The 9th Annual BYC Easter Hatchalong!

[ronott1]

Well shoot.
I woke up early this morning, hoping for a day 21 full of fluffy surprises, I was greeted with a nest that had; One lil fluffball, who was happy to see me (I think his mum told him that I'm the giver of mealworms, which he loves) Two eggs (that hadn't pipped) and a dead chick, that had made a lovely pool of yolk in the nest. Yipee... I decided to open the remaining eggs, and what do you know? BOTH YOLKERS! And then I remembered that we had to go to my little sisters's school's car boot sale fundaraiser. Great.

So I had packed a large dog crate (That the ducks I was selling would be in for the day) packed my ducks up, and then started stressing out. My ONLY fluffball can not die! So in a last minute attempt to keep my fluffball safe I put the smaller dog crate( The dog crates can fold up) in the car, got some food and two containers (One for food and one for water) a plastic bag full of hay, and shoved Misty (The mum) and fluffball into a box.

The drive to the school takes about twenty minutes, and it was getting hot.FAST. You see, it's Autumn (or Fall) here, and at night it gets all cold and dewy, but in the morning it heats up really fast. And it gets so humid you could hatch eggs without worrying about humidity. So we got to the school, parked in a good spot and set up shop. I put my ducks in their cage, with food and water and shade. Then I got Misty and her baby set up, with a blanket over for shade.

We soon attracted attention from many kids. And I patiently let them pet fluffball. A few were kind of snatchy though, and I let a few hold fluffball so their mums and dads could take pictures. A nice lady came over and asked about the ducks, and she told me that their pekin ducks didn't really go broody, and their muscovies were mean. She asked me a couple more questions and I answered them. So she wanted three ducks and a drake. The problem was that we only had two ducks and four drakes at the sale. So I talked with mum, mum and the lady exchanged numbers and the lady said her husband would come and pick up the ducks from our house later that day.

Some kids had been chasing a poor juvenile song thrush around the car boot sale, and he had hidden under someones car. The person was going though, so a kid (about seven) got the bird out from under the car and bought it over to me. He said he really didn't want it to die, and that I should look after it. After giving the little bird a good examination, I knew it would be okay, so I took it behind the school (Where it was quiet) and put it in a bush, hoping its mum or dad were narby. When I got back mum had told me that a boy, (about my age) had come and seen the ducks and the hen, and then told mum that he had twenty brown shaver eggs that he wanted to hatch. Mum said that we have a broody, so that'll be okay. The boy said the eggs had been sitting out for about two weeks (will they still be viable?) we said we could do it, in return for keeping a few chicks for the broody to raise. So, I'll get in contact with him soon hopefully.

Nothing else really happened, and so when we were packing up, a lady and her kid came over and looked at the ducks. The kid begged her mum to let her get one or two, the mum said she'd think about it. So whilst the mum (and the dad, who had just come over) talked, I let the kid hold fluffball. She was very nice, and very gentle with fluffball. The mum came back over and said that they wanted two ducks, but asked if they could get them on Monday. I said that was fine,took their contact details, and they left.

So the kids(My siblings) got back from hunting Easter eggs and we left.
When we got home, I unloaded the ducks, and had a long hard think about what I was going to do with Misty and her baby. I decided to put her in my button quail aviary. She's now happily in there with fluffball, who is actually named Pebbles (I just wrote pebbles on the egg, so can't remember who suggested it, otherwise I'd tag you...) SO, will Misty and fluffball be okay living with my button quail? Misty isn't aggressive at all towards the buttons...

Sorry for

PS I had to give up my cayuga duck today I am very regretful and sad...
Anyway chickie pic bomb!
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(BTW her eyes are fine, its just the light)

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Nice pictures!

 

[ronott1]

It does get easier, as you figure out what works for you. You have to learn to manage your incubator, humidity, temperature, etc for your area. I still get nervous during lockdown until I hear peeping, but that's it.

My broodies hatch a lot, and that is WAYYYYY easier.


I have standard barnevelders, but I do have a blue male that I kept, and a blue female.
View attachment 1318655 View attachment 1318656 View attachment 1318657 View attachment 1318658

View attachment 1318540 I went to bed at 2 with just pips. Woke up to 3 nearly fluffed babies!

2 of my own Asia black(sexlink?) Faverolles crosses plus one Cream Legbar. More pipped and one zipping.

View attachment 1318606 All 14 hatch. That one blue as a touch of copper on his head.
Happy Easter everyone.

First one out, duck egg still has not started to zip, it has been 24 hours now, should I be worried?

Nice hatches!

Beautiful flock Kelly!

 

[ronott1]

I don't even have a pip yet

 

[chickendreams24]

Well shoot.
I woke up early this morning, hoping for a day 21 full of fluffy surprises, I was greeted with a nest that had; One lil fluffball, who was happy to see me (I think his mum told him that I'm the giver of mealworms, which he loves) Two eggs (that hadn't pipped) and a dead chick, that had made a lovely pool of yolk in the nest. Yipee... I decided to open the remaining eggs, and what do you know? BOTH YOLKERS! And then I remembered that we had to go to my little sisters's school's car boot sale fundaraiser. Great.

