2015 HALLOWEEN Hatch-a-Long, Join us IF YOU DARE!

[Cynthia12]

My eggs go into lock down tomorrow..I stop turning these small ones a half a day early, and mark the eggs because some of them need more time to try and turn. I candle. Another one gone! What is going on? This isn't normal for me to lose this many from this gal. Shipped yes, but I've had great hatches from her. Opened the egg, the baby looked to small. Fully formed, with a huge...and I mean huge amount of yolk. I was surprised that this yolk was in this tiny egg. When I have laying silkies, I never see a yolk this big. Might be the reason?

There wasn't much blood to be absorbed. Will have to candle on day 20 with the three I have left. Oh man!

 

[firedragon1982]

Day 14 candle coming up on Wed. Too excited. Almost can't wait to see inside!!

PS... Posting some more emoticons, because i figured out how to save them for my work chat lol

Ok that's enough LOL sorry for the emoticon spam, don't feel like combing thru to find all the ones I wanted

 

[TJChickens]

Day 14 candle coming up on Wed. Too excited. Almost can't wait to see inside!!

PS... Posting some more emoticons, because i figured out how to save them for my work chat lol

Ok that's enough LOL sorry for the emoticon spam, don't feel like combing thru to find all the ones I wanted

Well, that pretty much covers the broad range of emotions we all go through incubating eggs....

 

[sonshine15]

Hi everyone. I've missed ya'll. Between hatching, company, tummy flu and trying to pack for a funeral.........overload. Babies are all doing great but will be just checking in and out of the group for over a week. Things need to slow down a bit to say the least.

Going to spend some time going over posts this morning before company wakes up lol

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Hi everyone. I've missed ya'll. Between hatching, company, tummy flu and trying to pack for a funeral.........overload. Babies are all doing great but will be just checking in and out of the group for over a week. Things need to slow down a bit to say the least.

Going to spend some time going over posts this morning before company wakes up lol

Wow, that's busy. Sorry to hear you're headed to a funeral.

I was at a memorial celebration on Saturday at a non denominational church, it was organized by a hospice and was for several different people at once. They had prayers, poems and songs from many different beliefs it was quite beautiful, I hope to be remembered in such a way.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I just set 4 lavender ameracaunas, 1 wheaten ameracauna, and 3 lavender Orpington eggs I received from ray_n_debi. Due to hatch October 22.
I think I messed myself up on the hatches because my daughter turns 8 October 18, we are having her birthday party here at my house (bonfire) on oct 17. I have 104 quail hatching October 15. How am I gonna keep all those people out my brood room? Lol

ANSWER: your NOT going to!!!!

NOSES ON BATORS

@Sally Sunshine

We LOVE our animals. I swear we will never have enough. Everyone is named, and all super friendly. You can reach down and grab almost any bird on the property besides some of the turkey hens. Usually I have a Mille Fleur D'Uccle hen on my shoulder or head as I feed. She always rides a human around the yard lol. We will certainly be taking all of the babes with us to med school! Lol. We own our current property, and will find a place large enough and rural enough for the feather babies in advance for school lol. I don't currently work. DH just got a big promotion which is great. I just study and make As in class. So I spend almost all my free time in the yard with them.

awwww you are so loving!

do you have any children yet?

My eggs are supposed to be shipped today. I'm hoping they get here safely, and I hope the trip keeps them viable. They should arrive Tuesday. I'm going to contact my post office to tell me when they arrive so I can pick them up.

First time with shipped eggs... reading all the advice and hoping for the best.

I'm in! Looking for wheaten Ameraucanas to set... Lol the race is on to pick a breed or assortment

@bluehousefarm

This is my first hatch; I have 8 eggs being shared by 2 broodies & 6 in the incubator. Just candled the broody eggs last night & most of them have the air cells in the wrong place. Will the ones with the misplaced air cells have a better chance of hatching if I put them in the incubator instead? That way I could help them hatch if they need it?

wrong place? you mean loose? or rolling? see TJchickens reply below for more comments

Were these shipped eggs? Personally, I think there is no better way to hatch than a broody, but when I get shipped eggs with loose air cells, I like to at least start them in the incubator so that I can keep them in position and not turn them until the air cell heals a little.

ETA: Sally will have better info for you, I think she may be without internet with the crazy weather we've been having.

Sweet! Those Ayam Cemani are cool.

x2

I'd like to join! Not sure what I will set - ayam cemanis if the birds finish molting and lay some eggs in time. Otherwise, probably just a couple mixes. I keep trying to hatch on Halloween and the little things keep hatching either a day early or a day late every year, so maybe this year will be the lucky one!

