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

[TeaChick]

About the Egyptians hatching with camel dung:
Maybe, they put a dish of water in their incubators just like we do now????

About cleaning the 'bator:
I used alcohol and H2O2. Not at the same time and I air dried it in between and before setting.


Cute puppies, Montana Dolphin, I'm not hatching puppies again for at least five to ten years!!! But they sure are cute!!! =)


Yay! for the emu egg!!!!!


I like the idea of setting more than one type of egg to hatch at the same time! That's exciting!!! =D

 

[ozexpat]

i clean with bleach water then with an important hatch i fumigate the bators, incubator room and eggs with formaldehyde gas - made from mixing formaldehyde and potassium permangenate

a organic vapor gas mask is required but it also kills all bugs on the eggs

 

[Corny Caleb]

Does anyone know the earliest I could wiggle check my emu eggs?

 

[ozexpat]

Does anyone know the earliest I could wiggle check my emu eggs?

in a month

seriously, i will find the link but i think thats pretty close

 

[ozexpat]

from https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/emu-hatch-2013


HOW DO I KNOW IF THERE'S A LIVE CHICK IN THERE?

There are several tests you can preform to see if that little emu egg has a live occupant
Since we can't candle the eggs we have to go by other methods to see.

the wiggle

Around day 33 or so (give or take a few days depending on incubation temperature) you may think you saw the egg move.. Chances are that your eyes weren't playing tricks on you.. but unless you know for certain that the egg is sitting on a level surface vibrations can cause it to move. So first the best thing to do is to make sure the surface the egg is sitting on it smooth and level. I like to check the eggs when I take them out to weigh them.
I set the egg on the level surface and then talk to it.. whistle or talking.. either one works. If there is a healthy live chick in there (who happens to be awake) you may see the egg wiggle from side to side. (almost as if it is wagging at you like a puppy tail). The chicks won't move every time you talk to them or even every time you remove them from the bator. So don't be discouraged if you don't see the wiggle cause the little guy will be sleeping a lot. If you do see the wiggle please don't force him to wiggle for all your friends or family members since he isn't a party trick. Sure it will be tempting, so hopefully you can catch it on video for them to see. Now don't get your hopes up too high.. even if the egg wiggles there is no guarantee that he will make it out of his shell alive. It just lets you know that, yes, right now there is a live baby emu in there!

tap testing

Around day 39 (again depending on your incubation temperature) you can start "tap testing".
What you would need is a good flat surface plus a solid piece of metal rod. I like to use a half inch spade point drill bit since it gives me the perfect tone. I have tried everything from a butter knife to metal chopsticks and i always go back to my trusty drill bit. You would have to see what you have available.
So for tap testing set the egg on a good flat surface, then lightly tap the egg and listen to the sound it makes. At day 39 it should make sort of a deep "THUNK" sound which is perfectly normal. As the chick nears the hatch date that "THUNK" will change to a higher pitch "TINK" (almost like tapping fine china). The change in sound is definite.. and its a sound you won't confuse with the deep "THUNK". What it tells you is that the membrane has begun to pull away from the inside of the shell. It DOES NOT guarantee that the chick is alive since a rotten egg will also have the membrane pulling away from the inside and will give you the same high pitched "TINK" sound. But if the chick is alive it will tell you that hatch should happen within the next couple of days.

cool testing

Cool testing is where you remove the egg from the incubator and let it sit at room temperature for anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. This should only be done later on in incubation since what you will be testing for is a large embryo.. one which is capable of generating some heat on it's own. When an emu egg is left out of the incubator for several minutes one of two things will happen. Either both ends of the egg will become cool to the touch (indicating no embryo) or one end will stay noticeably warmer. If one end does stay warmer then that indicates you have a LIVE emu chick developing in the egg. Again I must stress that this only works on eggs where the embryo has reached a good size and is alive since a tiny embryo won't have filled the egg enough for you to feel the temperature difference. So I would wait until at least day 35 or so and then only cool test it if you have not seen any wiggle at all or if a once wiggling egg has stopped wiggling completely.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/emu-hatch-2013

 

[CayuseRanch]

Following

You will have your work cut out for you! If your going to keep up, you might as well join in. It's like guilt by association.

I am in for this. hopefully I will be hatching some hedemora chicks, along with a mix of my flock. I will fill the hovabator, and maybe even my coolerbator with eggs...

Hedemora??? What is this? Another breed I need?

1 more day until the first egg (emu) starts the easter hatch-along incubation kick off!!!

LOLOL.

Corny...those of us waiting for the set date...you need to post regular pics here!

This is my girl...her name is Khaleesi. She is a DARLING!



And this is hubby's boy, Tank. He's a brute...biggest of all the pups. A loner. He's got that "I could care less" attitude.

Some one is a Game of Thrones fan!
I definately see the "I don't care attitude in this pic"

YAY!!!!! My Faverolles are picking up the pace on Laying again Count me in
~FancyFavie~

Fancy or anyone else with faverolles....I still need some more. I have only been able to hatch 2! I think it was just to cold. So if anyone has some, I would love to order for either this hatch, the cinco de mayo hatch or before...or maybe all three lol

THE EMU EGG HAS JUST BEEN PLACED INTO THE INCUBATOR, AT 621 GRAMS. NOW, THE WAITING GAME...

Pic....pic... lol

in a month

seriously, i will find the link but i think thats pretty close

On another note........
Took me an hour to catch up....this is going to get out of control when everyone is here, contests running or set/hatch day! Crazy! I am sure we are going to break some records this year!

 

[jtbass2756]

YAY!!!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Can I put my quail in,itonly takes 17 days then Inc chicks & guineas? Let quail get two week? Then all will be about same size!?!

Set day for quail is April 1st.

Does anyone know the earliest I could wiggle check my emu eggs?

Oh boy, looks like you're in for a looooooooooong wait on wiggling. I sense I'm going to be using that hair pulling smiley a lot for you.

 

[montain_dweller]

hedemora are a sweedish breed. Being a landrace there is no set standard color. what makes them special is their free range through winter ability. They have developed an underlayer of down, which keeps them warm through winter. This makes them one of the most cold hardy species.. it also makes them not suitable for hot environment.

 

[CayuseRanch]

hedemora are a sweedish breed. Being a landrace there is no set standard color. what makes them special is their free range through winter ability. They have developed an underlayer of down, which keeps them warm through winter. This makes them one of the most cold hardy species.. it also makes them not suitable for hot environment.

Hmmmm...so I guess they might struggle in our 114 degree summer lol Just my luck