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

[NotAFarm]

Quote:
Wow, good thing we aren't trying to keep track of how many test hatches are going on

For those that remember my box saga from last week, an update:
Had to wait until today to go in and discuss with Palmyra PO the problem. Sorry, I can't do anything, I'm just a clerk, go to Whitewater. It shows it delivered.
Called Whitewater (got tired of driving over there) and finally, thank Bob, I got someone who wanted to help me. VERY nice lady, asked if I got my eggs fine today, discussed the saga of the eggs and described last Saturday and Monday's chain of events. She tracked down GPS of the carrier, looks like at the time my box got marked delivered, he was delivering another box a couple miles away with a similar street number (though totally different street name). She suspects he dropped both boxes there, and tentatively confirmed that GPS didn't show him at my place that day. She is going to check into it. If they find the box, we're to mark it damaged/refused so the seller can claim insurance. If it's not found, seller would claim non-delivered/missplaced, so hopefully can recoop some funds. Hopefully will get this straightened out soon.

I'm glad you finally got some help!!


Our temps are suppose to be near 40F today!

The sun is shining and the flock is free ranging since we have no snow cover! I hope that rodent Phil is right and Spring will be here soon!
I'm going out to pick up the multitude of branches that fell in the last couple of windy storms. See you peeps later!

 

[KYTinpusher]

The girls and roosters are gearing up. I switched on the lights a week ago, 2 days ago I got 1 egg, yesterday I got 2, today I got 4. Welcome "spring"! Looking forward to a test hatch setting here in a couple days. Once they are good and fertile, can start the kids's project going with the school.



My jumbo coturnix arrived, box bashed in on the side, but all safe in their foam. Nice BIG eggs, just gorgeous. They are bigger than my silver/tuxedo cortunix eggs from earlier this week. I can see some outcrossing for size in my future.


For those that remember my box saga from last week, an update:
Had to wait until today to go in and discuss with Palmyra PO the problem. Sorry, I can't do anything, I'm just a clerk, go to Whitewater. It shows it delivered.
Called Whitewater (got tired of driving over there) and finally, thank Bob, I got someone who wanted to help me. VERY nice lady, asked if I got my eggs fine today, discussed the saga of the eggs and described last Saturday and Monday's chain of events. She tracked down GPS of the carrier, looks like at the time my box got marked delivered, he was delivering another box a couple miles away with a similar street number (though totally different street name). She suspects he dropped both boxes there, and tentatively confirmed that GPS didn't show him at my place that day. She is going to check into it. If they find the box, we're to mark it damaged/refused so the seller can claim insurance. If it's not found, seller would claim non-delivered/missplaced, so hopefully can recoop some funds. Hopefully will get this straightened out soon.

Great news on your lost eggs!

There are great employees dedicated to customer service that work for USPS, but sometimes you have to look pretty hard for them.

 

[GitaBooks]

ARRGH!

All my hens are getting in with my broody girl and soiling her eggs. I tried putting wire over the most of the box (she is a bantam and they aren't) and that doesn't work. I tried marking her eggs and the pencil got rubbed off. I can't move her or she'll break up. Last time this happened my hen lost all of her chicks and I don't want it to happen again. I'm so glad that Princess lets me move her.

Interesting observation on my Dalmatians. They seem to "wean" their chicks as soon as they fully feathered. Princess stays with hers until they leave her (2 or so months old), but Ruby and Susie both left their chicks at only 4-5 weeks of age.

Susie, sitting on the wrong nest because another hen kicked her off her own.

 

[draye]

I put my guess in for the number of eggs set.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Quote:
I stagger hatch. It's actually the only type of hatching I've ever done since I started incubating last summer. For me it's been a bit of trial and error and it's always a work in progress.

I run my incubator at about 40%. I normally add eggs to the incubator every two weeks or so, I'm was setting/adding eggs on Sundays. It just works for me; easier to remember and to have a plan to go by. My next hatch has been moved to Monday to accommodate me being away during next weekends lockdown.

I incubate and hatch in the same incubator. I raise the humidity to approx. 60%-65% at 18 days and usually get hatching happening on the 21st day. I don't have an automatic egg turner so I'm in the incubator 3 times a day (at least) the entire time, including the time of "lockdown," to turn the eggs. If you have an automatic turner and I see you have a humidity pump...that makes things a lot easier.

