DECEMBER Hatch-A-Long!😊

[LadiesAndJane]

Here’s a few of my flock. I’m only hatching eggs from my partridge Brahmas, with the exception of two eggs, just out of curiosities sake

They are beautiful! Love the double lacing on the hens!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Day 10 was yesterday. I weighed and candled, and all 13 eggs looked great! I had one egg actually gain a little weight after dropping some in the first week. The air pocket looks good. Anyone ever have that happen? I've hatched a few times now & never had such strong veins showing in all of my eggs. Hybrid vigor? Here are a few samples. They pretty much all looked like this.
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They look fantastic!

 

[wolfwalker]

Okay, so egg sin incubator, by the time I got home last night I was to tired to do anything. So I should have a December 13th hatch date.

 

[seeingreen]

Day 10! And so begins the countdown to lock down, at least that’s how I’m looking at it, so the days feel like they are going by more quickly. I think tomorrow I’ll go through and toss any eggs obviously not developing.
It’s so bad, I feel like a kid trying to peek through the folds in the wrapping paper to figure out the Christmas presents. I looked through them yesterday. There’s been quite a bit of development. No red rings One embryo was moving around wildly. I hope I wasn’t disturbing it with the bright light. Im also watching my broody hen who coincides with this hatch almost to the day. It’s the first time she’s been broody but she’s taking it pretty seriously, fighting off other hens for the spot.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

So I definitely have a staggered hatch! Kept adding my olive eggers eggs in small groups. Going to try to use my old incubator as a hatcher, it is a real headache keeping the humidity down in that one, but I figure that will be fine for lockdown.
The ones with development look good so far!
Hatch dates so are 12/4, 12/8 and 12/13. Sprinkling chicks throughout December!

 

[theminimizer]

Whoo hoo! Joining the party with a broody RIR.
I got 12 fertile eggs from a friend and put them under my broody girl in a dog crate in the garage to help with temps because it's in the teens Fahrenheit here. Never done this-- always did day-olds.
Here's hoping I get a chick or two!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Whoo hoo! Joining the party with a broody RIR.
I got 12 fertile eggs from a friend and put them under my broody girl in a dog crate in the garage to help with temps because it's in the teens Fahrenheit here. Never done this-- always did day-olds.
Here's hoping I get a chick or two!

Welcome to the party! What breeds is your broody baking?

 

[AusHen]

I'm down to 4 Marans eggs, one I was a bit iffy last time I candled but can confirm now it's DIS The incubator they are in has been great in cooler weather but it's now warming up here (I'm in Aus) I really struggle to keep temps stable when it hits or passes 34c or 93f.
I do plan on incubating more eggs from my other layers though which will go into another incubator I have taken to a cooler part of the house plus some will be going under two broody hens. planning on having these hatch in December as well.. oh and placed a bid on some d'Uccle eggs so if I win those I'll also be hatching them..

Quail eggs are all still looking good from what I can see and that incubator has been holding temp fantastically

 

[halefamily_flock]

I'm down to 4 Marans eggs, one I was a bit iffy last time I candled but can confirm now it's DIS The incubator they are in has been great in cooler weather but it's now warming up here (I'm in Aus) I really struggle to keep temps stable when it hits or passes 34c or 93f.
I do plan on incubating more eggs from my other layers though which will go into another incubator I have taken to a cooler part of the house plus some will be going under two broody hens. planning on having these hatch in December as well.. oh and placed a bid on some d'Uccle eggs so if I win those I'll also be hatching them..

Quail eggs are all still looking good from what I can see and that incubator has been holding temp fantastically

Sorry to hear about your Marans losses . Sounds like a good plan for the others

 

[halefamily_flock]

I was going to wait until tomorrow (Day 14) to weigh & candle, but my humidity dropped to 13% overnight. Since I had to open it to refill water, I couldn't resist taking a look at the eggs. Overall, they have lost 6% of their pre-incubation weight, with a couple eggs less than 4%, and 3 that have lost 7.5-8%. According to most estimates I've seen, they should have lost between 7%-9% by now, but they all seem to be developing well. This is the 2nd hatch where I've paid close attention to weight loss, and it seems kind of random. The one peculiar thing this time is the location of one of the air pockets. The first time I candled at Day 4, it was on the side of the egg, near the fat end. Over time, it has grown toward the end of the egg, so that's good. Have others seen that? Here are some photos. In the daylight, it's the blue one in the middle #5