Day 18 with project Lav Orpingtons.... **A PIP!!!*

[Cara]

Yesterday my Octagon decided to lose its mind. In the morning, it read 98.9F, so I increased the temperature. It was at 99.3F all day. I opened it to top up the water last night, and it decided it needed to heat itself up to 103.9F. I adjusted it back down after it held steady, to 99.2F. Right before I was off to bed, I checked it again. 102.8F!!! I couldn't go to bed not knowing whether it would calm down, so had to install the new part I received for my R-COM, heated it up and put them in there.

I candled this afternoon, and......



















17 out of 18 are alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One developed a little but stopped. If only 50% of them hatch i'll be over the moon! I told my husband that i wouldn't know what to do with them all if they all hatched, and his response was a first!! "Well, we've got to keep them all!!" He doesn't even like chickens, or so I thought. There's just one problem though. Just as I can't eat a Blue Orpington, I can't possibly eat a Lavender Orpington egg!!!! They're sacred!

 

[Katy]

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Cara, Here is hoping for all to hatch!!! Your going to love them!!!! No lavender egg here will ever be eaten!! LOL

 

[Katy]

I am soooo glad to hear that others have an issue eating eggs from some of their special birds......I thought I was the only one!! Somehow it just feels wrong!!

 

[hinkjc]

Oh Cara, you had me worried. Thank goodness they are ok. Good luck with your hatch! I'm so excited for you.

I know the feeling about eating them. I felt that way for a while, but now with so many eggs rolling I have to eat some. Had lavender eggs over easy today with scrapple. Yum!

 

[BeardedChick]

Cara,

I have read several times that the eggs heat up during the last few days before hatch and it's not unusual to have a temperature spike.

Glad your candling went well.

 

[wilds of pa]

They do heat up a bit during incubation, but you wouldn't notice it in a circulating incubator as the fan and thermostat will compensate when required..

Charlie

 

[Cara]

I had me worried too! All I can think is that I nudged the little dial when I took the top off, but it was in the same position that I had set it at previously. 1/4 turn increases the temperature 2 degrees, so I was very conscious of where it was set.

I thought perhaps it heated up a bunch to compensate for the heat lost when I opened the incubator, but it stayed that way for quite some time and I didn't want to risk losing them.

 

[BeardedChick]

Stinking thermometers.

You'd think in this day and age they'd be more reliable.

How exciting that you are getting into the lavs... Are you going to do a breeding project??

 

[Cara]

Yes, I have some nice blacks to breed them back to and maybe some other projects further down the line.

The eggs are wiggling and cheeping at me! The first eggs I hatched came from Jody too, and I wasn't ready for the cheeping. It scared the living daylights out of me!