Day 14

[seminolewind]

and they're still alive, 9 Polish. I pray I get a few this time. I have 4 thermometers in there, and I am averaging, but know which one I trust the most. Humidity is 42-50%. Day 18 I will up it to 60-65%. Last time I had it at 80%, and I'm not sure if that was good or not. Then the chicks hatch, and drive the humidity up even more.
Only 7 days to go!!!

 

[LoneCowboy]

I'm on day 13.5

. I have only one thermometer in there. I had 3 during the 3 weeks of testing prior to setting my eggs, so I went down to one so I'd not freak myself out. Besides there is no place in there for more.

I think I have 4 of the 9 growing. Still a few questions in there and a couple I will most likely cull tomorrow. I figure if I can't see anything big and dark in there by now, it's not going to be there. Even if there is something little and dark in there, it's too late.

My bator is so small, that I need to have room in case on of these actually happen to hatch. If they do, I just know I'll be so excited I'll just pee my pants.

 

[seminolewind]

13.5 days??? Gee , I can't remember when I put those eggs in, it would have to be late afternoon...Now you have me wondering if I really put them in on a Thursday. I know I got them the day before Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving night I ran home from work to check the bator, so, I probably did put them in the bator on a Thursday, but, it could have been Wednesday. No, I think it was Thursday. Yea, I'll go with Thursday afternoon.
You know, my first hatch started pipping on day 21 to the hour they were set 3 weeks before.
Okay, so we are probably going to hatch the same day, won't that be fun for us? I will be on line here, so will you, right?

Karen

 

[LoneCowboy]

Yeah, I'll be here. The bator is just in the next room

I was turning my eggs today, and I swear I felt it move. Is that possible? I really don't have a clue what I'm doing. I just do what Cynthia tells me and ask a lot of questions. My next hatch will be so much better, cuz I'll have some idea what I'm looking for and at. I'm trying not to get too excited because none of them may hatch. This is my trial run of my homemade bator.

 

[seminolewind]

Home made bator? What a treat! I sold my hovabator, and I'm selling my LG, and I upgraded to this round thing - looks like a crock pot, LOL
I don't know about movement. I sometimes feel that too, but I don't know if its me or the chick!
I had gotten 18 Polish, at 7 days, 9 were clear. The rest are still moving around. My fingers are crossed.

 

[Poison Ivy]

Good Luck everybody I just moved mine to the hatcher tonight it's day 18 for me. I have 8 of Cynthina's ameraucana's hatching.

 

[speckledhen]

Cool! It's that time again, huh? BUT, with more babies possibly making the break for it than last time. That's great, Twila!

 

[LoneCowboy]

DH wouldn't let me buy a bator, so being resourceful, I built one.

Ok, so I culled an egg this morning. I'm concerned, because I broke it open to see what I could learn from it. All the insides were scrambled. Is this normal for bad eggs? It's got me concerned about the handling of the other eggs. I'd hate to have spent 21 days of my life incubating scrambled eggs.

 

[speckledhen]

Just a tip: After you incubate an egg for awhile, if it wasn't fertile or if it just stopped development before the naked eye could see, the yolk is very delicate. You have to tap the egg all the way around the circumference with a knife then very, very carefully crack it into a plate, holding it close to your bowl or plate so you dont drop the yolk against the bottom. If you tap it on the counter to crack it, the yolk will come apart and you probably won't be able to tell if it was previously scrambled or just did that when you opened it.

 

[LoneCowboy]

Oh see that's why we keep you around

Thanks so much I'm feeling much better now. I did crack it on the counter.

I remember now you said that some where else, but I totally have the memory of a flea anymore. I either have to get better or worse so I can't remember that I used to be able to remember.

Gee I sure wish you were here to look over my shoulder and tell me what I'm seeing in my eggs. I've not found any true hard core chicken people around here. I'm meeting a lot of newbies selling chick's and coops though. Sad thing is, I'm be coming the authority on chickens with the people I meet, and you all know how much I know