August Hatch-A-Long!

[Heidisgran]

I have a question for all you experienced hatchers. My Father In Law is having MAJOR issues with his incubator. I think this whole hatch will be a bust. Please help me figure out whats going on.

I had just gotten my GQF 1588 incubator for my birthday in May and he HAD to have one too, so he went out and bought a TSC special... Little Giant incubator , at least it has forced air and a turner.

Anyway, I had him run the incubator 3 days before the eggs were due to arrive (shipped eggs) and he said it held temp 99.5*F and humidity 50% just fine. He has 2 thermometers and a hygrometer in there.

I let the eggs sit for 24 hrs before setting them. He said that after we put the eggs in, the temp was fine but the humidity was all over from 40%-65% . I just told him to keep it as steady as possible at 50% . The bator is in the dining room not in sunlight (that room is dark with the blinds closed) and the house is air conditioned but the vent is not close to it.

I did not candle the eggs until day 7, I know that's bad and there were some really wonky air cells. I do not have much experience hatching myself and I have never set shipped eggs before, only my flocks'. About 1/2 of the eggs were clears and the other half I could see veins. I thought everything was going well until I just candled on day 15, the clears were still clear and the veins are gone from all the rest of the eggs except maybe 2 that are too dark for me to see clearly. I think the entire hatch will be a bust, I don't know what to say. Was it the humidity or was there a temp spike? Is it that I didn't let them sit long enough? Is it that cheap-o bator? I feel really bad, I had pretty good hatches in my Genesis. I don't know what to say to him, he was SO excited for pheasant chicks.

better check what the recommend humidity is for pheasant I know its quite high for peafowl which are a pheasant sometimes you don't see viens and everything is still okay

 

[Heidisgran]

When candling you can see the air cell getting larger if the chick is developing properly and the humidity is correct. This will also tell you when its time to up humidity.

o no my chicken eggs air sack dosnt look that large maybe one of them dose i just candeled them and i saw a wing or beak rigth next to the air sack in my cochin egg

what has the humidity been set at? Its important to what you set it at for lock down.....things will change a lot in the next few days inside those eggs your probably fine....sounds like one is internally pipped woohoo....early bird good luck

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

better check what the recommend humidity is for pheasant I know its quite high for peafowl which are a pheasant sometimes you don't see viens and everything is still okay

My incubator manual says pheasants humidity is the same, but temp is .5 (half a degree) warmer than chickens. Don't know if that would have made a difference. It also said they hatch in 23-27 days, so maybe they take longer to show life.

 

[familypendragon]

Here's a really cool chart
http://orgs.usd.edu/esci/age/content/natural_clocks/chicken.html

Awesome!

 

[Heidisgran]

I guess my baby bantam got heat stroke....heat lamp too hot on it....1 other one barely hanging on.....my poor babies

 

[jnjmanning]

I candled my eggs yesterday on the first official day one to get progression pictures and this egg is very porous looking. The other two aren't nearly as porous. I had one egg like this my last hatch and it hatched just fine but I was wondering what this means? I have a 3 egg incubator and this is day two. The picture is from day one. Should I hatch it or replace it at this point?
I candle at 7,10, 14, 18. I dont toss a clear till day 10.

 

[Gen9]

I'm starting question these ones... Rolling into day 10. Pulled out a stinker today, just started forming crusty stuff on the shell & leaking slime, I think it killed the 2 next to it

The other side...

These ones are going strong this is what they should look like:

 

[DeannaA]

So sad when they die at the peanut stage. That's just when I'm starting to get excited about the chicks.

 

[DeannaA]

familypendragon I'm afraid to ask but how were the chicks?

 

[ceocka]

I am in!