Simulated Natural Nest Incubation~Experiment #1 So it begins....

[Beekissed]

Hello Beekissed!

I'm new to incubating and to this page and I've just been reading through this thread. When are your eggs due to hatch? I have mine just now in a home made incubator which is a just an old cupboard with a glass door that i sellotaped a light inside. I'm covering it with blankets for extra insulation and trying to control the temp to stay between 38-39 C (sorry, I'm in Europe!) I've got a digital thermometer with the sensor sitting on top on the eggs and a small dish of water for humidity. The eggs are inside a shoe box nestled into a soft, warm blanket and positioned under the light. I have no idea if it's going to work, everyone else's set up is much more sophisticated that the way I've got it. So I'm eager to know if yours hatch, maybe mine will too!

I've already hatched out 8 chicks with this method but it really wasn't a success until I started monitoring internal egg temps, instead of their surface temps...I found there was about 6 degrees difference, give or take a degree.

You might want to get your hands on a water wiggler (Amazon has them) and a meat thermometer and go from there on your temps. That was the single most important piece of information that turned the tide on my experiment...that and to leave the humidity alone, let the soils of the nest and the hatching of the chicks provide it.

This current nest will be due to hatch on June 7th. I'll keep everyone posted on the progress.

I sure hope you have good success and would love it if you were to keep us posted here on how it goes along!

Ok so its day 21 and there is 8 eggs that haven't hatch, they were all moving on day 18 but they haven't hatched, although two ducks hatched and 11 chicks hatched before day 21 does this mean the 8 wont hatch? They were all in the same incubator

I'm no expert on hatching, so my advice is only as good as the advice I have been given, but most recommend you wait 48 hrs past your hatch date before throwing away the remaining eggs as some chicks are late to the gate.

 

[Tomtommom]

I've heard of eggs hatching 4 days late!

 

[Demidog]

I've already hatched out 8 chicks with this method but it really wasn't a success until I started monitoring internal egg temps, instead of their surface temps...I found there was about 6 degrees difference, give or take a degree.

You might want to get your hands on a water wiggler (Amazon has them) and a meat thermometer and go from there on your temps. That was the single most important piece of information that turned the tide on my experiment...that and to leave the humidity alone, let the soils of the nest and the hatching of the chicks provide it.

This current nest will be due to hatch on June 7th. I'll keep everyone posted on the progress.

I sure hope you have good success and would love it if you were to keep us posted here on how it goes along!

Hi again Beekissed

You say you hatched 8 chicks, how many eggs were you incubating? Mine are due to hatch on the 4th of June - I'll keep you updated


I just candled my 10 eggs last night, at 6 days, and i saw veins in 8 eggs, the eye and movement in 7, and the last 2 were all mottled and i couldn't make anything out so i don't know about them. But so far so good! I'm really excited now, i was really doubtful that it was going to work, everyone else set up is a lot more sophisticated than my light bulb sellotaped in a cupboard! I'm really happy, my heart was fluttering when i saw them moving Similar to when i saw my own babies on the ultrasound. I have little life growing inside my eggs, It's amazing! I really hope they hatch!

 

[Beekissed]

Hi again Beekissed

You say you hatched 8 chicks, how many eggs were you incubating? Mine are due to hatch on the 4th of June - I'll keep you updated


I just candled my 10 eggs last night, at 6 days, and i saw veins in 8 eggs, the eye and movement in 7, and the last 2 were all mottled and i couldn't make anything out so i don't know about them. But so far so good! I'm really excited now, i was really doubtful that it was going to work, everyone else set up is a lot more sophisticated than my light bulb sellotaped in a cupboard! I'm really happy, my heart was fluttering when i saw them moving Similar to when i saw my own babies on the ultrasound. I have little life growing inside my eggs, It's amazing! I really hope they hatch!

Scads! That was 8 chicks in the four different nests...none in the first two, one in the third and seven in the fourth nest. I think the first set was 18, the second 12, the third I can't remember and the fourth was 23, I think. Not sure on those numbers exactly but close enough. Right now I've set 16.

That's how I felt the first time I actually saw life going on in there....overawed and amazed at the little life in the shell! I'm hoping they hatch for you too! You need to get some pics up here an detail your setup so other folks can try your method....if it works it could be a real money and time saver for other people. That's why I did this experiment, just to see how cheaply and with common items, one could make the process more simple and still be effective.

 

[Demidog]

Well I've not spent any money at all on my set up. I already had the cupboard and the digital thermometer, found an old shoe box and a blanket to make the 'nest', and my Friend gave me the light on an extension chord. I was checking the two eggs that are porous and i think i can see something in one of them so maybe that one is developing too!. We'll find out if they hatch. Maybe they'll quit before then but I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I need to find my camera to take some photos.

Are you using a heat mat for temperature?

 

[Zombified]

Okay, Bee. Here's what's been goin' on.

All of the pure WH duck eggs died. I finally removed the dead eggs a few days ago. I believe they were only a few days away from hatching when they died. But, on the bright side, it seems like only two more of Pyrrhos's eggs died. The one I cracked is still alive. And there's now one duckling hatching!

 

[Zombified]

Say hi to Zeus!

 

[TexasLisa]

Say hi to Zeus!

 

[Beekissed]

Say hi to Zeus!

Welcome Zeus!!! And congrats on the hatch!!!

 

[Beekissed]

Took Nest 5 on my fishing trip this week and everything went find until the trip home. I let them get too hot when the hot water bottle....temps up to 110 there for a bit and so now not sure if I've killed the whole hatch. Tonight is Day 10, so will candle and remove clears and leave all uncertain eggs until Day 18 and then will candle to turn the air cells...if anything is moving in there.

My broody abandoned her nest while we were gone...not sure if the chicks died (there were 2 developed chicks) first and then she left them or if she left them and they died....I'm thinking it was the former because she was a pretty good broody. She is actually trying to sit on new eggs up in the coop right now, so will try to keep her sitting until these hatch~if any~or I may just put these eggs under her and let her finish out the hatch. Haven't decided.