ANY advice in human incubating & hatching would be gratefully appreciated :)

[zipidy_curly]

Hi my name is Dee,
I live on a farm in South Australia and I have had free range Isa browns for over 6 years now, i keep around 30 and love them dearly. I have recently started incubating some eggs from a fellow hen loving friend, she only breeds and keep heritage breeds. She gave me 7 eggs to incubate and i had set up a brooding cage indoors and bought a auto incubator to hatch the eggs in. As i am a newbie at this and LOVE this site for all and any information, i am reaching out to all to give me any advice to make sure i'm successful at hatching these beautiful feathered babies. The rooster i know is a Plymouth Rock and the hens are all mixed, looking forward to some success and hoping you can help?

 

[Altfrizzle]

Calibrate thermometer and hygrometers, use multiple.

Either track weight loss or air cells or both.

 

[zipidy_curly]

I have candled the eggs at 8 days but still not 100% sure, out of 7 eggs i'm fairly sure 5 are okay. I have marked an "X" on the other two, can i candle again in a few days to check again?

 

[Altfrizzle]

Yes

 

[zipidy_curly]

Yes

thanks, just did tonight and one not fertilized and the other suspect still not sure? Others are kicking and active, hoping the air pocket inside is okay though as i found out later on this site, my humidity might have been too high (55-60%) in first week.

 

[Altfrizzle]

Depending on what kind of eggs, that should be ok for week one if you ran it lower in week 2 to even things out.

I just hatched 2 dozen silkie eggs and started at about 40% which was too low. After weighing at 7 days went up to high 50s to average out. Figure it should have been around 50% the whole time for this batch of eggs.

Ended up with 100% hatch.

 

[zipidy_curly]

I have dropped the humidity to 45 - 50% in last couple of days, now on day 10. thanks for your input, greatly appreciated as i'm naturally anxious & wan't the best possible outcome.

 

[Laodicia]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hatching-eggs-101.64195/

Ive used this for every hatch tons of info

 

[zipidy_curly]

thank you so much, will definitely look at this now, i need all the help i can get being as i'm a newbie

 

[zipidy_curly]

Depending on what kind of eggs, that should be ok for week one if you ran it lower in week 2 to even things out.

I just hatched 2 dozen silkie eggs and started at about 40% which was too low. After weighing at 7 days went up to high 50s to average out. Figure it should have been around 50% the whole time for this batch of eggs.

Ended up with 100% hatch.

We had planned on hatching silkies innately, but our climate here is too hot for them to lay ect, i have a poultry enthusiast that has been doing this for many many years, and she has kindly donated 7 eggs. The rooster is a plymouth rock and the hens are all mixed heritage breeds unknown, but all very uncommon. It's very exciting knowing the mix and her dedication in using very natural breeds. We have a love of silkies, so our ultimate destination is to have & love some of our own, my only knowledge is of my Isa Browns brought in as pullets over the last 6 years. I love my chickens and cater for them in every way i can to make them comfortable and free, i'm just broadening my love with the incubator and mix of what is unknown. I'm not a back yard scientist, i want to grown, learn and cater for everything chicken because i love them. Dedication is what i have as well as trying to obtain all i can from the people that are already experienced. SO if you teach me i will listen and learn quickly, i'm not about failure, i want to learn and serve these beautiful creatures, as they have me.