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

[PAchickenlover]

Day 19 well, I guess now it is day 20 lol. So they are right on time! e e

Perfect!

You will have pips and maybe event the first one hatched tomorrow!

I know.. He he If even half of these eggs hatch it will have been my best incubation yet. Adding the fan has made a huge difference in my opinion.

 

[PAchickenlover]

Well (yawn) I think I had better say goodnight my friends. Have to get the kids up in the morning for school.... Busses won't wait. Lol
I will update on my chicks as soon as I can in the morning. Sleep well

 

[chiqita]

They do look alike! Your boy is very pretty. My guy Ray sadly died last spring. he was 10+ and because of the American Game, he eagerly took on all who he perceived to be a threat. He did battle with feral peacocks on a daily basis and kept them out of the chicken feeders. I miss him.

I took this oppurtunity to tell mario the story of ray the undying rooster. I hope one day to have so many stories of clovis!

Oh my gosh! I may be jumping the gun, but I'm pretty sure my big blue rock has gone BROODY! Will she last 10 days or should I give her some eggs now? Can I add the rest on the 29th? Oh I'm so excited! Never hatched my own before. Buying a few! Should I put them in the incubator or let her have them. Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!! My own babies! I was looking forward to the hatch already, but now!!!!!!!

Has she set before? Is anyone competing for her nest? Broodies that dont have other hens fighting for nests do well. The more jostling the worse the eggs do.

Normally I use an auto turner and the wells in the bottom for water. But it limits my hatching. So I took out the turner, put water in a small mason jar in one corner and got some new thermometers (and placed the 'bator back in a side room instead of out in the dining area of the kitchen so it can't be disturbed like during my last hatch where it was unplugged by someone who didn't think before doing). Turning by hand is new for me, as is hatching more than 40 eggs at a time. there's still 61 in there of my original 70. Might be fewer after tonight's candle though.

Pro tip: turn the whole incubator instead of individual eggs ( unless you are doing duck or goose on the side) a 3" or higher brich or book on one side and move it 3x a day. Once a week put the eggs on the inside that get more subtle turning on the outside.

Got alot 73 eggs set . cant believe we have that many.

Set more for easter. Live chicks liive!!

I was wondering the same thing!.........

Ack! I didnt get the wondering quote and now dont remember!

[COLOR=333333]Serama are all hatched and just put in brooder, two never positioned to pip and Dead in shell[/COLOR] Serema are finiky creatures. So are silkies. [COLOR=333333] [/COLOR] [COLOR=333333]Just moved the majority of the hatch over to brooder. have a bunch remaining with pips and I did a quick candle of the no pips and looks like 4 are dead in shell after draw down [/COLOR] [COLOR=333333] [/COLOR] [COLOR=333333]Candled all eggs remaining in the cabinet bator, most of Harmonys Silkies she won are clears, I left four eggs in but they dont look good at all, nasty air cells and very odd embryos, she is a tad upset about the silkies but there are plenty of serama anyways! [/COLOR]

Silkies often stop at the last minute. I think they tend to gave bacteria in the ovaduct. I have had better results after giving them ecoli and salmonella killers. I blame the fur.

So, I'm buying a doz eggs for next week plus using my own. If my broody continues, do I use her or my still air styrofoam incubator? Or split the difference? Opinions?

See above on broodies.

I want to join! Not sure what I am setting (numbers), but I am definitely participating!

No escape!! Welcome.

I know.. He he If even half of these eggs hatch it will have been my best incubation yet. Adding the fan has made a huge difference in my opinion.

Fans are the single best thing to add! Gratz!!

 

[ronott1]

Well (yawn) I think I had better say goodnight my friends. Have to get the kids up in the morning for school.... Busses won't wait. Lol
I will update on my chicks as soon as I can in the morning.

Sleep well

Good Night!

 

[wolftracks]

1512 posts. That's how many I would have to read to catch up. YEAH!!! That ain't gonna happen!

I have eggs in lockdown and when I closed them up I noticed a pip. I'm dyes, I doing dry incubation and they aren't even due till friday, so I opened the pip a little too much and saw a closed, dry-ish beak. Tried to move it and nothing. When I went to toss all the quiters I kind of stopped when I went to toss that egg, because I thought I saw it move. Looked close and figured I was seeing things, but just on the off chance I stuck it back in the bator. A few hours later I was just sitting and thinking "I need to get that dead egg out before I contaminate the rest. Help a light over to check before I opened it and the chick is moving around in the shell. Wish I hadn't made the hole now, but maybe he'll surprise me. The membrane was really stuck when I was trying to open it to see if I lost him, but it looks nice and moist now. Still they aren't due till Friday, so I hope this early bird just hangs out and manages to survive and hatch. So glad I didn't toss him in the trash.

