Anyone set eggs this weekend?

[marie_martin]

Nothing much changed over night. This am, the same little pip. I don't understand. My humidity has been much higher this time. I opened the pip a bit to see if the membrane was shring wrapped around the baby like last hatch and it appears to be ok and not dry. I put a warm wet wad of paper towels in there to get that humidity on up to the max. I had to get kids ready for school and now I am at work fretting?? I think I am just going to get chicks from now on. This is way too stressful. I thought for sure I did everything right but now the chicks are stuck again? I just don't know. I will let you know what I find. I am going to run home in a little while.

Marie

 

[skeeter9]

Marie - I'm stuck at work, too and I won't be able to check on my bator myself for a couple of days. I have to depend on one of my daughters to go home after school and keep everything regulated. I'm trying really hard to concentrate on my work, but obviously it's not working too well!!!

Anybody else have anything to report?

Lori

 

[marie_martin]

Well, they are all dead except for three silkies and one SF! I tried having my humidity higher this time and I guess maybe my temps were off, but they all had the yolks hanging out. I am praying my little SF and my three silkies make it. I don't even know which is which. I had several different kinks, sizzle and frizzle and cuckoo. Not sure who is left. I am devestated again. This is my last hatching. I wont ever do that again. I may let some hens hatch eggs but not me. I am done. I had to put a bandaid on the SF to make sure the others don't peck at her belly. It is all inside because of the bandaid and a small piece of damp paper towel that I have compressing it. It was barely out and I could get it inside but when she would cheep it would buge again. It is mostly the tissue attached to the yolk but I guess we will see. I had to come back to work. I have been home several hours dealing with all of that. Then I could not find one of my rabbit babies. It had somehow squeezed between the wire on the side of the cage and was on the floor. Scared me to death. Boy what a day. Hope you all have a better one.

Marie

 

[susan]

Marie,

I'm sorry you had such a tough hatch - that's so sad. My (first/only) hatch was horrible, and I know how disappointing it is. I'll hold good thoughts for your little survivors, though.

-- Susan

 

[chasehope]

I too have resorted to leeting the chickens do it. They are MUCH better than I am. I have so far with this hatch that is going on right now, had 4 splash silkies, 1 blue silkie and mottled cochin hatch and all are perfect. My silkies are the ultimate incubator.

Sorry to hear that you had a bad hatch. Just take comfort knowing that you are DEFINATELY not the only one who has ever had a bad hatch. We all have had those problems, and most of us have had them MANY times!

 

[mandolinmama]

Oh Marie,
I'm so very sorry about your turn out!

I can't imagine how sad it is to go through all of that and have a bunch of dead chicks to show for it.
Reading your story about it really got me worrying. I had no idea the little boogers were so fragile.

I filled my water basin just a little while ago and plugged up the other air hole. Crossing my fingers, toes, eyes, and hoping for the best in the next few days. Not candleing to make sure they're okay is going to be really rough.

I certainly hope the rest of us have a bit better luck with our hatches than Marie. That's just so sad!

 

[susan]

Hi Guys!

The action has started here - I have two pipped eggs (D'uccles) peeping and rocking.

I'm using the LG incubator, and last time, couldn't get my humidity high enough (tough membranes wouldn't let some of the chicks out), so this time I've filled the water reservoirs and added a wet sock. I don't have a hygrometer in there, but I'm hoping this will fix that problem.

Now it's just waiting... and waiting....

-- Susan

 

[mandolinmama]

Oh Susan that's exciting! I am using the little giant too. It's a still air. I filled the water basins last night, but this morning the humidity really hadn't gone up more than by 10 points and was only 59. I got a wash cloth and set it in there almost dripping with water, so i'll let you know how it goes up.
Did you get both plugs put back in on top?

 

[susan]

Hi Donna,

I did put both plugs back in. I have to watch the temperature (for some reason, it likes to be steady with the back plug in completely, and the front hole half covered), but it seems to be holding pretty well.

I read somewhere that if there was a bit of condensation on the windows, the humidity was good. I used a hygrometer last time, but the humidity never got above 60 for me, so I didn't put it in this time, and just thought I'd put in all the moisture I could. I checked the sock yesterday, and it was completely dry, so I put the sock under the bottom plug hole so I can trickle in a bit of water onto it.

I am up to 6 pips, and lots of peeping and rocking. This is just nerve-wracking because last time, half of the ones that pipped didn't hatch.

When is day 21 for you? My day 21 is this Friday... so they're a bit early, but I did read that the smaller the egg, the shorter the incubation...

-- Susan

 

[mandolinmama]

Susan, friday is our big day too!! That's a great idea - putting the sock under one of the plug holes to drip water on it. I'm going to go in and move my wash cloth now! Thanks!
Mine were put in a at 9:30 pm 3 weeks ago friday.