FEB HATCH-ALONG THREAD ...COME JOIN US.... EVERYONE!

[Maah]

day 2.....


i am a mess

Wow, if you are a mess at day 2, this is going to be a long haul!! Don't worry, I'm on day 6 I believe, and I'm already a mess as well. 2nd hatch this month, the 1st turned out both great, and not good (awesome because all 4 out of 4 eggs hatched, but 2 had leg/tendon problems and needed to be culled, and a 3rd is small/runt. Only 1 perfect chick out of the 4, so it has me worried about this next batch! AHH! To be fair though, I think that 1 of the tendon/leg chicks would have been fine if it hadn't kept slipping on the paper towel after hatch. So, it'd only be 1/2 the chicks that had deformities. Still too much IMO.

I've made some adjustments, and now I just sit & wait with my fingers crossed. Nothing I can if the issues are caused by genetics though. I don't know the bloodline history of our silkies.

 

[jphendrix]

day 2.....


i am a mess

Me to! I am a nervous wreck trying to make sure I have everything right!!!!!!

 

[raygirl4386]

I had one pip this morning and of course my humidity was in the 55% now I'm working hard to get it up hopefully he is not shrink wrapped in.

 

[gapeach717]

whew! I am glad I am not alone!! In my defense this is my first EVER hatch, I have 48 eggs in there, its the cheapest incubator, and I have no central heat so my bedroom is the best place for the incubator and I even watch how much I keep my space heater on in here bc I don't want it to effect the eggs!!

My husband doesn't buy it all, he says, "let me get this straight, a chicken lays eggs in a coop, outside...and hatches eggs....yet this is rocket science in the bedroom???"

He doesn't get it!

 

[CamiLynn]

I got a chick!! Ok ok it was from under my broody hen but one is here!! :-D my broody and incubator are all on the same day, w the same shipped eggs. Day 19 (yeaterday) I saw one had pipped under her and this morning it's here and already fluffing.

Nothing going on in my bator yet though on day 20. Last night we had crazy power surges and then lost power for about 4 hrs!! My bator temps dropped and my humidity spiked way high...I'm totally scared it just ruined my bator hatch, but just going to wait and see what happens

Pug...so excited for you, but sorry you lost one. Come on babies!!!

 

[jphendrix]

whew! I am glad I am not alone!! In my defense this is my first EVER hatch, I have 48 eggs in there, its the cheapest incubator, and I have no central heat so my bedroom is the best place for the incubator and I even watch how much I keep my space heater on in here bc I don't want it to effect the eggs!!

My husband doesn't buy it all, he says, "let me get this straight, a chicken lays eggs in a coop, outside...and hatches eggs....yet this is rocket science in the bedroom???"

He doesn't get it!

Sounds like we are in the same boat LOL! I have 25 in mine, and this is my very first hatch too! I have the Little Giant still air incubator, wish I had a circulated air one though. I have mine in my kitchen which is the best place to have it. Can't have it in my room because my husband covers the air vent at night so it gets cold in there. I am keeping my fingers crossed hoping that we all have goood hatches!!!!!!!!

I started a thread that has some pics of my set up https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/742725/first-hatching-experience/10

 

[Brookhavens]

Oh my gosh, I need my husband to lock the incubator away and throw away the key for a few days. I am going to kill them before they even have a chance! I am SO scared of killing them I keep checking on them....this is the worst ever!! 42 tiny lives lay in limbo and are depending on my and my insanely hard to keep steady incubator temps and humidity and I am failing, I just know it!!! My hands look like I am half zebra from reaching in and adjusting everything 100 times a day and burning myself on the heating element!

You have to stop opening the bator. Those eggs need to have a stable environment and with the bator being opened all the time it will keep on fluctuating. Try to do as much as you can from the outside. I actually sterilized a piece of wire that I can stick through the vent holes so I can move things around if I have to. I use tubing and a syringe to add water if needed.

 

[Maah]

I had one pip this morning and of course my humidity was in the 55% now I'm working hard to get it up hopefully he is not shrink wrapped in.

Keep us updated!

whew! I am glad I am not alone!! In my defense this is my first EVER hatch, I have 48 eggs in there, its the cheapest incubator, and I have no central heat so my bedroom is the best place for the incubator and I even watch how much I keep my space heater on in here bc I don't want it to effect the eggs!!

My husband doesn't buy it all, he says, "let me get this straight, a chicken lays eggs in a coop, outside...and hatches eggs....yet this is rocket science in the bedroom???"

He doesn't get it!

I'm with your husband. How do those girls do it.. outside, with no electric, your guages...? AHH! I'm a mother hen without right equipment! LOL

I got a chick!! Ok ok it was from under my broody hen but one is here!! :-D my broody and incubator are all on the same day, w the same shipped eggs. Day 19 (yeaterday) I saw one had pipped under her and this morning it's here and already fluffing.

Nothing going on in my bator yet though on day 20. Last night we had crazy power surges and then lost power for about 4 hrs!! My bator temps dropped and my humidity spiked way high...I'm totally scared it just ruined my bator hatch, but just going to wait and see what happens

Pug...so excited for you, but sorry you lost one. Come on babies!!!

Under the broody still counts! Woot Woot!

 

[Brookhavens]

I got a chick!! Ok ok it was from under my broody hen but one is here!! :-D my broody and incubator are all on the same day, w the same shipped eggs. Day 19 (yeaterday) I saw one had pipped under her and this morning it's here and already fluffing.

Nothing going on in my bator yet though on day 20. Last night we had crazy power surges and then lost power for about 4 hrs!! My bator temps dropped and my humidity spiked way high...I'm totally scared it just ruined my bator hatch, but just going to wait and see what happens

Pug...so excited for you, but sorry you lost one. Come on babies!!!

If you ever loose power you can always wrap the bator in blankets or towels to try and keep the heat in for as long as possible. All my bators are plugged into a surge protector because we get a lot of power surges even when the weather is nice outside.

 

[gapeach717]

Lol, I have a 50ft electric cord under my side of the bed. If the power goes out, I remove screen from window, plug incubator in one end, and drop cord to driveway where I have a power converter in my blazer set up and ready just in case!!

and I agree maah! I need better hen equipment!! LOL!!!