Multi breeder hatching thread.... Hatch-Along

[Sazbaby]

From the research I've done, it suggests that the vent plugs be pulled just ahead of hatching, to increase the air circulation- apparently a lot of people will close things off in an effort to raise humidity, but that does more harm than good. I understand that opening the plugs ahead of hatch might help improve hatch rate, I think for both of us the ones that were fully formed, yolk absorbed and everything, and then just dead, it was probably that they didn't get enough air movement through the shell? I can't remember for sure, but I think I had one hatch and then the 2 that started zipping and died, and then I pulled the vent plugs soon after that. I had done my research but thought that I was ok leaving things the way they were- the information cautioned against *closing up* air holes at hatching but didn't really say that leaving things as is would be a problem- just that if any changes were made, it should be to increase circulation, so I took that to mean it was an option to stay the same or to open them. I dunno. It was really sad to lose 6 chicks that were otherwise pretty much ready to go!

Maybe pull the vent plugs in the next several days for the late hatch group you have and see if you still end up with non-hatchers, might be interesting...

I've got 6 eggs due to hatch Fri/Sat under the hen and I'm a little relieved that it's out of my hands this go-round!!

Also as to mixing age groups, I know some people advise against it, but in my experience, chicks that are within 2-3 weeks or so in age seem to get along just fine. I did have problems with some 6-8 week olds picking on some 2 week olds when I tried to add them to the group, mostly crowding them out away from the heat source. You'll probably be fine, but worth keeping an eye on for sure until the newest ones are able to hold their own/eat/drink! Keep us posted!

 

[Sazbaby]

Let's see if I can get a picture to post...

Here's one of our silkie hens, Crisp, with her brood of 9 incubator chicks!

 

[Derrick]

That pic is awesome!!

 

[Conchis]

duckies going into lock-down today....we'll see how it goes. Hopefully there will be 6 baby ducklings shortly!

 

[Sazbaby]

All done with hatching here! The broody silkie did well, her eggs started hatching right on time, we had 3 dorking chicks, 2 pips and 1 quiet egg Friday evening, and as of this morning there was a 4th dorking and 1 silkie chick! Still no sign of a pip on the last silkie egg, and she had left the nest to take the others to food/water, the last egg was cold and quiet so I cracked it open- fully formed chick inside with the yolk nearly completely absorbed. Always puzzling when they die that far into the game when a broody is taking care of the heat and humidity... Oh well, all good for the most part, I'm especially thrilled that all 4 of my purchased dorking eggs hatched!!! Now keeping my fingers crossed that all 4 are girls!! I'm supposed to be able to sex them at hatch *fairly* reliably, but not 100%... going to post pictures and get opinions!! So stinkin cute! Especially to have the one little silkie in there... so tiny and fluffy!!!

How did you guys fare with your final hatching???

 

[Conchis]

Today should be hatch day for me! I had a duckling put a little dent in the shell yesterday and then....no movement. I'm not sure how this is going to work out....fingers crossed.

 

[Conchis]

Okay...so....3 of 6 hatched and are doing really well. I don't know what happened to the other 3. They candled really good at day 14 and became dark with a good air cell afterward. One never knows about such things. There was a power outage for several hours after I last candled and I suppose that could have played a role, but I'll never know. At any rate, I'm happy to have the ones that I have. Ducklings are really cute!

 

[Sazbaby]

Congrats on your ducklings!! I suppose the power outage could be to blame... but yes, it's hard to understand sometimes why some die so late in the game when they've come so far! I had no clear reason to explain why I had 4 that never pipped and the two that nearly fully zipped and then died really baffle me... Always so sad to lose the little buggars... but yay for the ones that made it! What was your success rate on the eggs? I thought I remembered you setting 6, and were all 6 viable at your last check before hatch??? They were shipped eggs, right? That would be pretty impressive!

 

[Conchis]

It was the 6 duckling eggs, I wasn't running any chickens in this batch...that's next...just as soon as I decide between welsummers and marans.....tough tough tough choice....

 

[Sazbaby]

That's great, impressive success rate for shipped eggs! Now that decision on the chicken eggs... I'm no help there! lol I am seriously fighting the urge to set the incubator up again... we would have chicks coming out our ears if I had any less self-restraint! As it is we're getting a bunch of chicks in about 2 weeks, it will be around 40 of the little buggars, so I need to keep my incubator unplugged!! Once we have a routine down for butchering the culls, I will be a little more free with my incubator, but until then, I am afraid we'll have a million chickens (and all their poop) running amok all over the place! Good luck with your decision, sounds like one you can't go wrong on!