Well, I set 13 eggs last Sunday evening and I will set some more tomorrow for an actual Christmas Day Hatch! I kind of cheated by putting eggs in last weekend, but what can I say, I'm addicted, you know!!! So, I'll have an EARLY Christmas present to myself…Christmas Hatch I and II!
Hatch #1 looks like this: 7 eggs from Sir Lancelot & Misty (Blues), 1 egg from Cadbury & Cloak & Dagger (Chocolate), 1 egg from Napoleon & CocoaPuff (Red), and 4 eggs from Junior & Needlelace (Mille Fleur, hopefully).
Hatch #2 will be very small. At the moment, I only have 4 eggs from Cadbury, 1 from Junior and 2 from Napoleon. Hopefully, I can get a couple more tomorrow.
And, of course, there will be a Hatch #3 for New Year's!
I candled Hatch #1 this morning, and all 13 are viable and growing, so that's Good News! I've used Junior before, but Sir Lancelot, Cadbury and Napoleon are first-timers, so I'm glad to find out that they're fertile (Y-a-a-a-y) and am really looking forward to seeing what they give me. Of course, I don't have them partnered up with the “proper” partners, but since “those” girls aren't cooperating, egg-wise, I'm forced to play the role of mad-scientist (Didn't I tell you I'm addicted?!?) Cloak & Dagger are silkieds, so their babies will be split/silkied…I'm trying to introduce the chocolate gene into my silkied Serama line, along with blue. Actually, my goal is to have Chocolate, as well as Blue, Smooths, Frizzleds and Silkied Seramas…Can't you just picture the possibilities?
Ahhh, that's the Mad Scientist in me! Actually, I think it's probably the Gambling gene inherited from my late father, who used to “play the ponies” many, many years ago…I'm sure he's looking down at his eldest daughter, smiling and nodding in approval! Look at all these “Longshots“, Dad!!!
Hi Juliette,
I set 9 eggs on December 1st from the two hens I got from you, Henney Penney and the white hen that I named Snow White. This is the first time that I will have try to hatch Serama eggs, so I hope that I at least yet a few to hatch. I will let you know the out come. I was going to wait until after Christmas to set eggs, but the more I kept looking at those eggs the more I wanted to try to hatch some out.
Randy-
Well, I’m glad to see I’m not the only one! Wait until those little babies start peeping, I guarantee you won’t be able to stop with just one hatching! HaHaHaHa…another addict in the making!!!
Just like potato chips, you can’t stop with just one…!
Wow, good luck with your hatching on Christmas~! I also have 90 eggs in my incubator. They are expected to hatch around Christmas!
Harris from Korea.
Harris-
Korea, how neat! Many, many years ago (in another lifetime), I spent a year in Seoul…such friendly and warm people! Obviously you’re in a house, not an apartment – what kind of chickens are you hatching?
Good luck to you, too!
Juliette
Juliette,
I wanted to let you know that my first batch of eggs that I set were all clear and not fertile. So I set another 8 and also clear and not fertile either after I checked them. I was starting to get worried that my two boys where not going to do there job. So I figure that I would give it one more chance with 7 more eggs that I had collected and put in the incubator and if these wasn’t fertile this time was going to wait a couple of months since my two hens are trying to set themselves. Well I checked them tonight and I have two so far that I can tell that are fertile and it made my day. So I am keeping my fingers cross that everything goes good with this clutch even if it is only two eggs. I am so glad that yours are doing good and love the pics of yours chicks!
Randy, I’m sooo glad your boy (s) are “doing their thing!” Maybe it’s the cold weather? Maybe you could try feeding your breeders some extra protein, such as chopped hard-boiled egg…I’m finished incubating for now (ahem!) and am enjoying watching the babies grow. They range from 4 days to almost-four weeks, and I just sit and stare at them, first trying to figure out how many are frizzled, then what colors they really will wind up being, and now the BIG question…HOW MANY ROOS ARE THERE??? LOL
I’ll keep all my fingers crossed for you, and I’m sending Good Hatching Vibes your way!!!