April Hatch Thread--Come Join Us!

[chickydee64]

Okay I am NOT hallucinating.. I DID hear a peep and see an egg rock a little bit.... I wonder how long before it actually hatches and how long before the others follow suit and pop out.

It will happen when you are not looking......................

They are sneaky little buggers....................mine seem to pop out when..
I have quickly run to the store....am outside caring for the flock....taking a nap.............
Good Luck and have fun

 

[chickydee64]

Lockdown for me tomorrow...........need to count the eggs left..20 some I think.
I candled the other night and discovered most eggs from my mixed flock are clear....................
I am thinking Mr. Roo has to many hens to cover??????????...............11 in his flock ......
I will check him out for possible other problems....
Also.have had a horrible time hatching this spring............
I have 2 LG still airs.one for incubation, one for a hatcher.............
No problems last year............it was a set and forget with great hatches.......
We are living in a different house this year.don't want to use to much space here but will summerize
by saying I am amazed how much of an effect the difference in heating, house humidity ect has on the incubators.
Think I have it worked out now.............
Good luck all and thanks for the great pictures.

 

[oesdog]

Lockdown for me tomorrow...........need to count the eggs left..20 some I think.
I candled the other night and discovered most eggs from my mixed flock are clear....................
I am thinking Mr. Roo has to many hens to cover??????????...............11 in his flock ......
I will check him out for possible other problems....
Also.have had a horrible time hatching this spring............
I have 2 LG still airs.one for incubation, one for a hatcher.............
No problems last year............it was a set and forget with great hatches.......
We are living in a different house this year.don't want to use to much space here but will summerize
by saying I am amazed how much of an effect the difference in heating, house humidity ect has on the incubators.
Think I have it worked out now.............
Good luck all and thanks for the great pictures.

Lockdown starts tomorrow on my second attempt at hatching. Last week's first attempt yielded five. This week's will hopefully give me mottled houdans, silver Plymouth rocks, light Sussex and wheaten marans.

Just want to say good luck with the lockdown as I go into mine tonight. - Hopefully we will all get chicks soon!!!!!

OES -

Thinking of you!

 

[Everlong9750]

Lockdown started yesterday for us!

I had 12 to start, one was not fertile, the other 11 fertile/growing. One cracked but I sealed it with wax right away, hopefully it's okay. I Have 10 hopefulls... not to bad.

Good luck everyone!

 

[oesdog]

Lockdown started yesterday for us!

I had 12 to start, one was not fertile, the other 11 fertile/growing. One cracked but I sealed it with wax right away, hopefully it's okay. I Have 10 hopefulls... not to bad.

Good luck everyone!

What have you got your humidity set at ????
I am just checking before lockdown
Humidity has to be?????????
Temp has to stay at????????

I just need to verify so I don;t screw up and shrink wrap and drown at the sametime like I did last time????
I am supposed to pu them into Lockdown tonight. - But was wondering about leaving it till tomorrow morning??? Would that be ok as I am real tired and if I do it now I wont be able to monitor temp etc because I will fall asleep - first restbite night away from our disabled boy this month so am shattered now.

Oes - minor pre- lockdown panic!

Ok going to turn the eggs for the last time.

 

[AusChook]

What have you got your humidity set at ????
I am just checking before lockdown
Humidity has to be?????????
Temp has to stay at????????

I just need to verify so I don;t screw up and shrink wrap and drown at the sametime like I did last time????
I am supposed to pu them into Lockdown tonight. - But was wondering about leaving it till tomorrow morning??? Would that be ok as I am real tired and if I do it now I wont be able to monitor temp etc because I will fall asleep - first restbite night away from our disabled boy this month so am shattered now.

Oes - minor pre- lockdown panic! Ok going to turn the eggs for the last time.

This is my first hatch oes but they are meant to hatch Thursday too. I locked down at night and didnt realize the higher humidity would throw my temp off and ended up sitting up until 1AM trying to get it right, lol. I have if steady now at 65% humidity and 37.3 degrees.

Good luck!

