APRIL Hatch-A-Long 2015: PLEASE READ FIRST POST

[Sustained]

I have eggs in lockdown and they're 2 days overdue. One is zipped a little but is making no progress yet. Humidity is 65. Went to check temps and half is around 98 and the other half is only 96! chicken eggs in the warmer half and duck eggs in the colder half. Anyone had any experience with this??? I've never had a temp problem at lockdown. I've been doing everything I can think of without opening the bator to try to raise the temp on the cooler half without frying the chicken eggs. Do I have any hope of the ducks hatching? And of course none of these eggs are for me! Dang blasted LG piece o garbage! It's been holding rock steady up until this batch.

 

[NobleFarming]

I have eggs in lockdown and they're 2 days overdue. One is zipped a little but is making no progress yet. Humidity is 65. Went to check temps and half is around 98 and the other half is only 96! chicken eggs in the warmer half and duck eggs in the colder half. Anyone had any experience with this??? I've never had a temp problem at lockdown. I've been doing everything I can think of without opening the bator to try to raise the temp on the cooler half without frying the chicken eggs. Do I have any hope of the ducks hatching? And of course none of these eggs are for me! Dang blasted LG piece o garbage! It's been holding rock steady up until this batch.

I know what you mean! In dying!!!!! I've been in lockdown since Saturday afternoon. And the temp dropped and then spiked.... And I made the mistake of opening the lid to drop he hear from 102 so it wouldn't keep rising but lost humidity. Now the humidity is ALLLLLLLL over the place and my temp is at 100.

 

[Heron's Nest Farm]

Agreed. What would be better, starting at day 18 or 19?

I always lockdown on 18 as I always seem to have one hatch on day 19.

Day 22 of this hatch, 6 chicks out total and only one of the special eggs (of 18). I'm worried about the rest of the hatch since the incubator read 102 when I went to check (so I removed dried chicks and let the heat out while dropping the thermostat. Then had to drop it again to get it to stay down under 101. Looks like it settled on 98 degrees, but not sure if the remaining eggs were cooked or not.

Stay strong! The final days/moments are always stressful. Hope they are all out and happy.

i woke up today to little islands of fluff in seas of eggs....

Love your incubator poetry!

I am running an experiment. I have eggs in a Farm Invoators styrofoam bator right now. As far as I can see it is great at gentle corrections of temp. I cave been using the Janoel and getting 64% at best. I see the temp fluctuate like crazy, so I am seeingit through on these eggs to see if it is better. Next lockdown Thurs.

 

[LBKS]

My Temps were steady the whole incubation except hatch. I was seeing 100 to 102 the whole time. I just figured it was the added humidy and the chicks working their little butts off to get out. I wouldn't open it anymore if you don't have to. Letting the humidity out would be worse than it being too warm. jmo. Congrats on the hatch tho! It's exciting and nerve wrecking! I'm lucky and most of mine came while we were sleeping!

I added a sponge with water when I did it, so humidity was quickly regained. No worries there. Heard peeping before I left for work, so someone is still in there; the gap without new hatches or peeping worried me big time.

 

[song of joy]

Set 9 shipped, Swedish Flower chicken eggs on April 3. The air cells were in really bad shape. 1 made it to lock down. It pipped on day 22, but failed to hatch.

So . . . 0 for 9.

 

[pewterchick]

Ok one out a black copper Marans who is now called Waffles.S/He was stuck to its shell so got off work last night at midnight worked on it ,went to bed got up at 5 am and slowly all morning worked it out.
S/He still has stuff stuck to him but s/he is in the temp brooder waiting for the others to hatch.




Good news is I have a broody hen going to see if she will take these marans and blue egg layer chicks when they all hatch.

 

[pewterchick]

Quote:
Originally Posted by song of joy

Set 9 shipped, Swedish Flower chicken eggs on April 3. The air cells were in really bad shape. 1 made it to lock down. It pipped on day 22, but failed to hatch.

So . . . 0 for 9.

 

[Heron's Nest Farm]

Set 9 shipped, Swedish Flower chicken eggs on April 3. The air cells were in really bad shape. 1 made it to lock down. It pipped on day 22, but failed to hatch.

So . . . 0 for 9.

I'm sorry. That is so disappointing. Getting that far and then death is so disheartening!

I too have some shipped eggs I am working with and it has been disappointing with one set. I think they were old as the air cells were HUGE. Only 2 out of 8 still in the bator--most were clears!. My other ones from a different seller were much better. Very fresh, air cells appropriate and only 1 clear. I have had 2 blood rigs, but the others are stilll in making it 50% alive. I hear that is good for shipped eggs.

I am driving 5 hours for some eggs on Wednesday. I just don't like the return with shipped eggs and I spend A LOT on the ones that failed!

 

[song of joy]

I'm sorry. That is so disappointing. Getting that far and then death is so disheartening!

I too have some shipped eggs I am working with and it has been disappointing with one set. I think they were old as the air cells were HUGE. Only 2 out of 8 still in the bator--most were clears!. My other ones from a different seller were much better. Very fresh, air cells appropriate and only 1 clear. I have had 2 blood rigs, but the others are stilll in making it 50% alive. I hear that is good for shipped eggs.

I am driving 5 hours for some eggs on Wednesday. I just don't like the return with shipped eggs and I spend A LOT on the ones that failed!

Best of luck with your hatch. I was very fortunate in being able to order some SFH chicks from the same breeder, so perhaps I'll be able to hatch my own in a year or two.

If you're able to drive to pick up eggs, I suspect the hatch rate would be much better. It seems like it's such a gamble with shipped eggs, although some folks have had successful hatches.

I put some barnyard mix eggs in the incubator as a comparison of shipped vs. non-shipped eggs, so it will be interesting to see if any of them hatch out. They're due to hatch this coming weekend. I pray a least 1 of the 5 eggs hatches, as my daughter was so disappointed when none of the previous batch hatched.

 

[Lucky Lemon]

4 of mine are out now! 2 to go! Finally got a little yellow girl!