamp...

 

[misskeeter]

Okay... Chicken in a cup... The other struggler just lays on its tummy unable to stand.... Leg brace of some kind?

How do I help the one who is tilting its head ALL the way back? Nothing in that orthopedics article that I can find...