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

[Cynthia12]

It's snowing here, had rain for a bit, then these huge flakes started falling..it keeps going back and forth from rain to snow. Pretty sure

 

[ronott1]

thanks, I did use that; I am not really sure what it is though. some kind of like or thumbs up thing perhaps. I was standing at the time so they got a standing ovation!

Go here to learn about ovations:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/699980/announcing-the-new-byc-reputation-system-ovations

Announcing BYC Ovations!​

Our GFM & PPM members got together to give this "reputation" system a name and together came up with "Ovation" (ova from the Latin word ovum meaning egg). We're very excited to have our members use this new feature to encourage and recognize great posts and contributions from their fellow members.

Ovation Overview

• Ovation is a feature within the forum that allows members to acknowledge other members for leaving posts that are beneficial to the forum and its membership as a whole.
• Ovations also help to “bubble up” the most helpful information on the forum and make it easier for people to discover.
• You can leave Ovation points by clicking on the “thumbs up” icon, which appears at the bottom of each member’s post.
• You have the option of leaving a comment along with your rating. This is highly encouraged.
• All members start off with 10 Ovation points which will be increased by 1 with every Ovation you receive from other members.
• Only YOU can see your Ovation level and only YOU can see your Ovation Profile / list of ovations received. This may change in the future if we see that the system is working well, but for now we're starting off slow and steady.

 

[Busy Hatcher]

My Goose is Cooked!

 

[coop410silkies]

This is quite interesting, thinking about keeping my first rooster. Are you saying there is no thread on this subject? You should start one!

I think there ARE threads, in the chicken behaviors forum - stuff about aggressive roosters, how to handle them, whatever. You should take a looksee, and i should revisit. There seem to be an infinite number of opinions on the subject of roosters, and each of them depends on the bird, the keeper, and the circumstances. It pays to be a GOOD observer and a bit of a behaviorist. They are not for everyone, but they do relieve boredom.

 

[blkjak]

Well i think my broodys pulled a fast one on me. 0 chicks hatched under them for the Easter hatch. They are still sitting on their eggs so hopefully they are just late.

 

[Busy Hatcher]

One of my SS chicks hatched out a bit puny. I have the sav-a-chick vitamins/electrolytes and probiotics in the water. Does this look neurological? It sleeps more than the others, and sometimes leans against other chicks. It's getting around ok, aside from the malfunctioning leg.

Does he always stand tilted to the side like that? How is his leg malfunctioning? If you mean that it is sticking out to the side then you can always take a bandaid, cut it lengthwise and pull his legs together with it. Leaning against the other chicks is normal at this age. I have some chicks that sleep a lot more in the beginning than others. It may have to do with how long and hard the hatch was. Keep an eye on him and don't worry to much!

 

[wornoutmomto3]

Incubator Wars!

Season Finale!
​

Well, folks. This has been an exciting adventure in hatching! I don't think we(or least, me personally) have experienced so much drama in incubating and hatching chicken eggs. From broody hens giving up to curious cats toppling incubators to unknown chaos makers causing trouble. This has been one roller coaster event. Now, it has finally come time to bring everything to a close. We are on day 24 of this hatch and it is finally time to call it quits(for now anyway).

In third place we have Contestant #2. With their homemade incubator and hand turning each egg multiple times a day these young men worked hard for this hatch. They had early success during candling and only lost one of the three eggs to the dreaded "ring of death." Unfortunately, an incident with an overly curious cat caused issues for everyone. The feline in question toppled the hatcher, spilling eggs and drying chicks to the floor. The two remaining eggs for Contestant #2 were lost in this CATastrophy. 0/3 eggs hatch for Contestant #2.

In second place is Contestant #3. This contestant pulled a tag-team move when the first hen Speckles gave up the brood and abandoned the nest. Coming to the rescue was a second broody, Amber. After a couple first timer mistakes such as returning to the wrong nest, Amber settled in for the long haul. That is until something spooked out of her brood and she too abandoned the nest. Out of the original 8 eggs only two survived the chaos and were placed in Contestant #2 incubator. From that point only one seemed destined to survive. The chick was in the process of hatching when the incubator was toppled. When the chick's egg hit the floor it miraculously cracked in the very spot the chick had internally pipped. The chick successfully hatched out a couple hours later as happy and healthy as can be. 1/8 for broody hens. Maybe next time gals.

