California - Northern

[WildflowerJLH]

Ron, the new egg is pretty! How exciting.

My 2nd broody has been sitting for 22 days. I looked at her eggs while she was out eating today, and I heard nothing. Tonight, when I was checking to make sure every one made it inside, there was an egg with a big hole in it and a chick inside! Not sure this one is doing OK, though. Is there often blood during hatching? I heard peeping in 2 other eggs. I will check them all in the morning. Will have to call Jeff tomorrow to pick up a couple extra to add under the new mama.

 

[ronott1]

Since I know a lot of you guys are very experienced hatchers, maybe you can answer my question. I have seen different opinions on how much weight to lose by Day 21. Usually it is somewhere from 11%-16%. I am on Day 7, and my 48 eggs have lost an average of 4.4%. If I go by the 11%, then they are losing too much. If I go by the 16%, then they are probably pretty close to being on track.

So, for those that weigh, what percentage of total weight loss do you aim for?

They are in a Hovabator with a turner. Humidity is about 65% when I first add water, then I let it drop down to about 20% before I add more. I added water about three days ago and the humidity is currently at 49%

The important thing is that they are losing weight!

Check the air cell chart as a double check for the eggs. Humidity is not as important as temperature for egg development. You can have good hatches with widely varying humidity levels.

Happy Hatching!

 

[ronott1]

Ron, the new egg is pretty! How exciting.

My 2nd broody has been sitting for 22 days. I looked at her eggs while she was out eating today, and I heard nothing. Tonight, when I was checking to make sure every one made it inside, there was an egg with a big hole in it and a chick inside! Not sure this one is doing OK, though. Is there often blood during hatching? I heard peeping in 2 other eggs. I will check them all in the morning. Will have to call Jeff tomorrow to pick up a couple extra to add under the new mama.

Sometimes there is blood.

I hope the chick is ok!

I was very excited to see the egg. I will probably dream about olive colored eggs tonight....

 

[threadgeek]

You know when you got a OE Game hen when she attacks the rooster who attempted to mate with her.

Love it!

 

[threadgeek]

Ron, the new egg is pretty! How exciting.

My 2nd broody has been sitting for 22 days. I looked at her eggs while she was out eating today, and I heard nothing. Tonight, when I was checking to make sure every one made it inside, there was an egg with a big hole in it and a chick inside! Not sure this one is doing OK, though. Is there often blood during hatching? I heard peeping in 2 other eggs. I will check them all in the morning. Will have to call Jeff tomorrow to pick up a couple extra to add under the new mama.

Fingers crossed for your chicks!

 

[threadgeek]

I picked up my lavender ameraucana eggs today and set them in the incubator!!!

I'm so excited!!!

I already posted this picture in the March hatchalong thread but wanted to show them here as well. They are a pretty turquoise (I found the camera seemed to render the colors better with the white paper in the egg carton lid). I think they appear slightly more vibrant in person.



Its going to be so difficult to pass the time waiting for these cuties to hatch!!!

 

[OR4-hmom]

Ron, the new egg is pretty! How exciting.

My 2nd broody has been sitting for 22 days. I looked at her eggs while she was out eating today, and I heard nothing. Tonight, when I was checking to make sure every one made it inside, there was an egg with a big hole in it and a chick inside! Not sure this one is doing OK, though. Is there often blood during hatching? I heard peeping in 2 other eggs. I will check them all in the morning. Will have to call Jeff tomorrow to pick up a couple extra to add under the new mama.

Best of luck on your new chicks. There was some blood inside the shells under my broody when she hatched them out but they all made it fine. I wish I had broody sense!

 

[OR4-hmom]

Absolutely beautiful eggs Threadgeek, and that is quite the son you have. Looks like he will keep you running.

It is strange to walk by my incubator and not see eggs in it, hatching is very, very addicting.

 

[threadgeek]

Absolutely beautiful eggs Threadgeek, and that is quite the son you have. Looks like he will keep you running.

It is strange to walk by my incubator and not see eggs in it, hatching is very, very addicting.

Thanks and thanks! This is my first egg hatch and I am crazy excited about it. I can see how it would be extremely addicting... and how that chicken math would start to add up...

 

[redriver]

The important thing is that they are losing weight!

Check the air cell chart as a double check for the eggs. Humidity is not as important as temperature for egg development. You can have good hatches with widely varying humidity levels.

Happy Hatching!

Thanks Ron! After I posted on this thread, someone responded in the March Hatch A Long. They aim for 5% at seven days, so I think I am doing okay. I have a mixed bag of eggs, some shipped, some not. The shipped ones have really wacky shaped air cells and it would be difficult to judge those. The non-shipped eggs are much fresher, and have tiny air cells in comparison. So, that is why I am trying to use weight as my guide.

The eggs themselves are doing pretty well. One of my eighteen shipped eggs looks like it had a blood ring. Then it looks like I have four clears in my thirty local eggs. Am going to re-candle those five on day ten, see if anything has changed.