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

[Eps32]

Ok guys orust eggs un boxed not one broken. Whooooo!!!!! Very happy with the shipper. Wrote live embryos no X-ray and fragile everywhere.

 

[RattleCan]

Awesome! It's great to see that some of your eggs are surviving the postal service!

Just picked up my EE eggs, they gave me five extras which works out perfect since the turner holds exactly 41! (This picture made them weirdly pink... but they are all blue and olive I swear!)

 

[coopbuilder82]

hello everyone I would like to join the hatch-a-long

 

[generaldsherman]

You all are making me want to play hooky from work and go to the post office to pick up my ameraucana (B/B/S) eggs.

 

[KYTinpusher]

Awesome! It's great to see that some of your eggs are surviving the postal service!

Just picked up my EE eggs, they gave me five extras which works out perfect since the turner holds exactly 41! (This picture made them weirdly pink... but they are all blue and olive I swear!)

Is this a little better?

(Hint: Putting something white in the picture will help with color correction.)

 

[RattleCan]

Is this a little better?

(Hint: Putting something white in the picture will help with color correction.)

Definitely closer! I'll have to try that next time, my guess is my phone doesn't like that camo bedsheet XD I'll have to get pictures with my real camera before they go in the incubator.

 

[ronott1]

Received my eggs from Hog Creek Ranch this morning. They sent 3 extras.Packed very well. Only 3 had a discernible air cell so my eggs are very fresh. The air cells i can see are very stable, staying still when u roll the egg.

Thanks for posting the pictures!

Oh my gosh that video!!! Me too, I've sent out eggs and watching that made me

Last year someone posted this one, which was also horrible to watch. my father worked for the USPS and can confirm this is pretty accurate.

This is why you have to pack like the above packing method!

 

[ronott1]

Really really ticked off today!!! I asked my youngest son (17) to go out and open up my brooder coop so my broody that is on day 19 can get out to stretch her legs if she wants. Well he decided he should try and candle one of the eggs, and dropped it!! A 6 foot fall a broken egg and a beautiful barred rock chick ruined!!! That kid will be shoveling sh-t all spring now. Took me 3 tries to get this incubation stuff right and this ugggggg.

That is so sad!

 

[GitaBooks]

Today I got my f2 Olive egger eggs for the Easter hatch!!! And they are beautiful!!! They were also packaged amazingly! There were styrofoam only the sides of the box, and then the eggs were in wrapped in 2 layers (paper towel and bubble wrap). And they were in all in a bed of wood chips. I got 8 eggs, and only 2 are cracked. But it all works out because my incubator only holds 7 eggs, and now I have room for my Silkie egg. Here they are:

I'm so glad they are all in good shape! I put plastic grocery bags in with the eggs I shipped, so we'll see how that turned out. I didn't really have anything else handy. I also put in some plastic baggies that I blew air into.

WOW!!! I haven't been online for a while and I am nearly 2000 posts behind!!

With everything that has gone on over the last couple weeks (Rec Soccer Championships, oldest turned 12 Celebration, impromptu trip to Orlando, FL to see family and go to Universal Studios) I haven't been able to post any updates. Well, the Easter HAL eggs for the classroom were set last Thursday. I actually was permitted some time to speak with the children about chickens and eggs. This set will be the sum total for this HAL. Too much going on. So here are my numbers

Heritage RIR = 4
Speckled Sussex = 3
Blue/Black/Splash Maran = 3
Salmon Faverolle = 2

Black bantam (can't remember which breed) = 1
Millie Fluer d'Uccle = 3
Gold Neck d'Uccle = 6
Backyard mystery mixes = 3

Grand Total eggs set = 25


Bonus update:
Returned from Orlando Monday night to two pipped duck eggs, one pipped chicken egg, and two hatched chicks. (Eggs were "locked-down" right before we left.) All have hatched and the newest duckling additions are adorable. The ducklings are White Crested/Rouen cross. The both look like standard Rouen except one inherited it's mother's crest.

This little one has already received the name Montana (Moe for short).

Wow, those are some awesome breeds! I want some heritage RIRs one of these days.

And that is one of the cutest ducks in the world!

My Mille Fleur eggs just got here! They came all the way from Georgia to California! All 12 have no cracks, and 3 have bad saddle cells, 2 minor saddle cells, and the rest are perfect! All the yolks look intact, these eggs are really easy to see through with a candler! I'm so happy!

I'm glad they shipped well! Congrats!

Ouch, amazing ANYTHING hatches that gets shipped
look great!


just got 4 new pullets today. The seller stupidly let them sleep in the nesting boxes and, go figure, they knock eggs out which then get cracked and eaten. Any ideas on breaking them from egg-eating habbits? They'll be my only layers for at least 4 months. Right now they are in a wire-bottom rabbit hutch. Figured they were worth a risk for 5 bucks each. But hutch is too small for daytime. Will it hurt training to let the twerps forage in the yard? Maybe it'll discourage bad behavior.

(Figure I'll train them out of bad habbits and then list 3 of the 4 for sale at the local TSC so I can keep more of my own hatchers.)

