August Hatch-A-Long

[CluckNDoodle]

well time to clean the incubator. the last possible and only fertile egg, well it died sometime back. this goes to show you that you can get horrible results from non shipped eggs that you drive to pick up. This is 19 days i'll never get back...sigh. Have crested cream legbar eggs being shipped ion and will arrive Monday or Tuesday

I'm sorry to hear that! I drove several hours to get two dozen eggs and they had some sort of genetic disorder. It was the worst hatch I've ever had and also the first time that I ever lost chicks after hatch as well. I ended up with 3 chicks in the end, all roosters.

I find the heat makes for lower hatch rates as well. I spring I had mostly 80-100% hatch rates and through the heat of summer it has been more like 50-70%. Good luck with your next hatch!!!

 

[LittlePeepsFarm]

Ok, so day 18 final candling before lockdown. Several yolkers and very early quitters. Most all of the remaining eggs look very similar, nice veining near the air cell and chicks filling most of the egg with not much else to see except perhaps some movement. One egg though looked different, a dark embryo up near the air cell and yolk could be seen in the rest of the egg. It did not have the veining near the air cell like the rest of the eggs. So I assume he is a quitter? I do not want to make the mistake of removing someone early if they have a fighting chance though, could it be possible that he is just behind in development and may still hatch? Just late maybe? Or by now should he have been taking up most of the egg and look the same as the others?

 

[jolenesdad]

My broody clearly doesn’t know what “lockdown” means. She still has to come FIRST for treats first thing in the morning.

2 more days!!!

 

[jolenesdad]

Wait wait wait.

I was just going to ask if heat gives early hatches but second guessed myself.

JUST went to midday chores, let mama out to dustbathe and I candled an egg or two.

THREE external pips and three internal pips. Omg. One dud egg. I think. Then the three blue eggs have SMALL air cells and what looks like veining but I can’t see anything else. I’m going to leave them in and fire up the incubator?

All my air cells were smaller than I expected them to be which tells me I’m off in my incubator hatches anyway and using too low humidity (ie shrink wraps AND sticky shipped chicks). But those being large and seeing veining I’m wondering if they’re behind. They were out of the nest one day for a few hours because another hen moved them and sat on them and left. I’ll keep an eye on mama and if she has to leave the nest I’ll put them in the bator.

EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

 

[BlueBaby]

well time to clean the incubator. the last possible and only fertile egg, well it died sometime back. this goes to show you that you can get horrible results from non shipped eggs that you drive to pick up. This is 19 days i'll never get back...sigh. Have crested cream legbar eggs being shipped ion and will arrive Monday or Tuesday

@starri33 drove about 4 or 5 hours one way to come to get some hatching egg's from me. I had the egg's in my incubator so they were already developing, and only were about 5 or 6 day's away from hatching. They hatched for her.

I had also given @igorsMistress a few that were in my incubator that were already in development, too! She now has chick's.

 

[Kris5902]

well time to clean the incubator. the last possible and only fertile egg, well it died sometime back. this goes to show you that you can get horrible results from non shipped eggs that you drive to pick up. This is 19 days i'll never get back...sigh. Have crested cream legbar eggs being shipped ion and will arrive Monday or Tuesday

I have to agree, the eggs that have done the best for me have been my own, that only had to travel three miles at 5-10km/h with me nagging DH about pot holes and driving slower the whole way! I had 30% and 50% on the eggs we’ve had to drive “over the hill” (some nasty washboarding and having to maintain a certain speed to get the 2wd truck up the hill). There could of course be more factors, I know late humidity spikes also contributed to dismal hatch rates and my other difficulties.

Sorry your hatch didn’t do so well, heartbreaking, but there is always next time.

 

[Bookworm0124]

Hi All, so I am joining this thread late but i have a small hatch, they are both Barnyard mixes. They were set on the 8th. It is a struggle candling a maran egg but I'm learning. The eggs were set after a neighbor dog killed some hens so one of these eggs was layed hours before she was killed. Hoping for the best!

Good luck! So sorry about your hen.

 

[Bookworm0124]

Wait wait wait.

I was just going to ask if heat gives early hatches but second guessed myself.

JUST went to midday chores, let mama out to dustbathe and I candled an egg or two.

THREE external pips and three internal pips. Omg. One dud egg. I think. Then the three blue eggs have SMALL air cells and what looks like veining but I can’t see anything else. I’m going to leave them in and fire up the incubator?

All my air cells were smaller than I expected them to be which tells me I’m off in my incubator hatches anyway and using too low humidity (ie shrink wraps AND sticky shipped chicks). But those being large and seeing veining I’m wondering if they’re behind. They were out of the nest one day for a few hours because another hen moved them and sat on them and left. I’ll keep an eye on mama and if she has to leave the nest I’ll put them in the bator.

EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

The one broody hatch I had (with my duck) DID hatch early. I think it was two days early if I remember correctly!
Yaaaaaay baby chicks!!

 

[Bookworm0124]

Hmmmm I may be in for a September hatch after all... My 5 1/2 month is broody! I've given her a day or so to make sure she really is. I think the kids hugged her because she's in a different box now. But she may just be working on stealing those eggs debating whether or not too order her some eggs. @jolenesdad you said the Delaware's from deer run farm matured slowly right? They have a few other breeds I want some from... Not sure if I wanna order there or wait on Delaware's to get from Dawnridge. If I wait.. then I want to get some more color eggers from my flock and I'm thinking about deer ridge or a hatchery so I could maybe get some whiting true greens as well.

 

[jolenesdad]

Hmmmm I may be in for a September hatch after all... My 5 1/2 month is broody! I've given her a day or so to make sure she really is. I think the kids hugged her because she's in a different box now. But she may just be working on stealing those eggs debating whether or not too order her some eggs. @jolenesdad you said the Delaware's from deer run farm matured slowly right? They have a few other breeds I want some from... Not sure if I wanna order there or wait on Delaware's to get from Dawnridge. If I wait.. then I want to get some more color eggers from my flock and I'm thinking about deer ridge or a hatchery so I could maybe get some whiting true greens as well.

I think they’re pretty fast maturing. In fact, Dawnridge Delaware stock came from the deer run flock, but they e been working on it a few years.

I say go for it!!!