15th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-Along

[RcoM]

@RcoM, how are your eggs doing?

Good so far as I know. I had a look yesterday when she stood up and a few lighter colour shell eggs have a dark shape or shadow inside them. I didn’t candle them or touch them at this stage but the ones on the end looked like something is going on. We have a few hot days coming up again this week:
Tuesday and Thursday are 34 and 35 degrees.
Hatch day is 30 degrees Celsius and that’s hot enough!
So I wouldn’t be surprised if we got an early hatch batch.
Today I’ll carefully move the cage into a final and best possible shade position nearby. I’m watching for the hottest part of the day to determine that. I’ve tried tracking shade before and it’s hard to get right. I mark areas with sticks. Does anyone else have a method? Maybe I could photograph every hour from the same spot.

 

[casportpony]

Good so far as I know. I had a look yesterday when she stood up and a few lighter colour shell eggs have a dark shape or shadow inside them. I didn’t candle them or touch them at this stage but the ones on the end looked like something is going on. We have a few hot days coming up again this week:
Tuesday and Thursday are 34 and 35 degrees.
Hatch day is 30 degrees Celsius and that’s hot enough!
So I wouldn’t be surprised if we got an early hatch batch.
Today I’ll carefully move the cage into a final and best possible shade position nearby. I’m watching for the hottest part of the day to determine that. I’ve tried tracking shade before and it’s hard to get right. I mark areas with sticks. Does anyone else have a method? Maybe I could photograph every hour from the same spot.

I usually try to put the cages under a tree where they get shade during the hottest times of the day.

 

[RcoM]

Just set mine at 1pm. Came back to check and High heat alarms going off.

Emergency incubator repair to plug the fan back in. I had don't that but putting the lid back together knocked it loose. Sigh. Lost two eggs from my fumbling. Today has been a day.

Sultan my Spitzhauben rooster of three years gets spooked by a shirt/ jacket billowing in the wind off my friends daughter and trys to attack her and I stepped between and got nailed 5 times pretty deep. Get it flushing with water and fried goes in to get me gauze to staunch the bleeding in 5 places. As I'm doing that I'm giving the girls a lesson on why they have to be aware of their soroundings and where the roosters are at all times no matter how friendly they seam.

Get in side peroxide the heck out of my led wounds, put antibiotic ointment on and bandaid. Head back out put him in the pen with his two favorite ladies and shut the door. Continue work on other pen and get the bantams in it that are for sale.

Oh, forgot that the daughter when they first got here was hiding an injury she got at home that I doctored for her. She's terrified of any one treating her injuries because of a traumatic ordeal with stitches a few years ago. We got through it.

Wow! That is a big day! We always think it’s only us that can have that much bad luck in one day. It’s great that you saved a girl, saved your leg and went right back out to lock them up. Get back in the saddle after you fall off was something I was told to do, young. There’s a common theme here: perseverance and compassion: in nearly every thread. And joy- it’s my favourite modus operandi in all I try to do each day.

 

[TDK]

Well, my muscovy just happened to be sitting on eggs.

 

[venovee]

i set mine on 3/3, so i’m glad they still count! i’ve got mille fleur d’uccles and blue cochin bantams in right now

 

[Owllea]

I set some eggs on March 7, not even thinking about hatchalongs! Glad we fit in the window.
Our rooster is four years old, so I’m watching fertility rates. Anyone have a good guess at what age a rooster's fertility drops?
Mine are backyard mixes, so lots of possibilities. Hope I can report back with some chick pictures!

 

[TRALALARA1]

I just candled mine. Day 7 only 3 looked questionable at this point. I’ll keep my eye on those closely. I wasn’t sure how fertile these bought egg’s would be. They’re from an auction and I didn’t talk to whoever were selling them.

 

[TRALALARA1]

I just saw this today, but luckily I put 13 eggs in my new incubatoryesterday and I have a broody hen sitting on a clutch of 8 since 3/3 (pics). I also put another 6 out last night for another broody that keeps trying to share the first hen's nest! I'm hoping to have a bunch of Easter babies!

My hatching eggs are all from my home flocks and are either bantam cochin, bantam cochin cross(to silkie or bantam partridge rock), or standard bym! I'm located in Oklahoma!

Hope everyone has good luck with successful hatches!

I’m in Oklahoma too.

 

[NagemTX]

Won't be candeling till next weekend. I truly hate the top of the birnsea 56EX when trying to put it back on.

 

[JennyHeidewald]

I’ve been trying to get some cream Legbars for 4 years, and I finally just ordered some from a hatchery. They were never at the feed stores when I went, and I bet if they ever were at the feed store they were gone pretty fast.

Wow, that’s crazy! I’m glad you were able to get some!
They are such a pretty breed, aren’t they?

It's such a shame they are still so hard to get. Oh my gosh, there were some at a Tractor Supply a few weeks too early for me (husband was reporting this to me). I was shocked when I saw them still there the next day, we'd gone in for something that wasn't chicks. I managed to resist, but it was super hard.

I had one I'd hatched out ($13 chick, because she was the only one of 13 eggs to hatch), and a few crosses (an olive egger, loved that bird). they are so curious and always trying to see what you are up to, and that little poof on their head. The roos are gorgeous, too.

I looked at ordering them, as well, but minimum order is 25 chicks ( mix n' match). It's easier to deceive myself with chicken math if I get 4 (6)(er... 8 now, because husband was, "Let's go to CAL ranch" and I resisted them all, until I saw there were French blue copper marans...), and then set some to hatch.
With hatching you can't count your chickens before they hatch, right? I do, but I know some won't make it, so I set more because.

I will have to cool it next year. But I'll hatch just a little, I want a few particular crosses.