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

[gmjarvi]

Bummer. That does happen sometimes. I had a Leghorn hen once I couldn't ever hatch an egg from. Made me really sad. She was one of my favorite hens ever.

Yeah, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bummed. But sometimes things just go sideways. I had someone order 12 chicks from me and I should have enough already hatched to cover my own butt if I get a bad hatch rate.

I had some trouble with these round, brown eggs last hatch, too late quitters that I chalked up to my own failed dry hatch experiment.

 

[CoopChick719]

So the 1 egg I had taken from the broody didn’t hatch-found a blood ring. Today is Day 18 for the others (I counted wrong). I candled all the eggs and wound up with 3 questionables, 4 clears and 2 developing. I’ve already started collecting eggs for the next hatch.

 

[karenerwin]

I started with 34 eggs. Took out 5 not fertile at day 10 candling. Took out 8 more last night. Some not fertile a couple of blood rings and at least 1 early quitter. Getting ready to go take out the auto turner in just a bit and ramp up the humidity. Hopefully, I will get a decent hatch rate out of what is left in there!

 

[SongBird1798]

Does your first day start 24 hrs after the eggs are set in the incubator?

 

[FortCluck]

Does your first day start 24 hrs after the eggs are set in the incubator?

Yes... The day you set them is considered day 0. Next day (24 hours later) is day 1.

 

[eastereggerlady]

Woke up to a baby this morning little brown speckled egg is a very cute black chick with black legs sorry for the poor quality photos this little dude has a while to wait before it can come out of the incubator the blue egg next to it is pipped and hopefully will hatch out today. The other four have not externally pipped yet.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Candled last night for day 8. 6/7 of my eggs are going strong! Going to turn on the daily cooling period now...candling in another week!!!

 

[FortCluck]

I swear I feel like these quail and chickens are taking the longest time ever this month I am usually patient but I'm not this month

 

[Fatimetta]

Candled last night for day 8. 6/7 of my eggs are going strong! Going to turn on the daily cooling period now...candling in another week!!!

Yay! Is the daily cooling period necessary? I realized yesterday I never had it on.. and now I’m worried that’s why I had two chicks quit.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Yay! Is the daily cooling period necessary? I realized yesterday I never had it on.. and now I’m worried that’s why I had two chicks quit.

Brisnea only added the feature in 2012. Lots and lots of people to this day don't have or use one and hatch successfully. Quitters can occur for myriad reasons. I don't have enough experience to say if the cooler gives better hatch rates. This is my first hatch! plan not to use the coooler on my next hatch so I can start gathering some comparison data.