Cream Legbars

[dretd]

Well, they're all shipped eggs, so we'll see...but the method of resting the eggs before turning worked pretty well last time around, so I'm hoping for enough birds to finish forming three lines.

So what is your magic method, may I ask? Good luck on your hatch!

 

[Bama1]

It's been a rough couple if days here. I went into the hospital Sunday night with chest pain. Thank goodness it wasn't a heart attack. Will follow up with cardiologist. Came home yesterday afternoon. Two hours later we have tornados here in DeKalb county Alabama. My parents lost their shed, gazebo and their pontoon boat was blown out of their pond and into the field. We were out of power all afternoon and night and my incubator with 20 cream legbars and 14 sulmtalers were at 72F degrees by the time power was restored despite being wrapped in quilt. Going up to parents this morning to clean up for them.

I candled this morning. Day 14 and it doesn't look very promising. I'm still leaving them in there anyway.....

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Sorry Bama!

 

[Bama1]

Sorry Bama!

Thanks Rinda, and please let me know if there is anything I can still help with on the contests, I will do what I am capable of!
Amy Maria

 

[KPenley]

So what is your magic method, may I ask? Good luck on your hatch!

Let eggs sit for 12-24 hours outside the incubator to acclimate to room temp. Meanwhile let your incubator warm up and stabilize with turner inside, but do not turn the turner on.
Then place eggs in turner with egg plates in flat position inside the incubator, but still do not turn the turner on.
Leave them be for 5-7 days.
On day 7, turn the tuner on.
Incubate like normal the rest of the time.

The theory is that an egg has an infinite amount of energy and has the ability to heal itself if not disturbed the first 7 days.
I had a 50% hatch rate on my Barnies that came all the way from California. It might have been more, but I think I messed things up a bit since I didn't remove the clears before LD and one egg started to bubble/weep (so I opened the incubator to remove it).

 

[heirloomorps]

Does anyone have a Mature spare Rooster? Something got in my pen last night and my Rooster died defending his hen. I'm in NY (Near Rochester) but I am going to Louisville KY next month if anyone has one along my route? I'm bummed that I fed them all winter and like weeks before I can start hatching eggs something kills it.

I wish I could help. It's always disappointing to lose birds. We have a spare three month old roo but are not near you at all.

 

[HaplessRunner]

Well my first hatching attempt with CLs was marginal, 2/8 hatched. One hatchling was blind and did not make it more than a week and the other was lost due to coccidosis. Sadly, she was too far gone to save by the time I figured things out. Last Sunday, I set 20 CL eggs in the incubator. So hoping for the best and I am better prepared this time around. I seem to be doing better with each hatching experience. An in between hatching experience resulted in 3 SFH, 1 ameraucana, and 5 EOs. While one SFH was doing poorly, she is now much better.

The other learning experience was the need for intervention. I was trying to avoid intervention but I lost 5 that pipped and failed to complete hatching. As a result of subsequent intervention, I was able to save 2 SFH and 3 EOs of the batch noted above. While I would prefer not to intervene in hatching, I would rather take the chance to save a chick than loss a life unnecessarily.

So looking forward to the next hatch of CLs.

 

[dretd]

Well my first hatching attempt with CLs was marginal, 2/8 hatched. One hatchling was blind and did not make it more than a week and the other was lost due to coccidosis. Sadly, she was too far gone to save by the time I figured things out. Last Sunday, I set 20 CL eggs in the incubator. So hoping for the best and I am better prepared this time around. I seem to be doing better with each hatching experience. An in between hatching experience resulted in 3 SFH, 1 ameraucana, and 5 EOs. While one SFH was doing poorly, she is now much better.

The other learning experience was the need for intervention. I was trying to avoid intervention but I lost 5 that pipped and failed to complete hatching. As a result of subsequent intervention, I was able to save 2 SFH and 3 EOs of the batch noted above. While I would prefer not to intervene in hatching, I would rather take the chance to save a chick than loss a life unnecessarily.

So looking forward to the next hatch of CLs.

I have also had poor luck with incubator hatches from shipped eggs. This year I am going to try coordinating shipped eggs to place under a broody to eliminate me from the loop and I hope to have better success.

The best of luck to you on your new hatch!

 

[dretd]

Let eggs sit for 12-24 hours outside the incubator to acclimate to room temp. Meanwhile let your incubator warm up and stabilize with turner inside, but do not turn the turner on.
Then place eggs in turner with egg plates in flat position inside the incubator, but still do not turn the turner on.
Leave them be for 5-7 days.
On day 7, turn the tuner on.
Incubate like normal the rest of the time.

The theory is that an egg has an infinite amount of energy and has the ability to heal itself if not disturbed the first 7 days.
I had a 50% hatch rate on my Barnies that came all the way from California. It might have been more, but I think I messed things up a bit since I didn't remove the clears before LD and one egg started to bubble/weep (so I opened the incubator to remove it).

I have never not turned them after placing them in the incubator--very interesting. Maybe that explains my poor hatch rates.

Since I was going to try a broody this year with the shipped eggs, I was wondering if you (or any other broody-experienced hatcher) can comment on the resting then placing under the broody time line. Obviously you can't have the hen not turn the eggs at first and you don't want to have the eggs grow too stale resting for a week. Any thoughts?

 

[KPenley]

I have never not turned them after placing them in the incubator--very interesting. Maybe that explains my poor hatch rates.

Since I was going to try a broody this year with the shipped eggs, I was wondering if you (or any other broody-experienced hatcher) can comment on the resting then placing under the broody time line. Obviously you can't have the hen not turn the eggs at first and you don't want to have the eggs grow too stale resting for a week. Any thoughts?

Well it's a theory, and just for shipped eggs, not your own..but it kind of makes sense. I was amazed though, that with the exception of one egg that had a saddle shaped air sac, that all of the eggs had a good air sac on day 18 (when I couldn't even find some on day 1).

Broody-wise, you could always try incubating them still for 5-7 days and then placing them under her...but I'd probably just leave it up to nature and let the broody do what she does best.