At 18 days I've been putting the eggs to hatch in their own tray just to keep it easier to keep track of them to watch for hatching, to keep me from turning them in case I forget and to keep most of the mess in the tray and not in the incubator. Of course the chicks always seem to hop the walls before I get them out...lol. As soon as the chicks are up and going...I put them in a smaller box with a light so they don't mess up the incubator. They sleep there for most of the first day...lol.

Below is a pic from my BYC New Years Eve hatch.



A pic of the chicks in their box.



But that's just how I do it. I've taken different parts of different information and made it work for me. Keep in mind that I'm also a very strong believer in "survival of the fittest" genetics. I'm breeding for a very strong, seasonally tough, low maintenance flock, not a 100% hatch rate. If I have 10 eggs and only 7 make it out on their own...in my way of thinking, the 3 chicks in the eggs weren't meant to be.

Everyone has their own techniques that may or may not work for the next person.
The best thing is do what works for you and work at things from there.

 

[S5apiotrowski]

Get the eggs that have fertile on the carton.

Thanks - I guess my TJ does not have them. Perhaps whole foods or Fresh Market will have some.

 

[Hurley]

3 more eggs from the girls this afternoon, for a total of 7 today (2 yesterday, 1 before, zero for weeks with no lights).

Like a light switch flip, we're back in business. Apparently a red bulb is enough to stimulate them (didn't have a white one to put in there at the time and haven't switched out.)

 

[Sahwithchicks]

Had some chickies hatch today. Salmon Faverolles and Welsummers. Should be getting my new bloodline faverolles eggs next week e

 

[Hurley]

Had some chickies hatch today. Salmon Faverolles and Welsummers. Should be getting my new bloodline faverolles eggs next week

Oooo! Exciting. I'm going to be picking up some more Iowa Blues later this month to blend in. They're somewhat related to my currently flock - pretty much can't get away from that in a breed that has experienced the kind of bottleneck near extinction IBs did, but hopefully will be a good mix for my guys.

Salmon Faverolles are so gorgeous, if I had the space...

 

[jaide]

Mostly Importantly, you need to start with pullets/hens that tend toward going broody. Some hens will not go broody no matter what you do. Hens that have been broody in past are likely candidates but after they are older, they may not want to sit. My flock consists of a few New Hampshire hens, Icelandic hens and Icelandic roosters. I received 16 New Hampshires four years ago and only one went broody the first year. I still have her but she has not gone broody again. Most of the Icelandic pullets/hens I've had, over the last almost six years, have gone broody. I have had a few that never have so even among broody breeds, you will have those that don't want to sit. I don't usually have to promote broodiness in my flock. Usually I am trying to keep them from going broody    too soon, but in the case of this hatchalong, I will encourage them so I can be an "official" participant.

Promoting broodiness:
Normally, I have a single golf ball or plastic egg (mine are white and contain some sand to give them weight) in each of my ten nest boxes and collect eggs each evening.
When I want to encourage a broody, I still take the fresh eggs out each evening but I replace each one with a golf ball/plastic egg.
As the days pass, the quantity of eggs in the nests (there are ten nests but the hens only use four or five of them) increases. This is how a hen without human interference would "build a clutch". 
A pullet or hen that is "thinking about sitting" will spend more time on the nest during the day (this is why I collect all eggs and only leave fake eggs, so that the eggs will be closer in development) but will return to the roost at night. During morning feeding time, she may puff-up and "grumble" when eating and run from the rooster "grumbling". My 6 year rooster will not even "approach" one "grumbling", he knows what is going on. He will "coax" her to the feed and encourage her to eat. The cockerel (will be a year old this spring) will learn that lesson soon, I hope!!
When one of mine shows an interest by staying on the nest at night, then I know she is serious. After dark, I will still remove the fresh egg(s) from under her and replace with a fake one. If she is back on the nest the next night, I will put together the eggs I want her to sit on.  At this point, she is "flattening down on the eggs" and refusing to let the other hens use the nest. If there are no new eggs in the nest the following evening, I will, after dark, remove the fakes and give her the eggs I want her to sit on. The eggs are marked so that if a different hen gets on the nest when she is off "doing her business" or/and eating and drinking, I can remove the unmarked, fresh egg. I check each evening for fresh eggs and if there is consistently an egg, I will consider moving the broody to her own separate place....which is another long post so I won't go into that here.

This is how I do it.....I hope others will chime in!

Thank you for that great information. I have austrolaups, barred and buff rocks, Wh leghorns, and an Easter egger. Any of those tend to go broody?