Early February 2016 Hatch - Who's In?

[NTBugtraq]

I am just getting ready to set another 96 tomorrow. I am inbreeding in an attempt to get darker eggs. These eggs are all from my generation 1 layers.



You can see the difference in egg shell colors I'm getting. In this clutch of 122 eggs, only 18% were the darker brown, and that brown isn't even on the BCM chart. The lighter brown is the color all the eggs were from my Gen 0 layers.

I think I am going to start keeping eggs 14 days and fresher for the next hatch, in an attempt to get a higher ratio of darker eggs in the bator.

Started with 122 eggs, needing 96:

• Went through all and removed every ground egg (a ground egg is one not laid on bedding, and as such, its laid in my deep litter...a lot of pooh and wood chips...so is usually covered with "dirt")...don't know why I have been putting them aside for hatching anyway
• Went through all and set aside for hatching every dark egg
• Went through the rest and pulled all small and very light brown eggs (I don't keep Jumbos for hatching anymore)
• Filled up the 96 with the freshest eggs
• Decided that I will not include eggs laid on Day 0 in my hatches...no time for them to warm up before putting them in the bator, I'm guessing the shock is not good for them

 

[ambe0487]

Yay, my juveniles are fully outside now! :yiipchick. We had really cold weather for 2 weeks just as they were fully feathered so I did'nt have a chance to get them acclimated to the weather. Last night was the first overnight. Guess it is just in time since Monday is lockdown of the next 29 eggs!

 

[NTBugtraq]

Yay, my juveniles are fully outside now!

. We had really cold weather for 2 weeks just as they were fully feathered so I did'nt have a chance to get them acclimated to the weather. Last night was the first overnight. Guess it is just in time since Monday is lockdown of the next 29 eggs!

Gratz on that, its hard for many to let chicks go out in the cold.

Watch out for them bunching up to tight. Week 3-5 are hard on the weaker chicks, and if there are open corners they will press hard against each other to gain warmth. I used pieces of split logs to prevent too many from getting into any one space.

 

[LilChickens2]

Yay, my juveniles are fully outside now! :yiipchick. We had really cold weather for 2 weeks just as they were fully feathered so I did'nt have a chance to get them acclimated to the weather. Last night was the first overnight. Guess it is just in time since Monday is lockdown of the next 29 eggs!

How old are your juveniles?

 

[CoopDeDoo]

Yay, my juveniles are fully outside now!

. We had really cold weather for 2 weeks just as they were fully feathered so I did'nt have a chance to get them acclimated to the weather. Last night was the first overnight. Guess it is just in time since Monday is lockdown of the next 29 eggs!

Yay - always nice to have them outside although I always worry the first few nights

 

[CoopDeDoo]

Struggling with incubator temps again

Seriously - how does something sitting untouched just suddenly decide to raise it's temp? No change in room temp, no one opened it or moved it

Glad I am home today and most of tomorrow to monitor it. I have decided that lockdown will be Mon night so I just need the incubator to make it through to next weekend..

 

[Shadow722]

Struggling with incubator temps again

Seriously - how does something sitting untouched just suddenly decide to raise it's temp? No change in room temp, no one opened it or moved it

Glad I am home today and most of tomorrow to monitor it. I have decided that lockdown will be Mon night so I just need the incubator to make it through to next weekend..

I had some wild swings in my old analog Farm Innovators 4200. It hit as high as 111 then when I turned the dial back a little it dropped to 96. I got it steadied out finally after a few hours of messing with it. I put it in lockdown tomorrow. I'm hoping the drastic change in heat didn't kill them.

My Farm Innovators 4250 has been much more steady it's digital and I don't know how many more times I want to use the 4200.

 

[CoopDeDoo]

I had some wild swings in my old analog Farm Innovators 4200. It hit as high as 111 then when I turned the dial back a little it dropped to 96. I got it steadied out finally after a few hours of messing with it. I put it in lockdown tomorrow. I'm hoping the drastic change in heat didn't kill them.

My Farm Innovators 4250 has been much more steady it's digital and I don't know how many more times I want to use the 4200.

I have the 4200 - adjusted it yesterday and it looked good - then this morning it dropped to 97 - have adjusted again.... I will most likely not be using it again. I am supposed to candle tonight since my GD is spending the night and wants to help (well observe - no way is the 6 y/o going to perform the candling

)

 

[NTBugtraq]

Struggling with incubator temps again

Seriously - how does something sitting untouched just suddenly decide to raise it's temp? No change in room temp, no one opened it or moved it

Glad I am home today and most of tomorrow to monitor it. I have decided that lockdown will be Mon night so I just need the incubator to make it through to next weekend..

Just a couple of suggestions;

• Intake air humidity can affect a bator's ability to, either, hold temperature or humidity. So, for example, you boil some eggs on the oven near the bator, or even something as simple as more people in the room. But also things like a furnace/fireplace can alter the humidity around a bator. Putting the bator in a box, then a towel over the box, can help as long as you make the adjustments for that kind of environment. Equally, putting it in a closet works well.
• Windows. If the bator is near a window, consider the effect of the sun on it.

 

[Shadow722]

I have the 4200 - adjusted it yesterday and it looked good - then this morning it dropped to 97 - have adjusted again.... I will most likely not be using it again. I am supposed to candle tonight since my GD is spending the night and wants to help (well observe - no way is the 6 y/o going to perform the candling

)

I'm getting about as bad at dropping eggs as the kids. It's driving me crazy. I'm collecting for my second Feb hatch and I dropped some of the splash eggs getting them from the nest. I was just cleaning eggs to put in the fridge and dropped another.