4th Annual BYC NYD Hatch-a-long

[janelle18]

bought a new thermometer and hydrometer and got the bator cleaned! Countdown is on!!!

 

[AlivianAcres]

I did it on three hatches because I was new...it didn't end well.  I'm sure there are ways of doing it successfully, but I ended up having to get another bator for my "hatch out area".  The three I did, the first to hatch out did marvelously well (of course, since the temp and humidity were correct).  However, the second set didn't have a good hatch rate (30%) and the third didn't hatch at all.  I finally figured out that by the time it was the third set's time to hatch, they'd already been sitting in 70% humidity for about 10 days (half!) of their little lives (4 days from first set, 3 days from second set and 3 from their own lockdown).  I'm pretty sure I drowned a lot of those chicks due to all the condensation build-up inside the air cell of the eggshell.    I just hatch all our chicks out in a separate bator now (a very cheap one, no frills, no fans, no turners etc).

Those are the reasons I thought wouldn't work. I am really sorry for your losses! I currently have eggs in the bator. Today was day 2 and with the eggs from the swap going in around the 11th I wasn't sure how that would work...guess I should buy an extra

 

[AlivianAcres]

Yes you can do it. Im currently doing it in the ultrabator project. Eggs get moved to the basket at lockdown humidity gets bumped from 50 to 65%. As soon as they hatch out I drop it back down to 50%

Have you done it before? Or is this a first? If done prior, did you have a good hatch rate?

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

4th set in lockdown now. 90% hatch rate thus far (excluding no go infertile eggs)

 

[chicken fever]

Lockdown is 6am tomorrow for my test hatch!!! Woop whoop!

 

[chicken fever]

Just for my curiosity...what do you keep your humidity at during the first 17 days and then what do you raise it to for lockdown? I'm liking your % way to go!!!!

4th set in lockdown now. 90% hatch rate thus far (excluding no go infertile eggs)

 

[Daloorashens]

Okay.... so I have to work on the 11th.... so should I set my eggs that evening, I would have to set them the night before if I did it before....

 

[Lacy Blues]

Okay.... so I have to work on the 11th.... so should I set my eggs that evening, I would have to set them the night before if I did it before....

Maybe if you have an electric timer that you could plug your incubator into, you could have it start on time? Or would you be allowed to start it 30 minutes early to give the incubator and eggs time to warm up to proper temperature?

 

[CluckyCharms]

Okay.... so I have to work on the 11th.... so should I set my eggs that evening, I would have to set them the night before if I did it before....

I would set them late into the evening on the 10th. The 21st day would actually be late in the evening on the 31st (New Year's Eve) and since you would have set them on the eve of the 10th, maybe you'd get lucky and hatch some out around midnight, 1am or so....very shortly after ringing in the New Year.

I plan on setting mine on the 10th because of this...if they get here with enough time to sit in cartons for 24 hours first. If not, I'll set on the morning of the 11th if I have to.

Everybody hatches differently, but going by my own personal hatch times and days, and checking mornings versus evenings, in my house - setting on the evening of the 10th should see most of them hatching out shortly after the ball drops on the 31st; that will be eggciting.

 

[mzstre]

Maybe if you have an electric timer that you could plug your incubator into, you could have it start on time? Or would you be allowed to start it 30 minutes early to give the incubator and eggs time to warm up to proper temperature?

This is an awesome idea! I'll be working on the 11th as well, and I was planning on driving home in terrible traffic conditions to set at noon. I use a Brinsea Octagon unit and it warms up very very quickly, so this would be perfect for me. I already have a timer!

I don't know why I didn't think of that.