11th Annual Easter Hatch a Long 2020

[gmjarvi]

I'd love to add some cayugas, but the eggs are hard to find around here. Did you buy them from a source you can share or they're from your flock?

I got them from Fat Hen Farms in Connecticut. I believe he is on FB and Instagram. Fast response and shipping, and they were packaged well I'm not going to candle them until D10 because I'm afraid to over handle them. There are some wonky air cells despite the nice packaging.

 

[gmjarvi]

I am in the same spot. The one time that I ordered shipped eggs and they arrived earlier than I expected. One incubator is hatching, the other has batch 2 in it. The air cells look pretty good for shipped eggs, though. They are in a cool spot and I am turning them 4 times a day. I was wondering how long I can wait to set them. I've read several different suggestions, everything from 24-48 hours up to people who have waited two weeks.

Part of me feels like it would have been fine to wait until the 14th, but I just felt better putting them in 24 hrs after I received them and before they were 7 days old. Maybe on later hatches I'll experiment a bit more with that timing.

 

[AgnesGray]

I got them from Fat Hen Farms in Connecticut. I believe he is on FB and Instagram. Fast response and shipping, and they were packaged well I'm not going to candle them until D10 because I'm afraid to over handle them. There are some wonky air cells despite the nice packaging.

Awesome, thanks for the details!!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Part of me feels like it would have been fine to wait until the 14th, but I just felt better putting them in 24 hrs after I received them and before they were 7 days old. Maybe on layer hatches I'll experiment a bit more with that timing.

I've done plenty of experimenting with timing and I've found that while you can get away with a lot of things, including waiting sometimes even beyond the recommended 10-14 day max (the viability just drops off), I get the very best hatches from eggs that were collected over a few days and set shortly after. I even find that they hatch slightly earlier when set 2-3 days after lay. I often see external pips and sometimes hatches on day 20 (and I promise it's not due to high temps, it's directly correlated with super fresh eggs).

 

[gmjarvi]

I've done plenty of experimenting with timing and I've found that while you can get away with a lot of things, including waiting sometimes even beyond the recommended 10-14 day max (the viability just drops off), I get the very best hatches from eggs that were collected over a few days and set shortly after. I even find that they hatch slightly earlier when set 2-3 days after lay. I often see external pips and sometimes hatches on day 20 (and I promise it's not due to high temps, it's directly correlated with super fresh eggs).

I'm wondering now if my chicken eggs might hatch a day early! I set them the same day they were laid.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I'm wondering now if my chicken eggs might hatch a day early! I set them the same day they were laid.

It's possible! I would at least expect some early pips! It's really a matter of hours, like late on day 20 vs possibly mid day on day 21, lol. So probably not a huge difference, it's just something I've noticed while hatching really fresh eggs side by side with the eggs I set out to wait.

 

[Cre8joy]

I was planning on setting a dozen eggs. I will still be setting that many however I had a golden laced wyndotte disappear at lock up a couple of days ago. I found her last night and her hoard of 13 eggs. I told her she was a week early. I candled all her eggs and moved her to a safer place. None of her eggs are more than a few days along. I don't know if you want to count her 13 but I will still be setting a dozen in my incubator.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I may have just inquired about a couple Rcom incubators for sale.

I have a problem. lol

So which one is better, the Rcom Max 20 or the Rcom Pro 20?

 

[FortCluck]

I've done plenty of experimenting with timing and I've found that while you can get away with a lot of things, including waiting sometimes even beyond the recommended 10-14 day max (the viability just drops off), I get the very best hatches from eggs that were collected over a few days and set shortly after. I even find that they hatch slightly earlier when set 2-3 days after lay. I often see external pips and sometimes hatches on day 20 (and I promise it's not due to high temps, it's directly correlated with super fresh eggs).

I learned that refrigerating eggs doesn't effect the fertility on my eggs at all. Not that I put fridge eggs in all the time, but I do when I need fillers

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I've started turning the silkied Cochin eggs as of last night. The air cells were looking more attached at that point (some still jiggly, some not moving), so here's hoping we're good!


It's not looking like the OEGBs are going to cooperate with my EHAL plans, so I guess I'll be putting mixed eggs in for the HAL, either from my adult silkied Cochin hens or my Easter-egger girl Fifi (or both ) with my Silkie boy, Winter.