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

[Blarneyeggs]

Popping in to say hello! Been busy with the Funny Random Posting and Mini contests all day. I pray you all enjoy the night! We have chicks hatching, 2 Blue Sal Favs are already out. [COLOR=333333]My stupid springers dug under the white faced spanish gate, killed a hen and scattered everyone else all over the woods!!! Searching outside in the pricker bushes for them in the dark and here the ROO is already in the coop and four hens are on the roof! the rest are MIA probably on the house roof or the dogs ate them completely!!! ughhhhhh [/COLOR]

Now Its best for me to assume they will dig at all fencing and attempt to get under via digging!!!! I have a feeling they will end up back to a small area of my back yard instead of the back acre. more fencing! We are soon going to look like a prison when someone comes! Hoping I have time to read through the thread before bed!

Oh Sally. Sorry Chica. Hope your 4 hens are waiting at the coop door this morning.

 

[bantambury]

so.......through the daily digest I heard we were talking about bees yesterday!

(to be honest I didn't look back in the thread to where we were discussing but..)
my grandfather is a bee keeper.

of all the times I have been over to help him, I have only gotten 1 good pic.

BEES ARE GREAT! LIKE CHICKENS! hahaha

 

[retiredwithchicks]

Hatch finished, 17 new babies!"

I finally got to candle on day 11. I had 17 non starters, so have 58 still in the incubator. A few of those are not good but wanted to make sure. All the BCM mix are not fertile but didn't want to judge too soon with the dark shell. For some reason most of the buckeyes were not fertile. Guess I chose the wrong rooster for that pen. But, I did hatch 7 of those yesterday. I am going to have to get me some more white eggs layers. Those were the easiest to candle for sure. Loved seeing all the veins in the brown leghorn mixed eggs.

Now comes the decision, "am I going to hatch more or to turn the chickens back into the main house for the summer"? BTW, added 54 more in the incubator today! Guess I should call it quits.lol

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I know... I've totally had to remove oopsies where I didn't realize they had stayed on too long - and it SUCKS. LOL

I just went through all the birds from the NYD hatch. Had to replace some bands. I'll probably be processing most of the cockerels in the next couple weeks. I sold two of the pullets today. The next time I check legbands the girls will be getting their teenage numbered bandettes.

Three words. Metal Garbage Cans! I used to have a problem with mice in the shed I keep the food in..not any more with those cans!

I use one metal garbage can but mostly use 5 gallon pickle buckets and these


I haven't had any trouble with rodents - yet. I have them stacked 3 high in the brooder house. They hold about 80 pounds of feed each.
The reason I stay away from the metal is with our extremely hot and even more humid summers, the metal will sweat and mold the feed.

Just make sure if you use metal cans that they do NOT sit on cement. Even if indoors. Cement is very porous, can wick water upwards & will rust the bottoms. Put them on wood blocks off the ground.

Also, squirrels are almost too smart for metal garbage cans - put a thick rubber cord or padlock to keep it shut. They can & will knock off loose lids. Squirrels are creatures of habit & will try to get at the food if a container is in the same spot as it used to be. Even if the container is not holding food anymore..

I've been lucky with the squirrels. The place is crawling with them and they don't get into the garden, the feed or the house.

Well Guys, I'm out. From 18 eggs only 1 was fertile and growing. These are young birds, so maybe they just need more time.

I replaced them with 5 turkey eggs today so we'll see.....
Good luck with your hatches and HAPPY EASTER everyone.

Good luck with the turkey eggs.
I know people are anxious to incubate their birds eggs but it really is better to use mature roosters and wait till the eggs get beyond the pullet stage.

Fantastic picture! I need a fountain, I give my bees a water source, but they insist on drinking out of the chicken waterers.

Ditto!

Mine usually ignore the water fount I put in front of the hives.

Not too close. They can range 2-3 miles in every direction from the hive. My chicken waterers are about 300 feet or so from the hive. Their water is right next to the hive and they won't use it.

My neighbor has a pond about 100 yards or more from the hives through the woods. I imagine they've found it.

That fountain is about 50 yards away from the hive.... we also have a pool they seem to flock to... but they do have a range of 2-3+miles. I love my bees.... besides sharing their honey with me, its kinda funny watching my chickens chase the bees....

I reluctantly set up the hives right between 2 coops. I was afraid I might instigate WW III if the chickens noticed but they ignore each other - so far.

I planted a 4' X 40' bed of buckwheat about 20 feet away from the hives. It was in full bloom and the bees flew right over it. I imagined seeing the flowers covered with bees. They did visit but mostly ignored it.

Stupid question considering I have been hatching for 4 years but does it affect the eggs to be touching one another?

