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

[tao chick]

So cute. Happy chicks.

How are your eggs, k? Any sights or sounds? I'm worried about my Brabanters. I know they have two more days to go, but like you I've had incubator issues that keep me wary. They are locked down and I'm hoping they both make it. My last candle wasn't very promising but I'm hoping I'm just bad at assessing candling. Hopefully you get some activity in the bator to reassure you.

 

[kguinness76]

How are your eggs, k? Any sights or sounds? I'm worried about my Brabanters. I know they have two more days to go, but like you I've had incubator issues that keep me wary. They are locked down and I'm hoping they both make it. My last candle wasn't very promising but I'm hoping I'm just bad at assessing candling. Hopefully you get some activity in the bator to reassure you.

As of 7am still nothing, I am mostly concerned now because there is no movement either. Like I said I will wait until Friday evening and candle if nothing. Hopefully both of us are just delayed because of incubator issues.

 

[tao chick]

I just did the math. One chick hatched at about 468 hours. One hatched at about 492 hours. If 504 hours is the goal with proper temps humidity and turning, then I clearly have to address temperature issues, right? I will be calibrating and running a few tests this spring. Is it safe to assume that temps being too high caused the poor hatch rate (13%)? In addition to them being shipped? Half of them looked okay at day 10, but only 2/15 hatched. Please be honest and help me troubleshoot and assess.
Multiple thermometers read 100 degrees F for a majority of the incubation period, but ran up to 102 early on (before day 7) in the still air LG. Humidity was 25-30% until lockdown. Eggs were discarded for blood rings, clears and the oozing problems. I'm sure there's no easy answer to what went wrong.
Some of the eggs had air cells that were non existent or disappeared during the course of incubation. What causes this?

 

[venymae]

I will try to get a picture of our kitty! She is a fun and super tolerant girl that takes the uber excitement of my two young boys very well!

I will also be recandeling the eggs today (day 10) I am nervous!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Today is day 18 with Seramas.I put them in lock down Yesterday Afternoon and last night there was rocking and moving in the lone egg. Hoping for a pip sometime today... haven't checked on it in half an hour plus... I guess i have to go look now...

Look! The first egg to pip is Sally! Ha... The pip is just above the O ..above that line.

yay!!!!! Sally!!! thats Scary for sure!!

I have some many videos, I have a picture of my husband using him as a pillow. He is very gassy also.. he will fart then run from it

he's my oldest baby.. he's 9 now. will be 10 in June.



They are very good dogs, he is super good with all my birds. I let him come in all the pens with me.

HAHAHAH typical dog reaction!!! my dogs run from hubs!!

You & me both! I have excelled at perfecting wrongness so well that it's come full circle

Oh noes! I'm so sorry honey! You're not awful at all, don't be silly! It was just an accident that happens sweetheart. You didn't mean it at all.

Sooo, what you're saying is I can't get chicks faster doing this?


YAYness!!!!

EARLY BIRDS!!

So, to get early hatches you turn up the heat! If it takes 20 days at 100 degrees, then I just have to crank it up to 200 degrees to get chicks at 10 days! Got it! It's like cooking a turkey fast!

OMG you are hysterical!!!

Mine are set to hatch this Saturday.

My silkie hatched 4 chicks today!

I cant wait, you better post pics as I read!!!

Don't pick the pips.
Pip was 9 hours ago. Chick still peeps.
Don't pick the pips.
I added a wet paper towel. My hygrometer says 60% but with incubator issues this little egg hasn't had much stability in temps or humidity.
Don't pick the pips.
I guess I'd be more patient if I hadn't already lost 20/24 eggs. Or if this lonely chick wasn't screaming half the day (begging his friend to come out and play.)

thats a girl!!

THERE SHE IS!!! awwwwwww good momma!!!!

2 of my quail just hatched!!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I HAVE NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


The pip is the same as this morning. Nothing more has happened yet.

you posted that 4 hours before about the pip??? calm calm calm... my godzilla is still pipped but its still alive and pecking the pip and I didnt touch it and its OVER 24 hours, it will get out. edit to add.. I think its been24 hours... not sure but I can see it looks normal in actions so I am leaving him or her

 

[tao chick]

Air cells that disappear are usually an indication of too high humidity.

