December Hatch-A-Long 2014

[Debs55]

It is awesome!!! I LOVE IT SOO MUCH!!! I just had to lower the thermometer but then that was all the rest was PERFECT!!!

Yeah!!!! And I will be setting +- 48 eggs a week from this week!!! I will then be getting +-48 chicks a week!!!! I don't know how I am going to live through the cuteness!!!

thanks! i ordered me a thermometer with a probe to check temps with last night. I am so excited to get it!

 

[ChickyChickens]

thanks! i ordered me a thermometer with a probe to check temps with last night. I am so excited to get it!

Good, mine wasn't off though!!! But I had a thermometer already to check!!

Hope all goes well, remember to keep me informed

 

[Renee572]

Surprisingly I am as cool as a cucumber here on day 19! I thought I was gonna be so tired and stressed but I slept great last night. My incubator held at 65% and 100 degrees from 4pm to 11pm yesterday. I figured since it held so well I was good to go to sleep and it probably wouldn't drop significantly. I thought I might have woke up at least once and I'd go check on it but I ended up sleeping till 5am and thought about getting up but I have to be up at 6am so I figured 1 hour wouldn't make a huge difference. When I got up it was still at 100 degrees and only dropped to 62%! Nothing exciting happening on the outside yet but I'm sure those chicks are getting into position and maybe trying to make an internal pip!

Meanwhile I take my last final tonight, it'll be a piece of cake! And I've been busy making my kids Christmas gifts. I don't have any cute fluffy babies to show off yet but I can show you the cute pj monsters I made!

you unzip the mouth and put pajamas into them!

How's everyone else doing today?

 

[ochochicas]

I personally feel that the area we live in has a some affect on how we set-up. I feel we need to find what works best for "us". I mainly hatch chicks that will be full size chickens----not alot of bantams, but I do hatch a decent amount of silkies. I hatch the silkies right with the rest of the eggs. If I start hatching alot of Other type eggs and I get a low percentage of hatch--I will start hatching them by theirself and work with the humidity/temp till I get a better hatch %.
I have real good hatches at 35 to 40% for the first 18 days and around 70% the last 3 days,

I Just Want So Bad for ALL of you To Have a Real Great hatch-----which is why I am here posting----even though I feel I am wasting my Time---alot of the time!! Good Luck to everyone!!

My humidity was the same my first hatch in the incubator. I had 7 infertile eggs, but 100% hatch rate on the others. (Legbar eggs not included in the percentage because there was something wrong with them). None of the legbar eggs hatched. I think some of the breeds do need a different approach to hatching. Next time I will try a higher temp for the legbars to see if that will prevent them from quitting.

I did open my incubator to remove chicks. It did not affect the hatch rate at all. I have a spray bottle with WARM water in it. If I had to open the incubator to remove chicks I sprayed the sides with water and it kept my humidity at 70%. Of course I do not recommend opening the incubator, but if you have to it isn't the end of the world.

This was great information Riverman...not a waste of your time at all.

 

[ochochicas]

When the eggs prepare to hatch the chicks will move inside and also start to peep. Of course the hen can hear and feel this so she knows when it is almost time. You should also notice that the hen is talking to the eggs while they incubate. They are bonding before the chicks even hatch. When I hatched with my first two broodies, I took two chicks and gave them to a different hen. Every time the first hen would cluck to the chicks, her two original babies would run back to her and leave the new momma. I realized what a bad idea it was to move the chicks but then keep both broodies in the same pen together.

Live and learn....that is why we are here.

 

[ChickyChickens]

Okay, I am on 37.7 degrees Celsius and 41% humidity!!! Does that sound right??

 

[ChickenLady2014]

Thought I would share my cuties from the sizzle hatch!

OMG I want some, they are so cute!

 

[Debs55]

Came home to 2 chicks hatched and another pipped (so thats 2 pipped right now)!! all of these are from my shipped eggs. I have 4 marans and 2 silkie eggs of my own in there that aren't doing anything yet. I tried to take pics but since they are dark chicks in a dark incubator you can't really see much lol

 

[ChickenLady2014]

Came home to 2 chicks hatched and another pipped (so thats 2 pipped right now)!! all of these are from my shipped eggs. I have 4 marans and 2 silkie eggs of my own in there that aren't doing anything yet. I tried to take pics but since they are dark chicks in a dark incubator you can't really see much lol

Surprisingly I am as cool as a cucumber here on day 19! I thought I was gonna be so tired and stressed but I slept great last night. My incubator held at 65% and 100 degrees from 4pm to 11pm yesterday. I figured since it held so well I was good to go to sleep and it probably wouldn't drop significantly. I thought I might have woke up at least once and I'd go check on it but I ended up sleeping till 5am and thought about getting up but I have to be up at 6am so I figured 1 hour wouldn't make a huge difference. When I got up it was still at 100 degrees and only dropped to 62%! Nothing exciting happening on the outside yet but I'm sure those chicks are getting into position and maybe trying to make an internal pip!

Meanwhile I take my last final tonight, it'll be a piece of cake! And I've been busy making my kids Christmas gifts. I don't have any cute fluffy babies to show off yet but I can show you the cute pj monsters I made!

you unzip the mouth and put pajamas into them!

How's everyone else doing today?

Oh those are so darling, your kids will love them. Your a pretty amazing person. Just from reading this post of yours, I have gleaned that your are a mom to 3 kids, a student on top of it, incubating eggs & making very special Christmas gifts for your kids. Did I miss anything? Pretty amazing accomplishments.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

Came home to 2 chicks hatched and another pipped (so thats 2 pipped right now)!! all of these are from my shipped eggs. I have 4 marans and 2 silkie eggs of my own in there that aren't doing anything yet. I tried to take pics but since they are dark chicks in a dark incubator you can't really see much lol

Yay, go little chickies go!