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

[campingshaws]

I lost my malpositioned chick. I assisted another this morning, and had another hatch just fine one its own. So two chicks, and twelve eggs left. One is pipped externally, and one has pipped internally. It's Day 23.

I ordered the brinsea spot check (?) thermometer and it will be here Tuesday.

SO if my chicks keep dragging along, I may be out of the HAL. I was really hoping to set tomorrow. Maybe by Monday they'll all be finished.

 

[wornoutmomto3]

I am so excited for this hatch-a-long. I thought setting day was March 16 so I haven't yet warmed up the incubator. I am turning it on tomorrow. The eggs are sitting in a standby turner just waiting to warm up and start growing a baby chick inside. Yeah!!! Also, wishful thinking. I have been slipping some extra "fertile" eggs in the nest box. I am hoping one of my hens will be so inclined to brood. I have one hen I am watching closely. So far, every time she gets in the nest to lay her egg she hoards all the eggs, golf-balls, and ceramic eggs she can find underneath her. She is a small b.y.mix hen, larger than a bantam but smaller than a standard, and the eggs keep spilling out from under her. I took pity on her and slipped the "egg bait" out from under her and placed them in another nest box. Here's hoping she is inclined to join all the fun.

Oh all the egg-craziness. What am I going to do with all these babies? I have 20 live chicks roaming about a brooder in the laundry room and 9 chicks already with the main flock. There are 2-dozen waiting to go in the incubator and 8 in a nest box. LOL! If they all hatch I will be overflowing in baby chicks.

 

[Peep-Chicken]

I wish I could have as many chickens as you all. I can only keep 10 chickens at a time, when I have 16 now.

 

[Cynthia12]

ron, soo pretty, and I spy two very pretty eggs on the ground. I want that green colored one.

 

[casportpony]

ron, soo pretty, and I spy two very pretty eggs on the ground. I want that green colored one.

X2, what a nice collection!

-Kathy

 

[Mama Bay]

We will be setting 30!

 

[SimplyLogan]

I'm kinda scared. Hope not all are fertile since I had to pile them up like that. That's a lot of babies in one small incubator!

I don't have mine stacked but, my 96 eggs are in two small bators. Someone ask me "What have I done?". I explained chicken math, then incubating outcomes, and said It will be OK, although we are not done with our new coop (we have others). They will be in the brooder at first anyway

. Then I got to thinking, what if they do mostly hatch?

I got a very strange look from my hubby.

 

[paris_r]

I had my incubator set up all week. I borrowed one (the one I'm taking about) and it took a while to get things stable. Well finally it was steady for a couple days. It's and older LG. I set my eggs being careful not to touch the thermostat, since many said a tiny bump could mess it up. WELL. The temp went all over, Mine hit 103 deg and spent all day watching and making adjustments. finally last night at 7pm it stabilized at 99.5. It may be slightly low for still air, but I'm afraid to make any more adjustments. Not sure how long you let yours run, but I believe some incubators are a pain. Don't get me started on my hygrometers. I calibrated them, however, I'm still not sure one is holding. I ordered a replacement and this crazy one is going back. Have to use it for now, Ugh! So, it's not you, some incubators make you crazy. My other incubator is great, no problems at all.

calibrating thermometers are a problem too! i have 4 in one incubator and if they agree it is a rare event (even when placed sided by side)! is your thermostat the wafer type or the manually adjustable digital control?

 

[ronott1]

I lost my malpositioned chick.

I assisted another this morning, and had another hatch just fine one its own. So two chicks, and twelve eggs left. One is pipped externally, and one has pipped internally. It's Day 23.

I ordered the brinsea spot check (?) thermometer and it will be here Tuesday.

SO if my chicks keep dragging along, I may be out of the HAL. I was really hoping to set tomorrow. Maybe by Monday they'll all be finished.

Set them tomorrow.

Bump up the temperature by a degree until the new thermometer gets here. It sounds like you were about that much(or more) during the first 18 days of incubation.

You are doing great! Each hatch gets better as you go along and we usually learn something from each one.

 

[ronott1]

ron, soo pretty, and I spy two very pretty eggs on the ground. I want that green colored one.

The egg farmer that has them will be having me hatch a lot of chicks this year that will be laying green, chocolate and blue eggs. He sells them to little shops in the San Francisco Bay area.

It was hard for me not to grab those eggs too...to set all the eggs....