April Hatch Along

[spruce creek]

I just set 16 B/B/S Australorp eggs from my own flock in my incubator at 4:30 PM yesterday. I'm trying out that dry hatch method this time in my styrofoam Little Giant still air incubator. The hatch is due on May 3rd.

I have a hatch due on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. I couldn't resist slipping a couple extra eggs in once my hen decided to lay in her box again, and a neighbour gave us 5 easter eggers that my son was sooo excited about, so hopefully the staggered hatch will be ok. I'm using the dry method with a little giant too but have a fan. Humidity seems to fluctuate between 35 and 40% with no water for me.

 

[spruce creek]

I candled my eggs last night, day 5, one of the eggs has its air call in the middle instead of the top(fat end) of the egg. Does that mean its detached?? Is there any chance of an egg with an air cel in the wrong spot surviving? There was veins. I also noticed some odd shaped air cels from the same hen. She's mine, so not shipped and appears healthy although starting to molt. I was also extremely careful with these eggs and only tipped them in the ceramic egg carton propped on alternating ends each time to turn them while collecting to incubate.

 

[Calichicken2015]

Pretty sure my broody Buffy has not been off her nest in two days (zero poop evidence, but I haven't been stalking her either). I'm a little worried about her. I tried to give her some water (even did the new chick dunk the beak trick) and she just growled at me and refused. Seems like she's sleeping a lot, kind of a hibernation? I need some broody advice. Normal? Not normal? Should we call it quits? Keep going?

My girl was very dedicated when she was on the nest and we had he same issue. So we would give her a little prompt to get up and out at least once mid day...she would get up, run to her favorite spot, speed poop, dust and then eat and drink quickly before she got back on the nest. She was never off more than 30 minutes...and usually 15-20

But it did seem like giving her a little prompt set her into action. Hopefully others with more broody experience can chime in!

 

[Calichicken2015]

All our Auburn Java eggs arrived wonderfully intact They were each wrapped in tissue, placed in cardboard 18 count egg cartons and all wrapped and covered in raw wool. Not a single crack.

We rested them for 18+ hours and set in the incubator about midnight on the morning of 4/6, set at 99.5F and about 35-40% humidity. The incubator is at a friend's home as I am absent from home for long periods due to work and have no room closed to my cats. My friend feels the humidity should be and has kept it at least 40%. She feels it should be even maybe 50% for incubation. I'm not sure we are losing moisture at an appropriate rate. We live at about 3,000ft elevation in the North Carolina mountains.

We candled for the first time yesterday. Only 2 clears and 3 with blood ring! About another 5 are rather iffy to our untrained eyes (think we saw veining and dark areas for the embryo, but not sure) and 4 have rather large oddly shaped air cells compared to the rest but still have visible veining and embryos. Have kept all but the 2 clears and 3 with blood rings and continue to incubate.

Several of the ones we kept have what we think may be rather small air cells for this late but seemed to have good veining and activity of the embryo. But what do we know - it is our first ever hatch!!!

We did not (should have and will next time) weight them before setting to gauge appropriate moisture loss.


Happy and delighted with the high % of potential live embryos at this point - 87%! More than I expected for shipped eggs. But the proof is in the hatching....

Good luck with your hatch!!!

Final count 16 out of 24set.

now I can clean out the incubator and set 15 more eggs that my grand son got for me from a friend of his. That will get a new bloodline going in the coup.

sounds like a good reason for more to me. Happy Easter to all.

yep...yep...adding a new bloodline in the coop sounds like a GREAT reason for more hatching!!!

There are ALWAYS good reasons in my opinion

Did my last candle on my 2 remaining duck eggs yesterday. I could see down/feathers! So cool! And the air cell looked. So...next sunday I should have ducklings. Think happy thoughts for them and me ( I'm a nervous wreck). Congratulations! to all that have completed a good hatch and HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!

YAY!!! How exciting!! I have 5 duck eggs going strong so far, due in a couple of weeks!!! Good luck!!! Come on little quackers!!!!!

 

[Calichicken2015]

I candled my eggs last night, day 5, one of the eggs has its air call in the middle instead of the top(fat end) of the egg. Does that mean its detached?? Is there any chance of an egg with an air cel in the wrong spot surviving? There was veins. I also noticed some odd shaped air cels from the same hen. She's mine, so not shipped and appears healthy although starting to molt. I was also extremely careful with these eggs and only tipped them in the ceramic egg carton propped on alternating ends each time to turn them while collecting to incubate.

I have on egg with a really wonky air cell...big and all along the side, so I am wondering the same thing? It is developing so far, just not a lot of room in there with the big, sideways aircell

 

[BlueBaby]

I have a hatch due on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. I couldn't resist slipping a couple extra eggs in once my hen decided to lay in her box again, and a neighbour gave us 5 easter eggers that my son was sooo excited about, so hopefully the staggered hatch will be ok. I'm using the dry method with a little giant too but have a fan. Humidity seems to fluctuate between 35 and 40% with no water for me.

Yes, I did the same thing, and added 7 more in with the 16 already in my incubator. So, now there are 23 B/B/S Australorp eggs in there from my own flock. I did end up adding a bit of water in there on day 2, because I was told that living in the desert with high heat and low humidity that dry hatching wouldn't work well out here. Good luck with your hatch!

 

[BirdsNRabbits]

Happy Easter to all! Hope you're enjoying your day, and for those of you who have hatched recently, your chicks. I set 23 eggs yesterday. 12 Dominique, 11 Bantam Cochin. Due May 6th. So excited!!

 

[slantrhymes]

So sweet!! I hope she has a friend! (One gal on another hatchalong joked that she needed a little tiny baby sling so she could actually get something done around the house besides hold her lonely chick! )

She does! They're all very sweet to her. She keeps trying to nuzzle under the body of the polish chick.

 

[orrpeople]

I have on egg with a really wonky air cell...big and all along the side, so I am wondering the same thing? It is developing so far, just not a lot of room in there with the big, sideways aircell:/

Sometimes I think the air cells are so bad there's no way the chick will live, and they totally surprise me! The converse has also happened where I've thought, "This one has an awesome air cell" and they don't hatch. I've given up trying to figure what true viability looks like (except obvious things) because little chicks will do what little chicks will do!

 

[rookhomestead]

If your air cells are too small, you can sponge the egg during turning and it will help to draw moisture out. I had to do it with mine. Started a little late, so mine still aren't quite where they should be. Fingers crossed.