Jan./Feb. 2014 hatch a long

[Cynthia12]

My first English Orpington just hatched! day 20. Pipped last night. Now she/he is waiting for it's little buddies to pip. So exciting. The little one literally 'kicked' his/her way out.

 

[Heidisgran]

My first English Orpington just hatched! day 20. Pipped last night. Now she/he is waiting for it's little buddies to pip. So exciting. The little one literally 'kicked' his/her way out.

 

[DeannaA]

They are just my own crosses, couldn't wait until I got my breeding pen sorted out Lol

, to set eggs, also I Had a Fox took all my Buff Orps and 1 RIR Hen and 3 Light Sussex hens so I set some of their eggs the next day to get some chicks off them. The parents are any out of, Buff Orpingtons Hens and Cockerel, RIRs Hens and Cockerels and light sussex hens.

Those will be some pretty chicks.

Uh, Oh, I am addicted. I had my first hatch at NYD, and now somehow there are eggs in the incubator again. Wonder how that happened?

My first hatch did not go as well as I had hoped - I only got one chick hatched out of 7 eggs, and I want to work on some theories as to why. I know they were shipped eggs, shipped during an arctic blast here, and it was my first time hatching, brand new 'bator, etc. To be honest, I am surprised and thrilled that I got one to hatch!

The one chick that hatched, hatched early-ish, especially for the breed. I suspected the 'bator was running a smidge too warm. The new hygrometer is bearing that out, so I am trying running it a degree and a half cooler. Also, it looks the humidity was higher than I thought. The eggs were not delayed in the mail this time, and it wasn't an arctic freeze. So far, it seems there is more luck on my side for this hatch.

George says "Hi" to anyone from the NYD hatch-a-long.

You can test them humidity on the hygrometer by putting it in a ziplockbag with a small cap of damp salt. Leave it over night. It should read 75%. You can find directions on cigar websites.

I love how you have used a wall and a window from your house. You can check on the chickens without going outside!

Saves on materials and space. I have my pen along the fence too. I think I might take out the screen and feed the chickens from there once in awhile.

HI,
I want to play...........................

Have 42 in the incubator.think most are a toss...
15 shipped Silkies................got lost in the mail.
And the rest from my mixed layer flock..................some were old and I wonder if most just got to darned cold before I collected them.
Anyway, I'll get what I get.............Oh, I do have a few English Orps from my flock.
Last time I hatched them 4 out of 4 hatched..all Roo's..............

Going to candle tonight................due date...1/14.......

Good luck every one.............
And Deanna, I am so envious that you can watch your flock out your window..............

but I would never get anything done because I would be stuck there...............
Later............

I spend a lot of time with them but now I can do it when it's freezing too.

HEY chickydee!!!

I think I may just have killed off some that I had incubating....came home and the temp said 124....I was having troubles regulating the temps with the freezing weather so I wrapped the incubator in a blanket...well it worked too well

I have had 3 of my frizzles babies hatch and 2 more in the hatcher....one of which was in the incubator that spiked...so we shall see

I'll be putting my bantam cochin, frizzle and mystery chick eggs in today...

Oh no, maybe it wasn't long and it didn't get to the inside of the eggs yet. I was going to remind you about the airflow but then I saw it was you.

I know you know but for others who think it's a good idea, it is as long as you don't cover the air holes.

 

[DeannaA]

It's supposed to be really cold, for here, and Max choose tonight to be a rebel and sleep outside. I think this is a turkey's version of running away. He didn't eat dinner yet and the temp is supposed to drop to 20'. When the temp gets to 50' he'll want to come in, I hope.

Today I was using the posthole digger to put in posts for my next pen. Max had to stick his head in after every scoop to inspect the hole. And peck the shovel after putting each scoop back after the post was in. I like his help except when I'm using the power saw. He wants to peck the blade everytime, while it's running. Max is my quality control.

 

[Whoops]

Quote:
Thank you - I did that. It seems temperature dependent, though. The bag had to be 70 degrees before the humidity registered 75%, When I tried just putting it outside, it was too cold and registered humidity lower than the weather service indicated, and I thought I had a junk one. But, to be honest, I didn't give it enough time outside, either. Bag with a glass of waterysalt worked like a charm, though.

 

[DeannaA]

Thank you - I did that. It seems temperature dependent, though. The bag had to be 70 degrees before the humidity registered 75%, When I tried just putting it outside, it was too cold and registered humidity lower than the weather service indicated, and I thought I had a junk one. But, to be honest, I didn't give it enough time outside, either. Bag with a glass of waterysalt worked like a charm, though.

I didn't know it could work with a glass of salty water. I do it inside and my house temp is always around 70. I always leave it over night, at least 8 hours. It's frustrating buying new hygrometers or thermometers, wondering if they are right. I bought new batteries that were too high, causing my temp to be wrong. I had 3 hygrometers and replaced all batteries with the new high ones, so they all looked the same so I thought they were good. They messed up 2 hatches. I finally bought a multimeter.

 

[Whoops]

It is more a matter of watery salt - 1/2 cup of salt and 1/4 cup of water was the recipe I found. You mix them, pour it in a dry glass, put the glass and the hygrometer in a ziploc and leave it for 8 - 12 hours. It should read 75% humidity. Or, at least, that's what I tried. But I am new at this. Maybe if I had left it out longer, it would have worked just using the ambient humidity. But, it was cold here and I wanted to make sure it was accurate (ish) in a closer temp range to what the incubator would be.

 

[DeannaA]

It is more a matter of watery salt - 1/2 cup of salt and 1/4 cup of water was the recipe I found. You mix them, pour it in a dry glass, put the glass and the hygrometer in a ziploc and leave it for 8 - 12 hours. It should read 75% humidity. Or, at least, that's what I tried. But I am new at this. Maybe if I had left it out longer, it would have worked just using the ambient humidity. But, it was cold here and I wanted to make sure it was accurate (ish) in a closer temp range to what the incubator would be.

Sorry, I read it backwards. Don't know how. Reread it and still read it backwards. I think it's time to go to sleep. I was thinking there was a new faster way. Darn.

 

[chicken pickin]

Hello, just finished the NYD Hatch-a-Long. But I am wanting to calibrate my 2nd incubator.

Set a batch last night. Brahmas, Silkie/Showgirls, 1 white egg (surprise cause I don't have any chickens that lay white) and 2 smaller eggs. Told my son that I was looking for Phoenix eggs to hatch, he found 2 but I think they may be from my d'Uccle.

Looking at starting a 2nd batch toward the end of this month also. My hubby is going to help make a homemade incubator. And I need tested and ready for the Easter Hatch-a-Long.

What color Brahma do you raise?

 

[DeannaA]

It's supposed to be really cold, for here, and Max choose tonight to be a rebel and sleep outside. I think this is a turkey's version of running away. He didn't eat dinner yet and the temp is supposed to drop to 20'. When the temp gets to 50' he'll want to come in, I hope.

Today I was using the posthole digger to put in posts for my next pen. Max had to stick his head in after every scoop to inspect the hole. And peck the shovel after putting each scoop back after the post was in. I like his help except when I'm using the power saw. He wants to peck the blade everytime, while it's running. Max is my quality control.

Max won. I broke down first. It started pouring and getting colder. He didn't move. Stayed in the rain, wind, cold. Just like a kid, going to extremes to prove they are grown. I finally went out in the rain, to get my soaking wet, cold Max. I wrapped him in a flannel shirt and brought him to the bed. He went right to his blankie, then dinner.