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

[ChickenCanoe]

What with coming home from a trip and discovering dead birds, I've had a rough day. Now I'm thinking all sorts of panic thoughts about the incubator. Set eggs 12:08 am on the 12th so almost the 11th. Figured since it was technically the 12th that it was okay to lock down today.

I put them big-end-up in the cartons with the bottoms cut out. That looks like a good idea. Then I read that I should have candled. Well I'm afraid to handle them now. I did lock down, raised humidity and all at 7:00 a.m. Should I go candle now? Leave them alone? Humidity readings are 67% and 88% percent so I figure it's over 70%. We have the fan incubator (HB 1588).

Should I just leave everything alone and hope for the best?

What dead birds?
I wouldn't worry about candling now. Let sleeping eggs lie.

Oh, should I turn down the temp? Ranging around 100 degrees, but set at 99.9. Should I lower that to 98? Genesis HB 1588, fan model.

If it isn't finicky you could tweak it down. If it's touchy, I'd leave it alone.

Ron...(or anyone else that has an answer)

Since I'm hatching upright, what happens if I get a chick pipping the wrong end??? I won't be able to tell, because it's at the bottom inside the carton!!

~~IMO pipping at the small end is very rare. As someone else said, other maladies are probably afoot if that happens.

I put 5 eggs into lockdown. 4 were too dark to see anything other than the air bubble. They did not stink so in they went. the humidity is not quite as high as I would like it but I don't want to adjust it now that lockdown has started. I'm expecting chicks by Thursday lunchtime. The humidity was higher before I opened the lid to add the eggs so I'm hoping it goes back up. If not I may have to adjust something even if it is lockdown. Right now it is around 63-65%

You ought to be able to use a straw or syringe or something else to get more water in there.

 

[SoManyHats]

This is sooo stressful!! And I have to go to a party tomorrow night. How will I have fun when I'm thinking about my eggs the whole time? I'll be gone for 12 hours!

 

[MontanaDolphin]

This is sooo stressful!! And I have to go to a party tomorrow night. How will I have fun when I'm thinking about my eggs the whole time? I'll be gone for 12 hours!

LOL I have to go to Southern States tomorrow to pick up some sand and pine shavings...that's gonna take me a WHOLE HOUR!!!!! What if I MISS something???
*Note to self: Send dad to get it

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I put 5 eggs into lockdown. 4 were too dark to see anything other than the air bubble. They did not stink so in they went. the humidity is not quite as high as I would like it but I don't want to adjust it now that lockdown has started. I'm expecting chicks by Thursday lunchtime. The humidity was higher before I opened the lid to add the eggs so I'm hoping it goes back up. If not I may have to adjust something even if it is lockdown. Right now it is around 63-65%

You ought to be able to use a straw or syringe or something else to get more water in there.
I have 2 sponges in there already and both are in bowls of water so not dry at all. Then I added a small 6 x 6 cloth folded in half and wetted down. That had been enough to get up to 75% for the past 2 days. I have to add water to the cloth once a day around lunch or early afternoon but it had been enough. Then I added the eggs today around 1:30pm. And it is still only in the low 60's. No condensation on the windows either to indicate a measurement problem.
I do have all of the vents open, maybe it would be ok to cover one of the larger holes with the red cap. It is a LG 9200 so there are 8 little holes on top and 2 larger ones.

 

[itsbob]

Ok, so now I have a question.. what about Brinsea's programmed cooling? Duck eggs are supposed to cool 3 hours a day.. it freaks me out as if I candle during that period I see NO movement.

Thoughts?

 

[msladyhawke]

I set on the 11th also, nothing here yet.

No pips here either, and that is ok. I set on the 11th, trying to hatch eggs on NYD.
Relax guys, deeep breath. If you set on the 11th its OK.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Ok, so now I have a question.. what about Brinsea's programmed cooling? Duck eggs are supposed to cool 3 hours a day.. it freaks me out as if I candle during that period I see NO movement.

Thoughts?

I was just wondering today about cooling periods. My incubators don't offer it. But I was using my candling time as a cool down time. But if candling is done outside of the cool down time then would that be 2 cooldowns in the same day. And if done during the cool down time would the incubator get colder than expected or take longer to reheat when the cool down time was over.
I came to the conclusion that if I had a cool down incubator I would not candle till right before lockdown. Made me think i would not use the cool down feature.

 

[Wunjo]

I do not expect pips this soon. Tomorrow though...

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ron-s-hatch-cam

Going to add the sponge now.

Says your cam is offline?

 

[msladyhawke]

This is sooo stressful!! And I have to go to a party tomorrow night. How will I have fun when I'm thinking about my eggs the whole time? I'll be gone for 12 hours!

Set up www.ustream.tv with the camera on your computer and you can remotely sign in and watch it on your cellphone? I did that one time with a litter of puppies being born while i had to be at work.
Edit: Oops, Ron beat me to it.

 

[Nicky-the-witch]

Congratulations everyone with their rockers, pippers, zippers and hatchlings. I hatch under a broody so I never get to see any of this - I am so envious!!!
Mine hatched over a 2 day period - I sat watching chickie TV through the coop window for almost all the 2 days trying to get a glimpse of the chicks as they arrived. I am with the people with bruises on their knees from their elbows - mine too !!

Good luck everyone! And thank you all for sharing your experiences and knowledge for those of us just starting out on this obsession, I mean hobby!!