Beginner's Hatch-A-Long

[SA Farm]

Congratulations!

They can go without food or water for up to 36 hours and most breeders take them out of the incubator after 24. If you still have eggs pipping, you want to wait for them so you can move them together...that's what I read. Hopefully I'll have some hatches tomorrow or Saturday...

 

[SA Farm]

I'm on lockdown (day 20) over here, and I get a strong feeling that none of the 16 eggs will hatch. The eggs haven't moved around and there isn't any evidence of pipping. The temperature fluctuations have been so great and all over the map during the entire incubation period.

I think we will end up buying a Brinsea incubator and starting over.

At what point should I give up and toss the eggs? Day 25 or so?

My first attempt was a fail and I waited until day 25 to candle and do eggtopsys.

 

[EggieRowe]

Today is day one. I put the eggs in this morning and now I'm having trouble with the humidity. It's at 58% and I can't get it to go any lower. If I keep opening the lid the temp is going to drop again. Is humidity okay to be a little high? Ugh. This is going to be a long stressful 21 days! I don't want to mess up!

If the vent plug is in, take it out. Do you know what the humidity is in your house? If your house is really high, you can try running the A/C a bit more since part of the cooling process is removes moisture from the air. 58% doesn't sound crazy high though and it might normalize in a day or so. I was told the best way to know if you're humidity is okay is to mark the air cell at the 7, 14, and 18 day candles and compare to graphs online. As long as look about right, you're doing okay.

 

[EggieRowe]

I got the basic one (like $50 at tsc and online)
It's Farm Innovations still air incubator.
Lemme check model number real quick...
Model 2100
I paid $47 on amazon.com. TSC has them for $40some in store but every time I went to mine they were sold out.



And thanks guys, SUPER EXCITED!!!!

3 are out now and 3 more are working on it.
There are 12 I marked as "no hatch" and put on the other side after candling, but left them in there just in case because it was my first time didn't want to make a mistake....

I grew up in Fayetteville, over in College Lakes and later out in Stedman. Haven't been back in a decade or so, but I hear its quite nice now.

 

[dutchbunny83]

I grew up in Fayetteville, over in College Lakes and later out in Stedman. Haven't been back in a decade or so, but I hear its quite nice now.

I'm right on the Raeford/Hoke County line.
I think College Lakes is over by Ramsey? I'm hardly over that way unless we're going 95 north to go back home (I'm from MD, hubby from NY). They're doing a lot of construction over that way.
We're military and have been here 4 years this past March.
I like it
Plus the town I came from you couldn't keep chickens, though if may have changed...

 

[My peeps]

Thank you everyone! I tried to find local eggs and didn't have much luck. Hoping to connect with some locals on here for future hatchings. I did add 3 of my own Silkies and 1 of my Leghorns. Hopefully, if none of the mail ordered ones hatch those will. I read about marking the air sac on the shell but it sounded confusing. Maybe once I do it and actually see what they are talking about, I will understand. I already decided that even if I don't see anything when I candle the egg I am keeping them in the incubator. Since this is my first time I would hate to get rid of a good one on accident. This is going to be a very long 21 days!!! lol Thanks again for the help!

 

[dutchbunny83]

Thank you everyone! I tried to find local eggs and didn't have much luck. Hoping to connect with some locals on here for future hatchings. I did add 3 of my own Silkies and 1 of my Leghorns. Hopefully, if none of the mail ordered ones hatch those will. I read about marking the air sac on the shell but it sounded confusing. Maybe once I do it and actually see what they are talking about, I will understand. I already decided that even if I don't see anything when I candle the egg I am keeping them in the incubator. Since this is my first time I would hate to get rid of a good one on accident. This is going to be a very long 21 days!!! lol Thanks again for the help!

That is exactly what I did (got rid of one on accident) and it was TRAUMATIC! I opened it up to see the inside to learn for the future and it was a live baby! Obviously too young to sustain life.
So from now one, the ones I think are duds I mark NO in pencil, but keep them in there just in case. So far I seem to be right on all the no's we will see.
For a temp that varied constantly and extremely high humidity my mail order hatch seems to be going really well! Fingers crossed it stays that way.

My 3 that hatched between 10 and 7 hours ago I had to take out of the incubator. They were going around all crazy, crashing other eggs together, and kept bumping against the heating element I was afraid they'd be hurt. I set up a brooder with a rubbermaid storage tub, some pine bedding, and a heat lamp in my bathroom. Then I ran my shower on super hot for about 15 min to get the bathroom temp up and the humidity. I'm hoping they do okay in there, I was just worried about the rest.

Today is only day 19 so these guys came a little early. I was hesitant in leaving them in there for another 2 days if they all go to term. A lot are rocking around, but no more out of the shells yet.

 

[Penny Hen]

I discovered something today. I am sure some of the old hats know it but if you float an egg that has spoiled and is under pressure then it gives off tiny bubbles.

 

[ivyrash]

Today is day 10 and I candled and found 3 that have the air sack at the bottom. These eggs were purchased online and shipped so I know that had something to do with it but my question is can I just flip them over or should I leave them alone and hope for the best?

 

[Penny Hen]

This is good advice, but not always a possible solution.
Where I live, no one had hatching eggs.
And if you get into more difficult to find breeds then you definitely have to turn to the internet.
I have some blue copper marans in there and the egg shells are so dark I never even bothered candling, just have to wait and see if they hatch.

By the way though, out of 18 mail order eggs (not including the 4 marans), so far I have had 6 hatch which is a pretty good rate so far for a first hatch and mail order eggs.

But this is good advice, fresh local eggs always have a better rate!!!
Just sometimes there aren't any to be had, especially if you live in a city with a no rooster law....

I used to live in Fayettville and then Ft Bragg. There are rural areas all around there outside of the city and no one was selling fertile eggs? I guess it has grown up a lot since I left in 1994.