The 8th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!!!!

[chattery41]

Why not just block the nest box the broody is in off and open it up a once or twice a day for her to get food and water

I put a board up in front of it so there wasn't room for another hen but uh. . . they got in and laid mostly on her, till they slid down into the board i propped up, and knocked my board down. They are determined for sure. It's pretty much too late to do anything tho because she should have a few already hatched under her. I will be checking her daily to find out when she brings the newbies out of the nest and confiscate the rest of the eggs then. Then i think i'll adjust the size of my nesting boxes. I have English Orpingtons so i made them a bit roomy.

Next time i'll make em bantam size so only the back end of one hen will fit in the box.

 

[Bantambird]

Just candled, removed 4 more turkeys eggs, all 5 Marans eggs and 2 cream legbar eggs. There are 2 legbar and 16 turkey eggs left. Need those guide chicks! Don't have time to babysit turkey, so don't fail me now, last two chickies!

The Marans weren't happy since I had moved them around not long before...

 

[twilightrose]

Candled tonight, looks like I'm not getting much. Looking at detached air cells on all six of the winning raffle ticket silkie eggs- not feeling like a winner. 4 were under a broody, and two in the incubator, must have gotten kickboxed through the mail, because they all look the same. Of the 14 Brahma eggs ordered from Florida, I see life inside two eggs. I'm grateful I got anything happening at this point, I just hope I can get them to hatch healthy. (Triple crosses fingers). My first batch of shipped eggs, I only had one baby hatch, but it was premature and only lived a couple days. Anything I can do to prevent another premie and herniated belly? it was heart breaking. Should I try hatching at lower humidity to get the yolk to absorb? I'm in Colorado where it is quite dry most of the time already and I worry about shrinkwrapped chicks. Thanks for any suggestions. Feeling like a failure.

 

[fnwolffie]

Candled last night saw lots of movement and growing babies! Some eggs were way to dark to candle though (marans & dark olive eggers). I pulled 7 eggs that were clear. Crossing my fingers on the rest of these babies!!!

 

[lilwildrabbit]

i took an idea to make a divisible nest box from 4 I can remove part of the devider and close off the two nest boxes so I can supply food and water to the hen if one goes broody I'm thinking about building a hanging box to mount with hooks in the front to provide more room that way I can give her about 4 sq ft of room to set in without removing her from her nest

 

[Grub Digger]

I hope you have a great hatch!

Thank you so much!

 

[Happy Chooks]

In other news, I have a hen gone broody, which is great, BUT all my other hens keep getting in the same nest with her and laying their eggs. Nothing i do seems to keep them out. Every new egg she just tucks right under her. I was able to catch her off the nest only once and i marked all the eggs with a colored pencil. Well it has gotten to the point she can't cover all the eggs so she just covers her originals and whatever else she can. There are 2 other nest boxes and 2 portables i made from milk crates hoping to get them to lay somewhere else, but, NO! They refuse. It's going to be interesting when they start hatching. I guess i will bring all the unhatched in and put them in my bator. I will use the egg carton method and turn them that way so if any hatch they wont get caught in my egg turner. Fun on the Farm, what can u do

Sorry about your hatch. As for the broody, just mark her eggs with a sharpie and remove others laid daily.

 

[ChookLover02]

I have 20 mixed ducks and 11 mixed chicks hatching. It's my first ever hatch, so I hope some of them come out

How'd it go? Did any hatch?

 

[kidykat]

8 of my first 24 set made it to lockdown all look very good developmentally, but worried about 2 with very strong saddles. Have in cut down egg carton with those in the front so I can keep a close eye on them. 6 more lockdown on Thursday.

 

[kmet101]

No.

. Day 23 and no signs at all. No pipping, shaking or peeping. It's looking like I did something wrong. So sad. They looked good before lock down.