First time: Incubation Lavender Orpington Rooster w/ Welsummer and EE

[Millsa]

Eve of LockDown : paranoia. So nerves have finally set in - watching the incubator struggle today to maintain heat on the generator… im thinking this could be a lost cause.. also , reading everyone’s posts.. it seems like this time is fraught with many unknowns. Im going to keep the temperature where it is about 99.F and jack the humidity tonight to 70% and hope for the best. Starting Lockdown 6 hours early. Also have my eyes on a NR360 at the local tractor supply if this hatch fails, I’ll be buying that asap, gathering a new clutch of eggs NOW.. since they can last for months for food…fertility check on the eggs weve been eating is about 80% i could be starting a new batch in a NEW incubator in a weeks time. The girls are laying about an egg a day so i get 3 eggs a day out of my 3 hens and their eggs are SO MUCH bigger than the ones i have in the incubator now! So much to worry about! Leaving all of it up to G.O.D. (Good orderly direction)

 

[Millsa]

Ok… put the eggs on lockdown. Im getting 68% humidity and 98 degrees. Hoping to increase the humidity by 2 degrees if possible. Keeping a close eye on it. Tomorrow is day 18… so im about 6 hours early for lock down but… im doing it anyway. I just want to see that i can control the humidity and heat for this next phase. so… starting a few hours early

 

[Millsa]

Reporting in : humidity control almost a steady 71% and temp is 97 ish. Im Anticipating the eggs taking a bit longer to hatch actually since i fear i was at a cooler temperature all along? I dont know i think im just thinking up things to worry about. Next big milestone will be if i hear peeping on day 19? But i know also that doesnt happen in all cases. What’s the cut of.. like day 25 or 26? We are still running on our generator here… will switch over to battery power tomorrow until that dies then we will flip the generator on again. There is 2 feet of snow outside. Had to do emergency snow removal on the chickens run area and coop and shed.. so they dont collapse!

 

[Millsa]

Okay, DAY 18 official Lock Down. Did a last candling..in particular checking for cracks in shells… everything looks good. Air cells visible some vein visible on my “baby” egg. have been able to maintain humidity and heat fairly well… so i am hopeful. Saying a prayer. And hoping for the best. Here are some pics. Didnt spend a lot of time taking photos of each egg because i didnt want to disrupt my beautiful humidity TOO much by opening and closing the lid more than needed. The candler on the incubator did a good job…

 

[Millsa]

Ugh have had a harrowing morning. We never switched off of our generator power because that is barely doing the job of keeping temperature. The incubator got below 90 degrees for some reason… now its back to around 96… the humidity was at 88% got that regulated too… now down to 69% had to move the incubator closer to our wood stove .. which seems to be helping the motor not work so hard - i have it wrapped in towels so the wood heat doesnt scorch the eggs… GOSH… its been a REAL rollercoaster of a day one on lock down. If i can keep it to 97 degrees and 69% humidity i think i can relax a little.. gotta keep stokin that wood fire. DEAR LORD, i hope i didnt just kill everyone.. but its this power outage really - why!!! 20” of snow… WHY omg. Okay I’ll stop now - literally sitting on the eggs now.

 

[Millsa]

Day 19: miraculously, after moving the incubator closer to our wood stove, and wrapping it in towels. The humidity and temperature of the incubator stabillized even over night! Hoping to hear a peep or two today as confirmation of life in there.. and will keep on.. still no power day 4. Still over 20” of snow on the ground. Thinking the brooder will have to also be next to the fire place. A very unconventional hatch.

 

[Millsa]

Late in the day: Day 19. The temperature has been very hard to maintain today, im still on the generator power. We still have no power (day 4) It’s 2pm and the temperature is just now 99 and 70% humidity in the incubator - its been at 95 all day… im super bummed about this because im pretty sure if we had developing embryos … they must be frozen by now. but, i also was able to finally get out of our driveway, went to TSC and bought the Nurture Right 360 and a bale of hay for my chicks outside - who are not loving the 2 feet of snow out there.. they are still laying tho - i have collected 6 eggs so far and will collect 6 more… in the hopes of sharing some chicks with our friends and increasing our flock. Will wait for the power outage to be over before i test run the NR360 and … we’ll go from there. I wonder if theres still a possibility these eggs could hatch? no one smells. But nothing seems to be going on. day 21 if still nothing, im going to try and candle them. But… not sure what i would be able to see.. the shell density etc. maybe a pip… ?

 

[Millsa]

Okay i couldnt stand it ANY MORE i had to candle the palest egg that I can actually see through, AND THERE IS MOVEMENT IN THERE>.. by GEORGE… im beyond grateful. My power outage babies are STILL WITH US. The low temperature was clocked in at 87 degrees. Now holding it steady at 99. GOOD GRACIOUS. My little eggs that do survive this are goign to be tough little birds. We still dont have power. Day 4… have battery back up, generator and the incubator is about 3 feet from our wood stove. It’s the only way to maintain head in this cheap P.O.S incubator. I did go out today and buy the NR 360 but until we have power im guessing that one would be unstable so keeping on with this set up.

 

[Millsa]

Day 20 power is back on! Calibrating the NR360 may move eggs to it because the temperature is so stable… its a dream really.. having trouble getting the humidity up but will resort to adding a paper towel if needed under the slip guard. The eggs are still in the little incubator .. for now because it too is holding steady 99 and humidity is good. Hopeful that they survived this ordeal - may just delay the hatch a day or two late

if i can give them consistency.

 

[Millsa]

Day 21: my smallest “weakest” egg pipped. I was candling it because its the only egg i can really see through. I saw that it made an internal pip. And when i was putting it back in the incubator i saw that it had begun pipping through the shell. - it did need to be turned UP it was pipping down… so i gave it the help to position it for better pipping and zipping and hoping for the best. Did wash hands and did not keep it out for very long at all. Going to keep a close eye and hope that it can continue.