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

[Akrnaf2]

Enjoy

 

[ackie]

I am considering shipped eggs next spring, so maybe I should start investigating it now.

 

[Kimi BK]

Problems associated with incubating at high elevation are low oxygen, humidity and cold air. Introduction of ambient air to increase oxygen reduces humidity and bringing in cooler air can cause temperature issues.
The threshold seems to be 5,000' elevation.

We are hoping to hatch eggs at 7,000' in the high desert of New Mexico. We've had backyard chickens in Wisconsin, but now have our first 24 chicks in NM and hope to maybe breed some of them... we have never bred chickens before, let alone at high elevation.

We have a geothermal greenhouse that circulates air, and one nice thing about that is that the air is more humid than outside. I wonder if that would be a good place to incubate the eggs? One problem (with any location except maybe our home once we have one -- currently living in tents) is that the temps swing wildly. It's very common for nights to be 40-50 degrees cooler than days. I'm not sure how well incubators function in those conditions.

We will keep browsing and reading and maybe by the time we are ready for that step (like after our home is built!) we will have come across enough good info to help us feel ready to be somewhat successful!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

We are hoping to hatch eggs at 7,000' in the high desert of New Mexico. We've had backyard chickens in Wisconsin, but now have our first 24 chicks in NM and hope to maybe breed some of them... we have never bred chickens before, let alone at high elevation.

We have a geothermal greenhouse that circulates air, and one nice thing about that is that the air is more humid than outside. I wonder if that would be a good place to incubate the eggs? One problem (with any location except maybe our home once we have one -- currently living in tents) is that the temps swing wildly. It's very common for nights to be 40-50 degrees cooler than days. I'm not sure how well incubators function in those conditions.

We will keep browsing and reading and maybe by the time we are ready for that step (like after our home is built!) we will have come across enough good info to help us feel ready to be somewhat successful!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

We are hoping to hatch eggs at 7,000' in the high desert of New Mexico. We've had backyard chickens in Wisconsin, but now have our first 24 chicks in NM and hope to maybe breed some of them... we have never bred chickens before, let alone at high elevation.

We have a geothermal greenhouse that circulates air, and one nice thing about that is that the air is more humid than outside. I wonder if that would be a good place to incubate the eggs? One problem (with any location except maybe our home once we have one -- currently living in tents) is that the temps swing wildly. It's very common for nights to be 40-50 degrees cooler than days. I'm not sure how well incubators function in those conditions.

We will keep browsing and reading and maybe by the time we are ready for that step (like after our home is built!) we will have come across enough good info to help us feel ready to be somewhat successful!

Congratulations on the move.
The link I posted will help you negotiate the challenges at elevation.
If you obtain the eggs from your birds at your elevation, some research shows that will ameliorate some of the issues associated with incubation at elevation.
Off the top of my head, I believe that is due to the fact that hens raised at elevation will lay eggs with less porosity.
I hope you'll continue to let us know how it goes.
Until you have a space to incubate with more stable temperatures, you'll have greater challenges.
Whatever you do, consider how a hen incubates. She is in a hollowed nest, plucks her breast feathers to bring her breast closer to the eggs and she sits tight.
That is more consistent than an incubator in dramatically fluctuating temps.
Until I know more about your situation, I imagine ;the geothermal greenhouse would be the place to incubate.

 

[aliciaplus3]

We are hoping to hatch eggs at 7,000' in the high desert of New Mexico. We've had backyard chickens in Wisconsin, but now have our first 24 chicks in NM and hope to maybe breed some of them... we have never bred chickens before, let alone at high elevation.

We have a geothermal greenhouse that circulates air, and one nice thing about that is that the air is more humid than outside. I wonder if that would be a good place to incubate the eggs? One problem (with any location except maybe our home once we have one -- currently living in tents) is that the temps swing wildly. It's very common for nights to be 40-50 degrees cooler than days. I'm not sure how well incubators function in those conditions.

We will keep browsing and reading and maybe by the time we are ready for that step (like after our home is built!) we will have come across enough good info to help us feel ready to be somewhat successful!

I am at just under 6000 feet here in arid colorado....
local eggs is a great way to start hatching.
buy the best incubator you can afford.
find a place where the temperature stays consistent with limited drafts
the room humidity will make a difference, so does time of year here
watch the air cells on the eggs by candling, I find this a better way to monitor eggs than worrying about a specific humidity on a gauge.
different colored eggs will need different humidity, so try not to run white eggs with Very Dark eggs... the white eggs will loose more moisture than the dark and one or the other will face issues.
be prepared to deal with extra roosters....
And be ready to be addicted

 

[ChickenCanoe]

As @aliciaplus3 said Tracking humidity can be a crapshoot, especially at elevation.

The most accurate way to do so is by weight. You aren't looking for a specific humidity but rather a 13% weight loss throughout incubation. That's about 0.65% per day. Get yourself a pocket gram scale and weigh prior to setting and at weekly intervals. If You are losing too much weight, up the humidity. If not losing enough, let it dry out.

 

[aliciaplus3]

tracking air cells is the closest I have come.... I am sure weighing is more accurate but eh I am lazy. Besides I LOVE to candle!

 

[Kimi BK]

thank you Alicia & ChickenCanoe! Helpful information!

 

[GammyGoose]

Ok friends. I am new to hatching ducklings and I need a little guidance. I have 5 Pekin eggs that were due to go in to lock down today at noon (day 25) however, 3 externally pipped last night between 5-7 pm EST. I went ahead and moved them to a hatching incubator as soon as they ext. pipped. The other 2 had the significant dip in air cell and appeared to have internally pipped so at about midnight i went ahead and put them in the hatching incubator. I have not heard any peeping from any of them before or after the move. Am I doing things ok? Should I have left them in original incubator until today, even though they ext. pipped. I thought I was prepared but didn’t expect them to start pipping before lock down