FEBRUARY HATCH-A-LONG come join in

[Laurieks]

14 day candling of most of the eggs last night showed mostly good, one possible quitter, one still clear and the rest too dark to be sure.
I just took out & opened the one with the taped over crack... still clear, and too dark to see that the yolk was scrambled

no wonder it had a crack, and didn't grow. Poor kid. This is the one that was on the dented side of the box.
All 4 Seramas look great, SilverPhoenix!

 

[chickenmeadow]

Tanichca: A pip is a very good thing, now you can stand & stare til it zipps out. Oh never mind standing, maybe you'd rather sit, some of mine took give or take 10 hrs. to get out. We'll be waiting to hear & see pics.

The Silkie bantam crosses that I've hatched have always been adorable sweeties, everyone has just loved them. Within a week, they would show a top notch of feathers on their head, which I fondly refer to as "coneheads." Happy hatching!

 

[chickenwire]

Hi! As im reading your posts on here I had to leave for a minute heard peeping coming from the bedroom. Not due till tomorrow. Yay one early bird sex link girl! Feb. in canada and hatching chicks. swore last year april was almost too soon. Talk about your addictions.

 

[Tanichca]

If anyone wants to check in on the chickies over here, my post is called "egg log! PIPPED!"
Its too dark for me to go out to the coop to check on the mommy right now. so unfair! if it wasn't winter, i'd be sleeping out there though.
Just hoping it is a pip and not just a cracked egg from something. hoping that the movement is good sign. and momma hen getting ALOT more antsy when i got near her. is this normal just before hatching? or is she just annoyed by my sitting next to her crate all afternoon?
happy Mardi Gras!

 

[cuddlebug149]

Quote:
What's an "automatic waterer" and where can I find one?

Thanks!

Our incubator is a GQF Sportsman. He googled GQF Water reserve or something and found them. It's like a bucket with tubes that keep the humidity up. We have to open the bator and add water to the pans at least once a day and still the *highest* the humidity gets is 70%.

 

[cuddlebug149]

Our first hatch is officially *over*

Heres the stats:

33 eggs set
Minus 10 from Candling
14 hatched, one died overnight the first night
4 needed help as they dried out from opening the bator too much. Two are thriving. Two had prolapsed guts/ or yolk? We put it back in. One is dried fluffy and doing ok. The other is still in the incubator wrapped in a towel to keep it quiet until we think its ready to move more.

We feel like this was pretty successful considering we are in MI where it is always below freezing and some of the eggs were quite cold by the time we collected them.

Lessons Learned:
1. DONT OPEN THE BATOR!

2. Sleep. They will be there in the morning whether we're awake or asleep. Only 5 hours *total* Friday and Saturday night made for tired mama and papa!

 

[debilorrah]

I had 11 sebright eggs and 4 mutts - 3 mutts are dark eggs so I can't tell a thing and the other is a dud. Of the 11 sebrights there are 7 that CLEARLY have a baby birdie in there!!!!

 

[Madcap621]

Quote:
Go w/the carton!! I use a cardboard carton, trim out the bottoms and 'peaks' [just moisten, then push a hole] and set your eggs in large end up. Let me see if i HAVE A PICTURE:

Can kind of see here:

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Go w/the carton!! I use a cardboard carton, trim out the bottoms and 'peaks' [just moisten, then push a hole] and set your eggs in large end up. Let me see if i HAVE A PICTURE:

Can kind of see here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/43761_4-5-6-wellies_003.jpg

I already cut up a egg carton to fit, now I don't think I need as many as I made, but I am really hoping for those 7 to hatch well.

 

[Madcap621]

That's OK. Save the extras for your next hatch. I have a whole stack,every size

I even got the cook at my favorite 'greasy spoon' to save me his 36 egg cardboard flats so that I can cut a 24 egg carton for the Suro-20. Fits perfectly!