December Hatch-A-Long 2014

[ArekE]

Im left with 5 in the incbator they are do to hatch on sunday and it seems like thats going to be next year.

 

[Renee572]

How exciting for everyone who's eggs are hatching and going into lockdown. I can't wait to see more pictures. Sounds like a lot of us are having humidity issues. Yesterday evening on my way out the door to go to my class I peeked in the bator to see my temp at 102, eek. I had no time to sit and adjust it but asked hubby to keep an eye on it and see if he could lower it. An hour and a half later after finishing my class I texted hubby and found it was still at 102, I finally told him to just open the lid for a min. Of course I get home to find temp at 100 but humidity at 36! I can't win here. Anyway, it did rain last night, weird rain in AZ in December but I'm not complaining because my temp held at 100 all night and my humidity held at 44... not as high as I would like but at least it didn't drop to the 20s. I have a week to get humidity figured out before lockdown.... oh my gosh, seriously just a week until lockdown and my next few days are super busy so it'll go by fast.

Good luck everyone, happy hatching and incubating!

 

[Kaylish]

candled everything in incubator one to prepare for lock down. I have 21 eggs left. but I can't get my humidity up

Well...I am planning on increasing my flock from 150 birds to 1500/2000 birds!! After that I am going to just sell day old chicks in the neighbourhood!!!

Oh...by the way we have more than 2 000 acres of land on our farm@!!

Today is day ten for the eggs under the broody. I candled them quickly today when I took the broody off to poo and eat. They all looked good, although the Marans eggs are too dark to see much. Even the Cream legbar egg seems to be growing. My last attempt to hatch CCL eggs all died around day 7. It has been in the teens here - my broody hen is doing a great job!

Hey, I need help quickly!!! For the humidity in an incubator how much does have to be??? I hear it is different for the 1-18 days and 18+???

And then also temperature???

Okay thanks you!!! Yeah both of them have fans!!

Wait 70, some other people have said between 60-65 on the last d3 days and higher could do damage??

I've heard everything from 60 to 80 for lockdown (days 18+). I think you just have to find what works for you and the eggs you are hatching. I've found Sally Sunshines article invaluable as I'm learning. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

and Congrats on the first baby!

i remember when my first bird hatched i couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from and kept running outside thinking that it was a bird outside being terrorized.... then it hit me waaaait i minute we have a baby!

i do't know how other people do it and if there is a better way of doing it but i don't take my babies out of the incubator until they are walking and almost completely dried up which can take like all day.

Again, I've heard different things. I try and open the bator as little as possible during hatch so I try and leave them in until they are completely dry and then only pull them out when it gets to crowded or everyone has hatched. Chicks can live for 3 days without eating since they have the absorbed yolk for energy so there is no rush to get them into the brooder.

 

[ChickyChickens]

i remember when my first bird hatched i couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from and kept running outside thinking that it was a bird outside being terrorized.... then it hit me waaaait i minute we have a baby!

i do't know how other people do it and if there is a better way of doing it but i don't take my babies out of the incubator until they are walking and almost completely dried up which can take like all day.

Yeah...I wont take my chick out until he has some friends!!!

 

[ftpagain]

Again, I've heard different things. I try and open the bator as little as possible during hatch so I try and leave them in until they are completely dry and then only pull them out when it gets to crowded or everyone has hatched. Chicks can live for 3 days without eating since they have the absorbed yolk for energy so there is no rush to get them into the brooder.

i just have to have patience with that. in my first hatch i put eggs at too much of a time difference and lost track in all kinds of ways. lost two baby ducks while they were almost out :'( and could not stop stressing out watching the babies step on each other. so i only kept them in for the first few hours until they dried up and left the others in.
this time around I'm working on patience and do the lock down properly and the hatching

 

[ChickyChickens]

Temptation is getting at me with wanting to open the bator...

 

[ftpagain]

Temptation is getting at me with wanting to open the bator...

i know the feeling....

so terrible at waiting! I'm prego myself and waiting for my baby to come at the end of Jan and waiting for chicks to come out starting Dec 19th. A LOT of waaaaaaaitiiiiiing! so I'm just sitting here ready to pull my hair out

 

[ChickyChickens]

i know the feeling....

so terrible at waiting! I'm prego myself and waiting for my baby to come at the end of Jan and waiting for chicks to come out starting Dec 19th. A LOT of waaaaaaaitiiiiiing! so I'm just sitting here ready to pull my hair out

LOL


First chick out...

 

[Daisyfern]

LOL First chick out...

Very cute! Congratulations!

 

[ChickyChickens]

Very cute! Congratulations!

LOL...thanks!!