Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[Teila]

Lolz Fancy .. I do believe that I was leaning so far in that direction that a gentle breeze off the flap of a butterfly's wings would have pushed me over!

Seriously, chatting to everyone has made me feel less heavy of heart with the decision and I know Blondie will be very happy .. now all I need is for the eggs to arrive!

Yep, the little ones are too cute! I will never tire of watching the bond between mother and chicks

 

[IamSamSam]

My only one - ms scarlet ( kids named it) and 5 little toes and so cute ! Also my first ever silkie.

 

[Teila]

My only one - ms scarlet ( kids named it) and 5 little toes and so cute ! Also my first ever silkie.

Aaaaw

 

[cwrite]

Teila & IamSamSam, I just showed my daughter your chick pics & she nearly burst both of my eardrums. So much cuteness!

Snowy got up & ate & I presume had a drink. I missed it, but I heard her turning the eggs. Such a good mom.

 

[IamSamSam]

Teila & IamSamSam, I just showed my daughter your chick pics & she nearly burst both of my eardrums.  So much cuteness! 

Snowy got up & ate & I presume had a drink.  I missed it, but I heard her turning the eggs.  Such a good mom.

That's great. Always worried me first time mum but my Aussie was great

 

[Teila]

cwrite, trust me, if it was politically correct for someone of my age to be dancing around the garden attempting to burst ear drums, I would be doing it; I am definitely doing it on the inside

These gals of ours never cease to amaze me; such dedication! I recently read that 1. broodies get off the eggs at least once a day and 2. stop turning the eggs and go into 'lock down' just prior to the hatch .. my two gals did not get that memo!

Cilla, would not get off the eggs and for both her hatches I have had to move her once a day .. I do believe she would sit there are starve to death if I did not snap her out of her trance! Tina, on the other hand made sure she got off the eggs at least once a day, if not twice or more and on the morning of the first pip, the only reason I knew it was pipped was because I got a nice long look at the eggs while she was having a dust bath and something to eat! So much for 'lock down'.

She did worry me a little with this hatch in that she did not leave the nest after the first chick hatched and was sitting there from 10am Sunday until this morning without a drink. I tried to offer her water but she would not take it. To my relief, she wandered out of the nest this morning and had a drink, bubbies in tow.

Once again, she knew what she was doing

 

[appps]

What do you guys keep your humidity at for the first couple of weeks? I'm finding mine is affecting my temps.

When I first set it up (without time to play around) it was running a little high with humidity around 55-56% the temp on the incubator was a little higher than my second thermometer showed (checked it in a glass of ice water) so I tweaked its calibration down .2. Now as my humidity is coming down to where I "think is better 40-45% the temp on the incubator is still showing 37.5 but my second one says it's actually 37.8.

Do I bring the humidity back up or keep adjusting the temperature calibration on the incubator? Don't want to drown them or cook them!

Its a fan model and if I'm converting fahrenheit correctly the temp should be between 37.2 and 37.5.

Edited to add I've put the hygrometer on my second thermometer in the incubator (hadn't previously as I've never calibrated it and I wasn't sure the lid would seal properly with it in) and it's showing 47% humidity.

I tried fiddling with the temperature calibration on the incubator but it wasn't helping and temps were hitting 38.2 so I changed the temp I want to incubate at to 37deg and finally according to my second thermometer it's now running at 37.4 -37.5

I can see why this incubator hasn't had rave reviews online due to dismal hatch rates. If you trusted its thermometer you would cook your eggs!

 

[Fancychooklady]

My only one - ms scarlet ( kids named it) and 5 little toes and so cute ! Also my first ever silkie.

Oh Sam you are about to fall heavily . There is nothing cuter than a silkie chick.

 

[satay]

What do you guys keep your humidity at for the first couple of weeks? I'm finding mine is affecting my temps.

When I first set it up (without time to play around) it was running a little high with humidity around 55-56% the temp on the incubator was a little higher than my second thermometer showed (checked it in a glass of ice water) so I tweaked its calibration down .2. Now as my humidity is coming down to where I "think is better 40-45% the temp on the incubator is still showing 37.5 but my second one says it's actually 37.8.

Do I bring the humidity back up or keep adjusting the temperature calibration on the incubator? Don't want to drown them or cook them!

Its a fan model and if I'm converting fahrenheit correctly the temp should be between 37.2 and 37.5.

Edited to add I've put the hygrometer on my second thermometer in the incubator (hadn't previously as I've never calibrated it and I wasn't sure the lid would seal properly with it in) and it's showing 47% humidity.

I tried fiddling with the temperature calibration on the incubator but it wasn't helping and temps were hitting 38.2 so I changed the temp I want to incubate at to 37deg and finally according to my second thermometer it's now running at 37.4 -37.5

I can see why this incubator hasn't had rave reviews online due to dismal hatch rates. If you trusted its thermometer you would cook your eggs!

47% will be fine appps.

 

[appps]

Thanks satay. I've got the incubator telling me it's at 39% and my hygrometer telling me it's at 47% so guess even in the middle is okay.

The instructions say I should be at 55% which could be 65% if it's my hygrometer that's right not the incubators. Would means I could be as high as 75% at lockdown when they say to put it up to 65% if I follow the incubator and it's the one that's wrong.