The jostling in the eggs is felt by the other embryos and encourages them.

I think it was @ChickenCanoe that posted link to an article that suggested that it helped them hatch.

I will not hurt to let them tough. They touch under a broody.

X2

Popping in to say hello! Been busy with the Funny Random Posting and Mini contests all day. I pray you all enjoy the night! We have chicks hatching, 2 Blue Sal Favs are already out.

My stupid springers dug under the white faced spanish gate, killed a hen and scattered everyone else all over the woods!!! Searching outside in the pricker bushes for them in the dark and here the ROO is already in the coop and four hens are on the roof! the rest are MIA probably on the house roof or the dogs ate them completely!!! ughhhhhh

Now Its best for me to assume they will dig at all fencing and attempt to get under via digging!!!! I have a feeling they will end up back to a small area of my back yard instead of the back acre. more fencing! We are soon going to look like a prison when someone comes!

Hoping I have time to read through the thread before bed!

Such a bummer.
Extending the wire outward a couple feet at the bottom of the fence just barely covered is usually enough to discourage diggers.

Maybe it's like how they suggest when you're pregnant you play music for the baby in-utero? I think it's to make them smarter. Those chicks are gonna be super smart!!

It was a weird song for chicks though.
It would be better if the tune it played sounded like a cooing setting hen.

Hey guys! Sorry I've been a slack hatch a long participant.
Thanks a bunch to @ronott1 for the digest or I'd be lost!

I can't keep up

And there it is...the lesson we all eventually learn, because it can't be taught. So sorry for the chickie!

Girl!!! That is wonderful news!!!! So happy for you both, and Polish are AWESOME!

I had to reply to this because I am sincerely humbled by the work that goes on behind the scenes with this gal. I truly don't know how she keeps it all together here on BYC as well as being a daycare provider, mother, wife, and fulltime poultry business to boot! I know today alone she started in again at 8:15 a.m. with ideas, and edits, and final drafts for the Random Posting Day. I had a headache by 7:00 p.m., and yet Sally's still going strong! Thank You Dear Lady, and I only wish all could see what you do for us on here!

I'm in awe of her, Ron and all the people that run these things.

Oh Sally. Sorry Chica. Hope your 4 hens are waiting at the coop door this morning.

X2

 

[chicken pickin]

That's good to know about the metal bins in the summer. I recently bought 2 metal type barrels with locking lids but have yet to use them. Now Im not sure what I will do with them. Hmmmm.....

 

[Blarneyeggs]

My not so good news for the day.  I am down to 17 eggs after candling tonight.  :/  I sure hope that SilkieSensations hold on!

I locked down turkey eggs from Silkiesensations (kindness of Sarasweatman) last night, 10 of 12 looked good! We haven't done the turkey thing before so I'm praying for a good outcome.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote:
you guys have given me more knowledge and support than one would ever imagine with all this chicken keeping, I give back as much as I can!
I am grateful for you all!

Oh Sally I am so sorry to hear of your bad day

I pray everyone else is located happy and well.

Thanks Ty

Hey Everyone!

I've been off for a bit, and soo busy since the weekend. I must admit I only skimmed all of the post's I missed! My update is Calls are really growing, and the exciting part is that I can see a lot of their colors now. Black&Yellows, Darks, and Lights. It really made things more exciting! I set on the 23rd so they are day 16....8 more days and they should start hatching!!!

I didnt want to confuse you too! It is all very confusing isnt it, its like... this goes to that and this that and that this and welll see it gets confusing what we are working on! HOWEVER, I think we have in fact achieved a good written plan! I sent you the almost final last night. but I think u were in bed

Okay candled tonight...

9 clear out of the 38.

Inquiring minds...

This was not originally in the "setting" candling. Does anyone know what this is? Two black dots but doesn't look like any other development.

is it on the shell or inside? could be meat spot or blood spot, I see no veining, it doesnt stink right?

You can't see them, but there are baby bunnies in that pile of fur! My one rabbit finally had her babies today! I can't wait until they get some fur so I can take them out and document their cuteness!

YAY for babies!!

Quote: Thanks its ok, my dogs come first before chickens, but now I dont know what to do about the dogs vs chickens, I seriously think they will be digging under any fenced area they can, and thats many foot of fence! not sure what I can do.... if it was a straight run I could put electric around the bottom of the fences, but I have kids and I would sooner not do that.

Sorry for such a bad day Sally..losing those chickies. I just read the first part of your post last time..wanted to thank you for doing all of this here, but man, you did have a lot going on today. Not good, not good! Hoping you come back with some good news that you found the other hens. :/

your welcome Cynthia!

