5th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2014 Hatch-A-Long

[ronott1]

i would get it with coturnix but the set only comes with bobwhites sigh. i do want to hatch some coturnix in the future though!!

Double check! Most times they offer both but don't always advertise.

X2! Give them a call. I have seen posts where GQF swapped Coturnix for Bobwhites.

 

[OR4-hmom]

Posted to wrong thread, guess I need more coffee and my glasses!

 

[Aphrael]

SFH are beautiful, fun birds...I have lots of them...but they can be very difficult to hatch after shipping. Most do a dry incubation to have any success, but don't expect any to hatch, and then some probably will.

Thanks for the tip! I've pretty much decided to try dry hatching anyway. My test hatch of my own eggs I had 5 bantams fully developed with yolks absorbed and all but they never hatched, never even pipped. I'm pretty sure my humidity was too high throughout and they either drowned or were just too large to maneuver for pipping and zipping. When I eggtopsied they absolutely filled the whole shell. There was no extra room at all. I hope I don't have too many problems with the SFH. They are what I want in my flock the very most.

I forgot to add BLRW and any other chicken that looks like a patchwork quilt! Ohhh yeah, I forgot if it's super rare or impossible to get in the US than I want it even more!

If you you like patchwork then you should look up Swedish Flower Hens. So beautiful and colorful!

 

[ronott1]

Thanks for the tip! I've pretty much decided to try dry hatching anyway. My test hatch of my own eggs I had 5 bantams fully developed with yolks absorbed and all but they never hatched, never even pipped. I'm pretty sure my humidity was too high throughout and they either drowned or were just too large to maneuver for pipping and zipping. When I eggtopsied they absolutely filled the whole shell. There was no extra room at all. I hope I don't have too many problems with the SFH. They are what I want in my flock the very most.


If you you like patchwork then you should look up Swedish Flower Hens. So beautiful and colorful!

A dry hatch is defined as humidity below the normal 45%. Some of us live in dry places so if no water is added, Humidity will go below 25% during incubation. Humidity goes down with temperature, so 50% humidity in your house will be much lower in the incubator.

Shoot for 30% but watch air cell development using the air cell development chart or weight loss to make sure the chicks are developing at the correct pace.

If the air cell is too small at hatch, the chicks will not get enough Oxygen and suffocate before pipping. They can also pip into liquid and drown. There are also problems if the air cell is too big so

 

[chiqita]

Air flow / exchange is very important. Especially if you air cells look suspect. The higher temps leave less o2 in the air and it's important to get new air with lots of o2 in there. Suffocation is a big chick killer.

 

[carriebain]

Thanks for the tip!  I've pretty much decided to try dry hatching anyway.  My test hatch of my own eggs I had 5 bantams fully developed with yolks absorbed and all but they never hatched, never even pipped.  I'm pretty sure my humidity was too high throughout and they either drowned or were just too large to maneuver for pipping and zipping.  When I eggtopsied they absolutely filled the whole shell.  There was no extra room at all.  I hope I don't have too many problems with the SFH.  They are what I want in my flock the very most.


If you you like patchwork then you should look up Swedish Flower Hens.  So beautiful and colorful!

Oh great! Thanks so much.... Something else to add to my already long list!

 

[Aphrael]

A dry hatch is defined as humidity below the normal 45%. Some of us live in dry places so if no water is added, Humidity will go below 25% during incubation. Humidity goes down with temperature, so 50% humidity in your house will be much lower in the incubator.

Shoot for 30% but watch air cell development using the air cell development chart or weight loss to make sure the chicks are developing at the correct pace.

If the air cell is too small at hatch, the chicks will not get enough Oxygen and suffocate before pipping. They can also pip into liquid and drown. There are also problems if the air cell is too big so

Thank you for the tips! I do live in a dry climate (Texas), so I am adding in water as needed for the "dry" hatch. I'm not letting it go above 40% and only adding water when it starts to dip to around 20-25%. I am home all day and turn the eggs by hand anyway, so I check the humidity each time before turning the eggs to make sure it is staying where I want it. I've been keeping an eye on the air cells of the duck eggs I have in there and the air cells look to me like they match the chart pretty well for their stage of incubation (going into lockdown tomorrow

).

w

Air flow / exchange is very important. Especially if you air cells look suspect. The higher temps leave less o2 in the air and it's important to get new air with lots of o2 in there. Suffocation is a big chick killer.

