Day 18 .....again

[Katy]

I moved the first batch to the hatcher this morning.....now the "fun" begins.

 

[speckledhen]

Good luck-I'm at Day 19 myself, but with only two eggs. Had a third one, but it wasn't fertile. One Barred Rock and one Blue Orpington. Both have been shaking and rocking some since yesterday.

 

[Katy]

Thanks and good luck back at cha.....I haven't seen any movement yet, but the bator is in the basement so it makes it harder to just keep checking. These are some of my own eggs (marans and marans X's) and also a mix of marans, welsummer and barnvelders that I bought.

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks, Katy. I'll be setting a new batch around Dec 15 or so of my own Blue Orpingtons. I refuse to mail anything the rest of the month due to the Christmas pkg rush and the likelihood of damage, so I guess I can have some of my own eggs now, LOL, and more than three or four at a time. Sort of wish I had something else to put in the bator with them, though. I dont need anymore Ameraucana babies from my girls, but maybe I can do a couple of Barred Rocks with them. I think I'll do some Welsummers later on in the spring, though, since a friend has decided to help me in that dept. Can't keep many because my coop runneth over!

 

[Katy]

I was just down checking the eggs in the hatcher.....again....

and I saw one moving....It's only day 19, but I'm already getting the hatching nerves!

 

[speckledhen]

There always seems to be one or two that want to dance around when I move them into the hatcher on Day 18. My BR is pipped, but has been like that all day now...drives me nuts! The Orp hasn't pipped.

 

[Katy]

I hope your orp decides to pip soon. I'm having a dickens of a time getting my humidity up.....I just went and added a warm wet washcloth. I slipped it in quickly by lifting the side up a bit. I already have lots of water in the bottom and a wet sponge. I didn't have any trouble getting up to 70% a couple weeks ago when I was hatching, now it doesn't want to go past 50%. I'd think it would be easier today because it's been raining off and on all day and the humidity is naturally high. I'll go back and check it in a while and see if the washcloth helped.

 

[LoneCowboy]

Probably because it's gotten colder and dryer. It's done that here. I'm worried that I'll have a really hard time when the time comes. I have to run to humidifiers in my house all winter just to breathe.

 

[Katy]

Actually it's warmer and wetter here than it was 2 weeks ago, so I don't know what the heck is going on. We heat with a wood stove, but it was going last hatch too, plus the hatcher is in the basement and the stove is on the main floor. There's so much humidity in the air that my utility room floor is damp!!

 

[seminolewind]

good luck on your hatch!