Anyone up for a Hatchalong?

[kathyinmo]

Today is Day 39 for the first 2 eggs!!!

Eggs should lose 12-16% by day 49.
OW = Original Weight. CW = Current Weight
The formula is:
(OW-CW)/OW=
original weight minus current weight = x
x divided by original weight = decimal (change it to percent)

Date

Egg D wt

gms lost - % lost

Egg E wt

gms lost - % lost

Egg wt

Gms lost - % lost
Day 1

604 gm

---

630 gm

---




Day 7

592

12 - 1.98%

614

16 - 2.5%




Day 14

578

14 - 4.3%

598

16 - 5%




Day 21

566

12 - 6.3%

580

18 - 7.9%




Day 28

552

14 - 8.6%

562

18 - 10.8%




Day 35

546

6 - 9.6%

548

14 - 13%




Day 42












Day 49

I weighed the 2nd batch of eggs on Friday.
Today is day 24 on 3 eggs! Half way now!!!

Date

Egg C4B wt

gms lost - % lost

Egg C1 wt

gms lost - % lost

Egg C4 wt

gms lost - % lost
Day 1

464 gm

---

578 gm

---

634 gm

---
Day 7

448

16 - 3.4%

560

18 - 3.1%

624

10 - 1.57%
Day 14

436

12 - 6%

542

18 - 6.2%

620

4 - 2.2%
Day 21

422

14 - 9%

522

20 - 9.7%

616

4 - 2.8%
Day 28












Day 35












Day 42












Day 49

 

[Farmerboy16]

Thanks Kathy.

I did the tap test on egg D and E with the butter knife, and each egg sounds different. I forget what the good egg is suppose to sound like? My other sister did see E wiggled, but it still very slight wiggle.

 

[Yoda]

what day do I stop turning my eggs? Today is day 45

 

[yinepu]

what day do I stop turning my eggs? Today is day 45

for emu eggs you stop turning once they "sound"... there really isn't a specific day since they can be incubated at such a wide range of temperatures which will affect the hatch date...
but if you have been incubating at 97.5 and are expecting a day 50 hatch date you can safely quit turning on day 45 if you want... just make sure you let the eggs settle on their preferred side (if you set them on a smooth surface and they roll to a stop with one side up.. place them in the bator with that same side facing up)

I prefer to stop turning the eggs when they sound.. but i also understand that sometimes people's schedules don't allow for waiting until they do...

 

[yinepu]

Thanks Kathy.

I did the tap test on egg D and E with the butter knife, and each egg sounds different. I forget what the good egg is suppose to sound like? My other sister did see E wiggled, but it still very slight wiggle.

good eggs on day 35 (assuming you are incubating at 97.5) will have a dull hollow resonating sound

bad eggs (rotten) will have a higher pitch sound that doesn't resonate..(kind of like tapping on fine china) so they pretty much sound like an egg which has sounded and is ready to hatch

for tap testing I use a heavy drill bit.. some butter knives have hollow handles which will affect the sound... you need a solid heavy piece of metal for the best sound

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

We now have 2 emus! Yay! Of my original 3 eggs, one was infertile and 2 hatched. Pretty good for my first try. Must be beginners luck ;-)

Our second emu hatches...

Two emus and a goose snuggle together.

_______________________________________________________

And, now that my hatch is complete, here is my data in case it helps someone else.
First I should say that I have been talking to people locally who are incubating emus. Out of 4 people incubating emus, the two who had water in their trays had less than ideal results. The two, myself included who ran dry most of the time... well, we have more chicks/higher hatch rates. It's been a rainy Spring here and there was enough humidity in the air that the decision to not add water worked out better in this case. The other people we know have been having more problems. I've been talking and exchanging a lot of good info... I learned a lot!

I incubated around 97.5 degrees, mostly dry. I did not use a humidity gauge at all. I went solely by weights.

First Egg was infertile:
Start weight: 550
Day 2: 550
Day 4: 545
Day 6: 545
8: 540
10: 537
12: 535
14: 530
16: 525
18: 520
20: 517
22: 515
24: 515
26: 510
28: 505
30: 500
32: 495
34: 490
EGG gave off an odor. The egg was infertile and got blown.

