April 2024 hatch-a-long

[Massachuchicks]

Picked up a dozen rare bantam breed eggs locally and put 5 under my broody showgirl, and 7 in the incubator. First time using the Kebonnix, so far I love it! This is the also the first time I’m using a broody to hatch, she seems to be doing great, so good in fact I have to remind her to get off the nest for a little to eat and drink! 4/6 and 4/9 are the expected hatch dates… good luck to everyone hatching some April fluffy butts!

 

[gimmie birdies]

Still waiting for 4 more to hatch. But these 2 are out.

 

[gimmie birdies]

Finn raising the latest batch of babies. Finn is 4 weeks old.

 

[fuzzi]

My Martha went broody on March 16, stayed in the nesting box for two days on faux eggs so I slipped three eggs under her on the evening of the 18th.

She was inconsistent, letting the eggs get cold and switching boxes on the 19th and 20th, so I am unsure of the viability of the eggs. With that in mind I slipped two more freshly laid eggs under her on the 22nd. She's been solidly on the nest since 3/21.

I tried candling them yesterday. One looked dark with an air pocket, one had white speckles, one had a dark area along one side.

Here's hoping!

 

[Massachuchicks]

First bantam Cochin hatched, pipped day 19, hatched the 20th day! I have two others pipped, just hoping for a successful hatch! I’m doing a staggered hatch, I’ve got 7 others due to hatch on the 9th or 10th. I hope all those chicks are doing well even with an earlier lockdown. There’s movement so I’m hopeful!

 

[fuzzi]

And then there were TWO!

 

[gimmie birdies]

My fertile egg supply has been down.
I normally would buy eggs from feed store eggs fridge. But that lady washes her eggs, and since she knew i was setting them, i think she has been washing harder, and she killed off 3 of her roosters keeping one. I borrowed a rooster for Easter hatch, he did not cover hens in time for Easter, but he did fertile some. I saved a few fertile eggs my borrowed rooster covered, 4, and put in 2 of the feed store eggs, 6 are pipped. Below is feed store egg hatching.

 

[Honora]

Well the eggs are in! I set 24 Swedish Flower eggs from my own flock. My beautiful rooster that I had last year died, and the boy I have now is pretty meh, so hopefully I will hatch a better looking guy this year.

 

[gimmie birdies]

This one is from the dark egg so Blue copper maran "Lolly" from the feed store fridge...

This one is from the borrowed Isbar rooster. "Splendor"

This one is also a feed store egg, "Love"

This one is also a borrowed rooster egg. "Thing."

waiting on the last 2

 

[fuzzi]

The three hatched on Eclipse day, not yet named. There's two more eggs that I added when I thought the first three had been left out in the cold too much. It appears that Martha's still been sitting on them, Day 20 today