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

[Penny Hen]

I moved mine out when it was getting crowded, just get some hot water ready and put a little more in your water wells and quickly close it back up. That is how I do it, and it works for me. the thing is get in and out as fast as you can, pull the chicks, close it up then move babies to the brooder.

Mine is a large homemade bator made from a sink cabinet. It opens at the top. I have an old blanket hanging over it and I crawl under the blanket and pull it down over my hips and then open the bator lid. The blanket keeps the heat and moisture from escaping fast. I have even had the lights turn off on me while checking the eggs because the temps were holding so well. It has worked really well for me.

I think though that I am going to go ahead and build out my old dishwasher as an incubator and donate this one to a 4-H kid. This is because I have gastric reflux and to reach the bottom of this bator I have to be in the toe-touching position with the wall of the bator digging into my belly and fighting reflux at the same time.

 

[IHeartPoultry]

Who's in the not-yet-externally-pipped-eggs club?

I am...

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

It's Hatch Day!!

....if you set on Saturday, March 5....
....if not....

Yeah, well, someone didn't tell my babies, who all hatched yesterday and overnight.

Of 7 eggs that went into lockdown, I have 6 babies in the brooder (2 boys, 4 girls - which is good, because that point of this hatch was getting girls from this hen). One egg is left, no external pip yet. I did a quick candle earlier, and there is draw down and I thought I saw a vein (hard to see, as these are saturated blue eggs), so I put it back and will cross my fingers that it's just late. It's only day 21 after all.

Baby photos!!!!



- Ant Farm

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

@mlm Mike

TOTAL HATCH NUMBER FOR ME ~ 7

The 7 that made it to lockdown all hatched 5 Columbian black tails & 2 bantam pekin.

The pekin were the last so they are still drying off but the others have moved to the brooder.

 

[Penny Hen]

I'm pulling out of the contest. My chicks divided to hatch a day early. Lol

Doesn't matter if they hatch a day early. If you set them on the right days they still count.

 

[tiedyechick]

[COLOR=800000]Who's in the not-yet-externally-pipped-eggs club?  [/COLOR]


I am...   

I am.. But I set a day late..
I just started to see occasional movement so pips should be soon

 

[Penny Hen]

I got a white Legbar! Pulled 11 more out of the good dry hatcher this morning, & 1 out of the bad bator. Still a few pipping. Only have 3 chicks from my flock this hatch so far, but lots of cuties!

It will possibly turn out to be a silver. I was reading up on them and there are three colors: the Cream, the Silver, and Gold. The Cream was what was imported but apparently there was some silver genes floating around. The golds are caused by "losing" the cream gene. Can't remember whether that gene is dominant or recessive so I won't try to describe how that happens.

 

[Farmer Viola]

23 in the brooder. Of the 13 shipped eggs, 9 made it to lockdown, all 9 hatched, wonky air cells and all. 14 from my birds hatched, 2 assisted and in the incubator, 1 died in the shell. From what I could see, it absorbed everything and was trying to get out, but it was too big for it's shell. I have bad luck with my rsl's eggs.

That's really good hatch rate especially for shipped eggs!

I need a quick answer:
How many chicks should my Welsummer mama have? Right now she has six babies and 3 more pipped. And, I have 2 chicks in my Bator and 3 trying to hatch. Well, what Ik trying to ask is should I give my broody silkie some Chicks so that the Welsummer doesn't have too many and kill them?

My LF welsummer is pretty small compared to other breeds. I would probably err on the side of less, rather than more, but that's just me. I would give her 8-10?

Ok, 7 out of 18 hatched. The others were quitters or infertile.

My cream legbar babies have hatched! 2 boys 2 girls and one that is in-between in coloring

so gonna have to wait and see for that one lol. I also have call duck eggs that should hatch the 29th, (not for the hal) very excited for call babies!

Total of 5 hatched

Hooray!

Back from my bike ride, run & yoga... Now have 6 chicks. First time ever I've had them dry in the incubater - in the past my humidity was too high. Just a few eggs to go - but they have a while yet.

Excellent!

I'm pretty sure my hatch is done. Out of 27 that went into the incubator on the 5th, 18 made it to lockdown. I've got 11 health chicks. I'm pretty sure the 7 remaining eggs are dead. It's been my experience, that if an egg isn't pipped within 48 hours of the first hatch, it's not going to.

I can agree with that. 11 is a great number!

what kind of incubator do you have?
me, too.my eggs were due yesterday and I still have a bunch not hatched.

Have 1 I had to help still in the incubator. Not sure if it'll make it. I did see a pip on one of my other Dominique eggs! I'm going to have to go out somewhere today just so I am not checking the incubator every 30 seconds.

New fluffers!!!!!! Black Ameraucana chick

ahh so cute and fluffy!!!

Checked under my broody but nothing yet hopefully old red is doing his job but I'm waiting a bit cause the eggs have good weight to them and none smell rotten

I got a white Legbar! Pulled 11 more out of the good dry hatcher this morning, & 1 out of the bad bator. Still a few pipping. Only have 3 chicks from my flock this hatch so far, but lots of cuties!

nice!!! they're so cute!

I had 41 chicks hatch last night. I have two more eggs in the bator with pips, but they aren't making much progress.

So my count as of now :
41 total
23 faverolles
17 welsummers (9 females 8 male)

pics please!!! PS I have one of your Faverolles hens. She is the SWEETEST girl ever! I just love her

My one egg for EHA has a pip!!! Whohoo lol.

(I have 22 other hatched chickies from earlier hatches this month)

I feel so lucky to have the 1 egg I set specifically for this to have made it so far.

I can't quote everyone but congrats to everyone with pips and peeps so far!

Oh and the egg I'm hatching is an EE. Blk sex link x ameraucana . Should be interesting!!

cmon baby!

7 more pips this morning, it's going to be a good day

Yeah, well, someone didn't tell my babies, who all hatched yesterday and overnight.

Of 7 eggs that went into lockdown, I have 6 babies in the brooder (2 boys, 4 girls - which is good, because that point of this hatch was getting girls from this hen). One egg is left, no external pip yet. I did a quick candle earlier, and there is draw down and I thought I saw a vein (hard to see, as these are saturated blue eggs), so I put it back and will cross my fingers that it's just late. It's only day 21 after all.

Baby photos!!!!



- Ant Farm

yay! congrats!

@mlm Mike

TOTAL HATCH NUMBER FOR ME ~ 7

The 7 that made it to lockdown all hatched

5 Columbian black tails & 2 bantam pekin.





The pekin were the last so they are still drying off but the others have moved to the brooder.

100%

 

[Farmer Viola]

this morning I have 9 pips! (day 20)

 

[tiffanyblitz]

Ok, wow. That has got to be very difficult to feed, good job getting it some food! At that age they should be around 97 degrees in my experience, I like keeping them in an incubator between feedings cause it is easier to control temp. It is ok for the baby to be at 99 degrees for a couple days if you only have one 'bator. I keep them in a yogurt container (or something similar) - lined with tissues - so that if there are other creatures in the incubator they can't squish them.

Incubator is a great idea, thanks! I currently have it in the brooder (which is at around 95 with the new HAL babies) - in a separate little container, of course!