First Hatching Disaster

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Welcome to BYC. I think you should go to "where am I, where are you," in the social forum so you can locate and post on your state thread. That hopefully will put you in contact with someone selling what you want to buy. If at all possible you could drive over and pick up the eggs and not need them shipped.

Also put on the Breed thread where you will find(hopefully) some very experienced breeder/shippers. You and your daughter make a good team, I really do think those eggs were packed very poorly. The only other thing I can think of, does your incubator lid, seal tightly enough? I hope you did tell the seller.
 
Followed your advice and went over to post on my state thread, thanks. The lid fits very well and sits onto weatherstripping to make it airtight. What little air space there is we use to adjust the humidity by covering the seams with duct tape.

Lew
 
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Well, I think I have found at least one of my problems. I had tested my old school thermometer/hygrometer for temp calibration and it was spot on. However, I did not test the hygrometer. Since I was wanting to try a second hatch with three different kind of eggs I bee-bopped off to Walmart and got myself a fancy/smancy temp/humidity digital unit. This one I did test for both temp and (using the moist salt in a tupperware container method) humidity calibration. It was pretty much spot on. I then cranked up the incubator and as I already knew the old school thermometer was spot on. However, the humidity gauge on the unit was off by 10 degrees!!
This means that I ran my bator the first 18 days at 60% humidity and then for the last 3 days at 80%! I have recalibrated my old school meter and tested several places in the incubator with the digital. Here is how I am set to go this time around (Note the matching digital/analog meters):



I just today got a batch of 7 Buff O's that I have set fat side up in a carton to rest for 24 hours. The guy sent 9 eggs (I ordered the 7+ on Ebay) but two ended up broken:





Man, I can't catch a break I guess. Seems there should be some way to mail these where they arrive unbroken. Both times I've received in the mail I've had busted eggs.

Anyhow, I'm gonna candle these eggs before setting in the incubator tomorrow to see if I can tell how the air sac is. Maybe I can get pics to put up as well.

As for my two little chicks...I think I have a pullet and a cockerel but I am far from experienced at this. What do you guys think? Here is the one I think is a cockerel:



And here is the one I think is a future hen:



Here they are together:



I will put them up in the gender/breed thread and let everybody have a whack at guessing. I think I'll start a "follow my hatch" thread, as well, for good luck once I get all my eggs in.

Laterz,
Lew
 

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