May Hatch-a-Long!

[sandiTX]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/885432/june-hatch-a-long/260

Thank you Cynthia12

 

[5 Acre Rooster]

Well finalized my May hatch, just left last few to fluff until tonight.

RIR-4
MP -11 (2 blacks, rest white. -1 1st night layed on.)
BLS-15 (6 male,9 females)
WLH-10
And 2 early Rouen. (Will check eggs in bator tomorrow and probably clear.)

And as a bonus B1 has 2 baby chicks. 1 looks like BSL and oother is a striper. Kinda like a SLW but with buff main color.

So 44 this weekend added. 1 duck was ok at hatch, got a slipped leg (What I calling I saw IDK what it was) but fine now.

Waited to introduce feed/water until added last chicks from hatch. Everyone seemed to take right to it as a team. Good to go for Friday now.

 

[czoellner]

Yes, there's a June thread! Just gotta love all these hatchings going on!

where is the June thread, couldnt find it

 
where is the June thread, couldnt find it

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/885432/june-hatch-a-long/260

Yep, that's the one!

 

[gander007]

Quote:
I hope you found the June 2014 hatch along ......

 

[sandiTX]

I hope you found the June 2014 hatch along ......

Yes I did, thanks

 

[Demidog]

Well i guess this is the place for me

My eggs went into lock down Sunday lunchtime, tomorrow (Wednesday) will be day 21. No piping yet but I can see the eggs wobbling about in there. This is my first time! I improvised a DIY incubator out of an old cupboard with a glass door that i wasn't using. I'll be thrilled if my eggs actually hatch because my set up is as low tech as possible, but fingers crossed they will! I'v been doing the dry incubation method. I just had a saucer of water in there the whole time, letting it almost go dry and refilling it about every 3-4 days. I wasn't sure what to do about the humidity at lockdown. I'v been reading something else that says for still air incubators the water surface area should cover at least half the floor space, so i'v added more trays of water to cover half the floor. I'v also decreased the temp, it's now at around 36.6 C. But the temp has been falling by a degree at night, by the morning it's reading 35.6C. I had to open the door to ajust the light closer to the eggs to make it hotter, and i added a couple of trays of water, since lockdown on Sunday.I know im not supposed to open the door but i had to! I'v seen the eggs moving though since opening the door, so i think they're ok. If they were to die from opening the door would that happen right away or later on?

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

@Demidog , while you need to up the humidity, you also need to make sure you don't have it too high, as you can drown the chicks inside their shells. Also, as you raise the humidity, the temp needs to be just a hair on the low side, so falling a half a degree or so is fine.

And while you set the eggs in May, they are due to hatch in June

There's another thread for June hatches and is where everyone's at now, so come on over to the June Hatch-a-Long page and post all about this hatch there. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/885432/june-hatch-a-long/300

 

[Demidog]

@Demidog , while you need to up the humidity, you also need to make sure you don't have it too high, as you can drown the chicks inside their shells. Also, as you raise the humidity, the temp needs to be just a hair on the low side, so falling a half a degree or so is fine.

And while you set the eggs in May, they are due to hatch in June

There's another thread for June hatches and is where everyone's at now, so come on over to the June Hatch-a-Long page and post all about this hatch there. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/885432/june-hatch-a-long/300

Oh maybe iv got too much water in then!! There is conflicting advice, it's confusing me!

Yes, i realized i'd posted in the wrong month lol



Edit:
Ok, I'm getting worried because i haven't seen them moving for a while and now im thinking i might drown them from too much humidity! I just took some of the water out and very quickly candled one and i can see it moving inside, so it's still alive.
This is a learning curve for me and i really want to have a sucsessful hatch, i feel for these eggs now and really want them to survive.

I should probably add - my cupboard incubator is well ventalated because the door is wonkey and doesn't shut properly at the top, so plently of air gets in. And it's a big space inside so i'm assuming it needs a lot of water to get high enough humidity. I was reading this which is what said that still air incubators need at least 1/2 the floor area of surface water, and it also said that too much humidity is not a problem and that too little is what we should worry about. Which is why i had so many trays of water in there.

I can't find the link to what i was reading about the humidity, but this other one said to raise the humidity AFTER the first eggs have piped. See what i mean, conflicting advice!!! And i have no personal experiance to go by. http://www.howtoincubate.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=57

 

[Cynthia12]

Well i guess this is the place for me

My eggs went into lock down Sunday lunchtime, tomorrow (Wednesday) will be day 21. No piping yet but I can see the eggs wobbling about in there. This is my first time! I improvised a DIY incubator out of an old cupboard with a glass door that i wasn't using. I'll be thrilled if my eggs actually hatch because my set up is as low tech as possible, but fingers crossed they will! I'v been doing the dry incubation method. I just had a saucer of water in there the whole time, letting it almost go dry and refilling it about every 3-4 days. I wasn't sure what to do about the humidity at lockdown. I'v been reading something else that says for still air incubators the water surface area should cover at least half the floor space, so i'v added more trays of water to cover half the floor. I'v also decreased the temp, it's now at around 36.6 C. But the temp has been falling by a degree at night, by the morning it's reading 35.6C. I had to open the door to ajust the light closer to the eggs to make it hotter, and i added a couple of trays of water, since lockdown on Sunday.I know im not supposed to open the door but i had to! I'v seen the eggs moving though since opening the door, so i think they're ok. If they were to die from opening the door would that happen right away or later on?

Just wondered...are these trays/bowls of water on the ground, where the chicks hatch? They can drown in the smallest amount of water when they are just hatched. Sadly, going from experience that happened this yr. for the first time after years of hatching. Thought all of the chicks were walking straight up long enough..thought wrong, and the normal water dish for chicks is what it died in. Pretty upset with myself..poor baby. :/

 

[Demidog]

Yes they are, but the eggs are inside a shoe box so they are separated. I'v thought about the possibility of the chicks falling in the water, but hopefully they will stay contained in the shoe box.