I had some egg-eaters. We ended up having to get rid of the main culprit, but there are some methods that help. Dark nest boxes, extra thick nesting material, collecting more often, filling a fake egg with something disgusting, having one of those nest boxes that rolls the egg out of reach, and others.

best of luck!

I think I'll be joining in!

Welcome! So glad you could join!

What do you want to set?

I think I have the addiction bad...

just went to Meyer's website and was browsing all the brown egg layers and planning when i could get them and what was available and everything... figured August was good, even added a couple birds to my cart just for kicks!!! 2 SLW, 2 BR and another BO. But don't worry, didn't place the order!! Couldn't even if I wanted to lol

But then shipping was like $40 so I wasn't about to pay $60 for 4 or 5 little chickies. Plus I WANT A SPECKLED SUSSEX

SOOOOO THEEEEENNNNN...

I went back to the Morrison's website to their chick list and was looking at all the dates and trying to figure out what I could get when. And they have Speckled Sussex coming in April 11th but then that's sooo soon.... and it's a 3 order min from the same ship date and there's only one other breed that week. But I think that's also for placing your order, guarantee they would probably still have other breeds from the previous weeks in store.

Or I could go to TSC.

Or just get 3 Speckled Sussex.

Or just get none since the limit is 8 and mine haven't even begun laying yet.

But by the time the Speckled Sussex come in I will probably have my license and may just drive to one of the feed stores and wind up coming home with 3 little Speckled Sussex babies.... and possibly some barred rocks, buff orpingtons, and/or rhode island reds.....

I don't even know if my coop will even be finished by then. And even if it is, this is exactly why I wanted to build a bigger coop.

OMG.

I've got it bad....

Speckled Sussex are awesome! Sorry, I'm not going to try talking you out of this. Totally get them!

Well I have got the incubator rigged for lockdown. Water filled. Fan on to keep the oxygen high. Silver cot eggs on the floor of the cabinet bator. Water dishes covered with hardware cloth. Fan raised enough to not suck up a quail chick. Did that last year. it was gruesome. These should be due on Mar 5 My Texas A&Ms came in two days early so I will be setting them on the 6th so they can still be in the Easter HAL. By that time the chicken eggs should be entering lockdown on the floor while the new eggs are up int the racks. I have ordered another STC-1000 because I need a hatcher. It is supposed to arrive on the 8th.

Candled the chicken eggs tonight. The blues and the OE are a mystery. It looks like I have 2 Orust and 1 Twenste that has a good chance. The 4 Neiderrheiners are clear. Several of the others have this weird banded appearance. Air cell, Dark band, clear band with some hints of veining. Does anyone know what that is and what I might expect?

Don't be too quick to toss out eggs, but I have a feeling any egg that doesn't look normal probably isn't going to hatch.

I sure hope they do though!

Is it too late to join the hatch a long?

Nope. We'll take anyone we can get.

Welcome to the HAL!

Getting ready to go pick up my other 3 dozen EE eggs today! Woo!

As a side note, for those of you who do receive damaged eggs through USPS, definitely file a claim. After a look at this article --> https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-truth-about-insuring-hatching-eggs

I filed a claim for the 2 dozen eggs I received on Monday. Only two were physically cracked but the air cells were so grossly damaged in all of the others that I have little hope that any are going to hatch, so I figured it was worth a try. My claim was approved this morning for the full $50 priority mail is insured for. So if you receive damaged eggs, take pictures and don't hesitate to file a claim with them! Those eggs went into the incubator on Tuesday, and I'll be candling them tomorrow evening to see if the air cells have improved enough for turning.

Good luck to everyone receiving eggs in the mail!

I'm glad you got your claim approved!

I hope your eggs hatch.

Received my eggs from Hog Creek Ranch this morning. They sent 3 extras. Packed very well. Only 3 had a discernible air cell so my eggs are very fresh. The air cells i can see are very stable, staying still when u roll the egg.

I'm glad they came in good shape.

Really really ticked off today!!! I asked my youngest son (17) to go out and open up my brooder coop so my broody that is on day 19 can get out to stretch her legs if she wants. Well he decided he should try and candle one of the eggs, and dropped it!! A 6 foot fall a broken egg and a beautiful barred rock chick ruined!!! That kid will be shoveling sh-t all spring now. Took me 3 tries to get this incubation stuff right and this ugggggg.

I know its so frustrating when things like that happen, but mistakes do happen. I have five brothers, and sometimes I have to remind myself they are more important then my chickens and that they were just trying to help out. Whenever they make a mistake they are always heart-broken so I just try to tell them it was only an accident and how to be more careful next time.

And yes, all my brothers are about 6 ft or taller!

Awesome! It's great to see that some of your eggs are surviving the postal service!

Just picked up my EE eggs, they gave me five extras which works out perfect since the turner holds exactly 41! (This picture made them weirdly pink... but they are all blue and olive I swear!)

They really do look like they are tan and white!

I'm glad they arrived in good shape.

 

[ToddQ]

That is so sad!

I was going to give him a whoopin, but I have a bad back

and Im scared of his mom lol!! I have 23 more eggs set to hatch azny time, so loosing one is ok. I keep telling myself it was probably another rooster!