5th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2014 Hatch-A-Long

[ChickenCanoe]

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also, when I place my eggs on the metal grate, is there a certain face of the egg that should be left up? earlier in the week I had found only one certain side of my eggs you could see the growing chick on. should that side be placed upward, or does it not matter what side is where.....if the chick is facing down it could just move anyways and re position itself.....correct?
..

What I try to do is lay them down with the same side up as it was when I pulled them out of the incubator, or if hatching in the incubator, just stop turning. I don't stress over it though.
Sure, it will have a couple days to reposition itself.

so on lockdown them should be at 99.5, and humidity raised to 70%? this is what my incubator instructions is telling me.

also.....I don't need a hatch tray correct? I could just place my eggs on the metal grate?

Always best to follow incubator instructions since there are so many variables between them.

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

ChickenCanoe-
all I can say is they are dang lucky I wasnt there when they did it, it would have been open season on the fools

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Really I would do exactly what you're doing and see how the offspring come out temperament wise. We've had our fare share of idiot aggressive roos, and im not afraid to say many of them met my boot. Not trying to sound crule but I won't tolerate a human agressive bird, it will end up in the deep freeze too. Hope that helps. -MCF

Yep, it sure did! Thanks so much

I won't keep aggressive roos either...especially since I have two young boys, and since there are plenty of non-aggressive roos out there that need a flock to call their own! Like I said, since Zeus was aggressive, I won't keep the roos past 18 weeks old...crock pot cockerel isn't bad at all

 

[chicken farmer]

I have 6 eggs in the incubator and 2 were due the 22nd 1 was due 23rd and 3 was due today and I only have the one that cracked the egg 2 nights ago and hasn't made progress

I will leave them in the incubator a couple more days and see what happens

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I hope everything works out for you.
I direct you to post #4701 on this page.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/835798/5th-annual-byc-new-years-day-2014-hatch-a-long/4710

 

[gryeyes]

I am just dashing in to say I candled Sparkle's 3 eggs today and two are developing! (I left her the third egg - for now - because I just love watching my little House Silkie check them and move them around in her dog bed nest.)

 

[SoManyHats]

I'm soooo hoping someone is hanging around to answer this...

The probe thermometer I have in my hommeade water wiggler is consistently showing a whole degree higher temp than the two air temp readings. It's not a difference between it and the other thermometers, because when I take the probe out and lay it on top of the eggs, it reads a degree lower. Why is this happening? And, is almost 101.7 an okay temp, or should I turn it down. Ever since day 11, it's been between 100-102 even though I didn't adjust the thermostat.

 

[Gardeningmama]

Quote:
What I do is just before lockdown, I trace the air cells. There will be a dip, lower side, that's the side I face up. Another way I've done is to put the egg on a flat surface, and where it settles is how I put it in the bator. Honestly I do both because I need that air cell tracing as a gauge if a problem should arise. I would also get some rubber shelf liner (found in the kitchen section of Wal Mart) in there. It saves a very big mess and is good traction for the chicks.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm soooo hoping someone is hanging around to answer this...

The probe thermometer I have in my hommeade water wiggler is consistently showing a whole degree higher temp than the two air temp readings. It's not a difference between it and the other thermometers, because when I take the probe out and lay it on top of the eggs, it reads a degree lower. Why is this happening? And, is almost 101.7 an okay temp, or should I turn it down. Ever since day 11, it's been between 100-102 even though I didn't adjust the thermostat.

IMO it somewhat depends on if it is a still air or forced air, table top or cabinet. I know I have to interpret differently from a still air to a cabinet.
If it is still air, I think it's best to measure as close to the top of the egg as possible, take an average of all the thermometers and shoot for 101.5.
If it's a cabinet with a fan, at least in my case, the temps will shoot way up on the instant reads when the heat elements kick on. Then they'll fall back to the actual temperature of the eggs and surfaces in the incubator till the set point is reached and the element turns on again.
The water wiggler may be reading higher because that's closer to what the inside of the eggs is like.
I think if you stay under 102 you'll be ok. Take notes on all of this. If the eggs hatch early, it was too hot. If they hatch late, likely too cool.

Another thing, some of the probes have a sweet spot or a dot on the shaft that is the point where the measurement is taken.

...There will be a dip, lower side, that's the side I face up. Another way I've done is to put the egg on a flat surface, and where it settles is how I put it in the bator. Honestly I do both because I need that air cell tracing as a gauge if a problem should arise. I would also get some rubber shelf liner (found in the kitchen section of Wal Mart) in there. It saves a very big mess and is good traction for the chicks.

All good stuff. I learn something new every day.

 

[Gardeningmama]

Quote: To be honest...this is how Sally Sunshine taught me,

so I can't take credit for it, lol!