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

[Happy Chooks]

There were many great entries! It was very, very close, but we had to choose 2 winners.

The winners of the Pictures of Poultry with People contest are........

1st Place:

Madelennon

2nd Place:

bantambury

Congratulations both of you! And thank you to everyone that entered the contest!​

 

[bamadude]

That albino chick is awesome

 

[Math]

For the most part I wasn't having too much temp swings. I was having more problems with hot spots, namely the outside perimeter under the heating elements and in the corners. With a smaller hatch it would have been easier to adjust the heat for the center and keep them grouped but with a larger amount spread out it's harder to keep them all localized in the same temp area. But we made do. 

Ohhh. I reckon I have hot spots too with that heating element running around the top of the incubator and no air circulation. However, I rotate positions of my eggs daily while they are in the egg turner. That is my daily moment with my incubator.

Also, I suppose there will be cool spots at each vent hole where fresh air enters the incubator. So I think egg rotation is necessary for me to even out the incubation temperature for each egg.

 

[chicken pickin]

Don't forget this one.

And this one:

Then progressing onto this one:

Then this one:

Oh Ill take the bottom one please...

 

[Cynthia12]

I broke the rules and took it out for a few quick photos.



It has something hanging out of its navel still, and it seems to be drying up... it still may not make it though.

This is way cool..does this mean the comb and wattles will be white too??

 

[chicken pickin]

There were many great entries! It was very, very close, but we had to choose 2 winners.

The winners of the Pictures of Poultry with People contest are........

1st Place:

Madelennon

2nd Place:

bantambury

Congratulations both of you! And thank you to everyone that entered the contest!​

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chippysmom327]

Had a yellow baby hatch with red eyes... does that mean it's blind? I've never seen this in a chick before

I have been obsessed with albinos since i was a kid, that is cool! seeing your photos, it does look like a true albino-or at least albinism in the eyes, so yes it will be 'blind' but that is in terms of legally, so it probably will never be able to drive a car! i have known a few human albinos over the years (two on my campus at the same time!). they have limited sight (albino animals have the red eyes, most humans are blue but i did meet one with so little blue pigment the red came through and they looked purple-she had UBER thick pop bottle glasses!) what colour is the chick supposed to be? albinism can happen for all colours or the mutation can knock out only one colour. you will have to keep an eye on it outside, i would not allow it to free range or spend lots of time in the sun. white chickens are predator prone already and their limited sight will make them far more vulnerable.

That's so cool! I can't really find anything about them except for their eyesight is poor and it takes a lot of 1 on 1 time to get them to learn to eat and drink.

I have my third pip now. Oddly enough all the pips/hatches so far are from the Legbar x Barnevelder hybrids. They were even put in 6 hrs later than other eggs. Hybrid vigor?

Could be. My hybrids are strong and great layers.

Question for those who hatch upright in egg cartons, is it normal for them to take a little while to get out of the shell once they've finished zipping? My first is almost out, head and wings are out anyway. But it keeps trying to get out of the shell, but no luck there. Little naps, then a quick burst of struggle, then another nap... okay, should I worry?

Yep, they rest for a bit and then get out..........then climb back in again to cheer on the next hatching contestant.

Ok, my humidity is going up and up with each hatch and pip. 1st hatch pumped it up from 65-71, when I took the chick out it went down to 60 but then after the second hatch its at 74 now. I think the 2nd chick was a little wet. At what point do I open the bator to cut down on the humidity? There is only one Sharpie sized vent and its not blocked.

It will go down, just watch for condensation.

Ok, my humidity is going up and up with each hatch and pip. 1st hatch pumped it up from 65-71, when I took the chick out it went down to 60 but then after the second hatch its at 74 now. I think the 2nd chick was a little wet. At what point do I open the bator to cut down on the humidity? There is only one Sharpie sized vent and its not blocked.

75% is fine--watch for condensation on the window. If you see it, humidity is going too high.

Yep, ditto.

My hatch is over . Final chick count: 1 So I ordered a new incubator, I'm sick of loosing chicks before they hatch!

