Bantam chick hatch

[purewellspring]

This is my first attempt at incubating chicks. A friend found a source for local Black Copper Marans, and the breeder also raises bantams, my particular favorite. 40 banty eggs in the Hovabator tonight at 10:15. Yikes! I'm excited, but trying not to get my hopes up. My friend just finished hatching her mix from this same breeder, 5 out of 18 hatched. It was her first run with the Hova, so I think we're still working out some tweaks. I think the temp gauge is a little off, for one thing. I ran to Wally world and bought an accurite thermometer and hygrometer (the cheap one, but at least it's something) and a basic mercury thermometer, just to compare. And both thermometer are registering a couple of degrees below the Hova temp gauge.

Any experience with bantams in the Hovabator? Anything I should know? Pretty clueless at this point except for everything I've read on here! Hence the extra temp/hygrometer tools.

Wish me luck!! If nothing else, we'll call it science class for the month.

 

[gabrielle1976]

You can do it . Try to keep the room temp the bator is in steady even if that means you are some times to warm or to cold , Make sure to avoid direct sunlight on the bator.
Dont forget they need turned so if you dont have a turner mark them and turn 3 times a day.
Only candle day10 and day 18 (lock down) if you can control your self , the less you handle them the better for the eggs. Remmber to wash your hands befor you touch them , no lotions ect .
Read read read.
Humidity 35-40% till day 18 . 65%-75% for 18-21
Read some more.
And enjoy , dont stress hatching can be so much fun.
It will help you enjoy the process if you make sure you know what you need to know and have everything you will need for the hatch and the babies befor hand.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

You can do it . Try to keep the room temp the bator is in steady even if that means you are some times to warm or to cold , Make sure to avoid direct sunlight on the bator.
Dont forget they need turned so if you dont have a turner mark them and turn 3 times a day.
Only candle day10 and day 18 (lock down) if you can control your self , the less you handle them the better for the eggs. Remmber to wash your hands befor you touch them , no lotions ect .
Read read read.
Humidity 35-40% till day 18 . 65%-75% for 18-21
Read some more.
And enjoy , dont stress hatching can be so much fun.
It will help you enjoy the process if you make sure you know what you need to know and have everything you will need for the hatch and the babies befor hand.

Great info here..... Read read read make sure your Temps and humidity are good, I use several hygros and thermometers and calibrate!

Here is a wonderful read about dry incubation and most of us do this method....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-incubate-hatch-eggs-using-the-dry-incubation-method

 

[purewellspring]

Thanks for your replies! I'm super excited...but like seed starting, keep reminding myself every hour or so that NOTHING IS HAPPENING (at least that I can see). hehehe.

I'm super interested in the dry incubating, seems like it might give me a better shot at a good hatch. But the only post I could find with much info re: dry incubating and bantams mentioned keeping the humidity at more like 40%...said his hatches for Bantams specifically had come out much better keeping the humidity a little higher. But given all the info on the dry inc threads, I'm not worry too much about humidity fluctuations until we candle next week and I can see what's going on. (so excited!!!! science lesson waiting to happen...)

The temps seem to be holding steady right around 100* and somewhere between 39-43% humidity (avgs of my various gauges). I'm glad I got new thermometers, I definitely have the feeling low temps had much to do with my friend's low hatch rate last week. When the incubator thermometer reads 100* my others read 97-98, and my friend kept the inc. set on the factory setting of 100 the whole time.

I do see why people invest in automatic turners, however. Turning 40 teeny bantam eggs three times a day is a bit tedious. But the chicks that emerge are so worth it! (fingers crossed)

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Thanks for your replies! I'm super excited...but like seed starting, keep reminding myself every hour or so that NOTHING IS HAPPENING (at least that I can see). hehehe.

I'm super interested in the dry incubating, seems like it might give me a better shot at a good hatch. But the only post I could find with much info re: dry incubating and bantams mentioned keeping the humidity at more like 40%...said his hatches for Bantams specifically had come out much better keeping the humidity a little higher. But given all the info on the dry inc threads, I'm not worry too much about humidity fluctuations until we candle next week and I can see what's going on. (so excited!!!! science lesson waiting to happen...)

The temps seem to be holding steady right around 100* and somewhere between 39-43% humidity (avgs of my various gauges). I'm glad I got new thermometers, I definitely have the feeling low temps had much to do with my friend's low hatch rate last week. When the incubator thermometer reads 100* my others read 97-98, and my friend kept the inc. set on the factory setting of 100 the whole time.

I do see why people invest in automatic turners, however. Turning 40 teeny bantam eggs three times a day is a bit tedious. But the chicks that emerge are so worth it! (fingers crossed)

It is interesting isnt it!! makes for ALOT less worry too! lol on the turning, my thoughts with the last full bator, but you get to check the eggs more frequently that way too. I just need to buy some medical gloves because at least one has to slip from my fingers : ( only broke one this way the others were ok, no cracks! and have had plenty of short slips to no harm! shweeewwwww

There is a bunch of us that check into a thread pretty daily, your welcome to come join us, stop in say hello and let everyone know whats in the bator! The thread isnt just for shipped eggs anymore, we have some great people stopping in so its nice when you need a laugh, questions answered and even a shoulder someone is there, plus we have some wonderful youngins that hacht with us, so we would love to keep the thread alive! its in my signature.... where you can find me or something it says...

 

[Sally Sunshine]

How did candling go??