Hucklekree's 2023 Incubation Records (for funsies)

[Hucklekree]

Thank you for sharing all this data. Seems like your settings are pretty standard.

What kind of incubator are you using? I know we typically primarily hatch our BYM's here and had generally the same stats as you. Usually around 75% if placed eggs and then 90% or so of eggs that made it to lockdown. That was with aN NR360. Recently we switched to an older style bator, and have had much better hatched from placed stats, around 90%. The baseline egg is all the same.

Obviously, shipped eggs are what they are. We have some celadon quail eggs going right now, my first shot at quail. They were shipped and my hopes are low. Day 3 now, I'll probably candle them this weekend.

Yeah, I have two NR 360 and they revolutionized our hatching. We use one to incubate with and the other to hatch. I started with the little giant styrofoam and honestly dreaded incubating so much I would only do it once a year. Those made me such an anxious mess. Our rates were so much lower too with those types.

Keep me posted on your experience with your older bator (I am imagining a styrofoam one simply because that is 'older' to me lol). And on your quail.

Incubator settings: 99.5 F and dry hatching (28-38) natural humidity in wet Western WA.
Hatcher settings: 99.5 and usually have humidity up into the 50s with water added to the wells.

 

[Hucklekree]

The last hatch wrapped up with 6 of the seven BYM hatching with no problems. They have joined the others in the brooder.

Next up is the next set of BYM eggs. I set 7 originally and just checked at lockdown. The one with the oddly placed air sac quit around day 10. So six have moved to lockdown.

Lost another two barred rock eggs, these were early quitters and not duds. And I suspect a Penedesenca egg as well, another early quiter.

 

[BastyPutt]

Yeah, I have two NR 360 and they revolutionized our hatching. We use one to incubate with and the other to hatch. I started with the little giant styrofoam and honestly dreaded incubating so much I would only do it once a year. Those made me such an anxious mess. Our rates were so much lower too with those types.

Keep me posted on your experience with your older bator (I am imagining a styrofoam one simply because that is 'older' to me lol). And on your quail.

Incubator settings: 99.5 F and dry hatching (28-38) natural humidity in wet Western WA.
Hatcher settings: 99.5 and usually have humidity up to 50ish with water added to the wells.

The Little Giant Deluxe is what I am using now and love it

I really like the idea of two seperate bators, one for hatching and one for incubating. Something I'd like to consider.

I use the Govee thermo/hygro meter. It isn't Wi-Fi unit, but it does use Bluetooth and an app with an alarm function that lets you know if you fall out of your set thresholds. It does bring me some peace of mind, especially with having a back up incubator if needed.

One thing I noticed wirh the NR360 is how inconsistent the temp is from spot to spot. Something I would have never noticed had I not hag govees graphs to go back on. There was recently a post here where a Hatcher found a degree drop in a few different egg positions - easily identified because the Govee sits in an egg slot and the NR turns every hour.

But, using the LG following the NR360 I was certainly skeptical. Aesthetically there is a tremendous difference.

Anyway - I found cortunix quail eggs have different "climate" needs than chicken eggs. Instead of a humidity of 40-50(incubating) /70 (lockdown) quail need 20/50 - far less humidity. However, even with humidity too high for the first 3 days, we have 15 of 18 with very hard to see growth (because the eggs are tiny)22. I'll update with some pics.

 

[Hucklekree]

Those eggs are so tiny! How is the hatch going? I am finding that incubating this with my NR has been not as great as last year.

 

[Hucklekree]

The 10 BYM that I set back in May began hatching out June 5th. A bit ahead of schedule. So far 4 have hatched. Two from olive eggs - one black with faint feathering on its legs and another blue with no feathering seen - and two from a white and a mint green egg eggs - both are chipmunk striped. One more has hatched out of a white egg

Waiting on the last three to zip.

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7 BYM that were set in May are all still developing and headed for lockdown tomorrow

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5 Barred Rock, 6 Penedesenca and 6 Crested Cream Legbar are still on their merry way as well

6 hatches out of the 7 BYM.

2 hatched of the Barred Rocks, 6 penedesencas of 6, 5 out 6 CCL.

Overall not terrible but also not great either. Of the losses only two were late stage.

Set 4 duck eggs due first weekend July and 8 BYM due a week after.

 

[Hucklekree]

Lost 4 of the 5 CCL and 1 BR. Not sure the reason. I suspect a temperature related cause with the brooding plate. So back to the heat lamp we go. But it wasn't all at once. The losses spanned a week. And they never seemed to grow.

Also lost three of the salmon faverolles to Cocci. It was my fault they were being treated but somehow ended up getting electrolytes and vitamins in their water too. (Son misunderstood which pen got that). And they passed. At least that is what I believe happened. Upset about the losses. Made for a really bad week.

 

[Hucklekree]

Had 4 Salmon Faverolle chicks and 7 Creveceours shipped from TN Cakling Creek Farms this past week. They made it safe and sound and are currently growing well.

 

[BastyPutt]

Those eggs are so tiny! How is the hatch going? I am finding that incubating this with my NR has been not as great as last year.

Hey I didn't see this message.

15/18 fertile
13/15 hatched
1/13 had a hernia. We did assist this one, and it was clear why it couldn't get out.
12 sucsessful healthy quail

 

[BastyPutt]

Lost 4 of the 5 CCL and 1 BR. Not sure the reason. I suspect a temperature related cause with the brooding plate. So back to the heat lamp we go. But it wasn't all at once. The losses spanned a week. And they never seemed to grow.

Also lost three of the salmon faverolles to Cocci. It was my fault they were being treated but somehow ended up getting electrolytes and vitamins in their water too. (Son misunderstood which pen got that). And they passed. At least that is what I believe happened. Upset about the losses. Made for a really bad week.

This is sad. I am sorry.

I will never, ever use a brooding plate. I know the heat lamp is such a pain, but I see so many brooder plate issues.

In regard to the sudden deaths, I recently switched to hemp bedding, opposed to pine shavings or any other medium - and I am so pleased with it. I worked in a pine lumber mill for years, and we produced residual products with the big ticket being shavings and wood chips. The shavings come from the machine that planes the wood smooth, the chips come from the larger pieces that go through the chipper, mainly the ends of the boards after they are trimmed to size. Most all pine mills treat the lumber with an anti mold, that in its concentrated form is deadly if you were to drink a tablespoon of it. But it is diluted so heavily that it has been deemed fine by the EPA. The old method was a large dip tank, and finished loads of lumber would be dipped in the solution, but around 2013 most places changed to a method where the boards would go through a "spray box" while going through the planer.

Long story short, this solution ends up in the shavings and very well can be harmful to baby chicks while not being harmful to humans.

 

[Hucklekree]

4 of the 4 set duck eggs hatched starting yesterday morning. Ended this morning. Had the dates wrong for hatch on the duck eggs. Mixes, the lot of them. Cute nonetheless. One black one and three lighter ones with gray markings.

Now waiting on the BYM chicken eggs and that may be all for now.

Purchased 4 Penedesenca chicks and 4 CCL from the farmer who sold me the eggs to make sure that I still have a starter flock in case something else happens in between now and when they lay.