Fertile egg that hatched on Day 51
Start weight: 605
Day 2: 605
4: 605
6: 600
8: 597
10: 590
12: 590
14: 587
16: 585
18: 582
20: 580
22: 580
24: 575
26: 575
28: 575
30: 570 Filed down at the air cell side with an emery board to help gas exchange and weight loss.
32: 565
34: 560
36: 560
38: 555
40: 550
42: 550
44: 545
Then L.D. for hatch. Lost only 60g which was less than desired but the chick hatched fine.

Fertile egg that hatched on Day 50:
Start weight: 615
Day 2: 610
4: 605
6: 600
8: 600
10: 597
12: 595
14: 590
16: 585
18: 583
20: 580
22: 575
24: 570
26: 570
28: 565
30: 560
32: 555
34: 550
36: 550
38: 545
40: 540
42: 535
44: 530
Then L.D. Egg lost 85 grams and hatched fast, vigorous and healthy.

 

[yinepu]

We now have 2 emus! Yay! Of my original 3 eggs, one was infertile and 2 hatched. Pretty good for my first try. Must be beginners luck ;-)

First I should say that I have been talking to people locally who are incubating emus. Out of 4 people incubating emus, the two who had water in their trays had less than ideal results. The two, myself included who ran dry most of the time... well, we have more chicks/higher hatch rates. It's been a rainy Spring here and there was enough humidity in the air that the decision to not add water worked out better in this case. The other people we know have been having more problems. I've been talking and exchanging a lot of good info... I learned a lot!

I incubated around 97.5 degrees, mostly dry. I did not use a humidity gauge at all. I went solely by weights.

congrats!!
I love the pic of the babies with the gosling..

my little heathens are currently learning to live with some chicks.. they are getting along well and as the chicks grow I will trade them out for some younger chicks, goslings and ducklings (assuming the gosling and duck hatches go well.. they are shipped eggs.. so who knows!).. the emus tower over the chickens now.. but I hope to get them used to different "house guests" as babies so they will allow different birds as they grow up.

for the bolded part.. I hatch that way with geese, ducklings, muscovys and emus.. works much better than messing with the humidity gauges

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

I used a humidity gauge my first year and decided it was too wildly inaccurate and caused me to question and over-analyze things. I had terrible hatches constantly messing with everything. And, that was just for chicken eggs. I ditched them all and now I go by either weight or just visually looking at the air cell. Now my hatches have improved so much that it's unbelievable. First year I had about 33% hatch rates for eggs of all species and now it's closer to 85% or higher. I won't trust the gauges! It's whats happening inside the egg that counts and each egg is a unique individual.

 

[yinepu]

I used a humidity gauge my first year and decided it was too wildly inaccurate and caused me to question and over-analyze things. I had terrible hatches constantly messing with everything. And, that was just for chicken eggs. I ditched them all and now I go by either weight or just visually looking at the air cell. Now my hatches have improved so much that it's unbelievable. First year I had about 33% hatch rates for eggs of all species and now it's closer to 85% or higher. I won't trust the gauges! It's whats happening inside the egg that counts and each egg is a unique individual.

that's what I keep trying to tell people.. many people go by gauges and think their humidity is right.. then complain when they try to raise up the humidity and the hygrometer is reading something like 60% at lockdown yet their bator is like a flooded swamp inside... and then they are upset when their chicks don't hatch and have drowned in the shells... when it's very plain that their hygrometers are inaccurate and have been all along
sometimes I feel like I am beating my head against a wall when I tell them that their gauges are off.. or that if they have drowned chicks to try dry incubation for one hatch then adjust things depending on the change in the air cells or the hatching chicks... Once in a while I will find someone who is willing to try something different.. but teaching people to learn their bator (& how it reacts in their home environment) to go by the air cells and chicks isn't as easy as it would seem.. I don't expect people to weigh chicken eggs.. or even turkey eggs .. I just wish more would be willing to stop and try something a little different for a change and you're right.. what's going on inside the egg IS what really counts!

I'm glad you figured it out and are having better luck hatching eggs. Hopefully more people can follow your example and experience some successful hatches!

 

[Raptor65]

People forget that not all climates exist equally too. I live in Idaho and it is very dry here so I had a pretty sizable cup of water in my incubator, but it still took a few weeks to get the amount of surface area just right. My Hydrometer was reading about 50-55% when I got it right, I know the humidity was correct because of the weight loss in the eggs as recorded weekly and not because of the meter. If anything the meter let me know if the humidity was stable and when the water level was getting low because it'd drop to around 40% but that was the extent of it's usefulness.
Something as simple as living next to a body of water can change the local humidity as well.