The 7th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-A-Long!

[Loc20chick]

I am in Clover, SC about 30 min South of Charlotte, NC

If you don't get some closer to you I can mail you a dozen you just pay for shipping.

 

[Hurley]

Lol she always does this. Once I had a trash bag full of wheat straw on the back porch. And she decided to go into the trash bag and lay.

We have our firewood stacked under the awning of our front porch. The bark we collected into an open plastic garbage bin, so it is about half full of kindling. It has wheels, so I'll fill it with firewood to haul into the house. I have to be careful, though, as the hens routinely hop up and into this garbage bin to lay eggs on top of the kindling.

 

[Eps32]

Sorry about being offline for so long, but I have been dealing some troublesome predators. I expect issues with coyotes, foxes, eagles, and other such predatory animals targeting my free-ranging flock. However, I never expected my neighbor to prey upon my flock. Over the last few weeks I have noticed some of my hens not returning to the coop at night. Thinking I had a fox on the property I took my dog and tried to flush it out and get rid of it. Well, it turns out that no fox had moved in. In fact, my neighbor had set a live animal trap about two feet inside their property, facing mine, where my chickens were hanging out during the day. I tried to talk to them, but they wouldn't even come to the gate. They saw me and ran inside their house. So, I took pictures of the trap and contacted the authorities, who said I don't have a valid claim without proof that they have my chickens. Among the missing are my Cream Legbar hens. Interestingly, not one of my roosters went missing, only the hens. There is some good news, I had 8 chicks hatch Sunday/Monday. All 8 already have a new home waiting for them. They should be getting picked up this weekend.

Ya I know what I'd do but it would be bad advice. Luckily my neighbors are pretty far away. And would never try anything like that. We shoot on are property all the time we have a little home made gun range. So people pretty much stay off are property. But like all ready said the best thing you can do is get a camera. Point in in that direction with a sign saying will prosecute camera on premises.

 

[mlm Mike]

Good morning Mike!

Good Morning Sally!

 

[Sueg4332]

Quote:
I think I have 2 brown leghorns trying to go broody going to break them up. to muddy around here to brood chicks. I found nice straw to put inn pens to soak up the muddy. Only $3. a bale. They seems to enjoy pick though it. Maybe the earth worms will like too so the chickens will have more to hunt....

 

[Razadia]

I took a break for a while. It was originally just going to be for 2 days, but that's not what ended up happening. On day 2 of my break I took the brooder out to clean and give the chicks some outside time. It was a fairly nice day and they HATED the dog crate, but they were ok. That is, until 2 of them discovered a way to escape. They hid so well I thought the cats got them. I found one of them on Tuesday. My guess is that it came out of hiding at night and froze to death. I still haven't found the other one and I have zero hope that I will.

At least I'm getting a new bator Saturday.

 

[GitaBooks]

X2
Besides the raging constipation

My Cuckoo Marans pullet just started laying! Looks like I'll have some of her eggs for the EHAL too! They aren't as dark as I was hoping for but it was 1 1/2 shades darker than what I'm getting from my Blue Marans

And the babies will still be adorable!

My day 20 eggs are making funny noises. No idea why.

They're getting ready to hatch!

I just got the last 5 babies out of the bator and put the next 88 in. One already hatched and two are pipping. They were not supposed to hatch for another 2 days. Here is the first arrival

l

88! Why can't I have that many? Lol.

Congrats!

FluffO just zipped. It was one that our quarter back was playing ball with.

Touch down!

I cannot keep up at all! I'm pages and pages behind.
My Ecoglow brooder plate failed last night. It was about 60 degrees in the room and the chicks were one day old. I lost 3 of them.

I was able to revive the rest with warm water and a premier one plate that wasn't in use. This is another first for me. That thing should still be under warranty so I am going to be calling about that.

I figure I have time for one more set of eggs before the Easter Hatch along and my shipped eggs come. This will be my 3rd test hatch since deciding to do the hatch along...I would have not known the brooder plate was bad except for the test hatch...Yeah, that's the story I will tell...All of these "test" chickens are necessary to check out the equipment...

Got to go get distilled water.

I'm so sorry about the chicks you lost.

Keep an eye on the others, as they may be weaker for a few days. I hope they stay healthy.

Spent some time out in the coops today, trying to get a flapping photograph. No luck with anything worthy, but I did snap these...



The peafowl looking at me laying on the ground of the pen, thinking "why are you so crazy?"

Gorgeous!

I just set a batch that will hatch a couple days before time to set for this one, so...I'm in! Easter chicks sounds awesome!

Yeah!

I've got 3 so far and several pipped!!! I'm so happy!!!

Congratulations!

My first Isbar chick this year. More to come in the next few days...

So cute!

Just candled the first quail eggs I set, 19 silver/tuxedo coturnix eggs, 16 look great, 3 clears - for shipped eggs, not bad at all.

1 week to lockdown.

Candled the biggest of the 105 A&M coturnix, they all looked good, didn't candle them all, they are at 5 days.

Set the last batch of eggs received today after a 3 day delay at the origin, 3 cracked eggs, the rest look good, nice size, jumbo cortunix. Opened the 3 cracked eggs of 50 shipped, pretty big air cells, but the eggs themselves looked fertile and intact.

