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

[CackleJoy]

So do I count the experimental Turkey's I set on Monday? I went ahead and completely filled the bator instead of waiting until the following Monday on my chickens so now I've had to borrow an extra for hatching in... gonna be hard not to fill it too

Anyway, chickens to hatch the Monday before Easter and Turkeys to hatch the Monday after.

Also set almost 60 eggs tonight. Had to send 18 over to a friends house. And me with that empty bator...

So I called another friend who said he has one that will hold 90 and I should use it.

Wish I would have known that earlier.

Setting more eggs tomorrow - in that uber large incubator

 

[hockeydad6791]

Think I'm gonna join in. Just got done with my first hatch ever. 14 went into lock down only 7 hatched. Was going to set more Friday to try again but I'll wait cuz this seems like it's a blast. Hope I can bring up my hatch rate. I'll be incubating from my own mix. New Hampshire and red sexlink hens with a barred rock roo.

 

[mlm Mike]

Think I'm gonna join in. Just got done with my first hatch ever. 14 went into lock down only 7 hatched. Was going to set more Friday to try again but I'll wait cuz this seems like it's a blast. Hope I can bring up my hatch rate. I'll be incubating from my own mix. New Hampshire and red sexlink hens with a barred rock roo.

Welcome. Any ideas on what you think may have lowered your hatch rate on your first hatch?

 

[Reyvaughn]

Yesterday was hectic... I am not very outgoing on these threads because, well, I am just a recluse. I am going to break that pattern tonight.
I knew my turkey poults were coming in sometime in the AM yesterday. I was expecting a 6am call. I didn't get it. The night before my mother called to tell me my great grandfather wasn't doing well on Tuesday. He couldn't stand up without getting dizzy and weak. I was at his place at 8am to help him get his breakfast and pills. I stuck around and visited until almost 10:30. My great grandfather is going to be 95 in July. My great grandmother died almost 10 years ago. This man has had a stroke, heart attack two open heart surgeries, has diabetes, broke his ankle at 91 doing something with the tractor he wasn't supposed to and just finished radiation for prostate cancer. He lives alone and when he was able (up until last year) he tended a 1 acre garden, canned/froze the veges off it for himself, his youngest daughter and her daughter, he has always had at least 30 laying hens he sold eggs from, he cut, split, hauled and carried his own firewood and in his free time, he loves to bake. I mean, banana cream pie, cookies, cherry cheese cakes... really good stuff. Point is, his health is going down hill now and he hasn't been himself lately.

My mom called me to let me know my OH was calling her telling her my poults were in. I finally got out of great grandpap's (he talks your ear off) and got home to my husband telling me that the mail carrier had my poults and was delivering them. I freaked out. Um... Window down for three hours?! Who wasn't using their brains? I said I would be over for them. I told the PO the day before. I told the OH to tell them I was on my way... Well, they were all live when the mail guy picked them up. One was dead when they got here and 3 not far behind it. I lost four poults. They were so cold. I put them in the pen and tried dunking their beaks but everyone was more worried about the heat lamp - rightfully so. I think if I could have gotten 2 of the 4 to drink they would have made it. I went out an hour later and they still would not drink. Another two hours after that I finally got them to get drinks! It was a crazy poult marathon! They would run back and forth from me to the water and back!







Photo Bomb!


Another Photo Bomb!


That 'bomb' was my daughter's hand.



On top of the disappointing turkey losses (Meyer refunded me, though), I got a disappointing egg package today. I had to run to the bank and PO for boxes - then to pap's to check on him. When I got back, mail ran already. I opened the new Garmin (we are behind the times - this is our first GPS), I got myself a digital scale to weigh my egg shipments now and the quail eggs. I got these off eBay. I picked the box up and heard them rattling around. My heart sank. I unpacked the box to find the eggs flopping around freely in quail egg cartons (the plastic ones). I found 7 visibly broke and wrote her about my displeasure.

This is her reply back:
Quote:
I told her I would candle to see how many more were cracked that I could visibly see. I have a grand total of 15 damaged eggs and she is STILL insisting her packing methods are fine. Instead of rethinking her packing, she is going to get denser foam to wrap the plastic cartons in! -headdesk-


Otherwise, my day has been pretty boring. How are all of you doing?

 

[ImpulsiveFarmer]

I got my first pheasant egg! Just in time for the hatch-a-long! I'm hoping she lays another one tomorrow so I can set two. This is from a Lady Amherst female crossed with a Red Golden male. They take about 22 days to hatch so I will be setting it tomorrow a day prior to my chicken eggs.

 

[gryeyes]

Only me. Only me, I swear. This could ONLY happen to me. There I am at the Pub, secure in the knowledge I will be picking up some chicken breed eggs tomorrow I don't have in my flock. One of the other regular Pub customers is a beekeeper and a regular handyman who has, in the past, raised chickens, ducklings and doves, even says he has an old incubator in storage... We frequently chat about silkies being broody, how much easier it is when hens hatch eggs, etc.. He isn't present; this is just the backstory to this tale. He knows I am setting eggs under a silkie hen for an Easter HAL. One of the owners of the Pub - Ian - lives next to my Thistle Dew Ranch property. The beekeeper lives on Ian's property in a fifth wheel trailer. Another regular arrives, announcing Ian has hit and killed a wild turkey on the road, Ian and the beekeeper are considering cleaning the wild turkey carcass to cook it. A third regular hears this news and decides he will go get his knives from home and go over there to assist them (so the process is handled "right"). Laughing, he departs. A short time later, the phone rings; the server answers it, listens, says,"Yes, she's here," then brings the phone to me. It is Ian. The deceased turkey is a Jenny and she had an egg inside her. The beekeeper has told Ian it is hard-shelled enough to be a viable hatching candidate and urges him to ask ME to come rescue it, because I have a broody silkie. Ian feels this is an opportune time to have me visit his property, have a glass of wine with the three of them, and salvage the turkey egg so his tenant doesn't get his tender heart broken. (I am paraphrasing much of what these three men said in this tale...) The Jenny carcass is destined for a version of Coq au Vin. The guy with the knives opined frying would be the most appropriate cooking method. Ian and I, plus his lady friend who happened to call during the evisceration process agreed Coq Au Vin would be best. Ian will bring a small portion for me on Sunday evening, the Pub's Trivia Night (which I seldom miss). Meanwhile, the not-laid egg was being kept warm inside the beekeeper's jacket next to his body; he put the precious thing in an empty coffee can half full of turkey down before handing it over to me. And Sparkle has accepted the wild turkey egg. I may move it to a different broody hen when the planned-for Easter Hatch BCM eggs begin to hatch in three weeks....