So I had packed a large dog crate (That the ducks I was selling would be in for the day) packed my ducks up, and then started stressing out. My ONLY fluffball can not die! So in a last minute attempt to keep my fluffball safe I put the smaller dog crate( The dog crates can fold up) in the car, got some food and two containers (One for food and one for water) a plastic bag full of hay, and shoved Misty (The mum) and fluffball into a box.

The drive to the school takes about twenty minutes, and it was getting hot.FAST. You see, it's Autumn (or Fall) here, and at night it gets all cold and dewy, but in the morning it heats up really fast. And it gets so humid you could hatch eggs without worrying about humidity. So we got to the school, parked in a good spot and set up shop. I put my ducks in their cage, with food and water and shade. Then I got Misty and her baby set up, with a blanket over for shade.

We soon attracted attention from many kids. And I patiently let them pet fluffball. A few were kind of snatchy though, and I let a few hold fluffball so their mums and dads could take pictures. A nice lady came over and asked about the ducks, and she told me that their pekin ducks didn't really go broody, and their muscovies were mean. She asked me a couple more questions and I answered them. So she wanted three ducks and a drake. The problem was that we only had two ducks and four drakes at the sale. So I talked with mum, mum and the lady exchanged numbers and the lady said her husband would come and pick up the ducks from our house later that day.

Some kids had been chasing a poor juvenile song thrush around the car boot sale, and he had hidden under someones car. The person was going though, so a kid (about seven) got the bird out from under the car and bought it over to me. He said he really didn't want it to die, and that I should look after it. After giving the little bird a good examination, I knew it would be okay, so I took it behind the school (Where it was quiet) and put it in a bush, hoping its mum or dad were narby. When I got back mum had told me that a boy, (about my age) had come and seen the ducks and the hen, and then told mum that he had twenty brown shaver eggs that he wanted to hatch. Mum said that we have a broody, so that'll be okay. The boy said the eggs had been sitting out for about two weeks (will they still be viable?) we said we could do it, in return for keeping a few chicks for the broody to raise. So, I'll get in contact with him soon hopefully.

Nothing else really happened, and so when we were packing up, a lady and her kid came over and looked at the ducks. The kid begged her mum to let her get one or two, the mum said she'd think about it. So whilst the mum (and the dad, who had just come over) talked, I let the kid hold fluffball. She was very nice, and very gentle with fluffball. The mum came back over and said that they wanted two ducks, but asked if they could get them on Monday. I said that was fine,took their contact details, and they left.

So the kids(My siblings) got back from hunting Easter eggs and we left.
When we got home, I unloaded the ducks, and had a long hard think about what I was going to do with Misty and her baby. I decided to put her in my button quail aviary. She's now happily in there with fluffball, who is actually named Pebbles (I just wrote pebbles on the egg, so can't remember who suggested it, otherwise I'd tag you...) SO, will Misty and fluffball be okay living with my button quail? Misty isn't aggressive at all towards the buttons...

Sorry for

PS I had to give up my cayuga duck today I am very regretful and sad...
Anyway chickie pic bomb!
View attachment 1318492

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View attachment 1318494

View attachment 1318495

View attachment 1318496

View attachment 1318497

View attachment 1318498
(BTW her eyes are fine, its just the light)

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Me me! I gave the name Pebbles!!! I'm so honored you used it!

I don't own buttons so idk but if Mom doesn't attack them and they don't attack baby then they should be okay I would guess.

Here is baby Pebbles namesake if I haven't shared yet. Pebbles is in the front the back is her sister olive who we unfortunately lost to a fox.

Whoa. Sounds like a suspicious breeder IMHO. One batch is one thing, but two? In prime mating season? Anyway, I'm so sorry! Do you like English Jubilee Orps? I may have some extra soon! <3

Oh wow that's such a kind offer. Jubilee otps are so beautiful. I would love to see some photos of your adults.

It does get easier, as you figure out what works for you. You have to learn to manage your incubator, humidity, temperature, etc for your area. I still get nervous during lockdown until I hear peeping, but that's it.

My broodies hatch a lot, and that is WAYYYYY easier.


I have standard barnevelders, but I do have a blue male that I kept, and a blue female.
View attachment 1318655 View attachment 1318656 View attachment 1318657 View attachment 1318658

They're gorgeous and I love that you have/can breed both! That is what I would probably do too.

 

[Pensmaster]

I candled last night and all but 2 were good. 4 no-go's total. Since I set them in the evening, hopefully they start pipping around that time.

Mine did the same to me and then they started like crazy. It was an evening set as well. Set Thursday night

 

[chonsey]

I don't even have a pip yet

I don't even have a pip yet

I put some of mine in on the 10th and alot on (Easter eggers) Sunday night the 11th. I'm waiting, too.

 

[Kessel23]

I had to take my first hatch out, he was pecking the other eggs in their pipping hole and probably annoying the heck out of them

 

[The Farmers' Daughter]

Moisture on the glass means take a plug out right?

 

[Pensmaster]

Crisis averted I hope. I found a chick stone cold lifeless on the brooder floor. Sometime last night power went out again. He must have lost his way from the brooder plate. All other chicks were fine.
So when I took him out figuring I had to toss him he moved with the warmth of my hand.

So as the cleaned incubator warmed up I kept him warm. At this point he’s on his feet resting in the incubator. Will put him back in brooder with the rest in couple hours. If he recovers.

 

[maddysmamaw]

One little black EE mix baby chirping quietly to the eggs. Couple more pips. None of the duck eggs have pipped yet.