February Hatch-A-Long

[Tbird84]

I have jumped into the hatching! Set my first batch of my own eggs tonight. I just couldn't wait any longer to do it! Now to save up eggs for the next incubator (this was just the first incubator of 3 lol) 22 of my cross breed barn gems. I've only checked the incubator four times since i set them 3 hours ago.

When is the first day I can candle to check for life?

I usually do it at 7 days then again just before lockdown.

 

[Tbird84]

I had 11 Svart Hona eggs shipped in that the PO seemed to delight in terrorizing. I had the package marked to hold for pick up and I went online to have it deliver to the po office instead of the house. They still delivered it and shoved it in the mailbox on it's side. All aircells were completely detached. So I have been treating them with kid skin gloves. Today was the first candling. We have 4 developing properly, 5 that did nothing, and 2 that seem to be early bloodrings. Fingers crossed they keep going strong. I also have some cochins and cochin crosses. Three different hatch times. I love the fuzzy butts!

 

[Kelsykin]

12 of 13 hatched. More due Monday. The last hatch for this month will be Feb 28. March I will have three rounds of hatchings.

 

[BuChix]

One hatched so far! Off to bed, will hopefully wake up to more!

 

[Ranchwithaview]

I am happy to have found this thread. I am so excited for baby chicks. We are new to chickens, but I couldn't resist incubating eggs. We have 7 in our diy incubator from two of our hens (fertilized by the same rooster). One might be a dud, but as I am new to this I am uncertain. I already took out one dud early on. We are at day 15. I am having a hard time candling the darker eggs. Hoping and praying for the best.

 

[Ranchwithaview]

Day 5 seems early to call it for me I usually wait till day 10 unless they are obvious blood ring

Will there always be a blood ring if the chick started to develop and then died?

 

[paintedChix]

12 of 13 hatched. More due Monday. The last hatch for this month will be Feb 28. March I will have three rounds of hatchings.

Do you have a picture(s) of your incubator/hatching set up? How do you do that??

what are you hatching again?

 

[Kelsykin]

I have a cabinet incubator for the incubation and two styrofoam incubators for hatching.

I currently have Quail due to hatch on the 25th, Chickens due to hatch on the 18th, 25th, 28th, 2nd and 7th, Turkeys on the 7th and ducks on the 15th

 

[paintedChix]

Well, guess my next step is to really learn candling. Also, not to use first couple weeks of pullet eggs - even if we know they are fertile.

Out of 36 eggs set, I have 3 chicks. One is a CLB cockerel - hatched with a very crooked toe & now wearing a "boot" (bandaid) that seems to be working, 1 is a black Australorp (from a blue breeding pen) that was shrink wrapped and after sugar water & extra help looks might be ok now & 1 is a blue EE (from a pen of purebred Ameraucana, but mixed BBS & Lavender varieties as I don't have them separated yet)... I think that the EE & the Aussie may be pullets, but totally not sure (based on wing feathering). Will be doing weights on them as they grow - since I have 3 breeds hatched at same time, can keep them together and grow them up for freezer to see how it goes. Know they won't compare to "real" meat birds, but anyway... will also give me some idea(s) what to expect in growth rates for these breeds (maybe?).

Will be getting a fan for our Hovabator 1602n and separate Hygrometer & thermometer. I think that the bator held temp OK, but not sure since only checking it 2x daily most of the time due to work hours. Think I may have had too much water in it to start (humidity too high). The breeder I got some of the parent birds from stated he started w/ same bator and did no water until lock down. The humidity seemed to suddenly drop after first chick hatched - caught me by surprise and I will have to figure out how to add water w/o opening bator during lockdown.

Only way to go from here is up. Working on pics now.

 

[aliciaplus3]

Woke up to 3 little turkeys in the bator