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

[chickiebaby1]

So I had 6/32 hatch and none of them made it.

it was like they had failure to thrive issues or something. But I had chicks hatch yesterday that are doing great. Go figure

 

[mlm Mike]

56 hatched. Our house took a little over a foot of water . Now are are wading through the red tape and waiting to see if we are going to get to repair it . It's gonna be a long process . We have been out if the house since the 17th. We should be getting a more permeant place to stay tomorrow . We are moving our RV to
a location with full hookups for now. We wanted to hook up at the house but the city is making that rather difficult right now. I fell off our retaining wall when we were trying to get our things out of the house and can't use my arm now. And to add to the mess, they are announcing layoffs soon for my husbands job. I am exhausted and at a loss right now of even what to do.

I'm so sorry you are going through all this at once. Prayers for you and your family!

 

[mlm Mike]

@mlm Mike
Updates/final count

Incubator set 48
Lockdown 36
A couple clears from MPC some blood rings and early quitters as well as one or two late quitters. I incubated completely dry and ended up with big sticky chicks and jello-like eggs anyway. My conclusion is that maybe I have a cool spot that I don't know about. We had 16 hatch very well and When opening eggs for egg topsies we discovered one pipped chick, and two alive non-pipped(these two were very very vascular and very sticky- they gave up never having absorbed their veins) We were able to save the other six sticky pipped eggs and get them out of their eggs, after waiting for veins and such to absorb, including the one that had internally pipped but never externally. However two of the assists dies after 24 hours. One I believe had inhaled some of the goop and the other was unknown caused but I think had a herniated navel.
All in all we got 22 live chicks out of eggs but lost two so 20

Lovey set 4(we added an egg that was a day behind that we did not count in the totals) it was late and hatched last night under another of our broodies. Lovey's hatch went very very well. She did lose one egg. When we opened it we discovered it too was sticky and already dead. It spent no time in the incubator can anyone explain this? Lovey hatched out three wonderful healthy little chicks
A partridge silkie, a tiny black oegb, and a SLW/EE chick. Lovey was due to hatch 1-2 days before Mary Anne but Lovey was a day late and Mary Anne started a day early because of this Mary Anne hatched first.

Mary Anne set 4
She hatched out all four of her chicks and was an amazing Mommy for the first two days, then she statrted to peck her chicks and Lovey's chicks and even beat up Lovey. (Although DH2B did go out and find one of Mary Anne's chicks stone cold and not breathing outside the nest box the first day. He brought it in and put it in the incubator -still running BC of a couple of little ones needing care- and amazingly it revived. It took some time but she is doing great and 24 hours later went back outside.) She especially was aggressive with Lovey's little EE and with a cuckoo Marans that we bought actually picking up the Marans in her beak and throwing it. And then pecking her own chicks until they ran away crying and hid from her.

Idk what the catalyst was that set her off. These are my first broodies and idk what to make of this. Her aggression started with her own chicks and seemed to be centered around the feeder, I think. Worried about the chicks being injured, we decided to pull her and put Mary Anne back with the main flock. I'm still not sure the chicks are safe but I feel better knowing that Lovey doesn't do that. Mary Anne will be given another chance but if she continues this nonsense she will not be allowed to raise chicks again. I may still let her brood the eggs though.
Mary Anne hatched a white silkie and a silkie I can't decide on color, a SLW/buff orp mix, and what appears to be either a silkie/sebright mix and a silkie/isa brown mix I'm not sure.

They were joined day before yesterday by our feedstore chicks! We got 5 speckled sussex pullets, 5 St run white rocks, 2 cuckoo Marans pullets, 2 brown leghorn pullets, and 1 light Brahma pullet and I can't wait to see how everyone grows up. Sadly the hatchery shorted the feed store and we were not able to get the 2 salmon faverolles pullets that we wanted. We may get those in May with the next shipment.

So totals are 56 set/29 hatched -2 died at day old= 27


We also have two more broodies that don't count as totals but I thought everyone might like to hear about them too. Ginger is hatching today, she started last night. She is right on schedule today is day 21 for her.

Ginger has four eggs under her and already has at least one chick.
Monday our buff orp is due and should hopefully hatch all 8 of her surviving eggs.


I hope you all can help me guess some colors of some silkies I hatched please and thank you.




Also we bought a hatchery white silkie and I swear the little one is feathering in white with partridge spots. Is this possible? Should I notify the hatchery that it isn't white?

Thanks. I have never had an issue with a broody rejecting her chicks.

I have been just miserable all day.

A critter climbed in my shed window (that I forgot to close) and killed my entire brooder of chicks. Not just a few... all 41.i woke up to find 41 dead chicks, or what was left of them. It was just freaking horrible to clean up. The only silver lining is my older new bloodline faverolles were untouched.

I'm sorry you lost all those chicks. It must have been horrible to find them.

So, I worked on this all day. A project I have been meaning to get done for a couple weeks now. It will be empty now, but it kept me busy.

Vet nice!

I'm "finally" back on the computer and have caught up!

Thank you for being patient.

