The 5th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[chicken pickin]

What kind of marans?

Black Copper

 

[misschickenlittle]

Yippee!!! I have chicks! One of my cochins was out another is still working on it and some of my orps are zipping. Really excited because one of my Jubilees is zipping too!!! Sweet!!!!!

 

[Whoops]

Candled tonight:

Weight loss only slightly over what it should be (10.1 vs 10.7 percent)

Saw movement in all except the egg I had dropped. That egg was definitely dead and I discarded it. I am feeling very hopeful!

 

[ronott1]

Ok, I need some shoulders to cry on and maybe some advice as well. My husband bought me a LG incubator from tractor supply and put a computer fan on it to help circulate the air. I have had a real time getting that thing to maintain a regular temp. I had a previous hatch in it but it didn't go all that great. I had finally got the temp maintained but I had to put water in it every day to keep up the humidity. I read on here that the fan should be pointing towards the top or side and I had mine facing down. Duh, that must be my problem right there. My husband flipped it around for me tonight to see if it helped. I watched the hygrometer for a bit and thought everything was fine. I came back probably an hour later and the temp read 108.6! Have I just killed everything in the bator? I'm soooo upset. I would say this is my rookie mistake but I am in fact a rookie. This is my first year using incubators instead of broodies. Stupid stupid stupid. How could I have not seen this coming? I took the top off quickly and moved the eggs into an old incubator I have that works like a charm. The turner was full. It was chicken eggs and goose eggs. I am scared to candle them to see the damage I have done. This is a big chunk of my Easter hatching eggs. Sorry this post is so long but I am so sad. Has this happened to anyone else? I am about ready to throw that stupid incubator in the trash.

The critical thing about the heat spike is how high it got to inside the eggs. There is hope and it is better to have the fan going the correct direction.

It is supposed to be fan forced, so the air flow is from the top to the bottom of the incubator. Blowing into it with the air coming out of the vents. Blowing out of the incubator is a bad thing and messes up the temps in the incubator. Make sure the air is going the correct way.

There are some nice DIy plans and kits on BYC for making incubators. Another option is to watch Craig's list for a used digital incubator like the Genesis 1588. They work well and a friend picked up an older model for $50.00--similar to the one that costs $205.00.

 

[Jeniferl29]

Thanks for the info. So, there may be some hope yet. I will definitely keep an eye out for a digital incubator. I'm just going to be optimistic and maybe candle tomorrow to check out the eggs and see if anything is moving.

 

[ronott1]

Thanks for the info. So, there may be some hope yet. I will definitely keep an eye out for a digital incubator. I'm just going to be optimistic and maybe candle tomorrow to check out the eggs and see if anything is moving.

That is a great plan!

There is a good chance that they were not hot enough long enough.

 

[Cynthia12]

Phew! That was fun. Saw a lot of fun, silly, and pretty cute photos on that random posting contest. So grateful for folks that re willing to go so far for us to have an enjoyable time here on BYC..and the Hatch A Longs!

 

[NotAFarm]

Good Night!

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

Nor sure I'd anyone remembers when I asked how many eggs would fit into a LG incubator. Well I now have 51 in mine. 10 of which are set for this HAL although I think one quit early/had a blood ring. But the count is 30 ducks (29 of which are Ancona's), 2 geese, and 19 chickens. I even have more room. I may ask my neighbor if they have any eggs for me to add.

I also have a new gosling and ducking to spoil. And Luke had a diaper.

 

[KuroKitsune]

was just downstairs and one of the eggs under the broody serama was quite a distance away so i brough it up stairs and candled it and it was one of the ones with a baby growing in it. so i took it and my flaslight back downstairs found the clear non developing and set it aside and but back the growing one as the baby was still moving and then left and to the clear with me...i know her well enough she'll keep kicking the third egg out so now she has the two that are growing and just the two she wants and hopefully she doen't kick on of those out cause if she does i'll probably have to take them from her and but them in the bator and then maybe let her try again another time