April Hatch Along

[tao chick]

I will be in a May hatch along too! Ducks and chicks will be going into lockdown by next week! Some of these are eggs that took sightseeing tours so pretty anxious. The two orders that did this were the two orders I WANTED. Of course. the other eggs are either for friends or for sale.

How are you making a hatcher? I ordered a 1602N Hovabator by accident( didn't look at the model number)....my friend's hubby is going to remove the wafer thermostat and install an electronic thermostat. I figured it was easier to do this than send it back. But I also have a really cool styrofoam cooler here that I THINK (LOL) is screaming at me to make it a hatcher, a brooder....something chicken related. Right?

I made my incubator out of an old fridge, so my hatcher will also be an old fridge. If my sister in law isn't using her little giant incubator I'll use that. Or I could use my first homemade incubator that was made from an aquarium.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

One chick must have been smothered today. It was still alive when I got home but I lost it. I just took ten to their new owner and one more has hatched so I'm at...11 I think. 5 more to go and then I'm done until the guineas start popping.

My Broody hens are not being very cooperative about accepting chicks which is unusual. Except for my reliable Japanese... She may end up with all of them but she's brooded 20+ chicks before with the help of a heating pad so I know she can handle it.

 

[Calichicken2015]

Wow, that was rough! Think I'll just rest right here.


What are YOU looking at??! Flip me over!!

I'm tired... nap time..

Which one is the brassy back?

Isn't the whole hatching thing amazing? Like they're in there and suddenly thing, hmmm I think I need to start pecking now, I'm getting kinda cramped. Oh look, an air pocket, let's breath that and rest for a bit and suck in this yummy yolk. Okay keep pecking. Rest,...Now let's peck in a circle!

LOL!!!! Seriously love the narration of the hatching process

Poor babies!!! What an ordeal!

 

[Calichicken2015]

Alrighty! The count so far is 4 quail babies and 15 bantam cochin babies!

Ducks are du in 6 days!

 

[henaynei]

Our first 2
One has umbilical cord or other tissue on top of back half and on his bottom - nothing bleeding at this time-his shell was very bloody. They both went from only internal pip to complete hatch in about 4 hours.

 

[orrpeople]

Alrighty! The count so far is 4 quail babies and 15 bantam cochin babies! Ducks are du in 6 days!

So precious!!

 

[feedman77]

Have hatched 8 quail.
1 died.

So here's 7 of em.

Have 4 turkeys out. 2 zipping and 5 more pipped.

 

[vdrsolo]

Hi! Someone told me to post here about my first incubation questions, getting ready to go on lockdown:

Hi, I have been lurking around for the past couple of weeks. I started incubation of 48 eggs on Sunday evening, 4/9/17. It is an older still air incubator, it didn't even come with a temp or humidity gauge. I bought a thermometer that lays on top of the eggs (and verified its accuracy with other thermometers). I also bought a reptile humidity gauge (and verified it's accuracy with and electronic humidity monitor we had). Out of those 48, we have 38 definite ones with chicks!

Humidity has been around 40-45%. I haven't added any water, we are keeping it in our basement.

1. As incubation goes by....do the chickens put off more heat? It seems like I am constantly having to turn down the temp everytime I go to turn (I am turning 3 times a day). Sometimes it will sneak up to 102, I am trying to keep it right around 100. I am worried about about this!

2. I am doing my last turn tonight and will go on lockdown. I have read anywhere from increasing the humidity to 65-80%. Recommended? The only way I can get water in there without opening it is too add it through a small vent hole. Is there a humidity percentage that is too high that I need to open up other vent holes??
My air sacs don't look like the Day 18 air sacs in the pics I see online. They look more like Day 14 air sacs. Right now my humidity is 40%. Should I open up any vent holes before lockdown tonight and should I even up the humidity at all?


3. Temperature - My temperature gauge is the type that sits on top of the eggs that has the plastic backing. I want to keep monitoring this temp but if those eggs hatch first I won't be able too. I do have some fake ceramic eggs (we used it for some chickens we had bought that had problems pecking at their eggs, fake eggs immediately stopped it!). Since these fake ones are the same size....could i put the gauge on top of those or will it not work because they are ceramic and not the real thing?

