9th-annual-byc-new-years-day-2018-hatch-a-long

[amunk01]

wow, is it a constant challenge to keep humidity up during hatch?
I am jealous of your weather though! Our winters here lately can barely be called winter, but at least it's a break from the heat!

Where are you located @mama duckie? Here in Oklahoma it's 17° outside, but Im running a dry hatch that's averaging 36%.. I figured I would have to add a little water day 1-18 since it's winter, but apparently its not as dry as it feels here.
I candled again before Christmas and threw out 7/8 remaining Orpington eggs. Im so bummed. They were all quitters too which I thought was weird. There must've been something wrong with that breeder's flock, poor diet? The adult birds I got from him had quite a bit of lice, could a long term infestation of lice cause poor fertility or defective embryos? Maybe bacteria in those eggs or something? I have 1 left developing well. I doubt it'll hatch at this rate. Oh well, at least they were free eggs..
My bator has been struggling to hold temp this hatch too. I have a feeling my hatch rate won't be as good as last time..

 

[ronott1]

Where are you located @mama duckie? Here in Oklahoma it's 17° outside, but Im running a dry hatch that's averaging 36%.. I figured I would have to add a little water day 1-18 since it's winter, but apparently its not as dry as it feels here.
I candled again before Christmas and threw out 7/8 remaining Orpington eggs. Im so bummed. They were all quitters too which I thought was weird. There must've been something wrong with that breeder's flock, poor diet? The adult birds I got from him had quite a bit of lice, could a long term infestation of lice cause poor fertility or defective embryos? Maybe bacteria in those eggs or something? I have 1 left developing well. I doubt it'll hatch at this rate. Oh well, at least they were free eggs..
My bator has been struggling to hold temp this hatch too. I have a feeling my hatch rate won't be as good as last time..

Could be all of those things but if they were clears they were not likely fertile. That happens sometimes.

 

[chonsey]

View attachment 1219690 to the hatch a long!

Where are you located @mama duckie? Here in Oklahoma it's 17° outside, but Im running a dry hatch that's averaging 36%.. I figured I would have to add a little water day 1-18 since it's winter, but apparently its not as dry as it feels here.
I candled again before Christmas and threw out 7/8 remaining Orpington eggs. Im so bummed. They were all quitters too which I thought was weird. There must've been something wrong with that breeder's flock, poor diet? The adult birds I got from him had quite a bit of lice, could a long term infestation of lice cause poor fertility or defective embryos? Maybe bacteria in those eggs or something? I have 1 left developing well. I doubt it'll hatch at this rate. Oh well, at least they were free eggs..
My bator has been struggling to hold temp this hatch too. I have a feeling my hatch rate won't be as good as last time..

What is a dry hatch?

 

[CapricornFarm]

You don't add water until lock down i think!

 

[mama duckie]

Where are you located @mama duckie? Here in Oklahoma it's 17° outside, but Im running a dry hatch that's averaging 36%.. I figured I would have to add a little water day 1-18 since it's winter, but apparently its not as dry as it feels here.
I candled again before Christmas and threw out 7/8 remaining Orpington eggs. Im so bummed. They were all quitters too which I thought was weird. There must've been something wrong with that breeder's flock, poor diet? The adult birds I got from him had quite a bit of lice, could a long term infestation of lice cause poor fertility or defective embryos? Maybe bacteria in those eggs or something? I have 1 left developing well. I doubt it'll hatch at this rate. Oh well, at least they were free eggs..
My bator has been struggling to hold temp this hatch too. I have a feeling my hatch rate won't be as good as last time..

I live in southeast Queensland Australia. My incubator struggles to hold temp too and it is summer here! I have a cut up insulated bag and winter jacket draped over it! Lice does make them anaemic so could affect fertility?
All four of my duck eggs have inner pipped and one has outer pipped too. I have never had a duck hatch unassisted even with a 100% hatch before, so am really hoping this time they can and will.

 

[amunk01]

I live in southeast Queensland Australia. My incubator struggles to hold temp too and it is summer here! I have a cut up insulated bag and winter jacket draped over it! Lice does make them anaemic so could affect fertility?
All four of my duck eggs have inner pipped and one has outer pipped too. I have never had a duck hatch unassisted even with a 100% hatch before, so am really hoping this time they can and will.

Yay! Go little ducks! I have a feeling with this many people rooting for them your babies are gonna hatch great this time! I've never hatched duck eggs before, but I noticed a lady close to me is offering Indian runner eggs for $5/dozen. I thought maybe I should try at that price! Lol What do ya'll think? Valentines day hatch-a-long? Lol
@CapricornFarm is correct: a dry hatch means not adding any water until lockdown. My last hatch was my first ever and I battled keeping the humidity level in the 40s and 50s everytime I added water it would skyrocket. I had a great hatch, but I think I just got lucky on the size of air cells resulting in live chicks instead of drowned ones. This time I've stayed steady in the 30s with no water so I'm pretty confident I'll be running dry hatches from now on. It's easier for me, but I live in a very humid state (obviously considering it's dead of winter here.) My air cells are growing right on track. I ordered a digital scale to begin weighing all the eggs during incubation from now on, instead of just outlining air cells.
I'm stealing the idea from @Altfrizzle.

 

[Altfrizzle]

I hit my goal of average 13% loss although some lost about 20% and some 11% or so. Those guys are at the edge of the safety zone.

My broody who decided to sit the day after I set, has been moved into the house since she’s due to hatch tomorrow and highs outside are going to be in the low teens.

I gave her 5 of her eggs from the bator added to 5 she had under her. Found one just outside her wing several hours later, cold. I think she just couldn’t fit them all.

Figured it was a goner. No movement on candle. Popped it back in the bator overnight and this morning it’s internally pipped!

One other egg pipped at bottom/middle. It’s still poking it’s beak out and peeping. I turned it so the hole is facing up.

2 normal pips this morning.

The eggcitement begins!

 

[Altfrizzle]

Oooh. Correction. Just checked my spreadsheet. That first pip, mid/side of the egg is the egg that lost the least amount of weight, at just under 10%. So, I'm guessing it cannot move enough to position properly for pipping, which explains where it pipped.

Of the 24 eggs that went into lockdown (I pulled one egg at day 10, early quitter) there were 3 outliers for not losing enough, and 2 for losing too much.

One of those was the one I'd put under Mizzle which she wasn't covering. I'm wondering if her pushing it out so it cooled off (evaporated moisture???) was because it hadn't lost enough weight?!

Meanwhile, the 3rd outlier in the not enough loss camp has been EXTREMELY vocal since last night. Rocking and rolling. I'm wondering if it can't position properly. Hmm.

 

[Altfrizzle]

And I have a chick!

 

[Altfrizzle]