April 2020 Hatch-A-Long! All are welcome!

[FortCluck]

4 days until the quail and chicks hatch... I'm being impatient.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

We have a NH externally pipping too! Yay come on babies!!!

 

[Fatimetta]

Did you figure out your turner? I *think* they recommend that the fat end faces the center, but you should watch to make sure that they are turning properly. If any of them aren't turning, you can face them the other way and that should help. The only thing I don't like about my brinsea is the turner. The way they've designed it makes it hard to turn any egg that isn't a perfectly shaped, standard large egg.

Yes, I left them large end facing the center. Tomorrow at about 5 I will take the turner out and we go into lockdown. Wooo!

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

I haven't been posting in this HAL like I should have but I'd like to reengage. Out of 7 local CC Legbar eggs 6 made it to lock down yesterday. They're peeping and rolling. One made a pip on the middle of the egg opposite side as the aircell. That'll be one to keep an eye on but I expect it to hatch without issues. Just a longer pip to zip.

Should have chicks by tomorrow!

 

[jolenesdad]

I haven't been posting in this HAL like I should have but I'd like to reengage. Out of 7 local CC Legbar eggs 6 made it to lock down yesterday. They're peeping and rolling. One made a pip on the middle of the egg opposite side as the aircell. That'll be one to keep an eye on but I expect it to hatch without issues. Just a longer pip to zip.

Should have chicks by tomorrow!

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Good luck!!!

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Thank you!

 

[gmjarvi]

I haven't been posting in this HAL like I should have but I'd like to reengage. Out of 7 local CC Legbar eggs 6 made it to lock down yesterday. They're peeping and rolling. One made a pip on the middle of the egg opposite side as the aircell. That'll be one to keep an eye on but I expect it to hatch without issues. Just a longer pip to zip.

Should have chicks by tomorrow!

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I feel like I haven't been posting as much as I should, either. Things have really ramped up around here with spring coming around the corner..by the time I get all my chores done I am exhausted!

Good luck on your hatch! I have 12 CCL eggs due in May.

 

[CindyinSD]

I have three now! But the humidity is so high I can't seen into the incubator at all anymore. I have no way of getting the water out without opening it and I'm concerned that the chicks are never going to be able to properly dry out because of all the moisture.

I think the next time I can do a big purchase I will upgrade to the octogon-20 with the humidity pump.

You can open it and soak up the excess water with a cotton towel (b/c it absorbs water more quickly than a blend) or big wad of paper toweling. Don't rush. Just work steadily. It will only take a moment as long as you're not scared. I open my incubator every time an eggshell is discarded because I don't like leaving them in. Be careful closing it--don't want anybody pinched or hurt.

 

[Trisseh]

4/4 eggs pipped, but one pipped through a vessel and into its yolk and died. First pipper looks good so far, but man these ducks take forever!!!! Hoping the remaining 3 make it... they’ve all internally pipped and the first one is externally pipped since this morning. Interestingly, these were all supposed to be blue but I doubt this one is - it’s got a light coloured bill and I can see yellow down so... the breeding group was blue, black and splash with the blue drake being the dominant fellow, apparently.

 

[Luckyleaf]

You can open it and soak up the excess water with a cotton towel (b/c it absorbs water more quickly than a blend) or big wad of paper toweling. Don't rush. Just work steadily. It will only take a moment as long as you're not scared. I open my incubator every time an eggshell is discarded because I don't like leaving them in. Be careful closing it--don't want anybody pinched or hurt.

It's really difficult to get to the water with how the incubator is designed. I ended up making a makeshift "dry-off" chamber out of a small plastic bin, a spare brooder heatplate, and a heating pad set to Low underneath it all. Seems to be working ok. The chicks are finally fluffing up.

Unfortunately, the third chick that hatched ended up having a malformed abdomen. From what I can tell it hatched too early, before the yolk fully absorbed. It died a few hours after.

So right now there are two; an active little runt and a very sleepy big fella who was first to hatch. No movement from the rest of the eggs so unfortunately this may be all I have out of this hatch.

I started with 14 eggs. 2 cracked during shipping, a few duds, one lost after first pipping, one lost after hatch. This has definitely been a learning experience. I probably should've chose a less expensive breed to start with.