I'm sorry, but at least you got one!

I don't raise them, but have had them to hatch. The girls will have that pretty eye liner go all the way back from her eye. Like an Egyptian.

wellsummers are not listed as being auto sexing so determining gender at hatch will be iffy. A lot of breeds are in the 80% range for determining gender--which is not high enough to try selling only pullets. Partridge Penedesenca is the same way. I had one that looked like a cockerel that was actually a pullet.

Welsummers are not auto sexing, as Ron said. They can "generally" be sexed - females have eyeliner and a defined V on their head, males a messy V and no eyeliner. I always have some that fall in the middle, with either eyeliner and a messy V or vice versa. Would I sell them as sexed birds? Absolutely not. It's just not reliable enough.

I will have a Brinsea Ocatgon 40 Advanced available for sale after the hatch. I just bought it before the EHAL. DW says that its the only way she can make sure I don't hatch that many chicks again

Ah man, I think you should hide it.

No progress on my pips. I'm watching movies with the kids and crocheting to keep myself occupied. I'm the worst meddler.

Good for you on keeping your hands busy. Cleaning house keeps you busy too. That's what I do when I have chicks hatching.

Ack! I have the best terrible problem. My friend who randomly sent me eggs didn't just send a few eggs. Not just a dozen or 18... He sent 30 eggs!!! I don't know where to put them. My Brinsea is full for 2.5 more weeks. My homemade bator is being used as a hatcher right now, but I don't have room for 30 eggs in there! If they were home eggs maybe, but shipped that have to sit upright? No! What is a gal to do except buy another incubator?

Oh no, that IS a problem!

Ack! I have the best terrible problem. My friend who randomly sent me eggs didn't just send a few eggs. Not just a dozen or 18... He sent 30 eggs!!! I don't know where to put them. My Brinsea is full for 2.5 more weeks. My homemade bator is being used as a hatcher right now, but I don't have room for 30 eggs in there! If they were home eggs maybe, but shipped that have to sit upright? No! What is a gal to do except buy another incubator?

I have that problem too. The Egg farmer that I hatch for keeps bringing eggs for incubating. I am considering a cabinet incubator--maybe a Dickey!

I would love a cabinet incubator, but I'd be in a lot of trouble if I had one. I already have too many birds.

For those of is who actually set at noon on Saturday, should we technically be seeing progress now or starting tomorrow? I'm a little overwhelmed by all y'all's chickies hatching and not knowing if mine are supposed to be yet. And I've done this many times before!

Many folks are having early hatchers, which means their incubators are running a bit hotter than normal. Also, there was a +/- 2 day window for setting, so people could have set as early as Thursday the 12th.

I keep thinking that I will get a better incubator for the next time I hatch chicks. I have a garage sale styrofoam Hovabator that may have seen its better days. It still looks good but I am not thinking that I will have the results that other people have had. I have seen some nice homemade ones from scratch, some nice ones made from ice chests, and some nice commercial made ones. I don't think I need a huge one. I think I just need one that has the same capacity of the Hovabator. I am open to suggestions. I saw that someone is going to have to give up his Brensea because his wife doesn't want more chicks around (imagine that - a wife not wanting a husband around lots of chicks :/ ) Maybe that's what I need? I want to hatch some Silver Appleyard ducks and some JOs eventually. Maybe I should just buy chicks and ducklings? Waiting for chicks to hatch is tough! How do the hens do it? Maybe they can't read a calendar... I'm mostly glad I don't have to sit on these eggs!

It depends on what you are looking for. I have a Hovabator 1602N and a Brinsea Octagon 20. The Brinsea is literally a plug it in and forget it incubator. I never have to adjust temperature, it recovers humidity very quickly, so I can open it to grab chicks without issue. It's also very easy to clean. (have to clean the fan occasionally, which requires some disassembly. (screw removal) My hovabator is nice too, and holds more eggs. A bit more of a pain to clean, since it's styrofoam. I do have to keep a closer eye on the temperatures and make minor adjustments.

I have these, feel free to take them:

I especially love these.