So if some air cells are too big and some are disappearing, do I increase or decrease humidity next time? I'm learning that hatching different breeds may require using multiple incubators, even if they're all LF. Each shell color seems to have its own formula. My rainbow basket is going to be tough next year.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Hey all wish I was hatching with you made a deal with my DH2B not to hatch any more until this spring. Then he says he will enable my addiction.

Happy hatching all good luck everyone!

Here are three of my six silkies 2 maybe three are cockerals.
Another picture can't wait to see what I'll hatch from my blue/splash, Lovey.

This is one of my roos, Kramer. My other certain roo is a white.

sweet Silks!

@Sally Sunshine "...mix is a pullet, yay!! she is going to lay a HUGE JUMBO blue egg!!"

What kind of mix is she!?

If I tell you I would have to ummmm well ummmm ummmmm ummmmm

All these dog photos and I have a cat!

OMG did you say the C word???

I HAVE NEWS!!!!!!

The egg that was pipped this morning, has not changed...BUT....there is another one that is pipped, even bigger, almost looks like it's going to start to zip.
What? Early, still may not get a hatch until tomorrow.

Those are darling Silkies up there..fun aren't they? I have hatched so many, and these that are pipped, are from some of my own silkies that I've hatched, that I gave to a friend. Will be fun to see how they turn out with her frizzle. They could be frizzle, or, not.

A few of my past favorite silkies.



Here's a Paint SG I couldn't keep..a boy. :/

gosh I love those showgirls!!!

Lol be careful what you ask for we have 5 cats 3 dogs and 33 chickens lol I may blow up your computer

you need more dogs and chickens just saying

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Thanks! I had no idea how much personality Dachshunds have. I will always have one now.

I have 5 dogs also.

Actually, I only have one mutt chicken and that's the frizzle/Ameraucana that I posted awhile back. The oddballs that keep happening are birds that I don't have others of the same kind, like the Hamburg, or extra roos that I adore but get beat up if in the correct pen. A little crossbeak roo that follows me everywhere... A Serama roo that was raised with peacocks so he roams with them.....and on and on...The mystery egg will most likely be a pure silkie, second bet would be silkie/Serama. My most gorgeous mistakes were when a silkie roo bred a golden pheasant hen! Very cool, sterile birds, but they died at about a year old and I read that is common. I now have a Polish hen in the yard because I let my favorite silkie have an egg that she could keep after hatching lots of other stuff for me that she had to give to me. They are inseparable, so a Polish crossed with either that big frizzle cross guy or a silkie roo is possible when she starts laying....

That was probably TMI....

My family left on their road trip to PA this morning! I have the computer, shower....everything to myself! Except the kids left without carving pumpkins

Keep up the great posts!!!

Chickens will be happy about carving them

 

[ronott1]

I just did the math. One chick hatched at about 468 hours. One hatched at about 492 hours. If 504 hours is the goal with proper temps humidity and turning, then I clearly have to address temperature issues, right? I will be calibrating and running a few tests this spring. Is it safe to assume that temps being too high caused the poor hatch rate (13%)? In addition to them being shipped? Half of them looked okay at day 10, but only 2/15 hatched. Please be honest and help me troubleshoot and assess.
Multiple thermometers read 100 degrees F for a majority of the incubation period, but ran up to 102 early on (before day 7) in the still air LG. Humidity was 25-30% until lockdown. Eggs were discarded for blood rings, clears and the oozing problems. I'm sure there's no easy answer to what went wrong.
Some of the eggs had air cells that were non existent or disappeared during the course of incubation. What causes this?

It depends on the breed but yes, the temps were likely a bit high on average. You can expect hatch problems with high temps. My guess is that the thermometers are not reading correctly. I also notice that you are not mentioning temperatures in the tenths. If you do not have a thermometer that reads in tenths, then it is not good enough for incubating.

The Brinsea spot check will make a big difference in your incubating efforts. On one of the hatch a longs I talked @bamadude into getting one and he started having much better hatches(along with ditching the lg and getting a genesis 1588....).

 

[ronott1]

Air cells that disappear are usually an indication of too high humidity.

Also is an indication that the chicks died--swelling, rotting and etc.