first hatch

[cgmaster]

Soon i am going to borrow an incubator from my great grandpa, im going to hatch some eggs from two pairs of silkies, a silkie rooster and a wyandotte hen, a silkie roo with a cornish hen, an ameraucana roo with an easter egger hen(who may or may not have some silkie in her, she has the blue earlobes).

I was wondering what i might get from all of these? And this being my first hatch i would love any and all advice about incubating.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi, my top tip would be take a deep breath and don't panic!!! Get to know your incubator before you set your eggs. I would set it running at least 2 days before you set your eggs that way you can make any adjustment. Make sure you have good thermometer and hygrometer or at least accurate. Good egg turning is also important at least 3 times a day, 5 times is better. As to what you may hatch off I'm not sure it sounds like quite a mixture and I'm not so good on mixed breeds. Good luck with your hatch, post any more questions you may have and most important enjoy it!! Nerve racking and exciting all rolled into one.

 

[cgmaster]

My great grandfather hatched out a bunch of his chickens earlier in the year and he had tried to hatch some from my silkies but i had low fertility, only one pipped but it died before it could hatch properly . How would i improve my fertility?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Healthy parent stock fed good quality feed should be the start. You say only one pipped but how many were fertile and how many were clear after setting? Is your cockerel doing his job? Also how you store eggs before setting can be a factor. They need to be collected daily and stored in cartons pointy end down fat end up. Stored in cool place but not the fridge. If you are collecting eggs for more than a couple days they need to be turned. How were the eggs set in the incubator? Were they in a turner or on their side being hand turned? Sorry for all the question but background info is most helpfull.

 

[cgmaster]

auto turner my great grandpa hatched some of his at the same time all of them hatched actually i dont know for sure wich ones were fertile but he said it might just be all the fluff around my silkies butts that hindered the proccessi stored them the way you stated

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I would candle all eggs at day 7 to check for fertility. Is your cockerel young if he is maybe he needs more time to mature. I'm not sure what else to suggest it seems incubation is not the problem as all the other eggs hatched.

 

[cgmaster]

He was not the dominant one when i got him but i separated the dominant roo which was smaller btw that couls have been a factor maybe because he was not allowed to breed the hens?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

If they hadn't been together very long maybe they just need more time. Or he needs more time to realise he can get on with mating them. Did you actually see him trending his hens?

 

[cgmaster]

No i did not catch him in the act the one that pipped but didnt hatch was black wich is what that rooster is hes the only black one i have

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I would try to watch as much as you can just to determine weather he is treading them I don't think I would go on the chick being black if you are crossing breeds there is no set rule for what will hatch or that is what I've been led to believe. I have polish and an example is I have a frizzle pullet she has feathery legs but polish shouldn't have feathery legs. Non of her hatch mates has and neither did the parent birds. So where did they come from? A throw back gene from way back.