It's funny, the two that shipped with zero extras were the two with broken eggs, the one with the extras was perfect. There's some cosmic law named after someone that says that that's the way it goes - the inverse proportional law of cracked eggs to eggstras. LOL, S'all right, though, I have more than enough quail eggs to hopefully get me started with plenty to be choosey.

I'll be selecting for egg size and bird size for the next generations, so it's nice to have the variety.

Checked on the little mini brinsea, it was running at 80 degrees tonight, so I gave it a scarf and it popped up to 99.5 steady. To be fair, it is in the basement, which is currently 65 degrees. I wanted to challenge it and see what its limits are. The big cabinetobator is holding steady and chugging away beautifully.

T minus 10 days and counting til the quail start popping!

My incubator has a blanket also.

Sorry about being offline for so long, but I have been dealing some troublesome predators. I expect issues with coyotes, foxes, eagles, and other such predatory animals targeting my free-ranging flock. However, I never expected my neighbor to prey upon my flock. Over the last few weeks I have noticed some of my hens not returning to the coop at night. Thinking I had a fox on the property I took my dog and tried to flush it out and get rid of it. Well, it turns out that no fox had moved in. In fact, my neighbor had set a live animal trap about two feet inside their property, facing mine, where my chickens were hanging out during the day. I tried to talk to them, but they wouldn't even come to the gate. They saw me and ran inside their house. So, I took pictures of the trap and contacted the authorities, who said I don't have a valid claim without proof that they have my chickens.

Among the missing are my Cream Legbar hens.

Interestingly, not one of my roosters went missing, only the hens.


There is some good news, I had 8 chicks hatch Sunday/Monday. All 8 already have a new home waiting for them. They should be getting picked up this weekend.

That is so frustrating! I can't believe they are doing that! I hope you can get them back soon.

Hello Madam Poofy Brow!! I'm glad to see you here honey!!!

I've got great news too! I caught one of my barred rock hens with 5 eggs in a crate in the run!!! I am not comfortable with them being in there due to losing too many to predators,so I gently moved them into a nest in the coop. As soon as I did,both Roozle and Pasqua jumped down off the roost to come see what I had done. I'm not sure which one they belong to yet. But I'll know soon! I decided to go ahead and let a hen or two hatch a clutch. As long as the babies stay close to mama,the cold temperatures shouldn't be an issue. I'm hoping....so so sad about the turkey babies.

I was wondering when my young hens would go broody and now it's happening!!! Yay! My girls are growing up! When is the EHAL entry deadline?

Congrats to everyone who has precious little lives!!! God is good!

God bless y'all!

Glory

Yay, broody hens!

Newest babies. These are 2 day old isabelle leghorn X dark brown leghorn splits. There are several Isbars in the mix too. Got the incubator heating up for a bunch more isbar eggs. My blue copper marans are laying too now and I'm anxious to see the results from the new roo. Still on the pre hatch along test runs!

They are beautiful!

The Serama babies have arrived, they have been hatching since yesterday. I have 14 out of 18 strong babies in the brooder. One in the bator still, against my better judgement I assisted and it is not walking too good. One pipped but never zipped and two with no pips. I will pull the weak one tmr. quickly as I have two runner ducks due on Fri. in lockdown. The next batch is due next Wed. I sure do love my Sportsman and the capacity it has. I love the staggered hatches.

It seems that the humidity change for the first hatch did not effect this second batch. We will see how it goes for the other hatches. I do think I want to come up with a separate hatcher at some point in the future. Might look into making a cooler hatcher. Just for peace of mind and ease of operation.

Congratulations on the seramas! I hope the weak one gets better soon.

I fell asleep last night to the dulcet sounds of my first 6

s singing in the next room.

I wake up to find 2 more wet and several about to zip or pipped.

This is the first 6 after fluff all night. I moved them to the brooder. The ones like come on guys. It's not THAT scary. Here. I'll go first...

See I'm brave... Hummmm what's out there.

Yay, chicks! They are so adorable!

So grabbed a fresh bin full of wheat straw to put in the brooders. I was cleaning the little chicks pens and all the girls and guys were wanting to help I guess. Then Lilly decided this is a good place to lay an egg. So I had to put the cleaning on hold till she's done silly hen.

They love to lay in the silliest of places, don't they.

 

[Sueg4332]

Must not drive to Phoenix to get a dozen legbar eggs today, must not drive to Phoenix to get legbar eggs, must not.......

could you post pictures I'd like to see the color. My eggs are light blue. Hard to get a picture because flash aways flashes and lighten them even more. Need to find the book on this old camera.

 

[karenerwin]

I took a break for a while. It was originally just going to be for 2 days, but that's not what ended up happening. On day 2 of my break I took the brooder out to clean and give the chicks some outside time. It was a fairly nice day and they HATED the dog crate, but they were ok. That is, until 2 of them discovered a way to escape. They hid so well I thought the cats got them. I found one of them on Tuesday. My guess is that it came out of hiding at night and froze to death. I still haven't found the other one and I have zero hope that I will.

At least I'm getting a new bator Saturday.

Hi Rad, sorry you lost 2 of your chicks. I hate when that happens. Hopefully the last one will miraculously turn up unharmed.

 

[TJordan]

It's so fun watching those little beaks peck against the egg knowing that they are trying with all of their might to get OUT OF THAT THING... I made myself walk away and go do other things.