I have lots of ventilation holes, so I don't think it was lack of oxygen in the incubator itself. I just think the air cells were too small in those eggs. Although I did have 8 hatch on their own and all healthy. Hmmm. Is it possible for excessive humidity to affect some eggs so badly that they can't hatch but others hatch fine? Maybe I am wrong in my guess as to what killed them...

Oh great! Thanks so much.... Something else to add to my already long list!

You're welcome!

 

[Penny Hen]

OK. It looks like I will be joining you for the hatch-a-long. I am going to LA to see my daughter the first weekend in Dec and the man who sells the Ayem Cemani x Americanas and AC x Silkies on Ebay lives in LA. I am going to see about hand carrying a dozen eggs (maybe 18) back with me on the plane. Can't afford the pure Ayem Cemani but a melanistic blue or green egglaying chicken is just too cool to pass up.

If that doesn't take everything I have (to spend) I may get some eggs from you Donna if you have anything left. I will try a few of my Olive Eggers too. They have been laying 3 weeks now so the fertility should be rising. It was only 25% the first two weeks. I would like to have done a test hatch with my homemade incubator first before putting the AC/Am eggs in but the time and chance to get the eggs while I was in LA didn't sync up.

So I have got to replace my humidity gage. I had an Accutemp and while I understand that everyone that I asked on here has not had a problem with them I have. Mid incubation last spring while doing a dry hatch (humidity was around 40%), the vapor got into the device and ruined the hydrometer portion of it. The temp gauge still works but the humidity readout is FUBAR.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a better humidity gauge?

 

[ronott1]

OK. It looks like I will be joining you for the hatch-a-long. I am going to LA to see my daughter the first weekend in Dec and the man who sells the Ayem Cemani x Americanas and AC x Silkies on Ebay lives in LA. I am going to see about hand carrying a dozen eggs (maybe 18) back with me on the plane. Can't afford the pure Ayem Cemani but a melanistic blue or green egglaying chicken is just too cool to pass up.

If that doesn't take everything I have (to spend) I may get some eggs from you Donna if you have anything left. I will try a few of my Olive Eggers too. They have been laying 3 weeks now so the fertility should be rising. It was only 25% the first two weeks. I would like to have done a test hatch with my homemade incubator first before putting the AC/Am eggs in but the time and chance to get the eggs while I was in LA didn't sync up.

So I have got to replace my humidity gage. I had an Accutemp and while I understand that everyone that I asked on here has not had a problem with them I have. Mid incubation last spring while doing a dry hatch (humidity was around 40%), the vapor got into the device and ruined the hydrometer portion of it. The temp gauge still works but the humidity readout is FUBAR.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a better humidity gauge?

I use one like this:

http://incubatorwarehouse.com/incubator-thermometer-hygrometer.html

Congratulations on getting those eggs!

Ozexpat uses foam inserts in a golf bag that he uses for carryon.

 

[carriebain]

Thank you for the tips!  I do live in a dry climate (Texas), so I am adding in water as needed for the "dry" hatch.  I'm not letting it go above 40% and only adding water when it starts to dip to around 20-25%.  I am home all day and turn the eggs by hand anyway, so I check the humidity each time before turning the eggs to make sure it is staying where I want it.  I've been keeping an eye on the air cells of the duck eggs I have in there and the air cells look to me like they match the chart pretty well for their stage of incubation (going into lockdown tomorrow  ).

I have lots of ventilation holes, so I don't think it was lack of oxygen in the incubator itself.  I just think the air cells were too small in those eggs.  Although I did have 8 hatch on their own and all healthy.  Hmmm.  Is it possible for excessive humidity to affect some eggs so badly that they can't hatch but others hatch fine?  Maybe I am wrong in my guess as to what killed them...  

You're welcome!  

Well for the 2015 hatch-along I will be ordering SFH eggs from you