My AMs, Marans, and Rocks are all still holding out on laying, so still not sure what I'll be hatching. Man I hope they get to work out there. Rotten Prima Donas!

 

[gryeyes]

Sparkle, my House Silkie, has gone broody again. She has raised four, small broods of chicks for me in the past 14 months; her last brood hatched 12/31/13, a day early for the NYD Hatch-a-long. (She is a fast hatcher!)

She was broody on two infertile eggs (her own) for a week before I gave her the NYD eggs, so I am going to risk letting her brood her current single infertile egg until 3/29. I am pretty sure she will go the distance, as she is well protected and has easy access to feed and water. I also give her special, high-protein treats 'cause she's such a good momma.

I'm hopefully getting some Penedesenca eggs from Jason (Hangtown Farm) because I can just drive over there to pick 'em up - no shipping! I have plenty of fertile eggs here, which Sparkle and other broody hens have hatched to increase the size of my mostly Heinz 57 flock. It will be very cool to have another actual breed running around here.

In the semi-near future I will be setting up a couple of breeding pens. If I get a Penedesenca cockerel, that may be a breed I might focus on, along with Plymouth Barred Rocks. I had hopes for breeding Speckled Sussex, but my SS roo from LAST Easter's HAL was on the bottom of the rooster totem pole at the Ranch and was pretty badly traumatized by the Gang O' Boys.... He is in Hospice Care now in my office Infirmary.

Anyway, unless I manage to find some SS eggs somewhere, I will be incubating Penedesenca eggs. Well, Sparkle will be doing the incubating....

The geese are not setting, just laying. I don't need any more geese, but if one or more of the girls DO decide to stay on a nest, I will consider "letting" some eggs turn into goslings. I already know Caleb is a great Daddy Gander, as he co-raised 14 Cayuga ducklings before I got the three sexed goslings he now keeps as his wives.

 

[wolftracks]

Sparkle, my House Silkie, has gone broody again. She has raised four, small broods of chicks for me in the past 14 months; her last brood hatched 12/31/13, a day early for the NYD Hatch-a-long. (She is a fast hatcher!)

She was broody on two infertile eggs (her own) for a week before I gave her the NYD eggs, so I am going to risk letting her brood her current single infertile egg until 3/29. I am pretty sure she will go the distance, as she is well protected and has easy access to feed and water. I also give her special, high-protein treats 'cause she's such a good momma.

I'm hopefully getting some Penedesenca eggs from Jason (Hangtown Farm) because I can just drive over there to pick 'em up - no shipping! I have plenty of fertile eggs here, which Sparkle and other broody hens have hatched to increase the size of my mostly Heinz 57 flock. It will be very cool to have another actual breed running around here.

In the semi-near future I will be setting up a couple of breeding pens. If I get a Penedesenca cockerel, that may be a breed I might focus on, along with Plymouth Barred Rocks. I had hopes for breeding Speckled Sussex, but my SS roo from LAST Easter's HAL was on the bottom of the rooster totem pole at the Ranch and was pretty badly traumatized by the Gang O' Boys.... He is in Hospice Care now in my office Infirmary.

Anyway, unless I manage to find some SS eggs somewhere, I will be incubating Penedesenca eggs. Well, Sparkle will be doing the incubating....

The geese are not setting, just laying. I don't need any more geese, but if one or more of the girls DO decide to stay on a nest, I will consider "letting" some eggs turn into goslings. I already know Caleb is a great Daddy Gander, as he co-raised 14 Cayuga ducklings before I got the three sexed goslings he now keeps as his wives.

I think you need some AMs and maybe some Silver Penciled Rocks added to your flock.

 

[PAchickenlover]

Good morning! I have a chick out!

 

[michaelf]

Good morning! I have a chick out!

Good morning!!and congrats!!!!

 

[chickensnbees]

Good morning! I have a chick out!

CONGRATS! I love chick pics! Mine go into lock down tonight. I'm so excited! Keep the pictures coming...maybe it will help me keep my hands out of the incubator. I've been hand turning mine so leaving them alone is going to be torture!