16th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-Along

[Honora]

Colored my own eggs this year for Easter; I really like the way they turned out! The eggs were light brown and we used food coloring to dye them.

 

[Susuba]

Since yesterday, 6 have hatched!

 

[CabritaChicks]

This year, Greek and U.S. Easter happen to fall at the same time/date. I live in the Caribbean—my husband is Greek and I’m Croatian. We’ve been married for a few decades, and it’s always lovely when holidays line up- noting like sending a 'happy easter' to your inlaws a month too early.

But today hit differently—some of my chicken eggs have started pipping. One of my favorite birds of all time (not a chicken, but a dear feathered friend) hatched on Easter 12 years ago. I named her Zeka, which is Croatian slang for "bunny"—like the Easter Bunny. And now, without planning it at all, I am welcoming more Easter babies into the world.

One egg hatched! two other pipped. So I officially have a Easter Baby!
This thing is hyper!

 

[Shikanah]

My final one hatched. Only one died in the egg. I'm shocked how many hatched out.

 

[JennyHeidewald]

Aww, I sure hope so. Sorry for the ones you lost.

Thank you, the remining ones all hatched today. Guess they wanted to be Easter babies!

 

[JennyHeidewald]

Im so sorry Im on day 20... I had three eggs I really hoped would hatch: two Olive Eggers and one Easter Egger. I wasn't too invested in the Copper Marans, and the two White Leghorns weren’t my top picks either. I ordered a mixed batch and was hoping to avoid RIRs or Leghorns... but here we are.

As of this morning, only one White Leghorn (or so I think it is, I ordered a mixed bag...) has pipped. Based on my candling of my 6 eggs, things look a bit grim. But ill let them keep working! and will keep you in my thoughts that the rest hatch tonight!

Thank you, and I hope the rest of your hatching goes better too!

My last ones all hatched today. I did get some BCMs, and I am happy about that because those eggs in my last batch gave up a few days before hatch. Also got an olive egger, from my BCM roo and one of my Crested Cream Legbars. I think it's a hen because it is black like the rooster. I'd read somewhere that if the chick looks like the roo's color as a chick, it'll be a hen, if it looks like the hen's color then it is a roo. It hasn't worked on some crosses in the past, but in general it has held true.

 

[Nomadicus]

2 have hatched and I think they will turn out to be girls. They could possibly darker boys. They are not completely dry yet so I'm not absolutely sure. Quite a few more now have pipped and one was starting to zip. I'll have a mess by morning I'm sure.

 

[CabritaChicks]

OKAY!


By midnight, three chicks had hatched. Based on the egg colors, they should be:

• White Leghorn
• Copper Marans
• Olive Egger

(My Easter Egger and the other White Leghorn are still holding out—clearly on island time after their massive jounrey. And the 'gifted eggs' will be a head scratcher).

But here’s the kicker: all three chicks are yellow. One even has fuzzy legs (the last one to hatch, which I think was meant to be the Olive Egger).

So... why are they all yellow? Did I accidentally hatch chicks in disguise?

Sorry for all the questions—I genuinely know next to nothing about individual chicken breeds. I was just going off the info I got from the Etsy shop I bought the eggs from... which has since mysteriously vanished. So now it’s just me, some surprise chicks, and a growing list of poultry mysteries.

 

[lobbstertael]

20 out of 25 houdan mixes hatched so far! I did set 36 eggs but most of the bantams were infertile.

 

[The Cottages]

We had 54 of the 64 Hatch this year!! 3 different incubators. at 3 locations.