The 6th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[Chrysolinsbirds]

Three chicks and a zip =) c'mon chickies I know more of you are still alive in there I saw you wiggle where's all the pips? =)

 

[Cynthia12]

This is so great, I've already shared it with 4 people. They think it should be my avatar!

Well, you don't have one yet, go for it for a while until you know what you want for sure!

 

[prizepete]

We have 13 now... About 3-4 pips! I'm already at over 50% hatch rate so I'm hsppy

 

[Junibutt]

Float test.

For me float test was useless. If you can do good candling, its better than float test. If an egg is going to wiggle in water, you can feel it in your hand as well.
I found my dead embryos floating at 15% level on Day 24 but no wiggling. What I am supposed to interpret from the test then!

 

[NikkiCole5]

Easter Eggers are cross breeds,
Yay!
I'd candle them and look for movement. How long since the last one hatched?

Do you see shadows inside the air cell? Or an internal pip?

 

[Serenderpity]

You are kidding?!

Not remotely. We got lucky enough that hatch day coincided with feeding day. Snakes love newborn chicks of all sorts of different species. We actually try to line up hatch day with feeding day with the quail so if we have too many for the brooders, we can feed them off. Or any weak ones, ones with deformities, etc. I don't try to save weak chicks. If they aren't going to survive, breaking their neck and tossing them to one of the boas for a nice treat is better than floundering around and getting stomped on for a few hours.

I absolutely have no more use for cockerels as I have six roosters already. It sucks that they were almost all male, but that's what you risk hatching your own. And I'd rather they were fed to snakes that need a meal than go down a meat grinder chute *shrugs*

 

[Lamancha]

For me float test was useless. If you can do good candling, its better than float test. If an egg is going to wiggle in water, you can feel it in your hand as well. 
I found my dead embryos floating at 15% level on Day 24 but no wiggling. What I am supposed to interpret from the test then!

I have had great luck with doing float tests. I haven't been able to feel them wiggle in my hand, and in my opinion some eggs can't been candled well when they are crammed full of chick. I don't judge by how they float, only if they start be -bopping around the bowl of water. Either way, always carefully open them starting at the air cell to check for life before you toss them. Best of luck.

 

[emvickrey]

Gah! And I really want some of your Silver Partridge and Porcelain Projects, dang it!

The silver partridge went broody. Lazy wenches

 

[Ravynscroft]

The silver partridge went broody. Lazy wenches

Ha! Of course!

I think they do that just to get outta laying!

 

[Dustystrail]

Finally, my total is in: 73 hatched
Had a couple really late hatchers to wait on. Then they didn't make it of course. Then I had a surprise when I checked on the broodies. A freshly hatched, wet, and very lively duckling 2 days after the rest!
I had 2 shipments of eggs that were complete failures due to obvious rough handling. The rest of my shipped eggs did pretty well.
Definitely not my best hatch but I'm glad to finally have some decent luck with shipped eggs again.