2014 breeding season begins, post your results

[MeepBeep]

 

[casportpony]

That's cute!

Kathy

 

[DylansMom]

Yes i did, everything is fine now

Thanks for asking

That's great, I'm really glad to hear you beat it!

 

[DylansMom]

Much better thank you! Hatch rates are up after changing to the GQF incubator. I had mostly given up on the Hatchcraft and set three broody hens with pea eggs then the GQF took over and the hatching started to get better. A lot of my eggs were clear from being first year hens but I think that the humidity was too high in the Hatchcraft. I never figured out why some of the chicks just would not wake up and pip though.

The GQF came set at 100 from the factory and I have not change it, of course all the hatches pip early. Our best hatch we found them hatching out the day I was going to put them in lock down, so the DW said that from now on we practice the LTTFA! method. So we now wait for them to start piping before we move them down into the hatching tray. We have been hatching out about a half dozen every five to seven days but we are also tossing out twice that many eggs.

The broody hens in the chicken coop are due Thursday and we candled out half of them the other night. One thing that was very noticeable was the size of the air cell was nearly half the size of the egg, one was internally piped already. A local breeder has told me that she uses a very low humidity, around 40% for incubating and higher, around 60% for hatching for her best results. This may mimic our natural local conditions better than what is taught in the manuals. I have noticed that I have to help less of the chicks out when they humidity is lower.

Thanks for asking!

I am pretty much done now, but I've been running over to a friend's and candling his eggs and just being an all around nosey pest, because he has been having bad hatches and I am trying to figure out why. His are like yours, going into lockdown alive, but not getting out of the egg. I peeled one out yesterday that had pipped in the pointy end, it was okay but he told me later he had to cull it because one of the legs was deformed at the hock, maybe due to the tight squeeze in the pointy end.

I am really glad to hear your hatches have improved, hopefully next year when your girls are older there will be fewer clears. Give little "Mindy the III" a peck on the cheek for me!

 

[casportpony]

Which one is Mindy II?

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

I can see it now, M1, M2 and M3!

-Kathy

 

[AnimalsRmyLife]

My first 2 babies ever.

Congrats!!

Nice!

 

[KsKingBee]

Which one is Mindy II?

-Kathy

Well yours is of course! Mom always liked you best.

 

[DylansMom]

Which one is Mindy II?

-Kathy

Your's of course!

 

[casportpony]

You guys are funny! Hope I did guess the sex right, lol.

-Kathy