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

[JoyfulPromise]

Ok, so I candled my HAL eggs last night (it was day 7 for me). Out of the 57 eggs set, I pulled 13 clears, and 3 blood rings. One of the BCM looked questionable to me, but I left it in for now. So that leaves me with 41 eggs for now.

Breed breakdown...

Bielefelders - 12 out of 12 fertile (as far as I could tell)
Jubilee Orps - 9 out of 13 fertile
Swedish Flower Hens - 4 out of 8 fertile
Wheaten Ameraucanas - 5 out of 5 fertile, but 2 blood rings
Wheaten AM x Polish - 3 out of 3 fertile, but 1 blood ring
Blue/Black FCM - 6 out of 6 fertile, with 1 questionable
Silkies - 5 of 5 fertile
Buff Orps - 0 of 5 fertile (my Buffs had a slow start this Spring, but fertility is looking better for the next batch I put in this week)

My first tray that is due to hatch next week is looking good - only pulled one clear and one blood ring on the BCM's that I wasn't sure on last time. 39 eggs moving towards Lockdown on Tuesday!!

Can't wait!!!

This batch includes 8 of my own SBELs - Wheaten AM x White Leghorn!

 

[Penny Hen]

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...

Learn a new fact every day.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Learn a new fact every day.

Me too... that's how I know I'm still kicking...

 

[Susieq2015]

Just got 18 out of 20 hatched, now I can unstack my HAL eggs. 15 are pictured, 3 are still wet in the bator. 13 of these already went to their new home! (Including the one in the single pic). There's one more pipped & no sign from the last egg, a BCM. These are all from my own flock various prod hens that lay brown, white, blue/green and dark brown, all by EE roosters. Possibility of the Legbar roo as well. This batch has a lot of black ones in it...

 

[fisherlady]

I joined a while back pending broody hen cooperation, no hen parked during the right time frame so I'm not participating for numbers...but go figure, today a hen decided to set, lol...

 

[Myfourladies]

Can't wait to candle tomorrow!!

 

[CGilbert]

Can't wait to candle tomorrow!!

X2!!!! (although I'll probably break down and candle tonight)

 

[Cynthia12]

I have a pip in the right place! Bantam Barred Rock cochins..and I looked closer .. and in the morning instead of late night at the other..it isn't a pip at the wrong end.

Yes, I laugh at myself...more and more the older I get.

 

[Cynthia12]

Well, I can hope my little girls turn out this cute!

 

[generaldsherman]

Waiting for pips is even more torturous when I am a state away and can only see through a webcam

(If you need footage to help you sleep open this in VLC under network connections http://thing.digvil.info:8080/stream.wmv )