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

[Wickedchicken6]

Was that at me...about not asking if they are fertile?
If it is...yes, the Vorwerk and the other breeds are supposed to be fertile. I purchased them from a breeder.
Now I just have to hatch them successfully!

pretty much sums up how I'm feeling about the purchased eggs...lol!

Oops, sorry, no, Chooks asked if the emu eggs at the feed store were fertile or not

Quote: Whoops! Sorry about that...my bad.

 

[ToddQ]

Just wanted to say, if you are in a northern state, please keep your eyes open for predators. Spring is right around the corner, snow pack is or will be getting smaller making it easier for some predators to get around. Some predators like raccoon and skunks are coming out of their dens and are hungry. I had skunk and raccoon tracks come right to my chicken door last night for the first time this year. Just a heads up, Im sure everyone is on alert but a reminder never hurts.

 

[ChickenGrass]

Day 21!!!!!
There's 3 pips out of 14
so far and I can hear chicks chirping e

 

[Junibutt]

Day 21!!!!!
There's 3 pips out of 14
so far and I can hear chicks chirping

Day 21 of test hatch for me as well. No external pips yet but hear chicks cheeping. I have been up all night watching the incubator but I don't think I can sleep now.

 

[ChickenGrass]

1 chick hatched
And one more externally piped

 

[Junibutt]

1 chick hatched
And one more externally piped

pics?

 

[misfit acres]

Just wanted to say, if you are in a northern state, please keep your eyes open for predators. Spring is right around the corner, snow pack is or will be getting smaller making it easier for some predators to get around. Some predators like raccoon and skunks are coming out of their dens and are hungry. I had skunk and raccoon tracks come right to my chicken door last night for the first time this year. Just a heads up, Im sure everyone is on alert but a reminder never hurts.

Yes!! We had a opossum push the window open so we screwed it shut and put a trap out. Want to free range but the ladies will just have to live with an enclosed area! Love them too much!

 

[misfit acres]

Day 21!!!!!
There's 3 pips out of 14
so far and I can hear chicks chirping e

Awesome! We are on day 18 of our test hatch, getting ready for lockdown!So exciting!

 

[LadyCluck77]

Just wanted to say, if you are in a northern state, please keep your eyes open for predators. Spring is right around the corner, snow pack is or will be getting smaller making it easier for some predators to get around. Some predators like raccoon and skunks are coming out of their dens and are hungry. I had skunk and raccoon tracks come right to my chicken door last night for the first time this year. Just a heads up, Im sure everyone is on alert but a reminder never hurts.

You are so right! Just this morning, changed the water in my layer pen, several hens jumped out to eat grass chutes coming out of the slush. Around the corner, out of a pine tree comes the BIGGEST hawk I've ever seen. Usually, they don't seem to show up around here until April. I shooed everyone back into the run, and the hawk sailed away silently, but I'm sure it'll be keeping an eye out for easy snacks.

 

[Lozuufy]

Long day, but I'm home. Ran to Iowa and back to pick up a couple roosters for the IB flock and some eggs for fresh blood.

Got home and set eggs...


Set all the eggs!...23 Iowa Blues, 9 green egged Iowacanas, 17 tan egged Iowacanas, 15 (+1 cracked) serama eggs, 8 (+1 cracked) cuckoo Marans, 2 Welsummers.
Won't have as many for the Easter hatchalong, but have to set the shipped ones as I get them.

Cleaned, disinfected, and prepped a brooding tank for my new quail.

15 of 19 eggs hatched. Most are silver or silver tuxedo, best I can tell, with a couple dark/more normal looking ones, and one that looks like it might be white/cream. Will have to look at them again when I am not so bleery eyed. I'll get some better non-stupid-camera-phone pics later, but here are a couple quick snaps while I was setting them up in their brooder. They're all tucked away under the ecoglow now and quiet.



So stinking cute. Love them. Had 20 eggs shipped, 19 were set, 15 hatched. All the ones that showed development hatched, the 4 clears I set in the hatcher separate didn't hatch. They're tough eggs to candle so I didn't want to throw them out without giving them a chance, but looks like I scored 100% on the candling this go-round.

Glad to see a good number of silvers in there. Not sure what the dark dark ones will turn into, but the others are obviously silvers. Several what looks to be tuxedo silvers in there, too. Can't wait to see them feather out!


Peered into the hatcher again before heading upstairs, no visible pips yet, but probably tomorrow night or Monday morning. These are A&M (jumbo white coturnix).

Silver quails!!!!!!