The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[wolftracks]

@Happy Chooks
@Sally Sunshine
@anyone else who seems to work at this website haaha

I am new to this site this year and I was wondering, are contests always going on? It is AWESOME!

LET ME KNOW!

I just depends. There ARE a lot fo different types of contests though.Ya gotta stick around and you'll see more. I suggest a minimum of 10 hrs a day on BYC.

Trust me I used to be here more than that.

Join the Cinco de Mayo hatch and those contests are just starting.

 

[Happy Chooks]

[COLOR=FFA07A]@Happy Chooks[/COLOR]
[COLOR=FFA07A]@Sally Sunshine[/COLOR]
[COLOR=FFA07A]@anyone else who seems to work at this website haaha[/COLOR]

[COLOR=40E0D0]I am new to this site this year and I was wondering, are contests always going on?  It is AWESOME![/COLOR]

[COLOR=DDA0DD]LET ME KNOW![/COLOR]

They have several hatch a longs a year. also its great to check the BYC contests section of the forum on occasion. https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/15879/sponsored-content-contests-and-giveaways  Not sure what hatch-a-long is next or who will be handling them though. Glad you liked the contests!

Sally is correct. Many contests and hatchalongs throughout the year. So far, the Easter hatch has been very popular.

 

[Happy Chooks]

ok opinion needed one of the chickens that hatched has a smaller left wing she can't stay upright. has anyone had this happen should I cull her or is there a solution?

I can't see the chick well enough. Is there any issue with it's legs? How long ago did it hatch? Does it move around at all?

I'd give it vitamins for sure.

 

[noahsmom]

I noticed a difference in my Rirs wings... Most stick out from there body and are longer and then about 3 of them have feathers that lay more against the body and are more even. Above is pictures to show what I'm talking about, could this be a possible way to sex them? Probably wishful thinking lol but just really noticing it and found it interesting.

And no they are not being held by there necks, it sort of looks like that though. They are well restrained in my hands.

 

[acemario]

So, in the photo shoot, I decided to try the flash out... It scarred the little girl right onto her keester! Note to self- don't use the flash in chick photo shoots.

 

[gryeyes]

So, in the photo shoot, I decided to try the flash out... It scarred the little girl right onto her keester! Note to self- don't use the flash in chick photo shoots.

That is probably the most adorable photo I've seen in a looong time - and you KNOW there are a lot of chick photos floating around right now!

 

[RavenWood]

I have no time to catch up on this thread, but wanted to check in to see where/when we are supposed to post our hatch results. I'm still waiting on 2 Muscovy.

 

[chirpingcricket]

My hatch is done. I candled, float tested, and cracked them open today.

5 set
1 infertile
2 early deaths
2 late deaths

0% hatch rate.

One of the late deaths was a fully developed baby. It had absorbed the yolk and was in the hatching position. I think that it got shrink wrapped.

The other one looked like it got smooshed by the saddle shaped air cell. As sad as it was I am glad that I did the eggtopsy because now I know what to change for next time. I am just disappointed that there are no babies in the brooder.

Disappointing! All is not lost sense you had the courage to do the eggtopsy. Don't give up, OK?

 

[chirpingcricket]

None of mine hatched...set 12 eggs. Great to hear everybody else's chicks are doing great tho!

Yikes! Hope you'll try again.

 

[LFchixranch]

I used to have a tarantula. She was a Chilean Rose. We named her Boris after The Who's song, "Boris the Spider".


My shipped eggs came today! I had both sellers mark the box to hold & call & even left a note with the PO, but they arrived at my door this afternoon. None broken, but I just LOVE how well they follow instructions!
They are standing still now in an egg carton. I candled looking for cracks/air cells...a few had detached air cells. Most were hard to find any air cells at all. A couple looked like they may have been scrambled? I know its hard to tell, but I could swear the yolk didn't look right. We'll see.

I have a different problem tho...staggered hatch. Last week my neighbor gave me some eggs from his hen that I fell in love with, a Flarry Eye Grey. She was living in my coop for a while & her eggs are fertile by my rooster. Since they were fertile, I kept them warm in my homemade bator, but I didn't do a great job building it so it is not trustworthy. After the hatch, I moved the FEGs into the Brinsea. I expect these eggs to hatch somewhere around the 16th. In the meantime, I don't know what to do with my shipped eggs. I was going to let them sit for a couple days to hopefully reattach the air cells, but can I put them in the ECO with eggs set to hatch 10 days sooner? I would not have bought these eggs if I knew my neighbor was going to give me these eggs.

Originally Posted by yinepu


being in the fridge won't hurt them at all so long as the air cells haven't gotten too big while in storage and they have been turned a bit.. (if the air cells are too big just bump up the humidity a bit and see if it helps)

As a note:
Here's my method (I experimented for quite a while with this one before I got it to where I was happy with the results):

when I store hatching eggs I put them in a carton (styro preferred) with the pointy end down.. and put the carton of eggs in a zip loc bag (usually gallon size)

I then take a paper towel and fold it several times and soak it in oxine (listerine and water mix will also work) and add that to the bag under or next to the carton (not on top)

then I zip the bag closed and put them in the fridge.. turning the carton side to side a bit every day until I pull them from the fridge to hatch. (allowing them to come to room temp before placing in the incubator)


i can keep them viable for a minimum of 21 days that way.. but, as a note.. hatchability does start to drop if you leave them for too long.
With my own "farm fresh" eggs I can still get a good solid 90 to 100% hatch rate on eggs I store this way