Major's Leap Day 2024 Hatch-A-Long

[Major_in_MS]

I will be setting 41 eggs on February 29 to test the fertility of my new breeding flock. This flock consists of 2 nine month old SLW cockerels and 14 five month old GLW pullets. So in this hatch the female chicks will be straight SLW, but the male chicks will be split for gold but look mostly silver. I'm assuming that the two cockerels I have are homozygous for silver and not split for gold. If I'm wrong, this hatch should let me know by giving me some GLW chicks.

I will use my Genesis Hova-Bator for this hatch with an automatic turner. I will candle on March 9 to remove any clears or quitters and then I'll leave for a cruise March 10-16. (Spring Break trip for my school teacher wife) Lock-down will be March 18 and hatching on March 21.

Anybody is welcome to join this "Leap Day" hatch with me. This is not my first time incubating eggs but it is my first time posting a hatch-a-long.

Edit to add: I just saw the thread about the Easter Hatch-a-long and I see that my dates will overlap with that one so I understand that there may not be anybody setting eggs with me and I'm ok with that. You are still welcome to follow along on my hatch.

 

[Major_in_MS]

Did you want us to pick an egg to cheer on or just cheer them all!

LOL!
No, I don't name any of my chickens and I don't even try to remember the numbers on their leg bands.
I mainly just wanted to share my hatch and the resulting chicks because I can't really talk to my wife about it because she really, really, hates my chickens. (Especially the roosters)

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have eggs I am setting today. They will be due on March 12. I was not going to set, but then I realized we will not go anywhere on Easter, so I have the time.

These are from a local farm. I stopped by a feed store fridge I usually by them from. The fridge was empty. The feed store guy said the guy who drops off eggs didn't come in yet, and was due anytime, his name is Paul and has a yellow truck. I drove down the road, (1/4 mile, I was thinking he was a house about 1/2 mile away.) I was wrong about where they came from, but on the way I saw a yellow truck at a coffee shop that was a 1/4 mile down the road, and went in side, I saw a man holding egg carton, and asked if he sells eggs. The man holding the eggs pulled away from me as if, you are not getting these eggs. (Mine!) A different man standing there said, "I sell the eggs." I followed him back to the feed store, he let me pick the prettiest eggs to set, and said he may want to talk to me for hatched chicks. $5 a carton. When candled I removed 2 eggs. These are fresh-fresh fresh! I didn't ask how many hens he had but I know he had about 4 roosters.

 

[Major_in_MS]

I have eggs I am setting today. They will be due on March 12.

That's great! Back when I was just keeping a mixed flock I did a similar hatch. I called several 'farm fresh egg' ads from the 'Market Bulletin' and asked them all if they had roosters in with their hens. I bought two dozen from the first one that said yes. Those 'barnyard mix' chicks were very healthy and grew into good layers.

 

[Major_in_MS]

Slight change of plans. Instead of the 41 eggs I had intended to set today, I actually set 83 eggs!

 

[Major_in_MS]

I just got home from work and counted 23 pips a day early.

 

[Major_in_MS]

Ok, so the berry baskets do not keep the chicks segregated. I kinda figured as much after they arrived and I saw how shallow they are.

So far today I have 7 or 8 hatched and a lot more are pipped and rocking.

 

[Major_in_MS]

This morning I quickly separated the chicks from the eggs that haven't hatched yet.

 

[Major_in_MS]

Well, my hatch is done.

Set: 83
Clears removed: 16
Quitters: 10
Hatched: 57

 

[my spoiled chickens]

Yes, I will sell them. I’ve already sold 21 of them. I do need to keep 14 or so females to set up a sex-linked breeding flock under a Gold male, so I will keep the other 36 of these until they are old enough to determine sex and then I will sell or process all the males.
I did get the NPIP testing done on my flock so that I can sell chicks and hatching eggs and ship them if needed.

Cool I have an animal auction that I bring the cockerels to I just sold 2 OEGB roosters that I got a pretty penny for