I set my Icelandic eggs on Saturday, March 14, around 10 p.m., I got my first pips this afternoon. I set 2 Silkie eggs under a broody on Thursday, March 12, one didn't develop and the other is a cute gray/blue chick.

Can't beat a blue baby! Congrats!

My HAL Seramas are done, but waiting on the Guineas and one more duck who are due tomorrow. Out of 15 Seramas, 7 hatched. two needed assistance because they pipped about half an inch below the air cell and stopped. They look pretty good though. I cleared their beaks so they could breathe, put them back for an hour, then got their heads free. One hatched the rest of the way by himself and the other is still working on it. The two duck eggs that had been kicked out of the nest by the silkie hen and were very cold for hours, hatched just great! They are blue runner ducks. They hatched today, on day 27. Still waiting on one more duck egg. The Guineas seem to be waiting for the right day! One small pip is all I see from them. Zipping duck and two Seramas. Brown eggs are Guineas. Pipping duck Both popped out at the same time. Little dragon ducks! wo Seramas that pipped below the aircell.

Blue runner ducks? (perks up) I do have a weakness for blue birds.

The chick that pipped through a vein made it just fine. It's resting in the bator. I only have 2 eggs left. One chick is almost done zipping and the other is working on it. @bamadude The chick that hatched from the Polish egg has feathered feet and dark skin.

Yay!

I broke the rules and took it out for a few quick photos. It has something hanging out of its navel still, and it seems to be drying up... it still may not make it though.

Wow, that is interesting! I've never seen an albino chicken before. Do you know who the parents are? Or were they from eggs you had shipped?

OKAY... HELP ME PLEASE!!! I have had two eggs pip and then die. One pipped yesterday and then did nothing. One pipped today and cheeped for a while. It made the hole a little larger and them seems to have died. There are 6 more in the incubator. There are two thermometers showing 99 degrees and hygrometer showing 72% humidity. Its a Hovabator styrofoam incubator but everything appears to be stable and steady. I didn't expect any to hatch before tomorrow which is day 21. HELP PLEASE!!!

How did the membrane look? Was it brown, clear or white around the pip? 72% humidity sounds a bit high. Sometimes they can pip a vein and die. How is your oxygen in your bator? Are the 2 plugs removed?

I've got two chicks! On my last hatch I had a bad thermometer and the chicks hatched Day 23/24. This time I've got the spot check but my bator was running hot, so I've got chicks on Day 19/20. One under the broody is halfway zipped. I e read too much about broodies killing their chicks, so I'm not doing a very good job of staying hands off. I'm going to have to candle tonight, though, because I think I accidentally gave her some questionable eggs.

I've had many, many broodies and most are great. I do have 1 that is a baby squisher, and she is never allowed to have eggs again. I've had so many great mothers, and anyone that is a good mom gets to stay here for life. I have even had a Production Red go broody and she was a terrific mother.

That albino chick is awesome

I broke the rules and took it out for a few quick photos. It has something hanging out of its navel still, and it seems to be drying up... it still may not make it though.

This way cool..does this mean the comb and wattles will be white too??

Thanks! They were shipped, but I know it's an orpington. Who knows what the comb and wattles will look like. I'd imagine they'd be white, as their skin lacks pigment.

 

[wornoutmomto3]

Yes, the plugs were both in. That was the directions. If that is wrong, please let me know and I will remove them. I haven't opened the incubator to examine the membrane. It is in lock down and everyone talks as if that is a big no no to open it. Should I get them out and take a look?

I have a Little Giant and killed my entire first hatch with it because the plugs were still in the whole incubation and hatch. It wasn't until after that hatch that I read somewhere that the plugs should be removed no later than day 10 of incubation and remain out for the remainder of the hatch. With them still in the oxygen in the incubator gets too low for the chicks. I would remove them ASAP.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Yes, pull those plugs out! They are to be removed at hatch, and most people lose them and never use them. The eggs need more oxygen for hatching.

I'm one of those people that don't generally use them.

But it wasn't me that lost them...it was my sister!

 

[chattery41]

Both of those pictures are adorable ! Congratulations !