ATTENTION NEWBIES TO INCUBATING

[HickoryHollow]

Out of 15 eggs so far we had 4 hatch. 3 alive and one didn't make it.

I have several eggs still rocking, but no external pips yet.

And tomorrow is lockdown for my own hatch!

Jeesh, who knew how hard waiting could be.

Baby #4 is in the incubator still, she must have just hatched when we came home, and is so very tiny, but she's snuggling with the other eggies, to stay warm. Hopefully she will dry soon.

Waiting is by far the hardest part! Hang in there....

 

[HickoryHollow]

Well, it pretty much looks like we are finished with 13. The 14th must have died from pipping a blood vessel. There are no more pips or eggs moving at all. This morning I quickly pulled the chicks and added water and left the rest for now, but I have little hope. I will be doing an eggtopsy tonight.

My suspicion is, in an effort to keep the weight loss between 12% and 15% as all articles recommend, the air cells did not get large enough. The hatch was 40% which is a huge improvement over the last hatch, but not near where we want to be yet. There is another turner full of eggs in the setter that will lock down Wednesday night. I marked them with a beginning weight, but haven't weighed them since. I will be candling and looking at the air cell instead. There is only a short time left to make any improvement in the air cell, but I have had the humidity considerably lower over the past week already. In my opinion weighing is very deceiving. It cost me about 60% of my hatch. But that is just my opinion. I just can't understand how the weight can indicate they are loosing too much moisture and yet the air cells are too small.

As Sally has said, I think the average hatch should loose more than 15%.....more like 18% to 20%

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Well, it pretty much looks like we are finished with 13. The 14th must have died from pipping a blood vessel. There are no more pips or eggs moving at all. This morning I quickly pulled the chicks and added water and left the rest for now, but I have little hope. I will be doing an eggtopsy tonight.

My suspicion is, in an effort to keep the weight loss between 12% and 15% as all articles recommend, the air cells did not get large enough. The hatch was 40% which is a huge improvement over the last hatch, but not near where we want to be yet. There is another turner full of eggs in the setter that will lock down Wednesday night. I marked them with a beginning weight, but haven't weighed them since. I will be candling and looking at the air cell instead. There is only a short time left to make any improvement in the air cell, but I have had the humidity considerably lower over the past week already. In my opinion weighing is very deceiving. It cost me about 60% of my hatch. But that is just my opinion. I just can't understand how the weight can indicate they are loosing too much moisture and yet the air cells are too small.

As Sally has said, I think the average hatch should loose more than 15%.....more like 18% to 20%

I think more may be better, but again its important to know there is a fine line, and its important to loose from the start and NOT the last week, the last week you want those embryos to be well "watered" in there, you dont want them dehydrated at hatch, it takes from muscles and everywhere and actually can have long term effects on the chicks. I think you saw some of the studies I posted. So again, FINE LINE here.

I promise to have DH weigh my next set while I "eye" them to see what I really do as far as weight loss.

Are you positive you dont have cold or hot spots in the bator? even a degree can take a 21 day chick to 22-23 days. In the assist article is the tap, listen, look and then float test. in the 101 article is all the break out links and some have great images to help you.

Did you check the chicks shells that hatched and their hocks as discussed in the diary thread?

 

[Dawnrenae]

Love the feeling of healthy hatching babies...

 

[Cowpoke]

Love the feeling of healthy hatching babies...

It makes it all worth it, don't it!

 

[Dawnrenae]

That it does!

 

[Strader]

I dont worry about any gook or bacteria from a chick that has hatched and is moving over other eggs, there are to many fear mongers on this site that have read to much and experienced to little. You will be removing your newly hatched chicks way before bacteria actually has time to grow. Just hatch and have fun and go off from you own experiences and don't read to much into everything on here you see here.

 

[Dawnrenae]

Thanks.

 

[HickoryHollow]

Yesterday I picked up 7 Black Copper Moran pullets and a roo, and 6 Black Ostrolorp pullets and a roo.These will be future egg providers for the incubator. I also have silver laced wyandot pullets that I need to find a rooster for. That will be it for a while.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

Well crap, I set 18 to hatch out on my B-day (yesterday) and we had one pop out the night before. So far baby is still in 'bator (didn't want to open) and none of the eggs seem to be doing anything

. So how long should I wait?

Luckily I have a broody that should be hatching out tonight or tomorrow so the little one will have company. I had a couple temp flucs due to power outages, but I didn't think it was that drastic of a fluctuation. Today will be day 22. The little loner keeps moving the eggs around, not sure how that will effect the unhatched ones if they are still alive. Should I go ahead and remove the one chick?