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

[lacymorgan]

With an automatic turner. Her point was, there's a big difference the more often you turn, so turn way more than 3 times if you can. You can only do what you can do, of course.

Before I got my cabinet I turned by hand My timing was random. Whenever I walked passed them I would stop and turn them

 

[GitaBooks]

I have the sweetgrass turkeys too. If they lay I will hatch them too. Last year they laid in April.

I love sweetgrass turkeys!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I've been mulling this over all day, so I figure I might as well post it here.

I'm setting 96 tomorrow. I expect I will have 131 eggs that are 10 days old or less. This hatch that's just finishing had eggs of the same ages, and I got perfectly normal chicks from every egg date. But I want to breed for egg color, so it gives me 2 choices...

1. Set fresher eggs over color (I will have 96 that are 7 days or fresher)
2. Set for color (pick all the darkest eggs from the 10 days worth available, then fill the hatch with the freshest lighter brown eggs)

What would you do?

If you are wanting to breed for egg color, then..........

A. Set all the eggs and sell pullets that lay light.

OR

B. Set dark eggs only.


I know, I'm no help.

If you are planning on keeping any cockerels, then only set dark eggs.

 

[NTBugtraq]

If you are wanting to breed for egg color, then..........

A. Set all the eggs and sell pullets that lay light.

OR

B. Set dark eggs only.


I know, I'm no help.

If you are planning on keeping any cockerels, then only set dark eggs.

Well, I am not keeping any cockerels. All my roosters will be pure bred. Right now I only have 2, but they are from very different lines and 1.5 year apart in age.

The other problem, is with 46 layers, I have no way to know which ones lay light. If you have any suggestions as to how I can know, do tell.

 

[ronott1]

I've been mulling this over all day, so I figure I might as well post it here.

I'm setting 96 tomorrow. I expect I will have 131 eggs that are 10 days old or less. This hatch that's just finishing had eggs of the same ages, and I got perfectly normal chicks from every egg date. But I want to breed for egg color, so it gives me 2 choices...

1. Set fresher eggs over color (I will have 96 that are 7 days or fresher)
2. Set for color (pick all the darkest eggs from the 10 days worth available, then fill the hatch with the freshest lighter brown eggs)

What would you do?

Don't worry about the age of the eggs so much. After 15 days is when the real trouble starts for eggs that are not shipped.

About an hour is added to hatch time per day so on average, a 10 day old egg will hatch 10 hours later. Hatching a mix of old and newly collected eggs will make the hatch longer but it should be fine!

 

[Cynthia12]

Not sure if anyone will remember I was worried about my hen..she's ok! I was quite worried about her yesterday. Had egg shell and the white fall out, and she was just standing around fluffed up. I got all of that off of her, and now she is acting just fine. Preening on the back porch step with two others. I think she was just stressed to have something hanging there that she couldn't get off!

 

[jwlpoultry]

Thinking of setting some Peafowl, Pheasant or quail eggs for the Easter hatch along does anyone have any advice on them? I have never had Peafowl or Pheasants but have had quail. are Pheasants and Peafowl much different from turkeys?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

@Sally Sunshine how does one turn eggs 96 times a day?

see what they answered below all good....

AND.... I cheat.... and I have better hatches since I do this......

I roll my eggs gently with my clean washed hands by the palm while they are in a horizontal position
it makes turning more easy, and you will end up rotating eggs around much in the bator
since its a cinch to turn like this, you will find yourself walking by and turning many more times a day than 3
turning them so that the cam reaches the bottom of the egg
the embryos are getting moved from "adherence"
AND it helps reduce chances of malpositions.

Quote: yep tons more turning with an auto turner

Quote: yeppers!!

 

[Sahwithchicks]

Thinking of setting some Peafowl, Pheasant or quail eggs for the Easter hatch along does anyone have any advice on them? I have never had Peafowl or Pheasants but have had quail. are Pheasants and Peafowl much different from turkeys?

I don't do anything differently for pheasants... for peafowl I do put the eggs sideline (opposed to air say up) in my egg trays for the duration. I also will flip the eggs 180 every other day, even though they are on the auto turner. In theory you should keep the humidity a tad higher, so I heard, but I am in Florida, and I don't add any additional water than the natural humidity and it hasn't affected my hatches.

 

[jwlpoultry]

Quote:
What about care wise as chicks and adults?