🍁 September Hatch-a-Long 🍁

[JTC]

This is my first hatch.....tomorrow is lock down. I am going to candle once more tonight. I believe I have 4 out of 24 that weren't fertilized / never developed.

(Fingers crossed) when they begin to hatch .... how long do you leave the chicks in the incubator before you move them to the brooder? I've read you can shrink wrap hatching chicks if you open the incubator too much, and mine has a black lid / no window and Styrofoam covering the plastic bottom. I don't want to hurt the chicks hatching and I don't want to leave hatched chicks in too long. Any happy middle ground?

 

[1sellersrobe]

This is my first hatch.....tomorrow is lock down. I am going to candle once more tonight. I believe I have 4 out of 24 that weren't fertilized / never developed.

(Fingers crossed) when they begin to hatch .... how long do you leave the chicks in the incubator before you move them to the brooder? I've read you can shrink wrap hatching chicks if you open the incubator too much, and mine has a black lid / no window and Styrofoam covering the plastic bottom. I don't want to hurt the chicks hatching and I don't want to leave hatched chicks in too long. Any happy middle ground?

If they look fine they can stay in for up to three days, but should be in there for at least 24 hours. I do pull some of mine after a while if it's getting crowded, but only if I don't see any other eggs pipped. I never pull the lid off all the way, instead I crack it a little and grab the chicks I can reach.

 

[JTC]

If they look fine they can stay in for up to three days, but should be in there for at least 24 hours. I do pull some of mine after a while if it's getting crowded, but only if I don't see any other eggs pipped. I never pull the lid off all the way, instead I crack it a little and grab the chicks I can reach.

Thank you for your help! I'm getting antsy. I'm also going to start looking for an incubator with a better view.

 

[1sellersrobe]

Thank you for your help! I'm getting antsy. I'm also going to start looking for an incubator with a better view.

The same thing happened to me! I have a couple different incubators but don't use one of them for lockdown because I like to be able to see what's hatching. Word of warning - I disregarded the whole opening of the incubator rule my first hatch because I got too antsy and lost at least two of them because they got shrinkwrapped (a rush of dry air dries out the membrane and the chick gets stuck). They'll be fine in there!

 

[BestToothFwd]

Phew, I haven't been on this forum for a whole month and a half - refrained from hatching for that long (trying being a responsible chicken keeper for the space I have). Back to feed my addiction by following along with all of you! I have Swedish Hedemora and Bresse chicks ordered for next spring and will be hatching my own BCMs, Cochins, and Wheaten Ameraucanas come March as well! A little too excited for the next hatching season!

Can I ask where you are getting hedemoras from? They are hard to find in Canada!

 

[Xouie]

10 eggs from my jumbo coturnix girls and 9 of those blue ones. Due date is Sept 15th. Not really fond of the blue eggs but curious what will come out. All the quail run together and we got some interesting chicks from the first hatch.

Update: had one embryonic death at the day 11 candling, so down to 8 blue eggs. Still have 10 jumbo though some have so much speckling I’m not sure about them.

 

[Juliet512]

Worst chicken mom award goes to me. I was cleaning out the hatching box yesterday and decided to give up on the eggs from 8/15. Threw them away and then a couple hours later walked by the trash can and realized one said 8/18 not 15 so I put it back in the incubator. Long story short I found this today. Welcome to the world you poor little trash chicky!

Glad you're here Trash Can Chicky!

 

[Xouie]

Worst chicken mom award goes to me. I was cleaning out the hatching box yesterday and decided to give up on the eggs from 8/15. Threw them away and then a couple hours later walked by the trash can and realized one said 8/18 not 15 so I put it back in the incubator. Long story short I found this today. Welcome to the world you poor little trash chicky!

Not worst chicken mom at all! You saved the baby. So maybe it’s more like Recycle Chickie?

 

[Jo4dunx]

I got a new incubator!! So I couldnt wait to set some eggs, I have 15 blue bantams, 6 polish crests, 3 golden comets, and 5 PAVs ! I'm so excited they should be due to hatch on the 2nd of September!

Any hatched yet ? Xx

 

[Trisseh]

Yay!!! I managed to snag 4 more hedemora eggs before they sold out again!!!
So looks like I’ll be joining in for October as well (I would be anyways because I just got my heritage RIR and RIW eggs today...) Lol. If I manage to get some more fertile duck eggs I may join for the Halloween hatch, if my ducks cooperate. This is bad, I can’t seem to stop. Haha!

my pastel quail eggs are on day 9, so far I have 16 that look good. Fingers crossed all of these hatch.