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

[Cynthia12]

I don't know if this will help you feel better or not, but here it's been near or below zero the last five nights. I have 5 chicks in a brooder in the unheated, uninsulated coop, they have a heat lamp, their 1 qt waterer is no more than 18 inches away from the heat lamp and it has frozen every night. The chicks are fine. The thermometer said it was 10 degrees in there this morning, 5 outside. I keep a 1/2 patio block wrapped in a throwaway towel under the heat lamp, which helps I think. The towel has to be replaced every few days for the obvious reason. Worth it to me. The block keeps their little feet warm. The chicks are 3 Silkies and 2 Egyptian Fayoumis ranging in age from 2-4 weeks.

Hi neighbor! I'm in Utah, and we are getting the same temps. We've even dipped into the minus, and we are supposed to again tonight. My eggs are on their way from one of the folks I bought from.

Will be interesting to see...feel..how cold they are. I did hatch last year, and I got some mighty cold eggs, but had some pretty decent hatches from those too. We never know.
I have a chick nursery as I call it..with a tarp down the front, that is being kept closed at all times right now. I have young Seramas in there, and they are doing just fine with a heat lamp.

 

[chicken farmer]

Veins start developing on day 3. Day 5 for white eggs works: you often see development then. I try to be good and wait until day 7. I do not pull obvious clear eggs until day 10 to 14.

Ok thanks,a couple of my eggs are 7 days old today

 

[Aphrael]

So ron, the chicken diagrahm you posted....does that mean my air spaces are ok tilted? They were in the fridge.....so it may jsu be that.

All of my "normal" eggs have the air cell pretty much straight across pre-incubation. They begin to dip on one side as they grow throughout incubation. I don't know what would cause yours to be tipped like that. Even ones I took from the fridge to incubate had level air cells. Does the cell move when you tilt the egg or is it solid?

They were in the fridge? Does that work? Hmm, maybe this cold weather won't be too hard on our eggs after all. :/

On my first hatch I needed (wanted) to fill some extra spaces in the carton so I pulled several of my eggs from the fridge to fill it. Most of them hatched, and they are lively healthy chicks. So yeah, refrigerated eggs can work. I'm just concerned about mine freezing during shipping.

Looks like I will not be setting eggs after all. There just isn't room in the camper we are staying in right now for the bator. I will have room in the new house though so will be doing the Easter hatch.

Awww.

Would like to hear if the refrigerated eggs hatch for you. I tried about 15 once and none hatched!

I have hatched fridge eggs! I've read about a lot of other people hatching them too (which is what spurred me to try it out). There are even people who have hatched fertile grocery store eggs!

Questions:

1) I have a still air incubator that I want to add a pc fan into, I have the link and know how to do this. My question is:

"What changes should I make in temperature & humidity between still air and circulated air, and when should the vent plugs be in or out?"

2) I want to add some sort of turner, I'm thinking about making something like this:



My question is:

"Which would be better to use, Styrofoam or Paper cartons?"

I am planning to set 24 eggs for the hatch-a-long, 11 assorted Brahma's (light, dark & buff) plus 1 green egg, unsure of the breed, as I stopped at a local seller of fresh eggs and picked up a dozen. The Grandma took me to the coop and we gathered eggs and she said her daughter had one chicken with feathers on its head but knew the main flock was the Brahma's. Woo-Hoo Surprise breed!!

12 from my flock (roo is RIR, hens are RIR, red sex links & 2 black australorps) I know I have 2 eggs saved from my lorps as I snagged the eggs from them after they laid them.

I would love to set some type of white layer also, I will be doing a mad search in the next couple of days - wish me luck!

Good luck!

Is it the 11th yet?

No?

How bout now?

No?

Now?

AUGH! WHY ISN"T IT THE 11th YET???

I know! I am getting SO antsy and I don't even have my eggs yet! I can't wait!

I might not be able to participate after all. Turns out I'm going to be going out of town for Christmas. Just for a few days, but I won't be home to turn the eggs. Will they be ok if they go three or four days without turning?

I'm trying to remember the exact days I've read are most important for regular turning but I can't seem to dredge it out of my brain.

I think the last week though is not as critical for the turning. Hopefully someone who nows for sure will chime in!

 

[chickydee64]

Look who poked her head out to meet me this morning............8 eggs to go

Auntie has faithfully been helping set the eggs.......but Mom won't share the hatching. Kept all the eggs to herself.........



Sun rise this morning. Camera



did not do the colors justice

 

[chicken farmer]

Look who poked her head out to meet me this morning............8 eggs to go

Auntie has faithfully been helping set the eggs.......but Mom won't share the hatching. Kept all the eggs to herself.........



Sun rise this morning. Camera



did not do the colors justice

I currently have a broody silkie with 11 days left till hatch day can't wait,and I love your broody hens and the chicks

 

[ronott1]

Not shipped eggs. Seems my chicks come out a little wet I hatch at like 65% it jumps to 80% and I have to open it sometimes to vent more. Normaly they hatch day 21-23. I've had some that pip then stop I've helped a few of these out due to looking like they was string to shrink wrap but humity was 60+ so don't see how they was doing that. As for egg sack I don't know I don't open then if they aint pipping at all, I just toss them guess i'll have to open them. I do know the first few hatches I was using a hygrometer that was 5% low so during set it would say it droped to 30% but was really 24-25%. I've learned how to check them to see how they are off and now have one that works correctly.

Your are doing a good job and are very close to getting great hatch rates.

Humidity is likely not the thing to work on now.

For this hatch try:

1. raise the temperature half of a degree. Egg yolk not fully absorbing is more often caused by a bit too low of incubation temperature during the first 18 days.
2. for the first 18 days try 35% humidity and the 65 to 70% at lock down.

I run my incubators at 99.9 for the first 18 days using a Brinsea Spot check to make sure of the temp. I do not know where the plug is for mind. The Genesis 1588 instructions say the plug is for altitude adjustments.

Shrink wrapping often happens because a wet chick sticks and it cannot zip. The membrane drys out if the chick does not zip no matter how high the humidity is in the incubator.

If this helps the hatch rate for the next hatch, then trouble shoot again and make small adjustments to temp and humidity for the next hatch.

I hope this helps!

 

[ronott1]

I might not be able to participate after all. Turns out I'm going to be going out of town for Christmas. Just for a few days, but I won't be home to turn the eggs. Will they be ok if they go three or four days without turning?

You will be fine then. They do not need to be turned so much during the last week. The second week is very important.

 

[ronott1]

Ok thanks,a couple of my eggs are 7 days old today

Candle them and compare the air cell to the chart posted yesterday.

 

[chicken farmer]

Candle them and compare the air cell to the chart posted yesterday.

I will what was the chart about and what page is it on?

 

[ronott1]

I will what was the chart about and what page is it on?

I added the air cell charts for Duck and Chicken to the first page.

Here is the chicken air cell chart