Any first timer want to start with me? Eggs go in 4/1. ;)

[Bil]

Ok, I candled all my eggs last night a new way for me by just using a flashlight, and I actually saw veins! WOO HOO!! Not on all of them, but I put them all back in. No cracks or smelly eggs so I'll just let them go.

I also started to have a little temperature problems so I got another thermometer to put in, and it shows that my first thermometer is WAY off on humidity. I have had it at around 60% for the last little while. Not a terrible thing but still!!

I got my temps back up to 99º (they were only down to 97º so not a huge problem).

Still have my fingers crossed!!

Bil

 

[BorderKelpie]

Oh, this waiting and watching and worrying!!!
I had to break down and purchase a turner. (someone at work got fed up and quit - now I'm stuck covering her hours until they hire someone new). Turners take the fun out of it. I was enjoying tending to my eggies.

(hmmmm, I can afford more eggs now.....)
I still love them. My daughter has named two of them. We are keeping a journal with notes on temps/humidity and a little experiment we are conducting (I have to experiment on everything - I work in a lab - it's only natural! lol) If the experiment works, I will post results here for fun. Even if it doesn't I guess I should 'publish' my findings anyway - all in the name of science of course!
As another experiment, yesterday, I started another batch - 1/2 in the 'bator and half under a broody hen. Let's see who does a better job - my money's on Dahlia, she's done this before. I was going to incubate them all untill I tried to fetch eggs from my girls this morning and she bit me. We set her up in a maternity ward by herself. This will be interesting.
I have noticed some interesting things about my incubator. It's a LG, still air - now with auto turner. I had set it up approx. 1 week before putting eggs in it. I had a devil of a time getting it regulated before placing eggs in it, once I placed the eggs, it stabilized nicely (for the most part - one spike in temp a few days ago, but the weather here is still fluctuating a bit.) Is that normal, to stabilize after placing eggs?
I stressed for days just to have it fix itself.
Anyway - Happy Hatching to everyone and hoping for happy healthy chicks for all!

 

[SunnyChic]

Happy Hatching to you too, BorderKelpie!

 

[Smokin Silkies]

Border, thats normal for temp to change after you put the eggs in. I was told wait 8 hrs after putting eggs in to adjust temp because it takes time for the eggs to heat up inside. My auto turner broke the other day so now I am turning them by hand. Not that I don't want to, but things are so busy right now, it would have been easier for me to have the turner do the job for me. Good Luck to you!

 

[mrsbeez]

Hi there! Glad I found you. I put my first batch of eggs (18) in my homemade incubator on March 29 pm. I am such a rookie. I feel a little better after reading all your posts. My humidty stays around 35-40 no matter how hard I tried to get it up to 50, like the first info I read. Whew. Maybe they do stand a chance. How bad is it for the humidity to go way up? Mine has done that a few time. but never stays that way very long. My temps are almost always 94-96. If I put the larger bulb in, it gets way too hot.
My burning questions are about the candling though. Does the embryo move when you turn the egg? Or should it stay in place? And what do you set your camera on to get the shots of them? Mine turned out completely dark.
At first, I thought, "what in the world will I do with 18 chickens???" This was all my 10yr olds idea. Now I am worried about each one of them. And suddenly the old saying about not counting your chickens before they hatch becomes very clear to me.

 

[starryeyes]

I am also a neewbie i have 20 red sexlink / columbia mix 12 rouen duck eggs in bator put them in last friday. I cant see veins threw the brown eggs i think i need brighter light i do see a dark blob. I want to look again LOl i did not ck but a few.

 

[myownfarm]

hello i am brand new at this. i got my first chicks in february and had great success, seeing the little chicks turn into mini versions of the adult chickens is a miracle to say the least.
so on to the next challenge. hatching eggs. i'm getting 3 dozen eggs wednesday. is there anything i need to do to prepare. i've got an incubator and a light and pen ready for them. i've got feeders and waters and a large chicken coop built specially for the chickens seperating the hens from my breeders. i'm going to run some goats in with them, i think i got a pretty good set up for the older chicks. now i'm focusing on the eggs. other than the incubator, thermometer and the humidity detector do i need anything. i have read the articles here and on some other sites. is there anything else that i need to know?

 

[Smokin Silkies]

Hi mrsbeez! I have read sooo many different things about humidity ranging from 30%-50% for the first 18 days and 45%-70% for the last 3 days? But the temp I've read has always been pretty consistent at 100*-102*. It shouldn't be below 100*. I've heard that if it drops below 100* for too long, sometimes they will hatch and if they do it will be a late hatch. I tried reading for months before getting my first batch, and it seems I am still looking for questions. I keep my temp at 100-101 and my humidity between 30-40. I am on Day 14 now. On Day 8 when I candled I saw this....out of 22 eggs, about 6 were infertile, 3 with blood rings, I saw veins in all the others, and clear movement in 2 of them. Now at Day 14, I do Not see any movement in any of them, I think I have a few more blood rings, but not sure because the dark spot is kinda in the way. My egg turner was broken for a few days (My mistake for not continuing to check every day, everything was going so well I forgot)

So they have not been turned for either 2-3 days. The turner is working now and I check it every hour when I am here. I hope I didn't damage the poor things, but I guess I will see. Day 18 is on Wednesday. I have bantam silkies so I heard they can come earlier than day 21. I hope I get a good hatch, its scary!

 

[Smokin Silkies]

Hi, myownfarm! I would get 2 thermometers and a hygrometer. Sometimes the thermometers can be off. I am using the thermometers that came with my LG & turner but I should have a new digital thermometer/hygrometer coming in the mail today thats probably more accurate. I ordered it awhile ago and its taking forever to get here. I can't seem to find one in stores so I had to buy online. Walmart carries them, but not any walmart within 100 miles of me so I ordered from walmart online. Don't know whats taking so long? I should've ordered this before incubation because from what I hear, the therm. that come with the LG are junk and not usually accurate. I'm not sure what kind of incubator your using! Good Luck to everybody with hatching....its getting closer!!

 

[TheDuckCrew]

i hope everyone's hatches go great! i'm a newbie hatcher too, the 14 pekin eggs just went in yesterday. i've got awhile...i check on them like every hour even though nothing is going to change!