THE MOTHER'S DAY HATCH-A-LONG!!!! The last day to join in and set eggs with us is April 28th. - Page 151

2 of the 4 eggs my silkie is sitting hatch today.

Edited photo removed...

The last 2 hatched!

FUN!
 

Well this hatch is being drug out. I woke up to 2 more chicks out and one zipping who is now drying out. I have brooder tubs all over my kitchen. I hope the ones in the big outside brooder are about feathered out, so I can start transfering chicks. With the 2 that were hatched this morning I got another Silver Phoenix  I want another trio of them and then I can sell any others I get. Now if my Sumatras would lay! I need more of them too. I'm having a horrible time getting my FBCMs to hatch out though. Other people seems to get them to hatch, but they don't want to go for me. Funny I used to wonder why so many people had a problem with them. I never did till last summer

Violet has her second pip! :D

And yeah, she is in LOVE with that chick! I took it out to hold it, and although she's not an aggressive broody, she clucked and clucked until I tucked it back under her. She's so sweet and such a good mama :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by isis 

More out!  I'm up to uh... *runs to count*  9 out!  4 silkies (one out of a showgirl egg, looked big when it hatched and I can't tell it apart now), 4 showgirls and 1 throwback    UGH.  I've had my girls in that pen out of the "main flock" with a silkie roo for at least 6 weeks before this egg was gathered and still the other rooster made his mark... lol.  Oh well, still a cute little thing...  3 more pipped.  The others need to go go go!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arielle 

Good observation on noting which side is hatching before the other--my incubators are not even either and I try to move the eggs around as I hand turn.

 

TIme to re stack after this hatch is finished or after it's cleared out ! ?  With or without the turner moving ? I'm very curious . . . .

 

  I think next time I will shift them around... we'll see if I have no-hatchers on that side...

 After this hatch is finished I have eggs waiting to eat or incubate... I've only been hatching my showgirl (1 bird), silkie (1 bird) and now polish (3 birds... mostly polish I think, that pen has another little rooster... haven't hatched any yet) eggs... so it could be worse, I've got about 9 other hens XD  I think I'll stack as soon as I get these guys hatched (and do some cleanup)... I was only going to incubate my showgirl and silkie eggs, but my silkie went broody... and I haven't hatched a polish yet... (I think that's how this "chicken math" I hear about gets started!).  I do leave my turner on with stacked eggs, basically with the eggs sticking between the spaces of the other eggs.  Sometimes it rolls them on their sides so I have to put them pointy end down again, but it doesn't work too bad if you keep an eye on it... Large eggs on large eggs you can't do around the heater or center though, won't fit (I have a little giant incubator). 

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arielle 

Go for it--always good to bring in fresh blood to reduce inbreeding issues. I have olives from 3 different breeders. FBCM from 3 different breeders, BO from 3 different lines, you get the idea! 

 

Or just to cheat a little bit and get ahead on the whole 5 toe black skinned showgirl thing XD  I thought it would be cool to do it all on my own... but then I hear things like "16th generation showgirl", calculate how long that would take me... consider things like random deaths and weather that could just take away important parts of my flock... cheating is sounding good right now...

I have an LG that  I use for hatching. Lat summer I made a homemade one and that does a good job incubating. THough really, both can do both!  LOL  I don'thave a turner, I dream of one but I'm ok with hand turning--I can fit in more eggs; Of course I do drop one occassionally and just can't throw it out until I must. 

Breeding is a long process, nothing wrong with jumping ahead. LOL

Air sac question.... please please.... We think we may have at least two movers (and shakers!) in our wee batch of barnyard chickies and after the baking we (my darling sweet kind hubby) gave them last weekend that's a miracle.

Sooooo, the question: One of them has about a day 7 air sac and we're on day 13. Suggestions? Humidity is very very very low.... we're doing the dry hatch thing and not worrying about it on purpose and so far so good, except for the air sac. Hmmmmm. Have both vents out, good circulation in the room, and temp is very steady and appropriate. Bator is a dinosaur.... hovabator 1586 I think.... and we're new.

There I've said it all. Now off to a short evening, and will check back when I get home. Will post this on another thread with great advice!!

Thanks everyone.... woo hoo..... movers!

Ok can someone help me. I have been in Lockdown since 11 AM at 12 I checked and the humidity was at 40% so I added sponges soaked them it went up to 45% it stayed consistent so I added a saucer of water because I found out my incubator is somehow leaking! 

Does it have to be at 65% for a chick to hatch? Can it be around the 50s? I dont want to open it up anymore because I know the heat comes out and the humidity goes down.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tripp16 

Ok can someone help me. I have been in Lockdown since 11 AM at 12 I checked and the humidity was at 40% so I added sponges soaked them it went up to 45% it stayed consistent so I added a saucer of water because I found out my incubator is somehow leaking! 

 

Does it have to be at 65% for a chick to hatch? Can it be around the 50s? I dont want to open it up anymore because I know the heat comes out and the humidity goes down.

Rh depends on your area and what works for you.  I go in and out of my incubator with out much problem. I rarely have sticky chicks any more--my first hatch had sticky chicks.  SO you should be able to do some manouvering to get your humidity up higher if that is what you want to do. I put in sponges (warm and wet) and a baby food jar with a strip of sponge poking out. And fill the wells. I have an LG. 

(Edited to correct name) Pete55  usually doesn't add water until internal pip is seen at candling. So many of us don't follow the lockdown rules at all.

If today is lock down, I really don't see a problem opening it again real quick just to add another wide bowl of something.  It would be best if you got your humidity up to at least 60.  I do 60/65.    That's me, some folks hatch in lock down in the 50's..if so, make it high 50's.   :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cynthia12 

If today is lock down, I really don't see a problem opening it again real quick just to add another wide bowl of something.  It would be best if you got your humidity up to at least 60.  I do 60/65.    That's me, some folks hatch in lock down in the 50's..if so, make it high 50's.   :)

Ok well if my Hygrometer says 45% and I have half the rungs in the bottom filled 2 sponges soaked and one saucer of water, do you think its my hygrometer thats wrong? Or still not enough water? BTW I have both plugs out should  I put one back in?