The 5th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[chicken pickin]

Just enormous. I put my chicken's eggs in the pocket of my hoodie in the evenings. I'd have to bring out a laundry basket to collect those eggs!!!

 

[Corny Caleb]

Just enormous. I put my chicken's eggs in the pocket of my hoodie in the evenings. I'd have to bring out a laundry basket to collect those eggs!!!

A hundred and thirty pounds?????

Wow! I'll have to find an emu thread on here and see if that's even reasonable for us.

One emu egg is the same as 10-12 chicken egg! (which is 1-2 lb each! And yes, the emu themselves they can weigh from 100-140 LB. !! They are just so cool!

 

[LadyCluck77]

I'm in, I need the practice!

Thanks everyone for coordinating all this

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I'm in!

Awesome, I will join also.

Okay. Now I'm REALLY excited for this hatch. A friend on my local thread just gifted me a breeding pair of Lav Ameracaunas!!!! Guess what's going in the bator for Easter?

How awesome is that gift!

I'll be joining. Hoping to find some showgirls to hatch.

I'm in!

Since I have to stay close to home until our hatchling arrives ( May) why not overflow the house with brooders of peeping chicks ?!?

why not! Lets do this!

here is another cool one, and see gardeningmamas comment I just quoted below.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/poulsci/tech_manuals/emu.html
Target daily weight loss = 75 g 50 days = 1.5 g/day
However, it should be remembered that weight loss is not linear because more weight is lost at the beginning and end of incubation.

Quote:
I'm going to sound stupid right now, but can you candle an egg that dark? If not then how would you be able to tell if the egg has an embryo growing in it? Or, do ya just wait and see?? This is very interesting, lol!
http://www.sybilsden.com/caresheet/emus.htm I just read as well that experienced hatchers can tap them with a metal rod and can tell if they are viable..

not sure I would do that

The infertile egg will feel loose and slush at some point during incubation. As you handle the eggs every three to four days, you should notice this situation.,
Open the incubator once a day to check for odors.


Also it says to do this Remove egg at 2 weeks incubation then Cool egg for two minutes. Feel the small end of the egg. A fertile egg will remain warm at the small end. Infertile eggs cool down faster and will be cool all over. According to Dr. Joan S. Jefferey, a veterinarian at Texas A&M extension

And HERE IS a video of the wiggle test

Oh Hurray!!!!!!

I have been waiting for this thread to appear! I definitely will be joining again this year, and hopefully will have a MUCH better hatch than last year!

At least I will be sure to properly check my thermometers the FIRST time this year! LOL!

I am actually hoping to have a broody to hatch for me this year, but if no one volunteers I will at least get some eggs started in my LG. I have three new breeding coops to hatch from this year and I am SOOOO EGG-CITED! I have Blue Barred Rocks from my prize eggs from Brookhavens from last year's Easter Hatch, Blue Copper Marans, with a few EE's thrown in for Olive Eggers, and our main coop with a Buff Orpington Rooster over 9 BO, 2 WO, 4 BA, 2 PR, 2 SLW 8 EE, and a few mixed Hens.

Thanks again to Happy Chooks, Sally Sunshine, and everyone else who helps to make these hatch-along's run smoothly!!!!

I am SOOOO looking forward to SPRING this year!!!!

LOVE Brooks BarredRocks!! I cant wait for you to hatch the babies!!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Okay. Now I'm REALLY excited for this hatch. A friend on my local thread just gifted me a breeding pair of Lav Ameracaunas!!!! Guess what's going in the bator for Easter?

That is fantastic! Congrats!

Thank you SO much for the link about hatching emus. This is my first time doing it, and I can use all the help I can get. Right now My incubator is about 96.8 degrees with 36 percent humidity. The eggs have been losing 10-20 grams of weight a week.

Emu eggs are so beautiful.

Quote: Nope, no candling.



I cared for my friends emu's while she was on vacation. Here was one waiting for the food to arrive. It (forgive me Mary for not knowing which emu is was) was crouched down, they are taller than I am, when they stand upright.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I just read that they keep the stripes for up to two years too! how cool is that! and then I was looking at feeding and nutrition requirements! NO ROOM HERE I need a farm!!!!!

 

[TeaChick]

Sounds like they're not for me either.
I can't feed them for years before getting eggs, even though one egg would cover Sunday morning b-fast for my entire family.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Sounds like they're not for me either.
I can't feed them for years before getting eggs, even though one egg would cover Sunday morning b-fast for my entire family.

ha ha ha sounds as bad as my brahma

 

[TeaChick]

ha ha ha sounds as bad as my brahma

My Frizzle Cochin Bantam isn't much better. She's almost a year old and hasn't started laying yet!!!
I'm beginning to wonder if she's a he????

 

[Happy Chooks]

I just read that they keep the stripes for up to two years too! how cool is that! and then I was looking at feeding and nutrition requirements! NO ROOM HERE I need a farm!!!!!

I know, I need a farm too - especially one with a HUGE barn!

Emu's need a lot of room to run. They are fast runners, but cannot stop quickly.