August Hatch-A-Long

[CluckNDoodle]

I candled again on Friday night and removed 3 more early quitters, so I’m down to about 50 eggs in the incubators now. Any thoughts on a good way to keep the chicks sort of separated by breed when hatching for the multi breed group? (Little giant incubators) I’m mostly worried about mixing up the BarnvelderxAmeraucana and the BarnvelderxBarnvelder/Ameraucana chicks. I’d also like to keep my three groups separate OExHyLine, BarnvelderxHyLine, and (LHxCCL)xHyLine. But I can probably manage to tell them apart when they get older based on my observations of my last hatch.

Starting to get excited... I’m going to do a last candle and go into lockdown Tuesday night! I’m going to have to walk a few hours in the dark through the cow infested “big Trees” to get there and back most likely. Nothing like having your black angus bull sneak up on you looking for a snack in the dark! Crazy how quiet they can be when they want to! Should be ok though... we don’t have any large predators on island, (barring cows) and the moon will be almost full.

Predatory, nocturnal, stealthy....are we really talking about cows?

I've seen some creative ways of separating hatching chicks but my method isn't very friendly on the pocketbook. lol, I tend to just by another incubator.

 

[jolenesdad]

I candled again on Friday night and removed 3 more early quitters, so I’m down to about 50 eggs in the incubators now. Any thoughts on a good way to keep the chicks sort of separated by breed when hatching for the multi breed group? (Little giant incubators) I’m mostly worried about mixing up the BarnvelderxAmeraucana and the BarnvelderxBarnvelder/Ameraucana chicks. I’d also like to keep my three groups separate OExHyLine, BarnvelderxHyLine, and (LHxCCL)xHyLine. But I can probably manage to tell them apart when they get older based on my observations of my last hatch.

Starting to get excited... I’m going to do a last candle and go into lockdown Tuesday night! I’m going to have to walk a few hours in the dark through the cow infested “big Trees” to get there and back most likely. Nothing like having your black angus bull sneak up on you looking for a snack in the dark! Crazy how quiet they can be when they want to! Should be ok though... we don’t have any large predators on island, (barring cows) and the moon will be almost full.

Yay!!! 50 left is amazing!

Most of the pro hatchers recommend the fruit/produce sacks for separation. I have personally decided not to use breeds that need separating in the same hatch anymore because anything I do to separate either causes more problems or prevents any sort of assisting.

I’m going to make a horrible breeder but I just can’t deal with letting a baby not make it, and have this urge to do what I can to make it work. When I’m working with a breed I’ll probably do the same and just move any assists to a non breeding pen.

I’m with @CluckNDoodle and all for separate hatchers.

Oh, also, I’ve seen people use upside down strawberry boxes and thought hmmmm.... I could easily get into that and pull a chick or egg if needed.....

Anything I’ve tried to do to divide with “walls” have led to chicks climbing the walls and getting hung up.

 

[Compost King]

5 birds out, only one serama egg pipping. Maybe another one starts pipping tonight but I believe I will have 6 chicks after I started with 50. Having an Infertile Rooster on the breed I had the most eggs for didn't help my percentages but so far I am at 10% and one more will put me over 10% lol. I needed a small hatch anyways. I took the day off from any real work today because I have been hard charging and getting a lot of work done. I still had to finish cleaning one Brooder then setting it up for the new chicks.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

View attachment 1875292
5 birds out, only one serama egg pipping. Maybe another one starts pipping tonight but I believe I will have 6 chicks after I started with 50. Having an Infertile Rooster on the breed I had the most eggs for didn't help my percentages but so far I am at 10% and one more will put me over 10% lol. I needed a small hatch anyways. I took the day off from any real work today because I have been hard charging and getting a lot of work done. I still had to finish cleaning one Brooder then setting it up for the new chicks.

I can't wait to see the little Serama! I think my next hatch will be some tiny chickens.
The infertile eggs don't count against your hatch rate though! Unless you're trying to establish a fertility rate for that particular rooster.

 

[Compost King]

I kinda knew there may be a problem with that rooster. He didn't roost at night and every time I went to pick him up he was skinnier and skinnier, now he is dead. I had already collected the eggs before I caught on that he was getting sick but figured maybe some of the early ones might be fertile. he was the 2nd Rooster of that breed the first rooster was cross breeding at the time.
I went into Lock Down with 4 Naked Necks, I though I was only going to get 2 of them to hatch then poof one pipped, zippered and hatched himself in record time. Then the last one pipped. I still have one more Serama pipping very slowly, (s)he has zipper pipped for a while now, still moving but struggling to get out. The rest are likely duds since they have the creeper gene... not sure at what stage they die with the creeper gene (the short leg gene). I just counted 7 serama eggs, 3 of which hatched 1 is zipper pipping and the egg is shaking, probably trying to break out now, and 3 look like duds. So possible 100% on the Naked Necks going into lockdown and 57.14% on the Seramas. if I include pre Lock down numbers its looking like 16% total. I needed a small hatch, the last 3 hatches were kinda big and I was overwhelmed with the brooder clean up, filling Feeders and changing out nasty water.