I had expected to be hatching Sunday/Monday. Last time I got a chance to post I had live chicks in the shells but nothing was happening. I had four pips but no progression after a lengthy wait so I assisted with the top part of the shell and they kicked out of the bottom half themselves. One weaker chick died, leaving 3 chicks. I candled the rest, some were visibly alive but a few appeared to have perished in the shell.

Last night I finally called it and started opening eggs. There were two weak chicks that were still alive, but they died last night. A third chick, turned out to be viable. I opened the egg completely and took him out. He is completely normal and is cruising around...lol. I'm still a bit shocked about this chick. I was expecting sticky chicks but there were none. This was a painfully long incubation and I hope to not have this again...lol.

So in the end, 3 pipped that required assistance. The last survived because I opened the egg.




@mlm Mike ...my total is 4 but I don't know if the last chick counts since I hatched him out.

Thank You! Sorry you had such a tough hatch.

My Easter babies are growing so fast!







The Easter poults.







Fuzzy little silkie butts!



And since i just happened to be in the right place at the right time, i caught Merci, just as she laid her egg lol.

I love the poults!

 

[Sahwithchicks]

Sounds like a raccoon.  I'm so sorry.

I am sure you are right. The only thing that that made me question what it was was all but one body was squished, guts left laying. Only one chick was visible eaten. In all my past experiences with coon, they will eat the guts (or just the head) and leave the rest, not just squish the whole lot. It reminded me of when the neighbors dog killed my chicks, but the dog would have had to be pretty agile and clever to manage.

 

[mlm Mike]

So I had 6/32 hatch and none of them made it.

it was like they had failure to thrive issues or something. But I had chicks hatch yesterday that are doing great. Go figure

Sorry, the chicks didn't make it. I'm glad your current chicks are doing much better.

 

[Lozuufy]

I have been just miserable all day.

A critter climbed in my shed window (that I forgot to close) and killed my entire brooder of chicks. Not just a few... all 41.i woke up to find 41 dead chicks, or what was left of them. It was just freaking horrible to clean up. The only silver lining is my older new bloodline faverolles were untouched.

So sorry! That's horrible

Awwwww look at the spotted WEBBIES!!!

YES, they are so cute.

My Easter babies are growing so fast!







The Easter poults.







Fuzzy little silkie butts!



And since i just happened to be in the right place at the right time, i caught Merci, just as she laid her egg lol.

So cute! Lol love the expression on that hen's face.

Orust chick update. There starting to feather a little bit. All are eating and drinking good. Still have no idea on sexes. Will just have to wait I guess. But there loving life. And I'll move them to the big brooder in a week I think.

So cool looking!

Oh in other news. I own ducklings now witch some of you might know. I thought chick brooders got messy. Duckling brooders get messy quick. I have a container with a hole in it so they can dunk there heads in as well as there regular water. I have to clean these things numerous times a day. And had to get some Brewers yeast for niacin witch I had no idea I needed. Thank god I read a lot. But there messy but so DARN CUTE!!

Wait til they get a little older, they will just get messier! But of course the cuteness makes up for it

Got my first quail egg yesterday!

Woo hoo! Congrats!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

CONTESTS ARE STILL OPEN:



Contest #5: Cutest Baby Fowl Ends April 3rd
To enter, go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-fowl-7th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Contest #8: Natural Egg Photo Contest Ends April 5th
To enter, go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ntest-7th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Contest #11: Peeps Art Contest Ends April 7th
To enter, go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ntest-7th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/0_50

Contest #12: Wet Poultry Ends April 8th
To enter, go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...l-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/0_100#post_16611421

@mlm Mike

CONGRATS on your NEW FRIEND BADGE Mike!!!

TO ALL!!!
Congratulations to all!


Friend

@CherriesBrood
@chicken4prez
@ChickenLady2014
@Debs Flock
@duluthralphie
@gander007
@junebuggena
@KsKingBee
@LittleLakePhil
@LocalYokel
@mlm Mike
@neopolitancrazy
@new 2 pfowl
@pattyhen
@PD-Riverman
@rebrascora
@ronott1
@Scovy Momma
@servpolice
@shortgrass
@teach1rusl
@Tevyes Dad
@Ur-ur-ur-urrr


Greeter

@CTKen

Spirit

@AmyLynn2374
@Kev
@aart

 

[ronott1]

@mlm Mike

CONGRATS on your NEW FRIEND BADGE Mike!!!

TO ALL!!!
Congratulations to all!


Friend

@CherriesBrood
@chicken4prez
@ChickenLady2014
@Debs Flock
@duluthralphie
@gander007
@junebuggena
@KsKingBee
@LittleLakePhil
@LocalYokel
@mlm Mike
@neopolitancrazy
@new 2 pfowl
@pattyhen
@PD-Riverman
@rebrascora
@ronott1
@Scovy Momma
@servpolice
@shortgrass
@teach1rusl
@Tevyes Dad
@Ur-ur-ur-urrr


Greeter

@CTKen

Spirit

@AmyLynn2374
@Kev
@aart

Mike!

Wait, I am on that list too!

 

[mlm Mike]

Quote: Thank you Sally! Congratulations everyone!

 

[mlm Mike]

Thank you Ron!

and Yes

Ron!