March 13th 2016 Hatch-A-long

[Joplus]

My inner channel has dried up and I can't reach it with the funnel through the vent holes. I put a tampon (regular Tampax pearl) through the vent and used the funnel to soak the tampon with water. It did the trick! Humidity back up. I can't be the first person to try this.

 

[BuffsAndReds]

OMG!!! First pip!!!!! I'm like a crazy person running around telling everyone in the house! Day 18 and was going to check them all one last time for final position, but glad I looked before opening the bator! Humidity is at 60% so I may add a bit of water through the air hole but OMG!!! Lol. Now I'm like an idiot just staring at this egg as if it's going to magically pop!

Congrats!! Im the same way. I cant leave the bator once i see a pip. My husband thinks I'm nuts. I usually end up stay up all night.

 

[BuffsAndReds]

Thats an awesome idea. Sounds like that would work better than a sponge.

 

[Faraday40]

My inner channel has dried up and I can't reach it with the funnel through the vent holes. I put a tampon (regular Tampax pearl) through the vent and used the funnel to soak the tampon with water. It did the trick! Humidity back up. I can't be the first person to try this.

Yes, I'm sure you're not the only one. I used a glass of water with a maxi pad (as a sponge). The pad continues to wick up the water & allows for more evaporation. DH simply rolled his eyes when he figured out what I was using them for.

BTW- The green tubing was used to refill the glass & the strawberry containers were used to separate each hen's eggs. I had several black chicks & wanted to know which chicks came from which hens. The chick is not really in a time out box.

 

[Joplus]

Yes, I'm sure you're not the only one. I used a glass of water with a maxi pad (as a sponge). The pad continues to wick up the water & allows for more evaporation. DH simply rolled his eyes when he figured out what I was using them for. BTW- The green tubing was used to refill the glass & the strawberry containers were used to separate each hen's eggs. I had several black chicks & wanted to know which chicks came from which hens. The chick is not really in a time out box.

Hahaha that's awesome. I'm so ingrained against opening the incubator during lockdown so I needed something thin enough to fit through the vent hole but maybe I'll put a maxi in next time

 

[Faraday40]

Hahaha that's awesome. I'm so ingrained against opening the incubator during lockdown so I needed something thin enough to fit through the vent hole but maybe I'll put a maxi in next time

If you need to open the incubator to swap out sponges or remove chicks, just do it quickly. Then, mist with a spray bottle. (aim for a wall to avoid getting eggs wet) The boost from the mist pushes the humidity back up.

To help keep the lid closed, I made an extra vent hole & slid some plastic tubing into it. I use a lab squeeze bottle to pour water via the tube to my water tray. A funnel on the end also worked.

 

[Joplus]

If you need to open the incubator to swap out sponges or remove chicks, just do it quickly.  Then, mist with a spray bottle. (aim for a wall to avoid getting eggs wet)  The boost from the mist pushes the humidity back up.  

To help keep the lid closed, I made an extra vent hole & slid some plastic tubing into it.  I use a lab squeeze bottle to pour water via the tube to my water tray.  A funnel on the end also worked.

 

Thanks that's a great tip. I need some more accessories always

 

[Joplus]

This hatch is my longest ever. I'm super nervous. They're still in there. I was about to just open it and 2 more hatched out. So I'm gonna just wait until probably very early am. As most of you there won't be much sleep (it doesn't matter for me, nursing baby up anyway). Has anyone had a hatch start on day 19 and continue well into day 22? Are those later chicks weak? And hands off folks are the dry chicks really OK left in there that long? And what is the cause? Stable everything minus a few dips in humidity only. I keep thinking it's the eggs. Local possibly improperly stored in a shed desert southwest temps. Thanks any advice appreciated.

 

[Faraday40]

This hatch is my longest ever. I'm super nervous. They're still in there. I was about to just open it and 2 more hatched out. So I'm gonna just wait until probably very early am. As most of you there won't be much sleep (it doesn't matter for me, nursing baby up anyway). Has anyone had a hatch start on day 19 and continue well into day 22? Are those later chicks weak? And hands off folks are the dry chicks really OK left in there that long? And what is the cause? Stable everything minus a few dips in humidity only. I keep thinking it's the eggs. Local possibly improperly stored in a shed desert southwest temps. Thanks any advice appreciated.

That's kind of what happened with my hatch this week. Some hatched Mon (day 20) & most on Tues. One last egg pipped on Wed & hatched Thurs (day 23). I had already removed all the chicks Tues night. The last chick doesn't seem weak to me. I did let it stay in the incubator until it was walking easily. Now I can't tell them apart without looking at the leg band, so it's not weaker. This is the only time I had one hatch so much later than the others. I normally remove the chicks 24-36 hrs after the 1st hatch & leave the unhatched eggs going for another couple days just in case. I mist the incubator before closing it back up.

 

[Joplus]

That's kind of what happened with my hatch this week.  Some hatched Mon (day 20) & most on Tues.  One last egg pipped on Wed & hatched Thurs (day 23).  I had already removed all the chicks Tues night.  The last chick doesn't seem weak to me.  I did let it stay in the incubator until it was walking easily.  Now I can't tell them apart without looking at the leg band, so it's not weaker.  This is the only time I had one hatch so much later than the others.  I normally remove the chicks 24-36 hrs after the 1st hatch & leave the unhatched eggs going for another couple days just in case.  I mist the incubator before closing it back up.

OK thanks that's what I just did. I took the good chicks, like 15, so I had to weigh importance. There are 6 left in the bator. I'll update