 

[NinetreesMom]

[COLOR=0000CD]My broody hen, Jewels, hatched eggs this weekend. I had set 8 silkie eggs under her. Our leghorn decided she'd like to contribute & set 2 of her own eggs for the broody without permission before we realized it. So there were a total of 10 eggs. We noticed some pips on Saturday, so yesterday morning I went to check and there was a whole pile of fuzzies under her. I didn't mess too much since it's rather cold here in MI yet. But from what I could see, there were only 2 eggs left unhatched (1 silkie, & 1 leghornX). Since the leghorn eggs were set on different days thanks to my ambitious hen, those had separate hatch dates anyways & I would expect 1 to hatch later. When I went to check them later in the afternoon, I didn't see the silkie egg... That doesn't mean it hatched, just that I didn't see it. It could have been hiding in the pile of fluffy butts. However I felt a pip hole in the last leghorn egg. [/COLOR] [COLOR=0000CD]I'll go out there this afternoon & check them again. Whether they hatch or not, Jewels managed a great hatch rate. I'm impressed. And it was so much LESS stressful for me. I told Jewels she really was the "set it & forget it" incubator. Practically no work involved! I think she roller her eyes at me & gave a huff. LOL.[/COLOR] [COLOR=0000CD]Here are some pictures I took yesterday of proud momma & the pile of fuzzy fluffy butts.[/COLOR]

That is so cool! I was bummed when my broody left the nest at 14 days. I candled at 10 and everything looked good, so I have no idea what happened :-(. It was a first time for both if us though. After seeing your wonderful post I might try again if one of my hens goes broody again.

 

[oesdog]

This is my first hatch oes but they are meant to hatch Thursday too. I locked down at night and didnt realize the higher humidity would throw my temp off and ended up sitting up until 1AM trying to get it right, lol. I have if steady now at 65% humidity and 37.3 degrees.

Good luck!

That is what I was afrade of but our incubator instructions don;t do anything about humidity at all. Basically it is just you fill the inner tray up to the top right before lockdown - but you have to do that every two days during incubation anyway? I am not sure how this will raise the humidity any higher for hatch? It does say however if it is "dry" whatever that means? Then fill the outer ring of the tray also to the top and then lockdown? I guess this will up the humidity. The temp is pre set for chickens at 100 however it has fluctuated from 99.5-102depending on time of day and if the weather is warmer outside? So Iguess more water will affect it?? Anyhow this thing seems to be an idiot proof vertion which is probably why this idiot doesn;t know what to do with it???? You would have thought I would have been well prepared by this stage. I sent DH out to the garage to get the humidity gage from the old fan style incubator but now I read this it would seem it does it automatically??????
Ugh - I got fried, boiled scrambled chicks in the other bator! - I am sooooooooo concerned right now! I don;t think doing the lockdown at night is a good idea? I think Dh will put extra water in and lock it down? Just follow the distructions and cross our fingers I guess?

Oes - the eggs are deffinately heavy and I swear I saw movement?

My tail feathers are deffinately in a knott!!!!

 

[ceocka]

I have 14 on lockdown in the living room. I have one almost out and 4 pips!

 

[jnjmanning]

That is what I was afrade of but our incubator instructions don;t do anything about humidity at all. Basically it is just you fill the inner tray up to the top right before lockdown - but you have to do that every two days during incubation anyway? I am not sure how this will raise the humidity any higher for hatch? It does say however if it is "dry" whatever that means? Then fill the outer ring of the tray also to the top and then lockdown? I guess this will up the humidity. The temp is pre set for chickens at 100 however it has fluctuated from 99.5-102depending on time of day and if the weather is warmer outside? So Iguess more water will affect it?? Anyhow this thing seems to be an idiot proof vertion which is probably why this idiot doesn;t know what to do with it???? You would have thought I would have been well prepared by this stage. I sent DH out to the garage to get the humidity gage from the old fan style incubator but now I read this it would seem it does it automatically??????
Ugh - I got fried, boiled scrambled chicks in the other bator! - I am sooooooooo concerned right now! I don;t think doing the lockdown at night is a good idea? I think Dh will put extra water in and lock it down? Just follow the distructions and cross our fingers I guess?

Oes - the eggs are deffinately heavy and I swear I saw movement?

My tail feathers are deffinately in a knott!!!!

I would make sure the inner tray is full of water. Then to raise humidity I always use new sponges. It is not about how much water is in the incubator, its the amount of space. Example a soaked sponge 4x4 compared to a soaked sponge 6x6....the larger the area that is wet, the higher the humidity will go. So the 6x6 sponge will cause the humidity to raise higher than the 4x4. I never lockdown at night, only morning. That way you can watch your temp and humidity. The vent holes in the top you can use to raise or lower it.