BYC's 2025 Spooktacular Halloween Hatch-Along

[redinator]

I have 6 eggs out of 12. On day 19 for me. No action yet, but I have the brooder ready. The brooder is a sink cabinet, (I found on side of road.) I brood on second hand place mats and roll up and toss when soiled. I use material scraps for the beds on cracker boxes. Small stictches. Egg carton for food. Start off with food on floor. I get a few waters to rotate and keep clean. Put a pie plate under for splashes.View attachment 4240532below wire basket no handles if you have a weak or pecked chick. Hand warmers on hand for power outs.View attachment 4240541
I am clamping and tying and taping down heat lamp, but if you use one, chain it, screw in place, indoors don't use a heat lamp, no LED have heat, indoors if you get a bug light it is yellow it is like a 60 watt.

OMG the hand warmers are a great idea. I'll be adding those to my chick care kit for next time. Could toss several in the incubator too if the power goes out.

 

[ella2025]

Here's what I'm seeing in the video:
3 and 4 look like quitters

5 seems to be developing

6, unsure

7 quitter . . . it shouldn't slosh around at this point

8 dark shelled (?) or full of chick

the one after 8, dark shelled . . I missed the number (10 I think)

11 seems to be developing . . I see an air cell and the rest of the egg is dark (developing embryo)

12 dark shelled (?) or full of chick

13 unsure

14 seems to be developing . . I see an air cell and the rest of the egg is dark (developing embryo)

15 seems to be developing . . I see an air cell and the rest of the egg is dark (developing embryo)

17 seems to be developing . . I see an air cell and the rest of the egg is dark (developing embryo)

18 seems to be developing . . I see an air cell and the rest of the egg is dark (developing embryo)

I'm working on fixing similar issues. It could be that my pullets are too young to produce a good quantity of healthy chicks, issues with the incubator, infertile cockerels/pullets.

It could also be that I handle my eggs too often during incubation (making progress there), neglect to clean the eggs (opinions differ on that), improper storage/handling before incubation.

It's all a learning process and the outcomes aren't always good, but I learn something new or try something different with each hatch.

I stored the eggs for about 2 weeks, turning them about 3 times a day. Maybe because they're older they won't develop as well? I don't know lol. With my last broody experience, all 6 eggs were alive and well before they got destroyed by my other chickens and I had to crack them open and eliminate them. They were all developing and doing well at 12-14 days. Saffron and Pepper were the 2 eggs left, transferred into the incubator on day 14 and they both hatched. Maybe broodies are just better at it than incubators, lol.

 

[ella2025]

Here's what I'm seeing in the video:
3 and 4 look like quitters

5 seems to be developing

6, unsure

7 quitter . . . it shouldn't slosh around at this point

8 dark shelled (?) or full of chick

the one after 8, dark shelled . . I missed the number (10 I think)

11 seems to be developing . . I see an air cell and the rest of the egg is dark (developing embryo)

12 dark shelled (?) or full of chick

13 unsure

14 seems to be developing . . I see an air cell and the rest of the egg is dark (developing embryo)

15 seems to be developing . . I see an air cell and the rest of the egg is dark (developing embryo)

17 seems to be developing . . I see an air cell and the rest of the egg is dark (developing embryo)

18 seems to be developing . . I see an air cell and the rest of the egg is dark (developing embryo)

I'm working on fixing similar issues. It could be that my pullets are too young to produce a good quantity of healthy chicks, issues with the incubator, infertile cockerels/pullets.

It could also be that I handle my eggs too often during incubation (making progress there), neglect to clean the eggs (opinions differ on that), improper storage/handling before incubation.

It's all a learning process and the outcomes aren't always good, but I learn something new or try something different with each hatch.

Thank you so much! This is exactly what I'm thinking.

 

[redinator]

I stored the eggs for about 2 weeks, turning them about 3 times a day. Maybe because they're older they won't develop as well? I don't know lol. With my last broody experience, all 6 eggs were alive and well before they got destroyed by my other chickens and I had to crack them open and eliminate them. They were all developing and doing well at 12-14 days. Saffron and Pepper were the 2 eggs left, transferred into the incubator on day 14 and they both hatched. Maybe broodies are just better at it than incubators, lol.

Most of the girls I have are likely to go broody, once that starts happening I'll only incubate if I want eggs from a particular pair of chickens.

 

[Lady Lisa of Groveland]

Thank you SO MUCH!

My Sicilian-Buttercup is a butthead and bullies any new babies. She's not much older. I can't wait until she gets big enough to be with the big chickens so she gets hers.

 

[redinator]

My Sicilian-Buttercup is a butthead and bullies any new babies. She's not much older. I can't wait until she gets big enough to be with the big chickens so she gets hers.

It's hard to feel bad for the bullies getting put in their place.

 

[Rooski456]

Did a final candling tonight and took out the egg turners. Of the 20 eggs I had 1 quitter I pulled. There is still 4 I’m not sure of but decided to leave. Do you think I should bump humidity tomorrow morning or wait til tomorrow night when I get off?!

 

[redinator]

Did a final candling tonight and took out the egg turners. Of the 20 eggs I had 1 quitter I pulled. There is still 4 I’m not sure of but decided to leave. Do you think I should bump humidity tomorrow morning or wait til tomorrow night when I get off?!

I would do it in the morning. There's not much you can do when they first pip and some can take hours from pip to zip. You might find some partially hatched when you get home though. Will anyone else be home during the day?

 

[Rooski456]

I would do it in the morning. There's not much you can do when they first pip and some can take hours from pip to zip. You might find some partially hatched when you get home though. Will anyone else be home during the day?

That was my original thought but then I realized day 3 isn’t technically until noon so I didn’t know if it made a difference . Nope no one will be home for about 8 hours until my teens get back. I was thinking about setting a camera up so I can watch from work

 

[redinator]

That was my original thought but then I realized day 3 isn’t technically until noon so I didn’t know if it made a difference . Nope no one will be home for about 8 hours until my teens get back. I was thinking about setting a camera up so I can watch from work

And down the rabbit hole we go, lol. If you have a camera that would be awesome, then you could send the rest of us pictures

When I had different sized eggs in the same hatch I had some pip on day 18 just after increasing the humidity, but not start to unzip until hours (4-5) later. I had another egg start to wiggle the same day, but it didn't pip until day 21. I also had a few small eggs only take 3-4 (ETA: hours) from pip to fully hatched.

I don't think a few hours one way or the other makes a ton of difference (ETA: at this stage). If you'd rather be there when they start to hatch hold off on increasing the humidity, but prepare for a sleepless night (or a few).