Category Archives: Hatching Chicks

Silkie eggs hatching out today

It is 10am and I have four chicks hatched out so far with two more that have pipped but resting at the present time.  There are two dark chicks, one buff and one white.  Yoo hoo.  Then I went outside and my black Silkie hatched a buff chick and my multi-colored Silkie hatched out a dark colored chick.

Before I went to bed last night, a couple of the eggs in the incubator had already pipped…broken thru the shell enough to breathe. The two eggs below, I actually chipped some extra shell off so the chick could get plenty of air.   It makes it harder for them to zip out of the shell so I may end up helping them out if they aren’t out in a couple hours.  I usually take them out of the egg turner and lay the eggs down but I thought I would try it this way for a change.  It does make it easier for me to tell which eggs have pipped.

I have the four chicks that hatched from the incubator in the bathtub.  I put towels or old t-shirts down on the bottom of the tub since it is so slick.  I am trying to decide whether I want to let the mommas outside that hatched their chicks keep them or put them in the tub with the other four that hatched out today, too.  After recently losing one of my chicks to a snake, I believe, I am not comfortable leaving them outside.   I think snake because that is the only thing that could have gotten into the small 2 inch by 4 inch openings.  I have wood along the bottom that is approximately 18 inches high, too.

I have a number of things I should do today but I am pretty sure I will just be staying home enjoying the baby chicks.  I love to watch them take their first steps…so funny.   It is only a matter of hours and they are up and running around.

Yes, it is a good day today.  Maybe I will spend some time in the kitchen cooking up some foods for the next couple days.   I can make some egg salad, put the beans in water to soak, make a pot of chili and  some spaghetti sauce, and there is a cake that is calling my name.   Some days, I just love being home all by myself just piddling.  Other days, I just have to get out of the house.  Two and a half more moths and my husband will be retired and we will have all day, every day together.  I can hardly believe it.  We are going to have so much fun and get so much accomplished.  I tell him his honey-do list is growing every day.  He just smiles.

Record Egg Day

Wow, I can’t believe I got 22 eggs today.  If the girls keep doing that good, I may be able to sell enough eggs to pay for their feed.  Wouldn’t that be nice????  YES

I am saving my eggs from my buff colored and my white Silkies because someone wants to buy them to incubate.  I hope the girls don’t let me down because I only want to save them for 5 days….to ensure they will actually hatch.    I am keeping them in a cool place and rotating them side to side twice a day with the fat end of the egg up.

If for some reason she decides she doesn’t want the eggs….she lives in Orlando, then I will just have to hatch them myself.  Love those baby chicks.

Another buff Silkie chick

I went outside this morning to check on my chickens and feed and water them like I do every morning.  I was out there about an hour and a half cleaning their water dishes.   Can’t stand the thought of nasty water.

I checked on Lacy and her cute little buff baby and I was delighted to see another buff baby.  Yoo hoo.  I think it is buff.  It is hard to tell because the white chicks actually look a little yellowish when they are first hatched sometimes.  She still has four or five eggs left under her so I am hoping for more.

Disappointing hatch

Pex is sitting on her first eggs.  Four eggs.  I went to check on her because it is her hatch day but she only had one egg under her.  I suppose the three eggs were not fertile and she ate them, shell and all.  Darn it.

I have another hen, Lacy, that is sitting on 4 eggs, too.  She is due to hatch her eggs on the 21st.  Hope I have better luck with her.  She has already hatched eggs before and cared for her chicks.  I am trying to get some more buff colored Silkies so I put some eggs under her from my buff hens that are mated with a buff rooster.

I think the problem is it is so darn hot right now and I haven’t really seen the roosters on the hens very often.  Too hot for sex.  lol

Eighteen days and counting

My eggs are in incubator #1 and it is now the l8th day so it is time to move them into the hatching incubator #2.   I have cleaned #2 incubator, the temperature is set at 99.5 or thereabouts and I have added water to the wells.  Just need to add the eggs dated “10” on them.

I candled the eggs after a week and took out any eggs that were not developing.   So, I am really hoping that all of the eggs hatch.   The humidity level has been a problem for me in the past.   It should be around 50 when they are in the first incubator and then 60 or so when they go into the second incubator (the last three days).

You don’t have to have two incubators.  I just have two because I am putting eggs in at different dates.  As the 18th day arrives for each egg, I transfer it to the second incubator.   This batch of eggs has Americuana, Barred Rock and Silkie eggs.

This will be my last batch of eggs for quite awhile.  I love the chicks but reality is, I have way too many chickens.  I really need to sell some and get the yards manageable for when we travel and I have a friend house/animal sit for me.   Right now, I have chickens separated into twelve different yards so it is a lot of work to go in and out of each yard filling waters, putting out feed and collecting eggs.

I will add more to this post when the eggs start hatching.  Wish me luck.

August 2 update:  So far my hatch rate is horrible and I think it is because my hygrometer isn’t working.  I think I had too much humidity and the chicks will actually drown or so I was told.   I believe I have gotten 4 chicks from this hatch but I have a four more eggs in the incubator.  I took the time to candle them this time and threw probably 6 or 8 away after a week because they were not fertile.  I am thinking my one rooster cannot take care of 11 hens in one yard.  Then in the Silkie yard, I don’t think the roosters are fertilizing the eggs yet,  since they are young.

Oh well, I have plenty of chickens, I think I have 115 and I have two hens sitting on 7 eggs.  That’s a gracious plenty.  It is now time to look them over and decide who I want to keep for future momma and pappas.