EDUCATIONAL INCUBATION & HATCHING CHAT THREAD, w/ Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs

[kwhites634]

Quote: I never understood why someone would pay good money to smack a little ball as far as possible, spend half an hour finding it, only to smack it again.

 

[BantyChooks]

Tropical!!! 

Sometimes - you're reminding me that I need to stop refreshing this thread and go work on that lumber already. 


Great pics!!! 
Argh! Rotten timing - I have a doctor's appointment this early afternoon, and it's one of those where it usually takes forever. If things change I'll text you, though. Red Lobster sounds so good to me. (Am I weird to want clam chowder for breakfast?! )



- Ant Farm 

In that case, I'll stop reminding you

Baseball!  The only sport that can make golf look exciting!

This we agree on.

 

[BantyChooks]

I never understood why someone would pay good money to smack a little ball as far as possible, spend half an hour finding it, only to smack it again.

Sally is gonna whoop us

 

[duluthralphie]

Sally is gonna whoop us

Her Whoopings are so fun though....

 

[BantyChooks]

Her Whoopings are so fun though....

Ralphie!

 

[duluthralphie]

Ralphie!

Yes?

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Thank you thank you thank you for all of the info here!

Just popping in to say hi and announce I woke up to peeps and pips this morning! e

Unfortunately, I had forgotten to take out the turner, but it was unplugged. The humidity was down to 21% also, but I added a warm washcloth to help bring it up, and now it is at 66%.

I am having a bad hatch due to temperature swings in my borrowed incubator. I have just bought a new good incubator and it is on its way.

Here is a pic of what's going on. One turkey egg is hatching,I think the other is a dud. :/. One of the langshan eggs has pipped, but the membrane looks dry. Should I pop the bator open to swab it with some warm Water? I suspect no, but a picture says a thousand words.

 

[5Sons Coop]

Mornin Sally.

Doom and Gloom here.

Crappy hatch for the EHAL. Alot of external pips but no progress. I have a 0% success rate on assisting. Time to do a deep clean on the styro and re-paint to try and figure out whats going on. Hatch rates have significantly declined the past 2 hatches with no other changes as far as birds or eggs.

The big DIY bator is currently at a standstill also. Added 2 40 watt bulbs to increase temp. I think that worked but I dont have enough circulation. I bought a 4 pack of computer fans off amazon(only currently using 2). But I dont think they are putting out enough airflow to distribute the air. Plan to add higher flowing fans or build some ducting to route the hot air towards the bottom and back up.

On a plus not, bought 6 new leghorn's from TSC last weekend and got 4 more from the auction this past weekend. And my broody should be close to hatching her eggs(today/tmrw) timeframe. That should be a decent comaparison due to the fact she has the same eggs under her that were in the bator. Time will tell.

This baby really moves the air and it is quiet. Salvaged it from a broken air hockey table.

 

[5Sons Coop]

I know, but I cant do it.  I cant even take her, he says he can take her outback but then he says he dont think he can either, He is the one that has to take her to vet to do it, I just cant.  He even swore last night why we cant just give her a shot here and be done with it.  without causing extra stress on her and us.  it just sucks and like I said, I can do many things, but even taking her and watching her, I cant go there again, I refuse to.  plus I am even more of a emotional whimp as I grow old. hate that!

I have been there a couple times and done it both ways. Sorry to say one was no easier than the other and both still haunt me, but I looked at it like there is a job that has to get done and no one else is going to do it and just got it done.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What you need is a photo of yourself with a big collard leaf...

Who would do something like that?

Or a really zoomed out pic of me next to the 15'-20' tall snowbanks. More fitting.

Do collards grow in snow banks?

You are too kind. I just am dumb enough to have taken on more than I can handle

Same here. I look around at all I've taken on and just think how stupid I am.

No medicated feed should not have killed them. I would like to see a pic of her set up, thinking they box is to small and got to warm.

She posted a picture of it. It is big enough with enough ventilation but if anything, the heat lamps are too high for chicks that age. Especially if they were wet.
In the picture, they were all crowded under one of the lamps.

