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

[Fire Ant Farm]

OMG, guess who has figured out that chirping really loud gets me to come and pay attention to him?!



(Sigh)

@microchick , let me figure out how to get the spreadsheet to you. Might be later today. I've got to plan a cockerel intervention...

- Ant Farm

 

[microchick]

Hey, 37%? Don't feel bad. That sounds like the hatch rate for my BO on her first brood. The other BO hen that goes broody for me consecutively hatched 8 of 12 eggs. Don't know why unless them both being inexperienced Broodies had something to do with it. I'll be happy if I can get a 60% rate with either the incubator or the hens.

Thanks Fire Ant Farm. Just PM me if you want or post it, whichever is easier for you.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

OK, Here is the hatching spreadsheet - hopefully they will let me attach something.



And here is an example of it in use - my partially filled out spreadsheet for this current hatch:



- Ant Farm

 

[BantyChooks]

Hey, 37%? Don't feel bad. That sounds like the hatch rate for my BO on her first brood. The other BO hen that goes broody for me consecutively hatched 8 of 12 eggs. Don't know why unless them both being inexperienced Broodies had something to do with it. I'll be happy if I can get a 60% rate with either the incubator or the hens.

A few of the batches I set were shipped, so I don't really consider those to be an accurate measure of incubation procedure, but I've managed to have 12.5% hatch rates on own eggs/local for no reason that I've found yet. Switching bators from LG to my MacGyvered Bator helped a bit, but not much...

Hopefully a rebuild helps.

 

[BantyChooks]

Hopefully I can get hatch rates up this year... I'm planning on having year-by-year avg rates rather than my first few terrible hatches wrecking the total percentage. Year 2 starts on Jan 30th, the day I set my first batch... Wow, nearly a year already....

 

[duluthralphie]

Hopefully I can get hatch rates up this year... I'm planning on having year-by-year avg rates rather than my first few terrible hatches wrecking the total percentage. Year 2 starts on Jan 30th, the day I set my first batch... Wow, nearly a year already....

Do not think the low hatch rates are something you did,,,(any of you).

As the spring advances the roosters become more fertile and the hens more receptive. I very low hatch rates this time of year. By July I am hatching over 90%. Then it is time to stop for 6 months.

I thought by having the breeders live indoors under artificial light would increase the rate, It has not.

 

[microchick]

Thanks Fire Ant Farm for the spreadsheets. DH is studying them now.

I get really jittery when I think about trying to hatch shipped eggs. That's the main reason I'm hunting for suppliers within an hour's drive of where we live.

I've also had problems with egg fertility. I have Welsummer hens and 3 of them are refusing the rooster's attentions. I've seen them beat up the roosters if one of them dares to cover them so I've basically given up on trying to hatch Welly eggs. The three Welly/BO cross hens that I have seem to have a better attitude with the boys. If they weren't such great layers (the Wellys) I'd get rid of them in a minute. 50% of the Welsummer eggs that I put under hens are infertile. I did manage to hatch one little pullet who is a doll. Completely different nature than the original hens in the flock.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

A few of the batches I set were shipped, so I don't really consider those to be an accurate measure of incubation procedure, but I've managed to have 12.5% hatch rates on own eggs/local for no reason that I've found yet. Switching bators from LG to my MacGyvered Bator helped a bit, but not much...

Hopefully a rebuild helps.

i hope so!!

 

[DwayneNLiz]

Finally some pretty eggies

 

[BantyChooks]

Do not think the low hatch rates are something you did,,,(any of you).

As the spring advances the roosters become more fertile and the hens more receptive.  I very low hatch rates this time of year. By July I am hatching over 90%.  Then it is time to stop for 6 months.

I thought by having the breeders live indoors under artificial light would increase the rate, It has not.

Batch #1 was incubation error, next hatch jumped to 91%, and then for a while the eggs had poor fertility... I don't count inferts as part of my hatch rates, or they'd REALLY stink then.

Finally some pretty eggies