 

[wolfwalker]

So day 8, well...glances over at clock, in an hour that is

I set 12 and after candling I have 11 that look good and 1 so so, but that could be because it is the biggest egg in there. Also pretty dark brown to boot.

These eggs I traveled an hour and a half to pick up in person and were fresh as of that morning. it's too bad they are all going to be crosses, but for egg production that should be something to look forward too. She has 3 roosters in her mixed flock, so daddy could be one of these 3, Black Jersey, Easter Egger and Buff Orpington. of course the hens are from those 3 breeds also.

 

[aliciaplus3]

I kinda knew there may be a problem with that rooster. He didn't roost at night and every time I went to pick him up he was skinnier and skinnier, now he is dead. I had already collected the eggs before I caught on that he was getting sick but figured maybe some of the early ones might be fertile. he was the 2nd Rooster of that breed the first rooster was cross breeding at the time.
I went into Lock Down with 4 Naked Necks, I though I was only going to get 2 of them to hatch then poof one pipped, zippered and hatched himself in record time. Then the last one pipped. I still have one more Serama pipping very slowly, (s)he has zipper pipped for a while now, still moving but struggling to get out. The rest are likely duds since they have the creeper gene... not sure at what stage they die with the creeper gene (the short leg gene). I just counted 7 serama eggs, 3 of which hatched 1 is zipper pipping and the egg is shaking, probably trying to break out now, and 3 look like duds. So possible 100% on the Naked Necks going into lockdown and 57.14% on the Seramas. if I include pre Lock down numbers its looking like 16% total. I needed a small hatch, the last 3 hatches were kinda big and I was overwhelmed with the brooder clean up, filling Feeders and changing out nasty water.

Sounds like you and I are opposite on this hatch. I remember pulling some yolkers and blood rings but stopped keeping track a while back, but out of around 44? Eggs that went into lockdown I only had 2 that died after trying to zip, malposition, and it looks like there are 9 left that died just after lockdown so, I think that should give me like 33? Live babies running around the brooder. I lost count of how many ducks, but 4 turkeys, and 5? Necked necks. All in all I am pleased!

oh my last hatch was almost 4 weeks ago and a Small one with a turner issue at the end resulting in late deaths
.. I lost all but one of my duck from that one so I got froggy and set a Bunch of duck for this week and next
... let's just say my circa 1934 cabinet incubator works great!
Now my concern is what to do with this many? Lol

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Sounds like you and I are opposite on this hatch. I remember pulling some yolkers and blood rings but stopped keeping track a while back, but out of around 44? Eggs that went into lockdown I only had 2 that died after trying to zip, malposition, and it looks like there are 9 left that died just after lockdown so, I think that should give me like 33? Live babies running around the brooder. I lost count of how many ducks, but 4 turkeys, and 5? Necked necks. All in all I am pleased!View attachment 1875407 View attachment 1875408 oh my last hatch was almost 4 weeks ago and a Small one with a turner issue at the end resulting in late deaths
.. I lost all but one of my duck from that one so I got froggy and set a Bunch of duck for this week and next
... let's just say my circa 1934 cabinet incubator works great!
Now my concern is what to do with this many? Lol

I love the little duckling in the second photo that is face planted napping, so cute!

 

[Rockporters]

All 5 Serama were DIS. One looked almost ready to hatch, another 1 wasn’t terribly far behind, 1 was sticky, and 1 hadn’t finished developing properly.

We think the garage is the culprit because of temp changes. My humidity and so forth were as consistent as ever, but the room temps varied greatly. So.. the bf will let me hatch in the basement next time. Or I may just take home the Brinsea and do I t in my bathroom again. Bummed about the hatch, my these last two hatches were the worst I’ve had. Will try again.

 

[john_wrightson2003]

All 5 Serama were DIS. One looked almost ready to hatch, another 1 wasn’t terribly far behind, 1 was sticky, and 1 hadn’t finished developing properly.

We think the garage is the culprit because of temp changes. My humidity and so forth were as consistent as ever, but the room temps varied greatly. So.. the bf will let me hatch in the basement next time. Or I may just take home the Brinsea and do I t in my bathroom again. Bummed about the hatch, my these last two hatches were the worst I’ve had. Will try again.

I'm so sorry to hear that, I've been thru many hatches like that... I feel your pain.