My not so good news for the day. I am down to 17 eggs after candling tonight. :/ I sure hope that SilkieSensations hold on!

Oh I hope they do too!!!

Just candled. Pulled 26. Some blood rings, some quiters and some that weren't fertile. Most of the infertile ones were from the mixed flock and all pullets and cockerels that are young, so maybe later with some of those.

Sooooo out of the following breeds I pulled these


Mixed started with 38, pulled 16

BBS Sumatras I pulled the only one.

Bantam Langshan I pulled all 6.


I started with 83 and I'm down to 57. Not great, but lots of these were first eggs.

Speaking of first eggs. My lavender AM pullets are starting to lay. The first 2 have more of a green blue like their pretty momma, but the one that laid her first today gave me one of the bluest eggs I've ever seen, so I'm juiced!!! I'm hoping that means my next gen will be amazing. So happy with them. The egg was actually bluer than my BBS pen and those are some nice blue eggs. YAY!!!!

Not sure how my next hatch will go. I had set eggs aside to set and forgot to put them in the bator. Don't ask! I picked up a dozen Lt Sussex yesterday, one FBCM and 2 Bourbon Red eggs. Those plus 30 fron this week and 35 from last week, so I'm almost up to where I was at the start of this hatch. Now to get some to hatch! Please let my hatches get better again. I have broodies that hid nests, so I just left them where they were. A pullet I was hoping was from my lavender egg project ended up being an OE. Funny, but only one of my OEs have a pea comb. Oh well. I like them, so letting her try and hatch them out. I gotta stop doing that. I have way to many hatching eggs and I could be setting eggs I need for sure under them.

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!!!!

Morning!

Good morning! I candled my duck eggs last night and 9 of the 11 have very squirmy babies!

Fantastic Candle! Dont you just love candling duck!

Good morning everyone!

morning!

Quote: Thanks Blarney

I hope you get to enjoy this nice day today!

so.......through the daily digest I heard we were talking about bees yesterday!

(to be honest I didn't look back in the thread to where we were discussing but..)
my grandfather is a bee keeper.

of all the times I have been over to help him, I have only gotten 1 good pic.

(I didn't watermark my picture this time.....but I trust you guys!

)

BEES ARE GREAT! LIKE CHICKENS! hahaha

Lovely image!

Hatch finished, 17 new babies!"

I finally got to candle on day 11. I had 17 non starters, so have 58 still in the incubator. A few of those are not good but wanted to make sure. All the BCM mix are not fertile but didn't want to judge too soon with the dark shell. For some reason most of the buckeyes were not fertile. Guess I chose the wrong rooster for that pen. But, I did hatch 7 of those yesterday. I am going to have to get me some more white eggs layers. Those were the easiest to candle for sure. Loved seeing all the veins in the brown leghorn mixed eggs.

Now comes the decision, "am I going to hatch more or to turn the chickens back into the main house for the summer"? BTW, added 54 more in the incubator today! Guess I should call it quits.lol

hatch more hatch more..... must hatch more more more more more HA HA HA hey whats 54?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: The bummer is they did it under the gate into the run.... I am thinking a few large pavers there, and I think thats a great idea for the bent wire at the long fence, but mowing it could be bad in the summer.
Anyone know how much rebar costs? I may run landscape ties or even just 2x4s at the bottom and ram some rebar down into the grown and tack on the wire fence. IDK but I have to do something and NOW! Thanks for the great idea!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote:

 

[Pozees]

I use one metal garbage can but mostly use 5 gallon pickle buckets and these


I haven't had any trouble with rodents - yet. I have them stacked 3 high in the brooder house. They hold about 80 pounds of feed each.
The reason I stay away from the metal is with our extremely hot and even more humid summers, the metal will sweat and mold the feed.


I planted a 4' X 40' bed of buckwheat about 20 feet away from the hives. It was in full bloom and the bees flew right over it. I imagined seeing the flowers covered with bees. They did visit but mostly ignored it.

I can't keep up


I'm in awe of her, Ron and all the people that run these things.

Love those stacking containers! What a bummer about the buckwheat, I had read elsewhere it was something bees appreciated and was going to look for some seed this spring - probably will still try it, but in a mix.

I, too, am in awe of those who can run these threads and keep current. I cannot.

That's good to know about the metal bins in the summer. I recently bought 2 metal type barrels with locking lids but have yet to use them. Now Im not sure what I will do with them. Hmmmm.....

Use them where they won't be in sun? Don't know - I bought a couple of plastic trash cans last year, they work pretty well, but this year we are looking at a small storage building for the cans - placed outside they still let the food freeze and get very hot. Still protect from rodents, but I need better than that I think.