December Hatch-A-Long 2014

[Renee572]

Sorry I was absent...Christmas shopping and coop building!  i got a little nervous when I realized how well my eggs were progressing even though I am having major humidity issues!  Crossing my fingers....


Rhodebars...7 developing day 7
Sizzles and Splashes...Day 12 with 14 developing...

3 little black silkies...3 weeks old...loving every minute of it!

awesome. Good luck on the rest of the hatch.

 

[Daisyfern]

Joining the December Hatch A Long! Our incubator is set with 8 silkies, 6 serama, and 6 japanese bantam eggs. Hatch day should be December 17th. Haven't officially candled yet - still early, but a quick peek showed veining in several eggs. This is just our second attempt at incubation, the first was unsuccessful with duck eggs. This time so far, so good! Good luck to all the December chicks!

 

[only1bgirl]

Set up the incubator today, balancing temperature should have shipped egg delivery Monday of Silkie eggs, will set them Tuesday! Here's hoping they make it safely, the incubator complies and we get some Christmas chicks!

 

[Debs55]

Hey everyone! been reading all the updates and looks like everyone is doing well!

Heres my updates:

Incubator #1: lock down is tuesday! yay! will report back how many good looking eggs I have then.
Incubator #2: Checked a random eggs to see if air cells are improving and they looked basically the same so fingers crossed they look better by day 14 or so.

 

[ChickyChickens]

What an adorable group of lil chicks you have!

Thanks...I am used to them by now....we get chicks almost every week...

Thanks!!

Hey everyone! been reading all the updates and looks like everyone is doing well!

Heres my updates:

Incubator #1: lock down is tuesday! yay! will report back how many good looking eggs I have then.
Incubator #2: Checked a random eggs to see if air cells are improving and they looked basically the same so fingers crossed they look better by day 14 or so.

Hope all goes well with you!!!

 

[HerbGir1972]

well due to a miswritten zipcode, my eeXsilkie eggs are bouncing all over San Diego, Ca. But I'm trading a dozen of my eggs that are extra for a dozen or so silkie eggs from Tn. So we'll collect and be about a week behind, Almost new years babies...

 

[ChickyChickens]

I am joining the 6th annual hatch thing for 2015 so I am setting eggs oin the 11th!!!!!

 

[Peep-Chicken]

Tossed out four unfertile eggs yesterday. The other 13 chicken eggs are all doing quite well!

I candled day 7 yesterday, I saw nothing in the turkey egg. Should I be seeing something? Sorry, never hatched a turkey before

Also, how do staggered hatches work? My friend wants to put in some eggs this Thursday for Christmas, but what about first batches lockdown? Or does hatches like this not work?

Thanks

 

[Renee572]

Tossed out four unfertile eggs yesterday. The other 13 chicken eggs are all doing quite well!

I candled day 7 yesterday, I saw nothing in the turkey egg. Should I be seeing something? Sorry, never hatched a turkey before

Also, how do staggered hatches work? My friend wants to put in some eggs this Thursday for Christmas, but what about first batches lockdown? Or does hatches like this not work?

Thanks

bummer about the 4 clears but glad the others are doing well. Can't help you on the turkey egg, I have no idea. Also I'm not positive but I think people that do staggered hatches have a second incubator to put the ones in that are in lockdown. I'm not quite sure how you would do it otherwise because the newer ones will still need to be turned.

 

[Renee572]

Ok so I have questions about humidity and lockdown. Like I've said my humidity keeps dropping to the 20's during the night. I can get it back up during the day to between 40 and 50 but it usually takes me adding some water. Anyway I know that when the chicks hatch the humidity is supposed to rise a bit but if mine is dropping 20% overnight then how am I going to get it to stay where I want it while I sleep. I don't want my chicks being shrink wrapped because I was busy sleeping while they were trying to get out. I feel like I may not get any sleep at night during lockdown unless I get this humidity figured out.

Also as of right now I have both vents plugged and in the top of the Hovabator there are 5 little holes right in the center, not sure if those are "original" or the person we borrowed it from put them in it. Anyway right now I have a bit of paper towel in 4 of them and the 5th one is either in or out depending on what my humidity is doing. I think my humidity drops so low because it's not covered up at night. But I think you are supposed to have the vents open during lockdown right? So I'm even more concerned my humidity will drop with them open! Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I have like 10 days to get this all figured out before lockdown!

Correction... I only have 8 more days till lockdown, just realized I'm on day 10! How did that even happen!?