4. I would like to put something down on the metal grid to catch all the little shell pieces, I read somewhere to use cheesecloth but I was worried about their little feet getting stuck on it and wrapping them up so I was going to put the cheese cloth under the metal grid. Or could I just use paper towels?

Thanks!!

 

[feedman77]

Hi! Someone told me to post here about my first incubation questions, getting ready to go on lockdown:

[COLOR=333333]Hi, I have been lurking around for the past couple of weeks. I started incubation of 48 eggs on Sunday evening, 4/9/17.  It is an older still air incubator, it didn't even come with a temp or humidity gauge. I bought a thermometer that lays on top of the eggs (and verified its accuracy with other thermometers). I also bought a reptile humidity gauge (and verified it's accuracy with and electronic humidity monitor we had). Out of those 48,  we have 38 definite ones with chicks! [/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]Humidity has been around 40-45%. I haven't added any water, we are keeping it in our basement.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]1.  As incubation goes by....do the chickens put off more heat? It seems like I am constantly having to turn down the temp everytime I go to turn (I am turning 3 times a day). Sometimes it will sneak up to 102, I am trying to keep it right around 100. I am worried about about this![/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]2. I am doing my last turn tonight and will go on lockdown. I have read anywhere from increasing the humidity to 65-80%.  Recommended? The only way I can get water in there without opening it  is too add it through a small vent hole. Is there a humidity percentage that is too high that I need to open up other vent holes??  [/COLOR]
[COLOR=333333]My air sacs don't look like the Day 18 air sacs in the pics I see online. They look more like Day 14 air sacs. Right now my humidity is 40%. Should I open up any vent holes before lockdown tonight and should I even up the humidity at all?[/COLOR]


[COLOR=333333]3. Temperature - My temperature gauge is the type that sits on top of the eggs that has the plastic backing. I want to keep monitoring this temp but if those eggs hatch first I won't be able too. I do have some fake ceramic eggs (we used it for some chickens we had bought that had problems pecking at their eggs, fake eggs immediately stopped it!). Since these fake ones are the same size....could i put the gauge on top of those or will it not work because they are ceramic and not the real thing?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]4.  I would like to put something down on the metal grid to catch all the little shell pieces, I read somewhere to use cheesecloth but I was worried about their little feet getting stuck on it and wrapping them up so I was going to put the cheese cloth under the metal grid. Or could I just use paper towels?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]Thanks!![/COLOR]

Still air want to be 101 to 102 at the top of the eggs. They do put off heat but I don't adjust for it. If I adjusted for everything id always be tinkering.

I go for 70 plus on humidity for lockdown and hatch. As long as there is none pipped remove the lid and add water as needed. Remove both vent plugs as chucks need a good air exchange when they go to hatch.

While they are hatching I would not make any temp adjustment. In case it would swing to the high side.

Use paper towels. And if you use them they will act as a wick to help increase humidity.

Good luck with your hatch. It's easy to stay glued to the incubator to watch them hatch. After the first pip it's exciting.

But don't do any adjusting. Just sit back relax and let the hatch happen.

 

[vdrsolo]

Still air want to be 101 to 102 at the top of the eggs. They do put off heat but I don't adjust for it. If I adjusted for everything id always be tinkering.

I go for 70 plus on humidity for lockdown and hatch. As long as there is none pipped remove the lid and add water as needed. Remove both vent plugs as chucks need a good air exchange when they go to hatch.

While they are hatching I would not make any temp adjustment. In case it would swing to the high side.

Use paper towels. And if you use them they will act as a wick to help increase humidity.

Good luck with your hatch. It's easy to stay glued to the incubator to watch them hatch. After the first pip it's exciting.

But don't do any adjusting. Just sit back relax and let the hatch happen.

so to verify....even though the air sacs look small, go ahead and and increase humidity to 70% tonight?