6th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2015 Hatch-A-Long

[hennible]

My girls must know I want eggs to hatch, they are suddenly producing again. e

 

[hockeydad6791]

It is so hard to find hatching eggs this time of year for what I want! 

Well I'd like to have some diff color eggs. Like blue,green or some really dark ones. The wife wants some frizzy full size chickens. Dear Santa ...........

 

[Roan]

They do not hatch exactly 21 days after setting. Some breeds are usually early and some are usually late.

Punch in the set dates at this site:

http://homesteadapps.com/app/free/hatchchart/hatchturnscheentry.php

Thanks! That's awesome! The temps though, have me a little confused. I just called Miller Manufacturing since I don't have the instructions for my incubator and she told me that for the still air, the temperature should be at 99.5 F. According to the hatch/egg turning chart on that site, the temp should be 100.5 F and humidity should be 55% for chickens.

On here, I've read in several threads that for still air incubators the temp should be around 102 F. So...should I go with the manufacturer's recommendation or people on here who are always hatching? It's a tough call but I've never had a good hatch rate before so I really want to get this right.

If I go with 102 F, would that make the chicks progress a bit faster and thus hatch a bit earlier than anticipated?
If I go with 99.5 F, would that make the chicks progress a bit slower and thus hatch a bit later than anticipated?

I also read somewhere that if you exercise in front of the incubator while singing softly to the chicks for at least 2 hours a day, they tend to be more active and people friendly when they hatch. Any truth to this?

 

[chicken pickin]

It is so hard to find hatching eggs this time of year for what I want!

What kind of eggs are you looking for?

 

[ronott1]

Collected 6 eggs for the day. The past few days was only getting 3 or 4. I have an LG so I might be jumping the gun on collecting hatching eggs for the H-A-L. A few weeks ago I was getting about a doz a day. My buffs are new and have been laying since early August. The 2 year old red sexlink and new Hampshires slowed down recently I guess cuz they were molting. I hope I get some buff bard rock mixes. Rocky (aka Barred rock roo) has been tending them so my fingers are crossed.

You are fine for collecting eggs for the hatch a long.

 

[ronott1]

Thanks! That's awesome! The temps though, have me a little confused. I just called Miller Manufacturing since I don't have the instructions for my incubator and she told me that for the still air, the temperature should be at 99.5 F. According to the hatch/egg turning chart on that site, the temp should be 100.5 F and humidity should be 55% for chickens.

On here, I've read in several threads that for still air incubators the temp should be around 102 F. So...should I go with the manufacturer's recommendation or people on here who are always hatching? It's a tough call but I've never had a good hatch rate before so I really want to get this right.

If I go with 102 F, would that make the chicks progress a bit faster and thus hatch a bit earlier than anticipated?
If I go with 99.5 F, would that make the chicks progress a bit slower and thus hatch a bit later than anticipated?

I also read somewhere that if you exercise in front of the incubator while singing softly to the chicks for at least 2 hours a day, they tend to be more active and people friendly when they hatch. Any truth to this?

I use the chart for the notes and the days to hatch. I do not follow the temps or humidity.

Still air is an average of top of the incubator and the bottom. The average should equal 99.5. 102 is at the top and the bottom is lower.

There are links to instructions for using a still air in the first post.

 

[FuzzyHens]

My little wrong end pipper! She is doing great!

looks great...so cute!!!

 

[Cynthia12]

can someone explain to my why a Styrofoam incubator costs like 50 bucks to ship?? that boggles my mind

It shouldn't! I mean serious, I have bought them off line in the past..not that much to ship...maybe times have changed since I did? Just go to your local feed store and buy one.

 

[Cynthia12]

My little wrong end pipper! She is doing great!

Very pretty..thank you for posting. Love the color!

 

[Cynthia12]

Getting so excited for the set date!!! I'm starting to collect eggs for the H-A-L today. I was only gonna do a couple but I was talking to a guy at work and he wants some of them so now I can set a lot more. He is gonna take as many as I wanna give up. I told my youngest daughter and she said he can't have any! They must be teaching chicken math at her school lol

Hello hockey! I remember you on another hatch a long.