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

[Cynthia12]

I'm really ecstatic! Every one of my shipped silkie eggs (Florida to PA) is developing and wiggling all around

never expected that! I'm hoping they all hatch now lol

I did mine too and they are also all swimming around. Pretty fun ey?

 

[Cynthia12]

Hatching day is getting closer!
Im on day 9 and I went from 14 to 10 eggs.
3 were clears. 1 is iffy. But the 10 are developing well . You can kinda see the embryo in the picture.

I would say that you can see this baby pretty good right there! Nice photo.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I have some news on my 18/24 clear eggs. I emailed the breeder just to see if they could clarify their fertility rates because even though my eggs came through the post it just seemed too many to be clear. She emailed back to say the eggs she has candled are at 50% and below on fertility and are way lower than expected. She has suspended sales untill this improves. Once they improve she is sending me 18 eggs free of charge

On another point I'm picking my dream eggs up on Thursday of Tolbunt polish

 

[lindalouly]

I have some news on my 18/24 clear eggs. I emailed the breeder just to see if they could clarify their fertility rates because even though my eggs came through the post it just seemed too many to be clear. She emailed back to say the eggs she has candled are at 50% and below on fertility and are way lower than expected. She has suspended sales untill this improves. Once they improve she is sending me 18 eggs free of charge

On another point I'm picking my dream eggs up on Thursday of Tolbunt polish

That's great news!

 

[Ravynscroft]

I have some news on my 18/24 clear eggs. I emailed the breeder just to see if they could clarify their fertility rates because even though my eggs came through the post it just seemed too many to be clear. She emailed back to say the eggs she has candled are at 50% and below on fertility and are way lower than expected. She has suspended sales untill this improves. Once they improve she is sending me 18 eggs free of charge

On another point I'm picking my dream eggs up on Thursday of Tolbunt polish

Yay!!!

Sorry for this set, but glad they are a breeder of integrity and honesty...

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I hand turn all of my eggs so the incubators are open the entire time I turn and when I candle. I also did an absolutely terrible thing to my thermostat...and my new incubator was mostly off for 2-3 hours yesterday while I was trying to do a quick fix on it.

Not so quick was the fix.

But I "think" most eggs seemed ok. I'll know for sure in a day or so.

UPDATE - Silver HAL hatch

The new plastic incubator has 3 separate trays of eggs in it and each tray represents a specific time period (except for a couple of eggs I switched around size wise for ease of rolling the eggs in rows to turn them.) Pics would of been much better to explain but I forgot my phone at home today.

Eggs laid Feb 5-12: 1-2 eggs developing
Feb13-21: 17 eggs developing
Feb 22-Mar 2: 19 eggs developing
March 2-9: 31 eggs developing

I didn't count the very faint spiders on the Feb 13 - March 9 eggs because I'm not sure if they've been affected by yesterday's fix-it session.
I did set a few eggs after the HAL date that are in the above numbers, but I conveniently marked them a different color to keep track

I also have some eggs in lockdown due tomorrow. Not many made it from the eggs I bought.
I believe one of the eggs laid late Jan that's made it this far. (Hopefully I haven't jinxed it now..lol!)

We finished the mods on the coop. Everyone's got the new and improved roosts. The girls have their nest boxes back plus 2. The guys are safely tucked away in their own section...lol.

I candled the eggs tonight starting with the eggs that were due. We got two chicks yesterday; one red jungle fowl chick and one olive egger chick. I stayed up all night with the olive egger chick making sure he didn't get stuck in the egg because his efforts were just too dismal...lol. I ended up helping him out of the shell this morning, the membrane was sticking and holding him in. He hasn't been able to move around or hold his head up to any extent, so I gave him sips of chick vitamins earlier and switched to giving him poultry electrolytes/vitamins now that his yolk appears mostly absorbed. I was thinking he wasn't gonna make it, BUT I see he's holding up his head and shuffling around.

Jungle fowl Olive egger

The red jungle fowl chick is way too scary smart. He watches everything you do and seems to pick up quick on what's going on. I don't know what he's going to be like. Should be interesting...lol.
As far as the rest of the hatch, nothing else made it.

Pretty dismal results. I also candled all the eggs for the E HAL. Everything in the same styro incubator except for 3 eggs were a no go while eggs that were just a few days older and in the new plastic incubator had much better results even with being off when I was fixing things. (Although I do see a few spiders that probably stopped because of the fix) I'm going to take the styro incubator apart and rewash it again and air dry it.

March 14th
Eggs laid Feb 5-12: 1-2 eggs developing 3 developing, 26 tossed
Feb13-21: 17 eggs developing 12 developing , 13 tossed
Feb 22-Mar 2: 19 eggs developing 24 developing, 3 questionable, 4 tossed
March 2-9: 31 eggs developing
March 2-7 * counting only HAL eggs 22 developing, 8 tossed


First pic is of the new plastic incubator I made that shows the trays of eggs...lol.

Second pic is of the eggs oldest eggs being tossed to newest eggs being tossed (right to left) I was surprised the percentage of large eggs being tossed in newest eggs. I had the large roosters locked away from the hens. It hasn't been that long but it must be making the difference...lol.


Full incubator before candling Oldest tossed eggs to newest >>

 

[gotro17]

I have some news on my 18/24 clear eggs. I emailed the breeder just to see if they could clarify their fertility rates because even though my eggs came through the post it just seemed too many to be clear. She emailed back to say the eggs she has candled are at 50% and below on fertility and are way lower than expected. She has suspended sales untill this improves. Once they improve she is sending me 18 eggs free of charge

On another point I'm picking my dream eggs up on Thursday of Tolbunt polish

Good for you!!! Sorry for all the bad luck though... I too think it's nice to hear of a reputable breeder. Do you mind sharing their name and/or website? I've gotten all my eggs from BYC peeps. I think we all like to stick together!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Good for you!!! Sorry for all the bad luck though... I too think it's nice to hear of a reputable breeder. Do you mind sharing their name and/or website? I've gotten all my eggs from BYC peeps. I think we all like to stick together!

Thanks! I'm over in the UK so they don't post over seas :/
They have been most helpful and even though this batch has not been good I would certainly use them again ~ http://www.durhamhens.co.uk/
They sure are reputable which is nice to see in this day and age

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote:
GOOD NEWS!!!

Quote: I sorta think its cute!!

YEAH I AM NOW NPIP

CONGRATS!!!

Quote: VERY AWESOME!!!! How is the wafer doing keeping temps stable in that container?

 

[sjturner79]

What day is lockdown for chicken eggs set on exactly the contest day? I figure most of you will know because I fogot to work it out?