Diary & Notes ~ Air Cell Detatched SHIPPED Chicken Eggs for incubation and hatching

[foxvalleyfarm]

Ug...I have an awesome video of a duck embryo on day 17 kicking the shell so you can see both feet and even a bill at one point but I can't get YouTube or photo bucket to play nice and upload it...

 

[lizanne]

I cant remember what bator you have but the fan should not cool the water.

add water thats around 110F

before you start tweaking any dial, give the bator a chance to normalize.

I have never hatched serama but i am told they hatch as early as 19 days.

It's a Hova Bator 1602. I have a computer fan for it. I took it out for a while, because it wasn't helping with my hatches. It turns out I had it facing the wrong way.

It is supposed to be blowing out of the top vents, so that it is "sucking" air through to bottom air holes. I put it back in, and when I added water for lock down I had to turn it way up to get the temp to 99. Even then it had a hard time staying at that temp.

Here are pics of the incubator (not mine, but what it looks like)

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

I took this video of one of my 17 day old duck eggs tonight and the baby is kicking the while time.

Maybe someone else can embed it for me.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

So, do I need to do anything different with my Serama egg? I'm on day 15 (with all the eggs) and I've heard they hatch a bit early. I'm getting a little nervous because I've had issues with the 'bator holding temp when I up the humidity. I think the fan cools the water in the bator, and the whole thing gets cold. Any suggestions?

lizanne, I have hatched them with all my other eggs fine, they do hatch 19-20 HOWEVER I dont like to run under 25% humidity for them during the first days, and then I lay them to hatch, probable pip area up at day 17. For ALL my breeds eggs I dont up humidity until I see draw down or internals on any eggs, but serama are tricky to catch if you cant check a godzillion times like me on those days, up it before hand if air cells are on track! I tend to go to 70-75% humidity after first internals. Trouble with serama is they loose weight fast, so you have to watch them, plus each egg is a different size which can also change weight loss in each individual egg, you need air cells in them fairly perfect for hatching, I am terrible because I have an eye for them now, I cant explain it written! so much for technical Sally LOL

How are all of the eggs looking? and what breeds made it to lock?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Ug...I have an awesome video of a duck embryo on day 17 kicking the shell so you can see both feet and even a bill at one point but I can't get YouTube or photo bucket to play nice and upload it...

Very cool video!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Sandpaper I am using to wet sand duck eggs, it has no name and DH doesnt have the cardboard it was wrapped in, sold at lowes I am sure!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Early day 19 silky duck
Watch this candle vid of the day 19 eggs.... I have never seen this on any candle of any breeds, note the blood spots that float and deterioration of veins on one side of the egg and note the duckling is still moving in there and the other side looks fine and veins are good! only one egg like this, very very odd to me! I think its dying!

UPDATE Beginning day 20! no internals or draw down, although I do see a tad protrusion in the back of the cell on one egg. I have my good flashlight and can set it on top quickly and note life in them, love the light, well worth not having to pull eggs and go hide into a closet!

And the weird one I took video above is still alive, but now there is one other that looks like it

!!!!
I have a 3000 lumens flashlight to candle with, and in an instant I can see in there even at this stage, thinking perhaps this is why I never saw this before in such detail because of the new light? idk still looks weird to me and now another looks the same, almost like the veining is going away at spots! I need to read my own articles on the exact process of the embryos at this stage and about the albumen and stuff, practice what you preach right? For all I know it could be death or part of the process at the end!

 

[lizanne]

lizanne, I have hatched them with all my other eggs fine, they do hatch 19-20 HOWEVER I dont like to run under 25% humidity for them during the first days, and then I lay them to hatch, probable pip area up at day 17. For ALL my breeds eggs I dont up humidity until I see draw down or internals on any eggs, but serama are tricky to catch if you cant check a godzillion times like me on those days, up it before hand if air cells are on track! I tend to go to 70-75% humidity after first internals. Trouble with serama is they loose weight fast, so you have to watch them, plus each egg is a different size which can also change weight loss in each individual egg, you need air cells in them fairly perfect for hatching, I am terrible because I have an eye for them now, I cant explain it written! so much for technical Sally LOL

How are all of the eggs looking? and what breeds made it to lock?

I candled them last night, and the Serama egg didn't make it.

. I had a lot that made it close to the first week, and then had blood rings. So, as of last night I have 2 Brahma, 2 BFWS, and 2 "layers". Hopefully these guys all make it.

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

Very cool video!

Thank you! I was amazed to see the baby's feet kicking

 

[Sally Sunshine]

UPDATE and making NOTES: because I am fretting, yes fretting ughhhhhhh

I peaked at the silky eggs, and I see some pushing up movement from the lowest part in the air cell of two eggs! Not interally pipped but def pushing up on it! very odd how I dont really see major draw down on them, usually with eggs you see the back go up and push up on the back part of the air cell, not the front first.

These are not chickens perhaps they do most of that draw down after pipping, perhaps this is why they drown so easily, just sharing thoughts, ignore me lol.

Anyways, I put them into the lockdown cooler and said NO stop panicking its only day 20 WATCH them, so I put them back in the cabinet Good grief need a cam on me at the bators lol. I havent fretted for months over any eggs! I will check again at 2pm.

I averaged out the most recent eggs and average on all weights that vary from 48-67 average is 56 grams. I quickly weighed the ones that are pushing up and they are both around 45 so if going by average they only lost 11% HOWEVER I do think these two are smaller eggs sooooooo I think they lost more than that. goal on the next batch is in another post 14-15%. Smaller eggs also explain why these two have pushing up in the air cell already and seem a tad further along, and shows how quickly I can see changes in the last few days!

OMG I am fretting I dont want to kill them!!! I am so excited and worried and thats soooo bad when you incubate!

sit on hands sit on hands, I got this I got it I GOT IT!!!! oh God what if I do not! ughhhh

I have to go read the process right NOW!