April Hatch Along

[RoseViewFarm]

Up to seven babies now! Three pips, six doing nothing. Though I'm not expecting much from three of the six that aren't doing anything. Those three are my BBS Orps that have had a really rough go of it. I had set them in egg cartons because they all have detached and wobbly air cells, but the seven rugby players in there have knocked one over and jostled the other two to almost upright. For future reference, I will place any problem eggs in a basket to hatch so they can be spared at least some of the rough housing. They are also 29 hours behind the Ams that are hatching, so I haven't given up all hope.
My humidity skyrocketed so they aren't drying as fast as I would have expected.
I just placed my order for some LP Marans, so looks like I will for sure be hatching in May!!

 

[spruce creek]

Up to seven babies now! Three pips, six doing nothing. Though I'm not expecting much from three of the six that aren't doing anything. Those three are my BBS Orps that have had a really rough go of it. I had set them in egg cartons because they all have detached and wobbly air cells, but the seven rugby players in there have knocked one over and jostled the other two to almost upright. For future reference, I will place any problem eggs in a basket to hatch so they can be spared at least some of the rough housing. They are also 29 hours behind the Ams that are hatching, so I haven't given up all hope.
My humidity skyrocketed so they aren't drying as fast as I would have expected.
I just placed my order for some LP Marans, so looks like I will for sure be hatching in May!!

YAY! Congrats on your hatch!! I have one more out, I had to assist he was stuck! I assisted one other too but it hasn't pushed out of its shell the rest of the way yet, its sleeping. The one I helped pushed its way out as soon as I put it back in the incubator, it had absolutely no room in that shell to turn. :-( So worried about the remaining eggs now. All three that pipped only made big pip holes, none zipped. When your chicks were hatching did they look like they had any head room? Just wondering what a "normal" hatch should look like and from your pics it looks like you had good sized air cels.

 

[RoseViewFarm]

  All three that pipped only made big pip holes, none zipped.   When your chicks were hatching did they look like they had any head room? Just wondering what a "normal" hatch should look like and from your pics it looks like you had good sized air cels. 

Thank you!

I tried to err of the side of too large of air cells than too small. I ran my bator at an average of 27% RH for the first 18 days. Now my target is 55% but it's above that right now.
As for room when hatching, they seemed pretty cramped, but I could see a little bit of space to move their beaks left to right.
How long have your stragglers been pipped for?
I'm happy that you were able to save the ones you've had to intervene with!

 

[spruce creek]

Thank you!

I tried to err of the side of too large of air cells than too small. I ran my bator at an average of 27% RH for the first 18 days. Now my target is 55% but it's above that right now.
As for room when hatching, they seemed pretty cramped, but I could see a little bit of space to move their beaks left to right.
How long have your stragglers been pipped for?
I'm happy that you were able to save the ones you've had to intervene with!

the others have not pipped yet, today is day 21 so hopefully a few more will make it. I don't know what to do about our humidity at this point, I ran the incubator completely dry until lockdown. I had 35- 40% humidity without water :-( How many more do you have to go??

 

[RoseViewFarm]

the others have not pipped yet, today is day 21 so hopefully a few more will make it. I don't know what to do about our humidity at this point, I ran the incubator completely dry until lockdown. I had 35- 40% humidity without water :-(   How many more do you have to go?? 

Oh you still have time!
I have 8 out, 3 pipped, and 5 doing nothing (three of those are just on day 19).

 

[Birdydeb]

Just put 13 Ancona ducks and 6 Cayugas into lockdown. Only one egg looked kinda "iffy" but I put it in too.

 

[orrpeople]

My very first broody has hatched a chick today! I didn't get a picture yet because I am hoping she will be able to hatch some more and I don't want to bug her - but hurrah for Buffy!! It's a darling little black Olive Egger!!

 

[henaynei]

Final report of first ever hatch complete..... finally tossed 16 eggs that stopped or hardly got started, - put those in lockdown with grace based on my rank inexperience judging what is or is not a living or viable embryo. - today was day 25.

and there were another 11 that never made it to lockdown, either infertile or clearly quitters

13 hatched or earnestly tried...2 died - one after totally zipping but never left the egg and another after completely hatched...

final count - 11 out of 40 set - 28% hatch rate of total set
11 out of 29 lockdown - 38% hatch rate
neither very good...

Incubation circumstances....
Temp was kept steady +/- 1degree of 99.5
Humidity was around 30% for first 3 days then around 50% until lockdown then 60-70% for lockdown
Candled on day 10, day 14, day 18 and locked down - not opened for 48 hours, to remove 11 hatched chicks, the 2 that died pipped and died in the following 24 hours

Next time:
I will candle before setting and document/draw air cells at each candling - day 0, day 10, day 18 then lockdown.
Still unsure best thing to do with humidity - breeder said 50% until lockdown, lots of folks here say much lower.... air cells were a problem this time...sizes all over the place...some small at lockdown, some huge, days before lockdown and misshapen

 

[RoseViewFarm]

I've got two more zipping as I type. One of which is doing the strangest zip. Big chunks of egg are falling off in places and then it'll spin and crack but not chip the shell off.

 

[WVduckchick]

My very first broody has hatched a chick today! I didn't get a picture yet because I am hoping she will be able to hatch some more and I don't want to bug her - but hurrah for Buffy!! It's a darling little black Olive Egger!!

e congrats Buffy!!

Final report of first ever hatch complete..... finally tossed 16 eggs that stopped or hardly got started, - put those in lockdown with grace based on my rank inexperience judging what is or is not a living or viable embryo. - today was day 25. 

and there were another 11 that never made it to lockdown, either infertile or clearly quitters

13 hatched or earnestly tried...2 died - one after totally zipping but never left the egg and another after completely hatched...

final count - 11 out of 40 set - 28% hatch rate of total set
                  11 out of 29 lockdown - 38% hatch rate
neither very good...

Incubation circumstances....
Temp was kept steady +/- 1degree of 99.5
Humidity was around 30% for first 3 days then around 50% until lockdown then 60-70% for lockdown
Candled on day 10, day 14, day 18 and locked down - not opened for 48 hours, to remove 11 hatched chicks, the 2 that died pipped and died in the following 24 hours

Next time:
I will candle before setting and document/draw air cells at each candling - day 0, day 10, day 18 then lockdown.
Still unsure best thing to do with humidity - breeder said 50% until lockdown, lots of folks here say much lower.... air cells were a problem this time...sizes all over the place...some small at lockdown, some huge, days before lockdown and misshapen

What kind of incubator? Breeds? Local humidity? Are you by chance at high elevation?