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

[bantambury]

Hmmm 50-60% is what humidity is usually at during lockdown. I think day 1-18 humidity is closer to 30-40%. Have you checked the size of the air cells during candling? how do they look?

it said to raise my humidity for lockdown to 70%. I have a circulated air incubator if that makes a difference for humidity.

I haven't looked at my air cells....but when I did yesterday I couldn't relly see anything, but then again I didn't relly look that hard. ill go look and take a few pictures for you!

 

[chicken pickin]

Ok, no one is talking, I may as well go on! Ok, so, have to share. Check out what Pawtraitart has invented. I was sent one to give feedback while they got things in order for it to be all there idea..patent. No leaking water into the brooder! So, no wet shavings! No poop in the water either.

Comes with a bracket as well. If this looks like something you might like, shoot her a pm.

Thanks for advertising for her I was excited to see this, I just ordered 2. She says because of this post today her inbox is flooded with orders. Good job helping her out. This water bottle looks great, a very cool idea that she has here. I cant wait to try it out!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I think the humidity really depends on the incubation method. Some use a dry incubation with lower humidity while others like me add water. I aim for an average of 45-55% during the first part and 65-70% during lockdown. I think the important thing is to watch air cells as the egg are incubating. too much air cell and you need to add humidity. To small of an air cell and the humidity needs to go down.

 

[Pozees]

I have a chick and two pips Silkies from my own flock. These are from the eggs set the 7th. Crazy to be excited about only 3 hatching so far, but compared to the last few hatches where my temps had gotten too high and I was getting 1 or none, this is good.

I have been using dry incubation the last several months. If I fill the incubator, the humidity stays between 25% and 35% without any water added. When I move to the hatcher I try to get it up to 60-65%, which here means filling both 1 and 2 in the tray plus a bowl of water with a small towel in it in the center-top. I let it run about 12 hours or so before moving the eggs into it. It takes a lot to get the humidity here boosted, it is very arid. The last two weeks I've been running a humidifier in the room and it does help, the humidity in the room is up to around 40%, which for here is unheard of. Ambient humidity is typically in the teens at best.

 

[itsbob]

Duck eggs.. I have 12 days to go but they look exceptionally healthy, all 7 of them.

I put chicken eggs in the LG that MAYbe fertile.. I put them in yesterday when is the soonest to expect to see veining?

 

[ronott1]

Duck eggs.. I have 12 days to go but they look exceptionally healthy, all 7 of them.

I put chicken eggs in the LG that MAYbe fertile.. I put them in yesterday when is the soonest to expect to see veining?

It depends on the egg color and
opacity. Veining starts at 3 days but you do not usually see them until day 5. Marans, Olive Eggers and Penedesencas will often never have veins that you can see.

 

[FeyRaine]

I have a chick and two pips Silkies from my own flock. These are from the eggs set the 7th. Crazy to be excited about only 3 hatching so far, but compared to the last few hatches where my temps had gotten too high and I was getting 1 or none, this is good.

I have been using dry incubation the last several months. If I fill the incubator, the humidity stays between 25% and 35% without any water added. When I move to the hatcher I try to get it up to 60-65%, which here means filling both 1 and 2 in the tray plus a bowl of water with a small towel in it in the center-top. I let it run about 12 hours or so before moving the eggs into it. It takes a lot to get the humidity here boosted, it is very arid. The last two weeks I've been running a humidifier in the room and it does help, the humidity in the room is up to around 40%, which for here is unheard of. Ambient humidity is typically in the teens at best.

Pozees you are not kidding about arid! When I moved to Boulder CO (1992) the 1st time I heard them say on the radio the humidity was "up to 7%" I thought it was a joke (I grew up in the humid SE) then I started getting nose bleeds due to dry air/ low humidity so I realized it was for real. Shortly thereafter I heard on the same radio a "high wind warning w/ small animal advisory" they weren't kidding about that either -- weird mtn wind burst so strong they would send small animals such as prarie dogs flying ...lets just say I moved back to a more humid location...As such even w/ the house heat running my indoor humidity this hatch has been running 30-50% in the closet w/the bator. I'm doing a dry incubation, the air cells that aren't too wonky from shipping appear ok in size so far. You & I have opposite humidity issues for certain! Part of why "one size does not fit all" as far as incubation advice, I know that is difficult for the new hatchers to understand but I think you (Pozees) & I are a great example of how our specific situations require complete opposite actions to get the correct same final result, great hatching chicks

 

[Pozees]

Pozees you are not kidding about arid! When I moved to Boulder CO (1992) the 1st time I heard them say on the radio the humidity was "up to 7%" I thought it was a joke (I grew up in the humid SE) then I started getting nose bleeds due to dry air/ low humidity so I realized it was for real. Shortly thereafter I heard on the same radio a "high wind warning w/ small animal advisory" they weren't kidding about that either -- weird mtn wind burst so strong they would send small animals such as prarie dogs flying ...lets just say I moved back to a more humid location...As such even w/ the house heat running my indoor humidity this hatch has been running 30-50% in the closet w/the bator. I'm doing a dry incubation, the air cells that aren't too wonky from shipping appear ok in size so far. You & I have opposite humidity issues for certain! Part of why "one size does not fit all" as far as incubation advice, I know that is difficult for the new hatchers to understand but I think you (Pozees) & I are a great example of how our specific situations require complete opposite actions to get the correct same final result, great hatching chicks

Exactly - when I moved here from upstate NY it took me years, literally, to re-learn how to cook and garden. Also took me years to realize why the skin on my fingers would just split for no apparent reason during winter.

So, all of us will offer advice, share our own experiences, but ultimately, each house, in each county, in each state will have a unique set of requirements for pulling off a decent hatch. It will change with seasons, with weather fronts, etc. Some places are a lot more stable in terms of temp and humidity, but here it's just plain whacko. Tomorrow we are supposed to wake to temps in the 30s, warm to 60s, then plummet late afternoon into possibly the 20s with high winds. In 12 hours. I love living where the sun is out 300+ days a year, but there are days I'd trade it for more stable and pleasant weather

 

[Whoops]

It depends on the egg color and
opacity. Veining starts at 3 days but you do not usually see them until day 5. Marans, Olive Eggers and Penedesencas will often never have veins that you can see.

Thank you for posting this! I was a bit concerned that I didn't see any veining in any of my eggs, and I hoped it was because they were just too dark.

I am assuming a "stinker" would, well, STINK. It's not a subtle bouquet is it? Because I am not picking up any sulfurous reek from the eggs (yet) when I go and pick each up and take a big whiff.

lockdown soon - c'mon chickies!

 

[bantambury]

Hmmm 50-60% is what humidity is usually at during lockdown. I think day 1-18 humidity is closer to 30-40%. Have you checked the size of the air cells during candling? how do they look?

Ok, so i just looked at all my eggs and drew my air cells! I found my cells were doing pretty good! The three tiny silkie eggs are doing pretty well too! I finally found a way to candle my olive eggs and found i only have 2 clears of my 7 eggs, which is pretty good! I took another clear out earlier this week, so ended up with 14 eggs...now finding the two clears, i have 12 eggs! 12 chickies...come soon!!!

So excited now! Lockdown sunday!