Could I be anymore in love! Doubt it.

[Drapery Mary]

I haven't hatched any myself, but really want to. I have been checking out incubators and reading all the threads about hatching. I can't wait to try it.

You can do it, If I can, anyone can. I did get two of the same incubators that rosemi78 mentioned above. One with a turner and one for lockdown during the last 3 days. I didn't think I would be able to remember to turn the eggs enough without a turner and so far it is working out great, once I got some fertile eggs in there that is. The first batch of 27 cuckoo marans I started in early February didn't do anything I'm guessing because they weren't fertile or they got to cold before I got to them. I cracked them all open and NOTHING. They filled 2 spaghetti jars completely. YUCK!

 

[nova022]

Thank you!!! And, believe me, you will see lots of fluffy chick pix! Lol
Nova, be careful. Once you start, it's SO HARD to stop!!! I've only had chickens since January & this is my 2nd hatch exactly 4 weeks after the first. Not knowing anything at all, I just have the LG9200. No fan. No turner. A royal PAIN to keep temps regulated and controlling humidity is a joke. Yet I had an 82% success rate for hatch 1, and am doing pretty well with hatch 2 so far. For some reason, with both hatches, I have had 4 (at least) hatch a day early. Healthy little things, though.

You must be doing something right to have such a good hatch rate. I will definetly need a turner. I am so absent minded. Poor hubby will have to bouid another coop and another and another and..............................

 

[rosemi78]

I don't know how on earth I'm getting this incubator to give me such successful hatch rates, but there are SO MANY CHICKS in there that I can't get a count AND I had to sneak my hand in to pull out some of the empty shells! Poor chicks had nowhere to go!!! At least 4 more have hatched just in the last half hour that I've been home! This is insane and SO exciting!

 

[newbiechickie]

I feel the same way. I bought a couple babies from the farm and home store about a week ago and had some hatch from my own bator on st. patty's day and there is a completely different kind of love for them. So glad I am not the only one who feels this way.

 

[ChucktheChick]

Yay! I am so glad that you hatched again! They are So cute! Congratulations!!!!!

 

[rosemi78]

Yay! I am so glad that you hatched again! They are So cute! Congratulations!!!!!

Thank you!!! So many of them hatched already that I don't even know how many I have! I'm getting ready to move the ones I can into their brooder, so maybe I'll figure it out in a minute. Be prepared for lots of pictures!!!

 

[rosemi78]

27 chicks at this point. I just had to aid one that was upside down AND shrink wrapped, so hopefully she can pull through. She's laying in what's left of her shell to break free from on top of a wet wash cloth. The chicks that are still in the incubator are picking on her, though, so it's making me nervous.
27 out of 32 so far & today is just day 21, almost to the hour. That's an 84% hatch rate at this point... Can't be unhappy with that! These ones seem SO much smaller than the first chicks I hatched!!!

 

[rosemi78]

I could watch them all night!

 

[rosemi78]

I had to help one of the chicks hatch last night. I could've let Mother Nature take its course, but I knew if I did that she wouldn't make it...





You can see where she managed to pip out of part of her shell, but then she became shrink wrapped & wasn't doing well... After over 18 hours, I thought she was gone. I picked the egg up and slowly started picking away at the shell with tweezers while my 10 year old rolled a q-tip over the membrane that was stuck to the chick. I probably helped her more than what was recommended, but she was so weak that I decided it was a better option for the chick. There was the slightest bit of yolk left to be absorbed, so I laid her back in the incubator in about 1/3 of the shell on a damp wash cloth and just kept checking on her. I didn't think she would be alive when I got up this morning.





Looks like she's stronger than I gave her credit for. Made me smile when I saw her moving around. Proud of the little one. <3

 

[nova022]

Here is hoping she makes it. She has spirit and is a cutie!