anyone due on feb. 8th-13th??

[OCchickens]

I'm fascinated with this discussion about humidity because I too find it hard to see how having the bator open so briefly can make that much difference. Sorry, Gina, to hear about your chicks!

I did open my bator earlier today to take out a serama chick which was getting trampled by all the full size chicks. It had gotten on its back and couldn't right itself. My 8 yo son asked me whether I was sacrificing all the other chicks for this one, and I did ask myself that question. So far I have 9/10 hatched from the initial setup (minus the clears & quitters) and 1/6 hatched from the eggs I set up a day later (6 hours after I opened the bator) plus 2 pips working away.

I have to get to bed -- can't afford another night sitting up with the hatch, as thrilling as it was last night!

 

[pegasuschick]

Oh, OK. I misunderstood your post.
Gina

 

[OCchickens]

Starting to zip!

I've been so worried about my remaining eggs after the thread about opening the bator. I don't have any new pips, but one of them is starting to zip now & the other has opened up more.

It would be nice if we have a hatch around breakfast time!

My son & I watched a double hatch yesterday morning together & it was a great way to start the day!

 

[OCchickens]

OK, here's an updated picture. These little guys are so alert & hoppy this morning. I guess they're pretty worn out the first day (yesterday).

The bator gets kind of yucky, huh? Scummy water & totally smells like urine -- I guess that's from the waste matter in the discarded shells. Can't wait to get them all hatched & out of there!

 

[AWChickens]

I'm fascinated with this discussion about humidity because I too find it hard to see how having the bator open so briefly can make that much difference. Sorry, Gina, to hear about your chicks!

In my first hatch, I kept opening the incubator quickly and snatching out dry chicks- thinking that it couldn't make that much difference...but it really seemed too, and very few of the eggs that weren't already started when I opened it didn't make it. So now, I fill a small spray bottle with warm water (so I don't lower the temp), and when I open the incubator I remove dry chicks quickly and then lightly mist the floor of the incubator where there aren't eggs- just to give a little humidity 'boost' to make up for what's lost when I open it. That really seems to work well, I get my babies out and my last 3 hatches have had very high hatch rates with some chicks hatching as late as a full day after the others and still coming out fine.​

 

[pegasuschick]

You know, I added water every time I opened the incubator so the humidity didn't go down so don't know why my chicks didn't hatch.
I wonder if actually misting the eggs after you take chicks out would help?
I know I am not going to open the bator that has my next hatch after day 19 until each and every chick has hatched!
I have about 15 or more viable eggs in there at day 10 right now.
Gina

 

[ursusarctosana]

Hello Everyone,

I still have two eggs remaining under one hen.

The humidity issue can cause a lot of problems. I had to help nearly all of my chicks hatch. All were running around happily yesterday, but then there was another egg pipped and the chick was stuck (humidity issue) even though they were under a hen. A tiny bit of fluid from the membrane leaked out over night and the hens chest feathers wrapped around one of the chick's necks, sticking him/her to the hen. We woke up and had to get that chick loose, but the chick has a chunk taken out of its back, probably from the hen trying to peck it off of her.

That was this morning.

We're not out of the water yet! I'm learning a lot from this experience. There's so much that can happen.

A couple hours after this incident the chick that was stuck is up walking around and eating, so it may pull through after all. The chick from the egg that the fluid came from seems a little premature, but it's still alive. I think survival may be iffy in that case, but who knows?

Flyingmonkeypoop, my friend, suggested doing what some in rural areas do and that is to take a piece of sod and place it beneath the hen, then put some bedding over that, as it will emit moisture that will rise up beneath the hen and humidify the eggs while still allowing them to stay warm from the hen's body heat. Too bad it's winter!

I have two Faverolles chicks that have four toes, but that doesn't matter so much to me. I love them all.

Now I'm going away for the weekend and Flyingmonkeypoop is house, dog, and chick sitting, so I will not see the chicks again until Sunday. A lot can happen in two days, but I know they are in the best hands.

 

[coffeemama]

Hello all~
My first chick pipped wed. night at the small end of the shell. Yesterday I picked off a little shell for it and tore a bit of membrane-it was still a little bloody so I left it. Today it's made a little more progress. I had a salmon fav hatch yesterday-it's all fluffy and cute today. I also have two more pips that I can see. I sure hope I get at least 2 chicks. This may be my worst hatch ever besides my first

No more shipping eggs in cold months!

 

[Mrs MIA]

My total hatch was 4 Light Brahmas, 3 mille fleur d'Uccles, 3 blue silkies and one SG Dorking.

Now I'm waiting for my bobwhites and coturnix...

 

[ginbart]

So far I have 2 RIR's out, 5 more pipping and 1 EE pipped. Thats 8 out of 20 so far.

Today is day 22 my temp must have been down. And my humidity went up to 80 at one time and I had both holes open.