- Thread starter
- #101
- Sep 6, 2009
- 1,292
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well, today is day 8...........
Going by very slowly, but, I've also become less anxious to candle them, so I think I can wait until day 18, should be easy enough.
I think I've been doing too much reading on here. There are so many things that can go wrong and so many different answers as to why they went wrong.
I read of someone losing their chicks before they hatched , on day 20, and of what may have happened.
Now what I am confused on is, some say wash the eggs, some say don't. yet, I've had 5 broody hens, their eggs are disgusting, and their hatch rates are awesome !!! I didn't wash the eggs I put in the bator, nor did I put gross eggs in their, I did have a couple that had some marks on them, but, I read that a little bit is okay.
some say wash your hands if you handle the eggs when you put them or take them out of the incubator, I didn't. and I didn't when I collected the eggs and put them under my broody hens, once again, hatch rates with the broodys were good !!!
So, either we are really really superstitiously cautious with the bators or the bators really are that touchy. and once again, goes to show a broody hen is so much more amazing then anything manmade.
THis first go around for me will definitely be a learning experience. I have marked the eggs I handled, so, if they don't hatch, Yikes, no more handling for me.
If the non crystal clean ones don't hatch, I'll know not to do that again,
on the other hand , if they do hatch, I'll know I can.
I find learning is best done by doing, and to try different things the first time, will help make the second time easier and perhaps more successful.
My temp has fluctuated between 98.8 and 100.2, my humidity has fluctuated betwen 40% and just over 50%.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
Going by very slowly, but, I've also become less anxious to candle them, so I think I can wait until day 18, should be easy enough.
I think I've been doing too much reading on here. There are so many things that can go wrong and so many different answers as to why they went wrong.
I read of someone losing their chicks before they hatched , on day 20, and of what may have happened.
Now what I am confused on is, some say wash the eggs, some say don't. yet, I've had 5 broody hens, their eggs are disgusting, and their hatch rates are awesome !!! I didn't wash the eggs I put in the bator, nor did I put gross eggs in their, I did have a couple that had some marks on them, but, I read that a little bit is okay.
some say wash your hands if you handle the eggs when you put them or take them out of the incubator, I didn't. and I didn't when I collected the eggs and put them under my broody hens, once again, hatch rates with the broodys were good !!!
So, either we are really really superstitiously cautious with the bators or the bators really are that touchy. and once again, goes to show a broody hen is so much more amazing then anything manmade.
THis first go around for me will definitely be a learning experience. I have marked the eggs I handled, so, if they don't hatch, Yikes, no more handling for me.
If the non crystal clean ones don't hatch, I'll know not to do that again,
on the other hand , if they do hatch, I'll know I can.
I find learning is best done by doing, and to try different things the first time, will help make the second time easier and perhaps more successful.
My temp has fluctuated between 98.8 and 100.2, my humidity has fluctuated betwen 40% and just over 50%.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
