12th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-Along

[BesideStillWaters]

That seems like too high humidity for hatching eggs I would get that down to 55 to 65.

Oh my, uh... I may need to go check mine then. I don't remember where, but I thought 75% was for hatching and 45 - 60 was for incubating. Oops!! Or is it different for duck eggs? (Mine are chicken.)

 

[CSolis]

After I wrote this, I went outside and discovered one of my cats (she was part of a feral cat population I'm caring for) who had been ill passed away Sunday morning. That evening when my chickens went in to roost, Ellie was acting as if she was in bad pain. She tried to hide in the nest. I pulled her out and set her on the floor and she collapsed. She died about ten minutes later. It was a shock because we had been out free-ranging and she was happily scratching in a leaf pile for a while before asking to be let into the henhouse. This hurts worse than Layla because Layla only came to me for treats and food. Ellie would follow me around and I could pick her up and pet her if I wanted, so we were much closer. I'm still in shock, and I'm wondering if Layla actually didn't fly into the chicken house wall during the storm and if something else is going on. My parents and grandma think it could be snakebite, but no eggs are missing, though Ellie's last egg did have weird grooves in it that were spaced out like a snake's fangs had glided over the surface? But I've never seen a snake go after a chicken like this. Also, Ellie's body had no bite marks that I could see. I'm so concerned for the others right now. Three deaths in one day is enough, I don't want any more to follow in the days to come.

 

[BesideStillWaters]

I would try to hatch it! I did that with one of my chickens that I sold, granted she is still alive, but I was sorry that I sold her. I now have her pullet chick from the egg she laid the day I sold her. Sweetest little thing!

Thanks, I may try it then! (Everyone thinks I'm crazy for hatching as many as I have, why not be a little crazier. ) I currently have eggs due to hatch on Saturday, and more in a week and a half from there. Only one incubator. Hopefully Ellie's egg will hold on until after Saturday at least because I'm already trying to figure out how to make this work with the staggered hatch I'm going to have.

So glad you were able to hatch one of her eggs! What kind is she?

 

[CSolis]

Me thinks as long as you 'out breed' the next several go rounds, hatching eggs from sibblings is ok for one generation.. Do that for several generations and you run into problems like infertility, weakness. etc. It is the same with any animal.. With horses I always out bred to different lines to keep my horses strong and healthy.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Thanks, I may try it then! (Everyone thinks I'm crazy for hatching as many as I have, why not be a little crazier. ) I currently have eggs due to hatch on Saturday, and more in a week and a half from there. Only one incubator. Hopefully Ellie's egg will hold on until after Saturday at least because I'm already trying to figure out how to make this work with the staggered hatch I'm going to have.

So glad you were able to hatch one of her eggs! What kind is she?

Mom is a splash Ameraucana (the one I sold) and dad is a white silkie.
She is one month old.

 

[sekeyslaks]

Oh my, uh... I may need to go check mine then. I don't remember where, but I thought 75% was for hatching and 45 - 60 was for incubating. Oops!! Or is it different for duck eggs? (Mine are chicken.)

With chickens it’s 45 to 55 for incubating and 55 to 65 for hatching.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

@BesideStillWaters you are no crazier than the rest of us. Sounds like you need that second incubator…

 

[Arkhams Joker]

I'll pull them out today. The other one that looked like it may have had veins I put in on the 13th and it hasn't developed any more, while the other eggs have very developed chicks in it. So I wonder if I should pull it too?

How do I intend to turn the latest eggs... see, I'm a very impulsive person, and I tend to act before I think things through sometimes. I realized this problem a few days ago, and I've been trying to come up with something to fix it because I only have one incubator. Right now, I have a cardboard egg carton that I cut down and I'm going to put the eggs that are later in it so they won't be jostled around by the hatching chicks. The incubator is in the bathroom, so my current plan is, shower in the morning, get humidity real high, reach in and turn eggs real quick. Take shower at night, get humidity real high, reach in and turn eggs real quick. So only lockdown when I see a pip. The first 9 went in on the same day, so hoping they all come out within a day or so of each other. Then I'm going to remove all water until the next batch goes into lockdown, which should happen about a week and a half later. Also one of the later eggs I put in is nearly impossible to candle.it looks porous inside and all the speckles make it hard to even tell about the air cell. I didn't mark off aircells when I put them in (regretting that now) so I'm not sure if marking them now would even be helpful?

The humidity is a problem. My old gauge quit working, and I don't trust the one on my Little Giant incubator. I added a wet paper towel to raise humidity a bit a few days ago (didn't like how big the air cells were getting...) and the thing showed the humidity was 44% and went up to 47%. (Then when the paper towel was dry and I opened the incubator to turn eggs, it suddenly went up to 67%. After I let out the humidity. ) And I had condensation appearing on the windowpane, so I assume it was higher than that. I ordered a set of four small thermometers / hydrogmeters a while ago when I noticed the problem over a week ago and they haven't even shipped yet. Tried at a local feed store, and she said she is having trouble keeping those and incubators in stock.

Checked online and my order won't be here until the 5th which is after hatch day, so I'm going into this kind of blind when it comes to humidity. Hope the chicks will survive this.

Have faith, that clean living your doing will produce a good hatch.

 

[JaeG]

That seems like too high humidity for hatching eggs I would get that down to 55 to 65.

I keep my humidity higher, around 75% for hatching as then I can open the incubator without the humidity dropping too much. As long as there's no condensation on the inside of your incubator it's fine.

 

[DucksAreBest]

I certainly hope they all make it! I had one that chirped for 2 days before externally pipping. He was too weak to break the membrane, so I finally intervened so he wouldn't suffocate by tearing a hole where I saw him trying to break through. After breathing for a bit, he gained strength and got out by himself. So if the membrane shrinks or the chick can't break it, I guess they can.

Thank you!