Adventures in Incubating Shipped Eggs

[Morrigan]

I'm feeling very hen insecure right now. Looks like only 2 out of my 7 are hens, with the verdict still out on the runt. I'd love to hatch some more eggs, but don't want to go through the whole brooding process again. I should have bought more eggs the first time.

 

[NNYchick]

I got a new incubator for my birthday. I needed something to hold more eggs. I moved my 15 shipped eggs that are on were on day 3 and added 6 from my flock for control group. This time I elected to lay on side and start turning on day 3. Some still had loose air cells but I elected to see if early proper turning will help produce stronger chicks in the ones that do hatch. Anyone else using this incubator?

 

[Cerise1924]

I'm feeling very hen insecure right now. Looks like only 2 out of my 7 are hens, with the verdict still out on the runt. I'd love to hatch some more eggs, but don't want to go through the whole brooding process again. I should have bought more eggs the first time.

I really hope some of those rooish chicks of yours are actually pullets. And I do know what you mean the brooding. I love the incubation and hatching, and the first week of having chicks in the house... after that, it's a bit of a nuisance.

This year, because of the heatwave, I put my chicks out in an unheated coop at 2 1/2 weeks, and they've been healthy and happy out there ever since. Made the brooding period much easier! Is is warm where you are?

 

[Zinjifrah]

I really hope some of those rooish chicks of yours are actually pullets. And I do know what you mean the brooding. I love the incubation and hatching, and the first week of having chicks in the house... after that, it's a bit of a nuisance.

This year, because of the heatwave, I put my chicks out in an unheated coop at 2 1/2 weeks, and they've been healthy and happy out there ever since. Made the brooding period much easier! Is is warm where you are?

I put my Muttly chicks out at three days old. Heat, shelter from the sun, shelter from the wind when it gets strong, that's folded back for a breeze when it's not, a couple containers of ice during the day to cool off near....

And they're thriving. They love it. Weight gain from my oddball with the weird tag under it's jaw;

Hatched 6/27, 33 grams.
6-30, 38 grams. Put outside that afternoon.
7-4, one week old, 54 grams.

 

[NNYchick]

My very first time brooding chicks I kept them in the house for 4 weeks. After that I read the article on here about brooding in the coop. Now I put them out about 10 days old in a gated area with mama heating pad as long as the temperatures are above freezing to keep water thawed. By 2 weeks old they are exploring the coop and staying out of the way of the older ones by 3 weeks they are spending most of the day with the flock, just going in their area to cat nap under mama heating pad. Love it no integration bickering, no dust and mess to clean in the house. Here is a picture of my set up. I leave it closed off so the little ones have a safe place to go if one of the hens gets grumpy. But really I think the younger they are the less threat and they just get accepted.

 

[Zinjifrah]

My eggs are here!

They are small and blue. And there are thirty of them, though one's cracked. I taped it up and will keep a close eye on it - it wasn't leaking at all.

I ordered twelve.

 

[Cerise1924]

My eggs are here!

They are small and blue. And there are thirty of them, though one's cracked. I taped it up and will keep a close eye on it - it wasn't leaking at all.

I ordered twelve.

You ordered twelve and got thirty??

 

[Zinjifrah]

You ordered twelve and got thirty??

Yep. The breeder mentioned that some of them were older, so they might not be good - but I'm setting them all, to see what develops. I went through the breeder's directory, rather than someone who raises them for the purpose of selling the eggs. I think that's a better way to get good eggs, honestly - because their interest is in the health and quality of the birds, rather than just how many eggs they can produce to sell.

 

[Cerise1924]

I got extra eggs, too! My second order of the Olandsk Dwarf-Cream Legbar cross arrived, first and second generation eggs, some very blue, some green and some tan. I ordered twelve and got fifteen, and the shipping charged was entirely waived - probably out of kindness, because of my poor hatch with the first lot (just one little chick - a cockerel).

One of the eggs has a cluster of hairline cracks. I have read that nail polish or Elmer's glue can work to seal cracks. All I had was glitter glue, so this is one glittery little egg. I've never tried to seal a cracked egg before, have you? Any success?

I'm letting them rest while I wait for the D'Uccles eggs to arrive.

 

[Zinjifrah]

I got extra eggs, too! My second order of the Olandsk Dwarf-Cream Legbar cross arrived, first and second generation eggs, some very blue, some green and some tan. I ordered twelve and got fifteen, and the shipping charged was entirely waived - probably out of kindness, because of my poor hatch with the first lot (just one little chick - a cockerel).

One of the eggs has a cluster of hairline cracks. I have read that nail polish or Elmer's glue can work to seal cracks. All I had was glitter glue, so this is one glittery little egg. I've never tried to seal a cracked egg before, have you? Any success?

I'm letting them rest while I wait for the D'Uccles eggs to arrive.

I had a peck-hole in one of my first incubated eggs, that I didn't see until the last few days. I'm assuming it had shell dust covering the spot, or something... because it seriously looked like something had pecked from the outside, but the membrane wasn't broken and there was nothing in my incubator that could have caused that kind of damage. I put tape over it, and my little Silkied Serama girl hatched from it - the only female Serama I got out of seven chicks. One of these BaLaAm eggs has a good sized impact 'crater' type crack in it, which I sealed up with tape. I'll be watching that one closely, and dispose of it if it starts looking questionable, but I'm willing to give it a chance. If I come up with some unscented wax, I'll coat the cracks with that, instead.