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

[UGLYFOOT]

I thought the set date was the the 5th? This is my first hatch a long. I do not understand why people are setting already.

Does it make a difference?

 

[ShrekDawg]

Where'd you get them? And do they ship? lol you guys make this so hard when DH2B is telling me I don't need any more breeds right now. He also doesn't understand my quest for true blue layers and a darker blue would be great! We currently have a very pale blue laying EE and a blue to blue green laying EE... Must have blue...

He also us regretting telling me I could up our flock number by ten birds this year putting us at 40, I figured I could slide under the radar with 41-42. Today he told me that just because he had upped the number I could have didn't mean I had to have that many birds... Someone please tell him that's exactly what that means. I know you all understand lol
Your EE look just like some of our girls from Cackle hatchery that we got through our local farm and fleet store. Love love love them.
Wait until they start laying to really judge their temperaments. Our girls were skittish at first too despite being handled with gentleness and care their whole lives they're ten months this month and they have all calmed down tremendously. Two are like dogs and follow us around and the other two are very sweet and easy to handle. They used to be nearly impossible to catch.

We've been planning on getting more from the same stock this year.(see above comment)

Here are two of our EE girls left is Olive and the right is Violet.
By that point I may have had more water than ice but I also had the incubator heater running too although I tried to angle that away. I now have the calibrated thermometer/hygrometer in there on the far side from the heating element and the greatest difference I've seen between the two thermometers was 1.5 degrees which the calibrated one doesn't do decimals so not too bad huh? I'm excited, should be setting tomorrow!
What kinds of eggs are these?
Well got my eggs from mypetchicken love the assortment beautiful eggs but no lavender Ameracaunas this time around. I really wanted a pullet but I guess there's always next time hope I can find some sometime.
I agree fill the four empty slots they're driving me crazy from here.

Yeah, they seem like they want to be friends and will come up to me at the fence and they all run up and mob me when I come in, it's more when I try to catch them, so they will probably come around. I will also admit that as little chicks the first few days, maybe even week or two, I would get inpatient and chase and grab them instead of taking time to let them be friends with me. Eventually I did start hand feeding though but I'd do both I also didn't soend nearly as much time with them as I should have. And even after they moved outside, I was bringing them in and out of the garage every day before we set up the dog kennel around them and recently brought them in for 2 nights when it was -5 out. So they are all a little bit skittish from all the catching, which is very understandable. But they are only skittish when I try to grab them. They all run up to me when I go outside. And free ranging sometimes they mob me and/or follow me but not if I do it multiple times in a day or without food then they're like yeah whatever lady lol but I don't really at all chase them anymore and have been giving them treats since they moved outside and much more lately, which is why they now mob me hahah hoping to build a huge run and new coop too so that might help. The Buff Orps and Barred Rock though are friendlier. The Orps will sometimes let me catch them

 

[chickendreams24]

Okay all made an awesome discovery and wondering on if I should or not discovered that the last spot by the turner motor has a removable cover... Now to put an egg there or not to put an egg there is the question.. I know I should have known that but the most eggs I've ever incubated at a time was 21. So my question is should I put an egg there and if I do how often would I need to switch it out with a different egg to keep it from overheating?

Got my eggs today from mypetchicken. Thank you again MPC for your generosity in providing past present and hopefully future prizes for contests. I got four EE, two bcm, and an OE from them and I am in love! I never realized how beautiful olive eggs are and I did need some chocolate eggs in my basket. Hope they all hatch and are all pullets!!! and thank you for the extra! Best trick or treat I ever got

Tomorrow DH2B and I will be sorting through and setting all the best eggs we've saved from our own flock as well as the shipped eggs from MPC can't wait! We're also playing around with the egg shape sexing as in the thread on BYC. It seems pretty cool and may help up the pullet vs cockeral ratio a little.

We will give final numbers after setting tomorrow but right now we're planning on setting the MPC eggs, slw, slw/EE mixes, slw/buff Orpington mixes, silkies and a couple slw/Isa brown mixes BC DH2B thinks we're going to invent a new amazing layer and make millions yep and he "doesn't really" like the birds... Well mostly the bantams he thinks they're worthless and doesn't see what I see in them.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I thought the set date was the the 5th? This is my first hatch a long. I do not understand why people are setting already.

Does it make a difference?

I think it originally was and still is but some people just like to do it sooner or have shipped eggs that they do not want to let get old, etc. Plus it has recently been stated that there is a window of 2 days before and after for it to be counted. So I think that's why. It's reslly relaxed here and people mostly don't care as long as there are cute chicks plus there are other species that take longer than chickens so it will be fairly staggered hatching anyways. Don't worry, I am sure there are still plenty of people setting eggs on the 5th!!!

 

[chickendreams24]

Also would the person who posted the Craigslist add in NC with lavender Ameracaunas please repost it my phone decided that it wanted to lose that page lol and I do desperately want them. I plan to hold onto it until after the hatch-a-long and maybe I can convince DH2B that I really do need them wish me luck. Lol
Thank you

 

[Cynthia12]

beautiful girls! What kind are they?

Easter Eggers. They are from the same folks eggs that I showed earlier..with all the bubble wrap! I want a splash, bad!

 

[Hawk12]

I set brahmas and marans tonight. Orpingtons will be set tomorrow and Sat. Total of 80 eggs. Hope it goes well

 

[Cynthia12]

Can i still be in if i set eggs tomorrow not saturday? I am hatching shipped eggs and they arrived a day early and i dont want to let them get to old.

I got my shipped eggs today ... setting tomorrow too.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

My eggs should be arriving this morning

Goodness, I hope they get here ok!

I pre warned the postie to be careful with them, he thought I was crazy!!

 

[Cynthia12]

My eggs arrived!!!! thanks @MyPetChicken and @mothergoose for the safe shipping, especially mother goose, check out the dent in that box! not dark enough to candle them yet.

Will be setting 9 Ameraucana and 4 Dominique

On other notes the Turken pullets I took a chance on seem to be much better behaved than the previous owner reported. Look at my new girls' eggs

I know mothergoose packs well. I have some of her bantam barred rocks in right now. The go into lock down on Tues. So far, 11 are doing well, even the ones with wonky air cells.
Loving the blue..are those from mothergoose?