 

[kodster]

Sorry Ty I cant help as mine isnt here yet! I pray I dont have a broken one coming!! ughhhhh


IRRITATED!!! I ordered this the same day oz told me to, and it said at first 3-5 business days, and now I go track and it said 20-25th and its the 27th and its still not here?????
This one will be getting a rating from me on Amazon!!

Hey, Sally... that's not an Amazon order. You placed the order through Amazon's system, but it's being fulfilled by a 3rd party. Who knows when it was really shipped, but the 3rd party. Amazon lets them know that they have a buyer, provides them the information and shipping label, as soon as the order is placed, but the 3rd party has 48 hours in which to fulfill the order and let Amazon know it's been shipped. That's why it's not accurate. Plus, it's being shipped USPS... we ALL know USPS is notorious for not updating their website with accurate tracking information. Third party orders don't go out anything BUT USPS, unless it's a major company who uses UPS or FedEx as a general practice for their own regular customers.

Sorry to have to tell you that, but that's the truth. I used to work in Amazon's Customer Service, so I know how it works.

 

[Noncentzter]

Only me. Only me, I swear. This could ONLY happen to me.

And Sparkle has accepted the wild turkey egg. I may move it to a different broody hen when the planned-for Easter Hatch BCM eggs begin to hatch in three weeks....

Cool, this is one story I really hope ends well...congrats Linda!!

 

[hockeydad6791]

Welcome. Any ideas on what you think may have lowered your hatch rate on your first hatch?

I think I had the temp a little high as the hatch was 2 days early. Im using a Still air LG. I read for still air temps should be 101 to 103 so I kept it at 102. No real temp spikes so don't think that was an issue. The humidity level was was around 40% during incubation. Then for lock down I raised it to 71% but 5 hatched the next day and 2 the following day and nothing for the next 4 days. Any ideas?

 

[mlm Mike]

Yesterday was hectic... I am not very outgoing on these threads because, well, I am just a recluse. I am going to break that pattern tonight.
I knew my turkey poults were coming in sometime in the AM yesterday. I was expecting a 6am call. I didn't get it. The night before my mother called to tell me my great grandfather wasn't doing well on Tuesday. He couldn't stand up without getting dizzy and weak. I was at his place at 8am to help him get his breakfast and pills. I stuck around and visited until almost 10:30. My great grandfather is going to be 95 in July. My great grandmother died almost 10 years ago. This man has had a stroke, heart attack two open heart surgeries, has diabetes, broke his ankle at 91 doing something with the tractor he wasn't supposed to and just finished radiation for prostate cancer. He lives alone and when he was able (up until last year) he tended a 1 acre garden, canned/froze the veges off it for himself, his youngest daughter and her daughter, he has always had at least 30 laying hens he sold eggs from, he cut, split, hauled and carried his own firewood and in his free time, he loves to bake. I mean, banana cream pie, cookies, cherry cheese cakes... really good stuff. Point is, his health is going down hill now and he hasn't been himself lately.

My mom called me to let me know my OH was calling her telling her my poults were in. I finally got out of great grandpap's (he talks your ear off) and got home to my husband telling me that the mail carrier had my poults and was delivering them. I freaked out. Um... Window down for three hours?! Who wasn't using their brains? I said I would be over for them. I told the PO the day before. I told the OH to tell them I was on my way... Well, they were all live when the mail guy picked them up. One was dead when they got here and 3 not far behind it. I lost four poults. They were so cold. I put them in the pen and tried dunking their beaks but everyone was more worried about the heat lamp - rightfully so. I think if I could have gotten 2 of the 4 to drink they would have made it. I went out an hour later and they still would not drink. Another two hours after that I finally got them to get drinks! It was a crazy poult marathon! They would run back and forth from me to the water and back!







Photo Bomb!


Another Photo Bomb!


That 'bomb' was my daughter's hand.



On top of the disappointing turkey losses (Meyer refunded me, though), I got a disappointing egg package today. I had to run to the bank and PO for boxes - then to pap's to check on him. When I got back, mail ran already. I opened the new Garmin (we are behind the times - this is our first GPS), I got myself a digital scale to weigh my egg shipments now and the quail eggs. I got these off eBay. I picked the box up and heard them rattling around. My heart sank. I unpacked the box to find the eggs flopping around freely in quail egg cartons (the plastic ones). I found 7 visibly broke and wrote her about my displeasure.

This is her reply back:

I told her I would candle to see how many more were cracked that I could visibly see. I have a grand total of 15 damaged eggs and she is STILL insisting her packing methods are fine. Instead of rethinking her packing, she is going to get denser foam to wrap the plastic cartons in! -headdesk-


Otherwise, my day has been pretty boring. How are all of you doing?

Oh, I'm so sorry this is happening to you. It's unclear to me if she is offering to ship you an additional dozen eggs for free, or expects you to pay shipping and her material cost.