April Hatch Thread--Come Join Us!

[naglady]

sally I sure hope you start getting some pips.. my first batch was late..
on day 26 candle them and see whats going on.. is your humidity up enough
and if you cant tell, poke a tiny whole in top of egg and listen and to see if its alive..
make sure you let your new eggs that were shipped settle a day or two on the counter and make sure the aircell isnt wobbly. you still have time.
check eggs b4 you toss..
i did that and had one survivor..last hatch
Good luck..

i started out setting 38 eggs and at lockdown i was down to 21.. and one of those were questionable but left it in anyways. most were infertile..

one hatched and 1 pip not progressing..

 

[Keggen]

Sorry to hear your hatch didn't/isn't going well.  Have you tried float testing the eggs...that would be a last resort to remove all doubt as to whether they are alive in there.

I liked this video about float testing eggs...no words, but you get the idea of what live ones would look like:

Thank you for this video! I am laughing so hard right now. I read your description about the no words deal so I was thinking a silent video, not expecting the clucky-about-to-lay hen. Lol! What's even more funny is that I've been laying in bed for the past hour with my windows open, listening to 20 hens clucking away, trying to decide if it's worth it to get up to close my windows. Then I heard the video at full sound and decided my hens aren't so bad after all. Lol! (because they're at least way across the yard outside)

 

[Keggen]

I am sooooooooooo gutted mine are dead!!!!

OES - your babies are beautiful DARN

 

Oh no, that is so disappointing! I'm sorry OES, I hope your next batch works out better.

I had 8 late deaths that I think were from an unexpected heat spike overnight towards the end. Even when we try our best sometimes things happen that we can't help.


Just a little update from us. We had 23 hatched and of those 3 had various difficulties. 1 has made a full recovery from having it's rear end sticking out at birth.

The other 2 had more problems. My only pure blue splash marans had rear end problems that seemed to be getting better and I had one chick with rear end problems and major feet/leg issues. Sadly that one died a few days ago. The BSM had been in the incubator for a few days but I moved it out to the barn with the others because it was doing better.

Well shockingly the BSM was about half the size of the other chicks! Clearly a runt! Still for 2 days it was going ok and seemed alright. Then overnight something went wrong and the poor thing died. I have a horrible suspicion that the others were knocking the little one over and might have trampled it.

We have a few chicks in the group that are just plain MEAN little buggers. If you put your hand in the brooder they will charge you and peck like crazy. We're working on trying to socialize them but a few are just rough.

So with that sad ending my incubator is now open and I'm considering some local Welsummers! If I do it I need to get them started asap!

 

[TheCrazyChick]

OEG - So sorry. Believe me, I know how you feel! When I ectopsied my remaining and there were so many fully formed chicks I just about decided to not bother with my next two hatches, of which the eggs are already here. I just was really sad, thinking that this hatching thing is SO not worth it. Obviously I'm not going to throw the eggs I have away, but after these incubate, I think I am done for awhile. The highs and lows are just too extreme. Euphoria when you see those newborn chicks, but despondency when they die after hatching and when fully formed chicks do not hatch.

The only option I can come up with for my circumstances is to cave in and buy a more expensive, self regulating incubator. I've learned a lot using the LG Still Air - and hubby has now added fans to the mine, so we'll see if that helps, but I don't think I am interested in using them again for awhile.

Keep us posted with your May Hatch. Mine is due to hatch May 9th.

Hugs, Dee

 

[KRCronos]

thanks Naglady, I will keep them in there till tomorrow, have a feeling the other 39 eggs wont make it. I wont give up on them till day 25 or 26.

one more quick question for anyone, cant seem to find the bator instructions for cleaning it out for the next hatch, any recomendations?

 

[oesdog]

OEG - So sorry. Believe me, I know how you feel! When I ectopsied my remaining and there were so many fully formed chicks I just about decided to not bother with my next two hatches, of which the eggs are already here. I just was really sad, thinking that this hatching thing is SO not worth it. Obviously I'm not going to throw the eggs I have away, but after these incubate, I think I am done for awhile. The highs and lows are just too extreme. Euphoria when you see those newborn chicks, but despondency when they die after hatching and when fully formed chicks do not hatch.

The only option I can come up with for my circumstances is to cave in and buy a more expensive, self regulating incubator. I've learned a lot using the LG Still Air - and hubby has now added fans to the mine, so we'll see if that helps, but I don't think I am interested in using them again for awhile.

Keep us posted with your May Hatch. Mine is due to hatch May 9th.

Hugs, Dee

Ha ha exactly what DH said - He is apparently going to buy a new incubator - well he put his Humidity monitor in finally! And guess what it read 48 % - I think shrink wrap they are!!!! ( But of course humidity is not an issue in this bator because the instructions
said ............. Yeah right !!!!!!

You just can;t tell um!

) Now he knows not to follow the instructions but get the darn monitors working and the corect temp and humidity ballance! Ohhhh well better luck next time!

Oes

 

[hokankai]

thanks Naglady, I will keep them in there till tomorrow, have a feeling the other 39 eggs wont make it. I wont give up on them till day 25 or 26.

one more quick question for anyone, cant seem to find the bator instructions for cleaning it out for the next hatch, any recomendations?

Diluted bleach solution and an air dry

 

[TheCrazyChick]

Ha ha exactly what DH said - He is apparently going to buy a new incubator - well he put his Humidity monitor in finally! And guess what it read 48 % - I think shrink wrap they are!!!! ( But of course humidity is not an issue in this bator because the instructions
said ............. Yeah right !!!!!!

You just can;t tell um!

) Now he knows not to follow the instructions but get the darn monitors working and the corect temp and humidity ballance! Ohhhh well better luck next time!

Oes

No kidding. Tell him to throw those darn instructions away! Dry incubation is supposedly fine, but dry hatch? Probably not so much!

 

[chickydee64]

Hi Everyone,

Guess 9 is my final number...............grateful for that.........
See you in May thread..................

 

[naglady]

Hi Everyone,

Guess 9 is my final number...............grateful for that.........
See you in May thread..................

Congratulations!!

thanks Naglady, I will keep them in there till tomorrow, have a feeling the other 39 eggs wont make it. I wont give up on them till day 25 or 26.

one more quick question for anyone, cant seem to find the bator instructions for cleaning it out for the next hatch, any recomendations?

your welcome.. i felt the same way you do on my last batch.. i did get one.. good thing i had 6 store bought around the same age so i didnt have a lonely chick..
you never know. you may get a couple out of the deal..
i use deluted bleach and airdry also..