Candeling and hatching diary.

[sasimpson77]

I am just joining this conversation - I have 7 eggs under my broody and 4 in an incubator. They went under her/in the bator on 2/27 so today is day 14, correct? One of our 4 hens went broody and so we got a dozen fertilized eggs from a local farmer - mixed breeds (Rhode Island Red, Americauna, Leghorn). It will be fun to see what we get!

I am restraining myself to only candle the eggs in the incubator and let mother nature take it's course outside. I believe I have 2 viable and 2 duds. The shells are quite dark and I haven't looked at them since day 8. But reading this, I think I'll go look at them again!

I wanted to jump in about the humidity. My friend from whom I borrowed the incubator said to keep the humidity between 45-55% and temp at 100*. I've read some articles about increasing the humidity toward the end to 60-70%. Do you agree and if so, when should it be increased?

Great pics, sasimpson77. I really enjoyed seeing them! As a first timer, they were very informative and helpful. Thanks for taking the time to do that!

It really depends on what hatching method you use 99.5 is ideal temp lower means a later hatch date higher means could hatch early I have so far been having day 24 and day 25 hatches my chicks have been very week if they do hatch and I have lost most of them. I have a new Red Wood cabinet incubator (at least new to me) and the temp has been a lot easier to stabalize I have found as long as I get the temp up to 50% at lockdown it does spike to above 60% when chicks start hatching.

 

[sasimpson77]

Ok so I am actually off by a day on these eggs they are not day 14 but rather they are day 13 and actually these will probably be off by a few more days because of the way I started out incubating them I believe I may have a couple more quitters what a bummer. But its ok.

 

[mortie]

Your eggs look good!

I ran my humidity around 33% for most of my incubation. It's about 65% now that we're in lockdown.

 

[sasimpson77]

I thought everyone might like to see my Red Wood incubator it is an oldie but a goodie and actually have two of them I bought one and the guy threw the second one in.

 

[pinusresinosa]

That's a beast, very nice incubator!

It was day 4 on batch 2 in the second incubator, so I candled everyone today. Mix of chicken and my own duck eggs from my two hens (one rouen and one pekin) and my one drake hold over from last year's mess of a season (my indian runner). All of the chicken eggs except one look good overall! My duck eggs, all of my big green eggs from my rouen have definite development in them already, but none of the pekin eggs do. I've cracked some of my pekin's eggs and I thought I've seen bullseyes, maybe not- but none of them had a spot in them. I wonder if my drake is mating only with my rouen hen Beautiful (that's her name).

I checked my first group on their day 14, all look fantastic (all mixed chicken). One of the eggs I can barely see through, which is the same one I *thought* I saw move recently.

 

[pinusresinosa]

@mortie , how's yours coming along?

 

[sasimpson77]

Well I am crazy I am picking up a huge amount of eggs today both chicken and quail some mix some pure and my Rhodebar eggs arrived today I will have to do some adjusting in the bator if I want them all to fit probably get rid of the one's I knew were not good (clear or blood rings) and move the other eggs, combine the trays, none of the trays I have are even half full that bator has a 624 capacity and I have over 200 eggs to add today just hoping I can keep the quail in a tray of there own. I will post candling pics of them as long as we can see in them lol. I will have to fire up my second cabinet incubator for the Easter hatch along. Anybody want to buy some day old chicks lol.

 

[pinusresinosa]

What sorta day old chicks?

 

[mortie]

@mortie , how's yours coming along?

They are just sitting there....not moving. Not peeping. I don't really expect much until tomorrow but the waiting is kiiillllling me.

 

[pinusresinosa]

They are just sitting there....not moving. Not peeping. I don't really expect much until tomorrow but the waiting is kiiillllling me.