The 9th Annual BYC Easter Hatchalong!

[Wildest]

Super happy!! Yesterday, I came home to one little quail!! I got him/her squared away and was hoping for at least one more (so the little one has a friend) and lo and behold, another hatched today!

There are still a couple more eggs in the bator but I candled them and I don't believe there is anyone home.

 

[Pyxis]

I've got some internal pips on the batch I set right before I set the eggs for this HAL Should have some chicks tomorrow.

 

[ronott1]

I've got some internal pips on the batch I set right before I set the eggs for this HAL Should have some chicks tomorrow.

 

[MontainBourbons]

I'm going into lockdown tomorrow, got 72 viable eggs.
Pictures will follow when they hatch.

 

[kmac720]

3 lone survivors going into lock down....They were all moving well, could even feel one when moving them to the hatcher.

 

[MontainBourbons]

3 lone survivors going into lock down....They were all moving well, could even feel one when moving them to the hatcher.

Good luck.

 

[ronott1]

Best wishes for those locking down soon!

 

[chonsey]

Candled - no movement - hope they are sleeping


Final Count - fertile in Lockdown:

15 Easter Eggers
2 Brahmas
1 Araucana

 

[Pensmaster]

Good morning everyone, I’m just up checking the incubator. Good night everyone.

 

[chickendreams24]

Thanks

This is just the first hatch of the year and I plan to add some more birds into our quail breeding program for genetic diversity. That girl that we lost was from a different line so it's a bummer but the breeder still has the line.

We I'll definitely be hatching many more birds this year. Including quail
Buckeyes Dominiques English Orpingtons Cream Legbars and EE.

So not a great start to the year but things can almost only go up from here lol.

I just hope they both hatch. We usually have 100% fertility in our quail and chicken eggs but I knew it was a high probability of low fertility.

We also had to pull the male quail back out because the dominant female in the group kicked his butt. He's all healed up now. I really hate how they tend to go for the eyes when fighting.

When we get ready to try again that dominant A&M will be pulled for a few days before reintroduction.

Try liquid bandage (I got New Skin) on the cracked eggs. I actually had some hatch out last year.

I use clear nail polish and have had great success. A batch of shipped eggs came with 5 cracked ones. A little clear nail polish really did great! 2 from that batch competely developed and one hatched (I named her Crackle). I have another cracked egg with strong development from the next shipment. We'll see this weekend if it hatches!

Saw this video about hatching eggs without a shell- it would be hard not to meddle before day 21-22

Good luck with the remaining eggs.

While you wait, take the time to enter the contests:

Contest #2: Edible Easter Contest
To enter, go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/9th-annual-byc-ehal-contest-2-edible-easter.1224639/

Contest #3: Photo Caption Contest
To enter, go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ehal-contest-3-photo-caption-contest.1225593/

Contest #4: Natural Egg Photo Contest
To enter, go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/9th-annual-byc-ehal-contest-4—natural-egg-photography-contest.1226257/

Contest #5: Flapper Contest
To enter, go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...t-9th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long.1226705/

Contest #6: Other Fowl Contest
To enter, go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...other-fowl-9th-annual-byc-easter-hal.1227944/

Contest #7: Cutest Baby Fowl Contest
To enter, go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...owl-9th-annual-byc-easter-hatchalong.1227629/

Contest #8 Broodies and their Babies Contest
To enter, go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-9th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long.1228321/

Contest #9: Hatching chick photography contest
To enter, go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/9th-annual-byc-ehal-contest-9—hatching-chick-photography-contest.1228917/

Contest #10: Farthest Shipped Egg Contest
To enter, go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...hal-contest-10-farthest-shipped-eggs.1228672/

Contest #11: How Many Will Hatch?
To enter, go here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...tch-9th-annual-byc-easter-hatchalong.1229112/

Yes yes I must enter these.

Thanks everyone for the support about the eggs and the advice for the cracked eggs. Unfortunately/fortunately none of the cracked eggs had any development to begin with so it's all on these two little eggs. I think it's actually only two but I'm giving number 3 the benefit of the doubt.

If we only get two hatchlings I will probably contact the breeder and add some more to the group.


In other news some good some bad...

I had some roses arrive in the mail today. That is bare root rose plants. It seems awful early to be planting roses in southern Wisconsin yet. Can anyone advise me on this? We ordered them and they were supposed to come when it was okay to plant them but we're still getting down to the 30s and I don't want them to die.


Now for the other news. Ugh. We had a predator attack last night before lock up and bed check.

*******Warning this description gets pretty graphic!!


It would appear something actually entered the coop and drug out and killed a pullet right out front of the door. Note: it may have killed and then drug the pullet out.

The bird was intact except her head and neck had been pulled off. These lay beside her body. There was very little blood. We have in the past had problems with fox, coyote, possum, and one time with a raccoon.

Her crop may also have been taken I don't remember to be honest.

It was raining and it seems to be raining every time we have a mink attack but I'm not really sure. We set traps both leg hold and havaheart and hopefully we get something.

We will be building a mink trap asap.

We have seen our mink pick up and carry off carcasses. It also has never killed more than one bird a night if it still had access to the carcass of the first. Our raccoon attack was circumstantial evidence and only quail in a tractor coop were killed. We have very few if any resident raccoons as the area has been cleared for farming. I have only seen two raccoons while living here one of which was the sickly one that we suspect killed the quail that I put down last fall as it wasn't acting right and had no fear.

In truth I'm very frustrated and playing the if only game, though I'm trying not to. Like if only I had locked the birds up sooner but that isn't fully accurate because she may have been killed on her way to the coop. All I know is my flock is terrified.