2015 August hatch-a-long!!

[GitaBooks]

Just set 1 Australorp egg, 1 Ameracauna egg and 1 Cochin egg under my broody Sumatra today! I'm really excited! I also placed an Ameracauna egg, an Easter egger egg, and two "surprise eggs" into the incubator. One surprise egg is brown and the other white.

Cool. Sumatras are really pretty.

 

[GitaBooks]

Hi all! I have set 2 eggs in the bator and have 10 eggs shared between two chickens.
Day 2 today... There are a variety of eggs, blue, green, brown and light bay but not 100% sure on the breeds so will be an exciting surprise!
Good luck to all

I love seeing what hatches out of my mix-breed eggs. Its so exciting!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Less then a week until hatch day for my first batch of eggs!

 

[Dramaqueen21888]

Less then a week until hatch day for my first batch of eggs!

Me too. I'm so excited!!! The wait is killing me

 

[holm25]

Well I never got to set my eggs due to some issues. But am still going to read my thread!! I cant wait to see everyones pics!!

 

[GitaBooks]

Well I never got to set my eggs due to some issues. But am still going to read my thread!! I cant wait to see everyones pics!!

I'm sorry to hear that.

We'll keep you informed!

 

[Littlefox26]

I'm having a hard time regulation the humidity in my incubator. The temp fluctuates some too. Temp is no above 100 or below 95 and it's a slow fluctuation the humidity is also a slow drop to around 30% but once I add some water to the paper towels in the bottom it jumps to 80% or more and takes forever to drop back down. I tried the sponge in a jar but the sponge dries out pretty fast and then that's it it doesn't keep soaking up water and humidity drops again.
An suggestions, am I doing something wrong? It's one of the cheaper little giant incubators and I have a fancy digital wireless thermometer I'm.using this go around

 

[GitaBooks]

I'm having a hard time regulation the humidity in my incubator. The temp fluctuates some too. Temp is no above 100 or below 95 and it's a slow fluctuation the humidity is also a slow drop to around 30% but once I add some water to the paper towels in the bottom it jumps to 80% or more and takes forever to drop back down. I tried the sponge in a jar but the sponge dries out pretty fast and then that's it it doesn't keep soaking up water and humidity drops again.
An suggestions, am I doing something wrong? It's one of the cheaper little giant incubators and I have a fancy digital wireless thermometer I'm.using this go around

I use vermiculite, a medium used in reptile incubators. They hold humidity for a long time but are no risk to drowning to the chick. It is cheap and stays damp for a while.

 

[Antiquity]

I'm really terrible at hatch-a-long participation, but I think I have yet another broody sitting on a gigantic pile of eggs. I start off well, but then I always run out of steam when it comes to pictures at the end. Doesn't help that I'm pregnant and the summer heat is killing me. I apologise in advance for the pictures I'm going to promise and then probably not post.

My rule for broodys is I don't start counting days until I'm sure she's going to stay. That usually means my eggs hatch "early". It doesn't help that I have no idea when she adopted these eggs, and how long she's been on them, so my guess is Aug. 17. Also all the hens lay in that nest so I'm going to have A LOT of eggs that don't hatch.

Anyway. I'll be out candling tonight to cull some eggs. She can't possibly sit on all the ones she's got and some are already rotten as the nest reeks! I'll update about what and how many I have later, if she's still determined to sit after I am done. This same hen went broody-ish earlier in the year when my first hen did, but she left the nest the first time I moved her and never went back. However this time she's been there for at least three days and she's ripped out a good chunk of feathers on her breast. We'll see, I guess.

 

[GitaBooks]

I'm really terrible at hatch-a-long participation, but I think I have yet another broody sitting on a gigantic pile of eggs. I start off well, but then I always run out of steam when it comes to pictures at the end. Doesn't help that I'm pregnant and the summer heat is killing me. I apologise in advance for the pictures I'm going to promise and then probably not post.

My rule for broodys is I don't start counting days until I'm sure she's going to stay. That usually means my eggs hatch "early". It doesn't help that I have no idea when she adopted these eggs, and how long she's been on them, so my guess is Aug. 17. Also all the hens lay in that nest so I'm going to have A LOT of eggs that don't hatch.

Anyway. I'll be out candling tonight to cull some eggs. She can't possibly sit on all the ones she's got and some are already rotten as the nest reeks! I'll update about what and how many I have later, if she's still determined to sit after I am done. This same hen went broody-ish earlier in the year when my first hen did, but she left the nest the first time I moved her and never went back. However this time she's been there for at least three days and she's ripped out a good chunk of feathers on her breast. We'll see, I guess.

Sounds fun! Don't worry, participating is a lot of fun, even if no pictures show up.

If she shows a promise to stay, let her have egg she can completely cover and that are all around the same age (if you can help it). Mark these eggs with a pencil or something so you know which ones are hers. Replace the bedding with fresh so it doesn't smell, some time when she is off feeding.

Best of luck!