Any of you ever kept chickens on shavings-covered concrete? How'd you like it?

I've been thinking about going that way, for a couple of reasons. For one, I could fence a level surface far better than an uneven one, making it more secure & better looking to boot. Secondly, it should cure an ongoing rat problem. From the looks of an increasing number of burrows, there are either multiple rats or one very determined one burrowing under the apron from the outer edge, helping themselves to free eats at will during the day.

I do that in one building. The brooder house, which too often ends up being a growout house and then henhouse.
I have it split into 3 sections and the side where baby chicks are started, has a sheet of 3/4" plywood on the concrete for added insulation from the cold concrete in winter.
This is in a building though. Outside, in the places I have concrete, I cover it with straw.

personally, there's nothing wrong with men being men the problem in my opinion is when men have been made into women and women who can't be content with who they are. Some of the traditional roles were definitely too constricted, but some things are just facts. To make everyone the same as pointless we need to take advantage of each person's strengths.

It's just when men are jerks that it becomes a problem.

Mornin Sally.

Doom and Gloom here.

Crappy hatch for the EHAL. Alot of external pips but no progress. I have a 0% success rate on assisting. Time to do a deep clean on the styro and re-paint to try and figure out whats going on. Hatch rates have significantly declined the past 2 hatches with no other changes as far as birds or eggs.

The big DIY bator is currently at a standstill also. Added 2 40 watt bulbs to increase temp. I think that worked but I dont have enough circulation. I bought a 4 pack of computer fans off amazon(only currently using 2). But I dont think they are putting out enough airflow to distribute the air. Plan to add higher flowing fans or build some ducting to route the hot air towards the bottom and back up.

On a plus not, bought 6 new leghorn's from TSC last weekend and got 4 more from the auction this past weekend. And my broody should be close to hatching her eggs(today/tmrw) timeframe. That should be a decent comaparison due to the fact she has the same eggs under her that were in the bator. Time will tell.

Sounds a lot like me.
I rarely have success assisting either. If they make it out, they almost always have curled toes and end up needing to be culled.
My rebuild of my big cabinet has been on hold way too long.

IMHO, a lot of people put all the blame on themselves or their equipment - which in most cases may be true because we are relying on mechanical or hand turning, thermometers, hygrometers and thermostats that could easily be off. A hen doesn't have any of those issues.
But sometimes, I think we should examine with greater scrutiny what happens for the month or so before incubation starts.
Depending on time of year, has the rooster been adequately photostimulated?
What is the rooster to hen ratio? What is the age of the rooster? Is he overweight?
Are the breeders in optimal health with no sign of disease?
Are we collecting eggs from young pullets or aged hens, rather than mature hens in their prime?
Are we using a breeder ration and/or supplementing vitamins/minerals/amino acids to increase hatchability rather than just a regular layer or all-flock feed?
Are we overfeeding treats and scratch, thereby screwing up the optimal nutrition that is necessary for high hatch rates?
Have the roosters been eating layer feed for any significant length of time which can affect sperm motility?
Are we maintaining nests in meticulously clean conditions? Do we make plans for rainy weather when hens tend to track bacteria ridden mud into the nests?
Are we collecting eggs promptly with clean hands/gloves and collection materials?
Are we moving those eggs out of the sun and placing them in a cool humid space (approx. 60F)?
Are we turning them regularly during storage or storing them small end up?
Are we storing eggs too long and/or in the wrong conditions?
Do we warm the eggs gradually before setting to prevent condensation?
Are we disinfecting the incubator before setting?

From the moment a hen lays an egg, there is nothing we can do to improve hatchability, we can only try to prevent degrading the hatchability.

I better get to gettin, Dad called in a panic, "da# hen has no feathers on her back above her tail, I am just gonna eat them all"

he says he too dang old to be catching chickens, I said I be up with bluekote and a hen saddle, he said what??? I said go about your day I take care of it.

Gotta love him

I have 2 brand new saddles someone gave me that I've never used. I should have but I seem to wait till the damage is already done. I'm getting my rooster numbers down now so not much of a problem.