WELCOME!!!!!!

I officially set 33 Pekin duck eggs due on Halloween

im so excited! Started with 38, 3 broke in shipping, 1 was rotten (that was a smell I could have gone without), and another one started to leak in the incubator. I think another might be bad because the incubator smells. But I cant tell with one yet.

sniff sniff sniff

Candle them when you get them. If the aircells are intact you can treat them like regular eggs. It's just because of loose aircells that you wouldn't want to turn them for a few days. If the aircells are really bad, you might want to consider tipping them gently by hand instead of using the turner. Let us know what they look like when they arrive.

x2

My eggs go into lock down tomorrow..I stop turning these small ones a half a day early, and mark the eggs because some of them need more time to try and turn. I candle. Another one gone! What is going on? This isn't normal for me to lose this many from this gal. Shipped yes, but I've had great hatches from her. Opened the egg, the baby looked to small. Fully formed, with a huge...and I mean huge amount of yolk. I was surprised that this yolk was in this tiny egg. When I have laying silkies, I never see a yolk this big. Might be the reason?

There wasn't much blood to be absorbed. Will have to candle on day 20 with the three I have left. Oh man!

how are your air cells looking?

Day 14 candle coming up on Wed. Too excited. Almost can't wait to see inside!!

PS... Posting some more emoticons, because i figured out how to save them for my work chat lol

Ok that's enough LOL sorry for the emoticon spam, don't feel like combing thru to find all the ones I wanted

Hi everyone. I've missed ya'll. Between hatching, company, tummy flu and trying to pack for a funeral.........overload. Babies are all doing great but will be just checking in and out of the group for over a week. Things need to slow down a bit to say the least.

Going to spend some time going over posts this morning before company wakes up lol

oh sonshine awwww hugs sweetie!!!

come back when things settle, you know we are here when you need us!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Ok. I'm trying to synthesize lots of information before I get my eggs in the mail. This is only my third hatch and my first with shipped eggs. They're traveling a long way, and I don't know if any will survive the trip. If they do, here's my plan:
Let them rest at room air temp for 12-24 hours.
Dry hatch- no water until lockdown (unless RH drops below 25%). HUMIDITY IS A TOOL, NEVER A SET NUMBER, use it to get the correct weight loss in the egg by they end of incubation, either by weighing or watching air cells, since these are shipped eggs mark air cells when you get them too, if they are already very large you may need a tad more if they are tiny you are good. IT ALL depends on the majority of the EGGS and THEIR needs) If you are unsure we can help with images.
Keep them upright in their carton when starting in the incubator. No turning for first two or three days. IF the air cells are intact and fine TREAT EGGS AS NORMAL EGGS PLEASE !
Remove carton and turn as usual for remainder of incubation.
Add water (aim for 70%) during lockdown.

Keep in mind I have a LG still air with no turner. My hatch rates have been 60% for the first two hatches. I'm not in a position to upgrade my incubator, A VERY VERY CHEAP WAY IS simply ADD A cheap used computer fan! and we can help you add it! the plus to a fan is it circulates the heat evenly throughout the bator and will give you improved hatches! so it is what it is. IF THERE IS A WILL THERE IS A WAY ALWAYS! I also don't have a way to measure weight loss yet. YOU HAVE YOUR EYES AND A FLASHLIGHT! OF COURSE YOU DO! I'm sure these things would improve my rate, but that's gotta wait until spring. YOU GOT THIS WITH US!

So, what else do I need to know about shipped vs local eggs? I am sure their is more, but thats what we are here for my friend!

NOW.... what are your temperature procedures? can you explain them again, and how you calibrated and what your using?

 

[firedragon1982]

Sooo.... Is incubating an addiction?? Because I find myself looking on ebay and the hatching egg thread here a lot more than i should, looking for other breeds I "might" like, and I haven't even finished the first hatch to see if I am even doing it right! My husband has said NO to more which I get and agree with. Because right now we're on temporary ground. Our home should be finished right around Christmas, so maybe for a Jan/Feb/Mar hatch along lol.

ETA: Autocorrect strikes again!

 

[Cynthia12]

@Sally Sunshine >> how are your air cells looking?

They look really good..in the few that are left. I'll take photos of the few. I have them marked. Need to get the humidity up today.

 

[Cynthia12]

Here are the three, air sacs look good.






All moving well. Hope it stays that way!