- Jun 2, 2011
- 5,346
- 218
- 291
Hi everyone,
Thank you in advance for all the information that I have learned from the point of first getting my chicks a year and a half ago, surviving rehoming a missexed pullet that turned out to be a vicious rooster, adopting a new rooster to watch over my 9 free ranging girls,, first eggs, tons of eggs, messy bottoms,, feed information, natural remedies, and the countless other bits of info I have learned from all you helpful far more knowledgeable peeps than I!!!! I could have never figured it all out on my own! (How's that for a run on sentence?)
I now have a few questions on incubating and my incubator.
I couldn't resist the urge to buy a small incubator, and try and hatch some of my own eggs. I have a beautiful black/lav split Ameraucana roo, and one ameraucana hen, and the other 8 girls are barred rock, RIR, Black Australorp, a Columbian Wyandotte and a red sex link. I bought a Brinsea mini advance and set 6 Ameraucana eggs and one barred rock egg. I hope that I read the information packet correctly and programmed it and was hoping the brinsea would do the rest. I have read, read, read many threads on here, and tried to candle the eggs best I could with my IPhone light. after 10 days, I had one completely clear egg, and one with hardly any action, and removed those. That left me with 5. I then was pretty sure another ameraucana egg had hardly no development, and did away with that. Of the three I removed, 2 must have been infertile, and one was an early death, with just a small eye, and some other blobby stuff. Of the four remaining, two look suspect and two seem to have clear air sack areas but I can't make out anything in the dark area, no movement, or anything, just dark. They are two of the ameraucana eggs. The final two I dont' feel good about, but I don't smell anything, and am keeping hopeful. I would be thrilled to get even two! I feel like I have messed something up.. I have read that the brinsea mini advance runs a bit high with humidity, but I don't even know how to check it, and I also am confused because my digital display counts down, and everyone on here refers to day 18, 19 and 20 and 21 as the near hatch and lockdown. My lockdown will read 2 and 1. Did I do something wrong? Should I have set it to read differently?
I ordered a candler, as I couldn't stand not being able to see anything clear. Once I go down to lockdown, I shouldn't open the incubator correct? My display says I am on day 6, so is it safe to still candle them till lockdown? What should I look for, would I see movement at this point? I hope the candler arrives tomorrow. Is there something else I should be doing? I wish they wouldn't advertise as just put eggs in and go.... it seems to be a bit more involved than that! Thank you for putting up with my ignorance,, any input would be greatly appreciated.
Wish me luck!
MB
Thank you in advance for all the information that I have learned from the point of first getting my chicks a year and a half ago, surviving rehoming a missexed pullet that turned out to be a vicious rooster, adopting a new rooster to watch over my 9 free ranging girls,, first eggs, tons of eggs, messy bottoms,, feed information, natural remedies, and the countless other bits of info I have learned from all you helpful far more knowledgeable peeps than I!!!! I could have never figured it all out on my own! (How's that for a run on sentence?)
I now have a few questions on incubating and my incubator.
I couldn't resist the urge to buy a small incubator, and try and hatch some of my own eggs. I have a beautiful black/lav split Ameraucana roo, and one ameraucana hen, and the other 8 girls are barred rock, RIR, Black Australorp, a Columbian Wyandotte and a red sex link. I bought a Brinsea mini advance and set 6 Ameraucana eggs and one barred rock egg. I hope that I read the information packet correctly and programmed it and was hoping the brinsea would do the rest. I have read, read, read many threads on here, and tried to candle the eggs best I could with my IPhone light. after 10 days, I had one completely clear egg, and one with hardly any action, and removed those. That left me with 5. I then was pretty sure another ameraucana egg had hardly no development, and did away with that. Of the three I removed, 2 must have been infertile, and one was an early death, with just a small eye, and some other blobby stuff. Of the four remaining, two look suspect and two seem to have clear air sack areas but I can't make out anything in the dark area, no movement, or anything, just dark. They are two of the ameraucana eggs. The final two I dont' feel good about, but I don't smell anything, and am keeping hopeful. I would be thrilled to get even two! I feel like I have messed something up.. I have read that the brinsea mini advance runs a bit high with humidity, but I don't even know how to check it, and I also am confused because my digital display counts down, and everyone on here refers to day 18, 19 and 20 and 21 as the near hatch and lockdown. My lockdown will read 2 and 1. Did I do something wrong? Should I have set it to read differently?
I ordered a candler, as I couldn't stand not being able to see anything clear. Once I go down to lockdown, I shouldn't open the incubator correct? My display says I am on day 6, so is it safe to still candle them till lockdown? What should I look for, would I see movement at this point? I hope the candler arrives tomorrow. Is there something else I should be doing? I wish they wouldn't advertise as just put eggs in and go.... it seems to be a bit more involved than that! Thank you for putting up with my ignorance,, any input would be greatly appreciated.
Wish me luck!
MB