In first place is Contestant #1. Several early losses due to infertility and "ring of death" had us wondering what would become of these eggs. One thing Contestant #1 is not, is a quitter. Of the original 26 eggs 20 made it into the hatcher/incubator for lockdown. Despite all the losses Contestant #1 was the first to see chicks come from her eggs. Once they started it was a parade of hatchers. One chick after another, after another kept right on coming. The variety of colors and sizes are even more varied then the colors of shells the chicks popped out of. Contestant #1 also experience losses during the incubator crash. Of the 20 eggs in lock down only 12 chicks hatched out. 12/26 for Contestant #1.

This has been a fun ride but it is just about over, folks. Hold up! There is some excitement at the incubator. The last egg from our broody bunch is trying to hatch.

Talk about a fighter! This little one has been abandon twice, dropped, and the incubator plug nearly pulled. The shell of this chick was badly damaged in the toppling incident and 1/3 of the shell is either smashed in or missing. Can this little one make it? The odd are stacked against it! It is trying hard folks. Oh, no! there is trouble. The membrane has dried out quite a bit and the chick is stuck! Contestant #1 has tweezers and a cotton ball with warm water. She is very carefully coaxing the dry membrane off the chick. Slowly the first wing pops out of the opening. Now the head is out, followed by the second wing... The chick is back in the incubator to finish kicking out of the shell. Those are some strong legs as the shell is nearly kicked off. Oh, no! Part of the membrane has dried out again and is clinging to the chicks side. It can get free! Here comes some more help from contestant #1. A little warm water and the chick is free!

This is one determined chick. For the sake of this little survivor the incubator will remain on for one more day, but as for this Incubator Wars! contest we are done.

It has been fun, folks! All excitement and drama. With a total of 37 eggs set, 14 chicks hatched and added their little lives to this big world. Though were are concluding we here wish each and everyone of you a Good Day and Happy Hatching!

 

[coop410silkies]

wow, that is rather fascinating. I was wondering what one could do to influence gender. I think some egg bearing creatures can determine gender by temperature (I am sure I learned that in school, but it's been a while since I was there and cannot remember what creature it was. I am thinking turtle or gator, something like that, but I am not certain)
so the eggs are gendered on creation... I guess that is from moment of chicken development in the egg then?
awesome bit of info, thank you! have an ovation for that (whatever it is, I am guessing it is good)

Yes, this IS fascinating. I forget about gators, but yes, turtle - maybe tortoise - gender is supposed to be temperature influenced. Had a number of these reptiles at one time and was extensively well-read on the subject, but never hatched any myself. Soooo, the chicken egg is either male or female at creation, but might there be some set of circumstances that could influence which egg type ripens and is fertilized? Or created in the first place? Time of year, day length, drought, climate change, number of roosters, population? Just makes sense for survival purposes. But, as Ron pointed out, if there were, and we could figure it out, the egg production industry would already have done so. just fascinating. I think some breeds, or maybe some lines of breeds, may be predisposed toward one gender or the other, but this is a very subjective surmise.

 

[Darnbunnies]

From Darnbunnies:
Set: 48
Hatched: 40
Failed to Thrive: 1
Live chicks: 39

 

[campingshaws]

Does he always stand tilted to the side like that? How is his leg malfunctioning? If you mean that it is sticking out to the side then you can always take a bandaid, cut it lengthwise and pull his legs together with it. Leaning against the other chicks is normal at this age. I have some chicks that sleep a lot more in the beginning than others. It may have to do with how long and hard the hatch was. Keep an eye on him and don't worry to much!
 

Yes, it is always leaning to its right, and the right leg doesn't seem to straighten fully. I had 32 in the brooders (have sold some since then) but if there's a "runt" of the hatch, this would be it. Maybe it will outgrow this issue?