Set eggs 3/17.... Anyone else? - Page 5

I had a hen go broody - and no roosters in my coop! Got 6 fertilized eggs from a friend on 3/25 and Lucy, a Salmon Faverolle, has been sitting faithfully since then.  So technically, I "set" eggs 3/25 :)

We will have a mixed batch - Dad is "Bucka Roo" a gorgeous Blue Copper Maran.  The moms are Marans and Easter Eggers.  My Lucy is taking her job very seriously, so I'm hopeful this hatch will go well.  

Oh - and I'm a newbie - coming up on a full year with chickens in May, so this is a new experience.  Any words of wisdom would certainly be welcome!

This is a pic of our Blue boy Cordon when he was still a cockerel, doing his head shake thing. He was suppose to be pure Orpington but note the yellow feet, why I call him a Orp mix. One of those blue fuzzy butts is my white footed Blue Orpington Miss Prissy that we set eggs from. Collected eggs for two weeks for this years hatch having only the two hens we wanted to breed. Other Blue is Orp mix and runty, poor layer. Production Reds are from first year flock. It's surprisingly easy to tell whose egg is whose.

This is my sole Blue Rock, black in color, Rossa. I need new pictures I see as this was from last fall too, her comb worked out as she grew. She's the other egg donor from our girls for this hatch. Was, and still may need to, line breed her to make a pure rock flock if we don't get some rock boys this last attempt at shipped eggs.

Can you tell I'm eggcited about this hatch? Boring you all with old photos and too much information even

Nothing boring about Blues. Pictures are great . This hatch I wanted to see if it worked well and hoping for a good blue roo and a few blue hens.Had the  Little Giant incubator new an unused  for years and this year just  got a spark and plugged it in. My current flock is all EE's. Next on the wish list is Morans and maybe a Cochin and Blue Orps and I want some Silkies . Oh and world peace.   Watching eggs is slow, posting helps, reading helps more, pictures are best. Looking for my camera  getting ready for the warm fuzzy pictures next week.

An entire week left...UGH!

Impatient and wanting to feel like I'm doing something so decided to recalibrate the hygrometer. It's fine. Guess my work is done for the day besides turning tonight.

*Twiddle Thumb*

When  set for lock down  I am going to remove the turner, fill all the water reservoirs, moisten a few towel rags and add a few small shallow lids with water under the screen mesh floor to jump the humidity up. That will also stabilize the temperature.The x mark on all the eggs will be placed up so  I will know if anyone is moving instead of thinking I see movement. Tropical rain forest is the goal for me during  the last few days. Just tried candling again with a newer attempt of LED bulb and coffee can that was put together this morning. Air space is visible on some and looks good. Some I can see mass but nothing defining and they all smell OK. Looks so simple in all the photos that successful hatchers have shown. Extra thick shells and blue green eggs.. could all be operator error. 

I did notice that  the motor on the egg turner is warmer than everything else, and since that heat source will be taken out will be watching the temp with all three thermometers when lock down starts. Also I have a small computer fan that  needs an additional guard for active fuzzy buts protection. The add on fan really stabilized temps but was not engineered for for little pecker comedians who will be active at looking and pecking everything in reach.