Anyone set eggs this weekend?

[skeeter9]

Hi All,
I set an incubator full of eggs Saturday night. This is my first time with an incubator (I let my broody do the work last time). I could sure use an "incubator buddy" to communicate with over the next 3 weeks!!!!!

Not that I'm nervous or anything, I've just called my daughter at home every hour today to check the temp for me. . . . .AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!! How does anyone make it through 3 weeks of anxiety????

Help me. . . .help me . . . .

Lori

 

[mandolinmama]

Skeeter, you've found your bator buddy. I set mine friday night at 9:30. It's my first time hatching too. I "think" i've got 16 in there. We candled last night and also before we set them so we'd know what we were looking for.
Last night what we saw was free floating yolks and we didn't see that before. It was like as we turned the eggs the yolk would slowly float up to the top of the egg.
Yippee!! I've got a hatchin' buddy!!

 

[skeeter9]

Hi Mandolinmama,

I'm so glad to hear from you!!!

I set approx 47 or 48 eggs. I bought some Blue and Blue Splash Ameraucana, Cuckoo Maran, and Welsummer eggs on Eggbid. I also set 11 or 12 of my own eggs - our Roo is an Ameraucana and we have Buff Orp, Silver-Laced Wyandotte, Australorp, and Americauna hens. I think I have lost my mind!!!

I'm making myself wait until day 7 or 8 to candle. I'm hoping that I will be able to actually see something by that time.???

What kind of eggs did you set?

What kind of incubator are you using? Mine is a Hovabator with the fan, but no turner. I bought it used off of Ebay. I really wish I had spent the money on a turner - it takes a while to turn all those eggs!!!!

Where are you located? I am in central California in a little hick-town called Tollhouse.

Lori

 

[susan]

Hi Guys,

I hope there's room in the waiting room for one more... I set eggs on Friday afternoon. This is only my second run with the incubator, and the first one was horrid, so I set 36 eggs this time. Now I'm worried that the hatching will go well!

I've got Cuckoo Marans, Silkies, Porcelain D'Uccles and Rosecomb chicks to wait for. This time I got the auto turner (just in case the bad last hatch was my fault), and I'm paranoid enough that I've got a wireless thermometer with an alarm set to monitor the temperature. I still keep going in and staring in the window... at eggs.

Good luck to everyone!

-- Susan

 

[skeeter9]

Hi, Susan, and welcome!!! The more the merrier!

Sorry to hear about your first hatch. I'm sure this next one will go much better!

I keep going in and staring at my eggs, too!! Are we expecting them to tell us how they are doing??? Good grief, this is going to be a long 3 weeks!!

See ya later - I have to go check my incubator. . . .

Lori

 

[chasehope]

I have other eggs already set, and broodys working hard for me, but I just set 18 silkie eggs tonight, so I will be a couple of days behind, but I would like to join in too. It looks like we are looking at late may 20th. I can't wait. I am expecting black, white, blue and buff. Good luck to you all.

 

[mandolinmama]

Hi everyone!
Well I set eggs from our girls and from one of the neighbors girls. Mostly bantam eggs. There's a couple of standard size eggs with a bantam papa so that should be interesting.
I've got a little giant bator. Since I didn't put out a ton of eggs I didn't get the turner. That thing costs just as much as the darn bator itself! Oh well, I like having an excuse to be in direct contact with my eggies.
I'm in SW Missouri between Joplin and Springfield. We too have a tiny town pop. 3,400.
You can call me Donna Sue - i'm sure typing mandolinmama is gonna get old.

A little more about me - I used to work in nursing, but I stay at home now to take care of my four boys and one more on the way (cross your fingers for a girl this time)

I'm pretty new to chickens, but am having the best time with them. I've got a golden laced wyndotte, a couple of bantams, and 9 chicks - buff orps, easter eggers, barred rock, and RIR. They're about 3 weeks old now and really getting to be fun. My big ones really are pets. They come right up to me and sit with me begging for treats.
Besides my chickens and children, I enjoy playing bluegrass and country music with my mandolin and banjo. I also really enjoy gardening and a trip to the casino.
How about the rest of you?

 

[skeeter9]

Hi Chasehope!

Yeah, another "bator buddy"!!!

Sounds like you are gonna get some interesting chicks. Good luck with your hatch and keep us posted.

Where are you located?

Lori

 

[skeeter9]

Hi Donna Sue,

What do you get when you cross a bantam with a regular sized chicken? I guess you'll find out in a few weeks!!!

I wondered if you were into bluegrass music based on your name "Mandolinmama". That's very cool!

Four boys??!!!! Goodness. I'll bet that nursing background comes in handy!!! I'll pray that your "bun-in-the-oven" is a girl!

I have 2 girls age 17 and 15. Yikes!!!! Talk about hormone overload!!!

I also have 4 dogs, 3 cats, 5 horses, 8 full-grown chickens and one little peep hatched by one of my hens. I'm really into my horses. I love to train and ride all over the place. My family is into trail riding. We live in the Sierra Nevada's, so we are able to trailer them into the high country for some of the most beautiful rides you have ever seen.

Oh yeah, I also have a husband. He's wonderful and the love of my life. And I'm a special education teacher at the high school level.

Ok - back to the subject of chickens, I think my bator is doing a great job of holding a pretty steady temp. I would sure like to get a good hatch. When I picked up the eggs I got off of Eggbid at the post office the box was kinda smooshed, so I hope the eggs aren't scrambled. I won't be able to see anything when I candle most of them because they are very dark brown (Cuckoo Maran and Welsummer). I will probably just have to wait it out.

Wish I could stay home for these 3 weeks and stare at my eggs. I just know something is gonna happen while I'm gone and I won't be there. . .

Well, off to class.

Lori

 

[susan]

Lori - Sounds like you have our kind of zoo... I've got 5 horses too, along with dogs, cats, sheep and goats (I consider them one species - they live together), rabbits and chickens. I ride hunter (we're in VA), but I've been laid up from an accident since December. That was really what gave me time to play with the chickens...

I was wondering about candling the Maran eggs - LOL - I have them in my incubator too. I'm enough of a newbie that candling a light egg is a challenge!

Donna Sue - I cringed at the price of the turner (I have the LG too), but was concerned about the temperature and humidity swings I had during the last round, so went ahead and picked it up for this one. I've not opened it since I put the eggs in, and the temperature is holding within 2 degrees. I'm trying the dry incubation for this go too - I thought I'd see if it simplified things. Cross your fingers for me.

Chasehope - I tried 18 silkie eggs for part of my first hatch. Out of the 19 eggs I got on ebay, only two developed, and only one hatched. I don't know if it was me, the eggs or the post office. The one I did get is a doll though. She was an only child for a week, until the other eggs from the first hatch (ebay again) hatched out, so she's kind of spoiled. I ended up with 3 Japanese Bantams a week later to keep her company. I have silkies in there again, and I'm building a special coop for them, so they'd better hatch!

Have a great day everyone!

-- Susan