FEBRUARY Hatch-A-Long 2015:Please Read First Post To Join H-A-L

[jbkirk]

On day 19 of lock down, my humidity just won't stay high in my brinsea Eco. I did the sponges and extra cloth below in the water area. I did even open it to throw in a wet sponge today. It went up but tonight it's around 62. Should I add more water now before they start pipping, or just leave it alone.

60 seems like a good % to me I've had ones drown at a higher %

 

[rainbowchick]

Thanks for asking, Rainbow. All of the chicks are doing really well The last one I helped out is still fairly weak, but drank some nutri drench and is staying under the heat plate. I keep checking on it and it can walk around, but mostly is just sleeping. The rest of them are adorable and acting like lively chicks. This is my first time with this hot plate brooder heater and you can't see the chicks once they're under it, but they seem to like it. So I guess I'm 7 for 7, even though the cat tried to mess that up.

Yay! I hope that guy perks up!

 

[bekkanblue]

IS there anybody on this (Feb) HAL that is also in the March HAL??

Yes!!

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

The poor little guy is totally wiped out. I won't know what the toll was from being shrink wrapped for another day, since the poor thing will have to sleep this whole hatching ordeal off. Hopefully they make it! No one else has pipped yet, but I will have to watch the rest of the eggs under mama very closely - she is not really soaking herself down the way she should for this stage...

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

On day 19 of lock down, my humidity just won't stay high in my brinsea Eco. I did the sponges and extra cloth below in the water area. I did even open it to throw in a wet sponge today. It went up but tonight it's around 62. Should I add more water now before they start pipping, or just leave it alone.

Try closing the top vent down just a teeny bit. It needs to be open wide enough for the babies to get a lot of oxygen for hatching, but sometimes when the ambient humidity is really low, it is really tough to get the lockdown humidity over 60%. My ambient humidity is 20%, and even with as much water I could get in without overflow and two sponges, I couldn't get my humidity above 60% without closing that vent down a teeny bit. Brinsea says it has to be at least 1/3 of the way open to get adequate air flow during lockdown. Mine is somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 open, and I am holding with humidity around 70%.

 

[bekkanblue]

Lockdown is the most painful wait on the planet! As soon as you lock down the incubator, space and time suddenly become warped and a couple of days feels like 6 months!!!

Unless you can't count like me, and lockdown late by a day or two. Then the chicks are there before you know it! Or are really ready for it.... : )

 

[ChickenLady2014]

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

A second egg bomb went off this evening. Fortunately, it was not nearly as bad as the one from last night. All the remaining eggs look great. So far, my hatch results have been: 1. explosive stinky mess, 2. Failure to progress due to shrink wrapping of membranes with assisted hatch, 3. explosive stinky mess. Nine more to go. I am so happy my next few batches of eggs will be in the incubator. I really, really want to use broodies whenever I can, but this particular clutch is going to be the death of me!

 

[ChickenLady2014]

Thanks for asking, Rainbow. All of the chicks are doing really well The last one I helped out is still fairly weak, but drank some nutri drench and is staying under the heat plate. I keep checking on it and it can walk around, but mostly is just sleeping. The rest of them are adorable and acting like lively chicks. This is my first time with this hot plate brooder heater and you can't see the chicks once they're under it, but they seem to like it. So I guess I'm 7 for 7, even though the cat tried to mess that up.

Congrats on the awesome hatch!

 

[rainbowchick]

A second egg bomb went off this evening.  Fortunately, it was not nearly as bad as the one from last night.  All the remaining eggs look great.  So far, my hatch results have been: 1. explosive stinky mess, 2. Failure to progress due to shrink wrapping of membranes with assisted hatch, 3. explosive stinky mess.  Nine more to go.  I am so happy my next few batches of eggs will be in the incubator.  I really, really want to use broodies whenever I can, but this particular clutch is going to be the death of me!

Uggh! I hope you don't get any more bombs! What are the odds of that? Seriously??