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

[chickendreams24]

I hope so too

 

[ShrekDawg]

I hope so too

Thanks

 

[Ravynscroft]

That is why you use a full Ameraucana or a Cream Crested Legbar. In general terms (not MPC specifically) the Sapphires are CCLxWL. The Super Blue Egg Layers (SBELs) are Ameraucana (any color)x Leghorn. If you use CCL's with Brown or Red Leghorns you can get Sexlinked Sapphires. Now CCl's x Isbars (lay green) get you Ice Cream Bars that lay a shade of green not quite like any other combination. Silver Ameraucanas x Golden Cuckoo Maran get you Sexlinked Olive Eggers. Solid AMs x Cuckoo Maran (white and black) will produce Sexlinked OE's. Now to make everybody's head spin round and round, I have seen British Auracanas eggs (tailed and crested) for sale here in the States on Ebay. Soon there will be a whole new round of possible combinations.

I do know that, as I breed and raise Ameraucanas, Cream Legbars and Araucanas... but... not even all true ones carry 2 blue egg genes, even from well known and respectable breeders... a friend of mine bought an order of Ameraucana chicks directly from Paul Smith and one of his pullets is laying white eggs and some are very pale blue... he emailed him and he explained that not all of the blue egg layers carry both genes... as long as the eggs are blue, that is what is acceptable to the SOP... white eggs can happen and still need to be culled from the breeding pool... they only way to tell for certain that any chicken carries 2 blue egg genes is through test mating...

 

[chickendreams24]

Candled our hatch a day early BC DH2B won't be here tomorrow to do it. It seems like we have:
Three early quitters(only one of which spent any time by the turner motor oddly enough- I have been swapping those eggs out every time I turn the eggs that aren't in the turner)
6 iffy eggs(including two shipped MPC eggs and one probable clear from our own flock)- all of these will be given a couple more days and rechecked to be sure. Some of the problems are from us not being able to see inside some of the eggs very well.
Oddly enough although our own EE eggs are hard to candle BC of their color(some being bright clear blue when candled) I think our hardest eggs to candle are the slw eggs, for what reason I'm not sure as they are a nice light brown.

So far we are down to 53 eggs in the hatch-a-long. We also candled our first silkie we set, Lovey, she's the one I've been thinking ditzy and that she may not do well. She is only on day 5 to our 6 and of her four eggs at least three have great development. One may or may not as it is a rather dark Isa Brown egg and the coop light was on still so we couldn't tell. I'm thrilled and can't wait to candle our second silkie's eggs on Monday(day 7) we also have another silkie that has gone broody, my favorite silkie Ginger, if she continues being broody tomorrow we will set the 5 oegb eggs found in the nest in the garage under her. Along with probably one other small egg as the oegb eggs are TINY and probably first pullet eggs so may not hatch and I want to be sure Ginger gets to be a Mommy. I'm super excited!!! Can't wait these are my first broody's and I'm thrilled with the numbers we've got going including fertility. Hope they keep going.

I got some pics too. Sorry about quality. Here's one for now.

Of course Ginger won't count for the hatch-a-long numbers but I thought everyone might like to hear and see anyway. I'm wondering if the three will co-mother the chicks as I've heard some broodies do. Which would be cool. Lovey is a very mellow broody barely fluffs or grumbles. Mary Anne pecks me but not terribly although sometimes it smarts, she goes to town on the other birds though, and Ginger so far barely fluffs too unless I mess with her. It probably helps than Ginger is my baby girl and very special to me. The smallest and boldest of our 6 silkies Ginger climbed a 3 foot snow drift and walked across 50 feet or so of "frozen tundra", that was part of our driveway at the time, for most of January and February to try to follow me to the house and just anytime she saw me. Leaving me on days it was nice enough to let them out having to often run back to the house to try to keep her from following me for fear she'd get cold. It never worked, not once, lol.

 

[sjturner79]

First candling. Only 7 viable.

 

[Eps32]

Well 19 out of 45 eggs so far. Not happy about that hatch rate. But I do believe it's my fault. I never used a egg turner till recently. I been working a lot and my girlfriend has been working a lot. So the eggs didn't get turned a lot. Sometimes once a day. But that's why I bought the auto turners for the Easter hatch along with a second incubator cause my other broke a couple days before set date. I candled the Easter hatch eggs and there doing great with this turner. I always said I don't need no turner I can turn them by hand it's a waste of money. Well I'm eating my words cause a auto turner is so convenient. I'll put these baby's in the bigger brooder after 24 hours when they get on there feet. Till then my old lady will have to look at them in the kitchen counter lol.

 

[AllAboutMyGirls]

Day 14 on my English Orpingtons. Pulled and candled all 18 eggs from Lot's 'A' Cluckin' Farms. Had 13 clear, 1 yolk broke and 4 developing. Cracked all clears and they were NOT fertile, even got it on video.

That's awful!! If a seller won't guarantee fertility, then why are they selling eggs? Eggs are always a gamble but if you're going to sell "Hatching Eggs" and then say "Can't guarantee fertility" it sounds like a scam. So sorry you're dealing with that kind of nonsense. If u were in VA I would give u some of our English Orp eggs.

 

[Susieq2015]

Well 19 out of 45 eggs so far. Not happy about that hatch rate. But I do believe it's my fault. I never used a egg turner till recently. I been working a lot and my girlfriend has been working a lot. So the eggs didn't get turned a lot. Sometimes once a day. But that's why I bought the auto turners for the Easter hatch along with a second incubator cause my other broke a couple days before set date. I candled the Easter hatch eggs and there doing great with this turner. I always said I don't need no turner I can turn them by hand it's a waste of money. Well I'm eating my words cause a auto turner is so convenient. I'll put these baby's in the bigger brooder after 24 hours when they get on there feet. Till then my old lady will have to look at them in the kitchen counter lol.

Aww...what kind? I'd look at them all day lol. I have eggs due today as well. I can see 6 chicks out of 20 eggs through the window. I don't know how well its going to go because I have them hatching alongside Easter HAL eggs that are double stacked, I know not a good idea (for either set) but I got short on room with these eggs due now. Hopefully I can get some good pics to post when they are done!

 

[Eps32]

Aww...what kind? I'd look at them all day lol. I have eggs due today as well. I can see 6 chicks out of 20 eggs through the window. I don't know how well its going to go because I have them hatching alongside Easter HAL eggs that are double stacked, I know not a good idea (for either set) but I got short on room with these eggs due now. Hopefully I can get some good pics to post when they are done!

There barred rock or black Minorca as far as the father goes. And seeing my barred rock is the dominate rooster he probably the father of most. Mothers are black Minorca , barred rock, and a green EE Layer.

 

[generaldsherman]

I have a self blue oegb pullet that broke a toe last year an outside one though. I know she broke it BC it happened right after she got tangled in bird netting, long story. Anyway I wasn't able to straighten it but it doesn't bother her and it's not genetic BC her toes were perfect before that.

Good to know! Hopefully the little one is OK. He's adorable and I'd hate it see him not pull through

Looks like he broke the toe. I had a chick last year hatch in the rack and bailed out to the floor (10 inch drop) He broke his middle toes and I had to tape them straight. They are straighter but still a bit gnarly.

I think you're right. I'll leave the bandaid on for a little while and see if it helps.