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

[Brookhavens]

The egg with the blood is still a pip this morning, it wasn't alot. The blood is now dry I hope he hatches

It sounds like it was just a small one then.

 

[Brookhavens]

I woke up to a football team in my bator...ok ok it sounded like one. Lol. They mowed over the egg carton, dumped out all the eggs, even the one starting to zip and face shells all over the bator...maybe I should have said soccer team! Lol

3 babies hatched in the night and one more is starting to zip. So of my 7 in the bator 5 hatched so far.

Gotta go check my hen to see if her last pipped egg hatched!

Congrats on the new babies. What a GREAT hatch rate you have.

 

[Maah]

Well... I started seeing a bit of moisture built up on the automatic turner mechanism (of my brinsea advance). The last time I had moisture built up in there was during the last lock down. So I suspected my humidity was high even though I only had some wet folded paper towel stuck in 1 chamber to help keep the humidity lower this time. The incubator only holds 7 eggs, so there wasn't room for my hygrometer in there this time (as all 7 were developing). So as soon as the turner spun, I quick slipped the hygrometer in between the eggs & figured I had 45 minutes to get a reading before it spun again. The dome of the brinsea really holds in heat & humidity very well when doing a quick opening, it doesn't fluctuate much at all. After a few minutes, I checked it, and the humidity had climbed to just about 60%. Ugh. So I figured since I needed to open it up better and let some of that moisture out, that I might as well check the eggs. Some still look to be doing just fine, others I'm not too sure about. 1 especially looked a bit funky. There was still veining, but not as much, and I couldn't make out a definite little blob in there. Another seemed to be a bit cloudy around the edges. They all seemed to have decent size air sacks though. I guess that's good at least. I left them all in there... I didn't candle at this stage last time so I have no mental pictures to compare it with. Anyways, the humidity is down to about 47-50% now. I'm still not impressed with that. I might need to get DH to "engineer" the water reservior so I can cut it down to a quarter of the space. I've tried floating caps in the water to eliminate surface space already, it just doesn't help enough either. The paper towel wad was working better... but I guess that's also not good enough. I don't understand how it's holding so much humidity, when the humidity in my house is only about 15-18%. We run a wood stove here and it really sucks the moisture out of the air.

Today is day 8. I'll check the eggs again around day 12. Maybe I'll have a better handle on which eggs have quit. I'm really not happy with the fact that all the eggs done look similar to each other in their development. Has me a bit concerned.

 

[Brookhavens]

Well... I started seeing a bit of moisture built up on the automatic turner mechanism (of my brinsea advance). The last time I had moisture built up in there was during the last lock down. So I suspected my humidity was high even though I only had some wet folded paper towel stuck in 1 chamber to help keep the humidity lower this time. The incubator only holds 7 eggs, so there wasn't room for my hygrometer in there this time (as all 7 were developing). So as soon as the turner spun, I quick slipped the hygrometer in between the eggs & figured I had 45 minutes to get a reading before it spun again. The dome of the brinsea really holds in heat & humidity very well when doing a quick opening, it doesn't fluctuate much at all. After a few minutes, I checked it, and the humidity had climbed to just about 60%. Ugh. So I figured since I needed to open it up better and let some of that moisture out, that I might as well check the eggs. Some still look to be doing just fine, others I'm not too sure about. 1 especially looked a bit funky. There was still veining, but not as much, and I couldn't make out a definite little blob in there. Another seemed to be a bit cloudy around the edges. They all seemed to have decent size air sacks though. I guess that's good at least. I left them all in there... I didn't candle at this stage last time so I have no mental pictures to compare it with. Anyways, the humidity is down to about 47-50% now. I'm still not impressed with that. I might need to get DH to "engineer" the water reservior so I can cut it down to a quarter of the space. I've tried floating caps in the water to eliminate surface space already, it just doesn't help enough either. The paper towel wad was working better... but I guess that's also not good enough. I don't understand how it's holding so much humidity, when the humidity in my house is only about 15-18%. We run a wood stove here and it really sucks the moisture out of the air.

Today is day 8. I'll check the eggs again around day 12. Maybe I'll have a better handle on which eggs have quit. I'm really not happy with the fact that all the eggs done look similar to each other in their development. Has me a bit concerned.

Can you put a piece of plastic or tin foil to cover just a part of the water wells? That would cut down on the surface area.

 

[jphendrix]

Here are the newest hatchlings from my broody this morning. She has one more pipped under her, and I have 4 more pipped in the bator. So, so far of my 13 shipped eggs that made it to lock down...5 chicks and 5 pipped...not a bad hatch rate at all if these pipped babies make their way out. Today is day 21! Come on babies!!!

Aww!!!!! They are so adorable!!!!! Congrats!!!!!!!!

 

[gapeach717]

If I have more than 4 out of 42 eggs growing I will be shocked. I think my thermometer is way off. Even though I seen 4 fabulously forming eggs. Already planning things to do different this next week on my others. *sigh*

 

[jphendrix]

If I have more than 4 out of 42 eggs growing I will be shocked. I think my thermometer is way off. Even though I seen 4 fabulously forming eggs. Already planning things to do different this next week on my others. *sigh*

I so know the feeling! I am hoping for at least a few from my 25 eggs! I plan to try and candle some tonight so I can see if I see anything!

 

[Roxannemc]

Is it digital? If not you can pack with crushed ice in a glass with some water and see what it reads.Should be zero if i have that right.If its not deduct whatever itsays from your readings.I have some glass therms coming gonna do that to them first

 

[Brookhavens]

If I have more than 4 out of 42 eggs growing I will be shocked. I think my thermometer is way off. Even though I seen 4 fabulously forming eggs. Already planning things to do different this next week on my others. *sigh*

Go to walmart and buy a glass bulb fish tank thermometer($2-$3.) These are easy to calibrate. Just fill a glass with crushed ice and then add water to the top. let it sit for a few minutes and then stir. hold the thermometer in the middle without touching the sides or bottom. Within a minute it should read 32 F or 0 C whichever it is. If it above the 32 just subtract. If it is below then add that number to get you to the 32F.

 

[gapeach717]

Its going into 5 days today. I should see a LOT more than I do. I have FOUR with that tell take spider of veins and two I can see the heart beating in. NOTHING with 99% of the others. Now I wonder if I toss the rest Tuesday and move these Deff fertile ones into the new incubator set up with the new eggs and then move them back to this one for lockdown or just let them sit. Oddly enough, my shipped eggs look the most fertile, and my Ameracauna eggs and sizzle eggs look the most fertile too. Many are just too dark. My husband is going to put a flood light in a heat lamp in a box later for me to see if I can see better through them. But by looking at MANY MANY MANY link and pages, I would gather to say 99% of mine either are completely infertile, or not developing at all.