Final hatch of the year, here we go!

[keith92]

just finished up a group of blue copper marans that i got on ebay and that went greatt. ordered 12 got 14, as far as i know all were fertile but 3 got scrambled in shipment. that happens. got 10 littlee marans out of the 11 eggs. my dozen that i hatched with the shipped eggs didn't go as well 6/11 but i cant complain cause i catered to the shipped eggs and used my own as the experiment. So here I am starting my final project for the year and felt like blogging. This turn is 41 French Black Copper Marans Eggs out of my own stock(the very darkest i could collect this week) that i am giving to my buddy after they hatch. i've already filled the incubators of 3 other friends but this is the first time i get to hatch them than give them to a new home.

start time: 9:30 pm
incubator type: Farm innovator pro series with egg turner
temp range: i like to average 100 degrees 101 for a high 99 for a low =100. ideally 100/99 = 99.5 even better
humidity: who cares, this is the most pointless tracker for marans eggs so i don't add any water yet,
room temp: basement. nice consistant temp around 68-72 degrees right now.
room humidity: now were talking, in my opinion this matters more than incubator humidity. i run a dehumidifier constantly until my room humidity is 50 percent. don't get bothered if it hits 60 cause this is a safe zone. both red plugs are out so i can use the room humidity as my gauge and the fan on the incubator circulates the room moisture better inside the incubator.
notes: document your daily numbers, i like to do data entry for each hatch, month day year. followed by daily bator temps, daily room temps, and daily ROOM HUMIDITY not humidity in the bator the humidity which the incubator sits in. the best expense you can invest in is a incubator with a fan and a turner so you can stay the heck out of the machine.


so here I go. 41 black copper marans eggs. goal 75% hatch rate due to the shear size of my previous chicks.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I do a lot of data tracking too.
Every egg I set is numbered. Along with that number I record the cock # and, if I know it, the hen #. The date the egg was laid, egg weight, hue.
The eggs go into pedigree bags in the hatch drawer. I use colored zip ties to leg band the chicks so their eventual leg band number can be traced back to all the egg info.
I also weigh the chicks at intervals, either weekly or 10 day intervals. I compare them to egg weight and feed types.



I'm setting eggs every couple weeks according to the moon signs.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/975265/zodiac-hatch-a-long-waxing-moon-in-fruitful-signs-hal

 

[keith92]

i agree with what you do. im a data geek and the more data you have the more involved you feel so it ISN't necessary to open and close the bator constantly to intervene. what ya got for eggs in that pic??

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They're all Black Penedesena eggs.



So are these, except for the three Ameraucana eggs


These are White Wyandotte and New Hampshire eggs I'm hatching for a friend.

 

[keith92]

those are beautiful birds. they almost lay an egg similar to a maran not quite as dark but chocolate nonetheless.

alright day one data complete.

day one

temp: 99.5
room humidity: 56.5
room temp 73

pretty solid numbers for average high/lows. winner winner chicken dinner!

 

[keith92]

Chickencanoe, where's the drive thru window at your incubator? i'll take a #2 with a cookie dough shake

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I wanted to add that I do pay attention to humidity but do so more by egg weight.
I weight when I set and once or twice during incubation.
I finally have a fairly accurate hygrometer but IMO the egg weight is more accurate since some eggs are more porous than others.

 

[keith92]

i just run it dry, i'll candle at 8 and 14 to check air cells, if they need any i might add a table spoon. it is extremely humid here.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It's fairly humid here and especially in the cellar where I incubate but my incubator runs too dry if I don't keep water in it. The last time I let it run dry, the eggs lost over 20% of their weight.

 

[keith92]

day 2, eggs on auto pilot. might take a nap or get caught up on some video games. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz