Hands on hatching and help

[Blooie]

You know, I think I figured out why some of us, getting eggs from the same sources, using decent incubators, and following guidelines and advice, can still have drastically different outcomes! In most things a degree or two in temperatures makes no difference. Neither do a few percentage points in humidity. But in incubation they can make all the difference!

Calibrating meters is critical, and pretty effective with those that can handle being put in ice water. Others say "Test for accuracy with a thermometer you know to be accurate." But how the heck do you manage that when you have this many thermometers, side by side, and they still don't agree? Which one IS accurate and can be safely used as the benchmark reading? Is a puzzlement! At one time over the last 3 incubations, two different thermometers were out of this assortment were used at the same time and I couldn't trust any of them. Going by the photo below, I can ASSUME it's 75 degrees where they are sitting, but what if I'm wrong over 21 days? No wonder this is hard sometimes!!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

You know, I think I figured out why some of us, getting eggs from the same sources, using decent incubators, and following guidelines and advice, can still have drastically different outcomes! In most things a degree or two in temperatures makes no difference. Neither do a few percentage points in humidity. But in incubation they can make all the difference!

Calibrating meters is critical, and pretty effective with those that can handle being put in ice water. Others say "Test for accuracy with a thermometer you know to be accurate." But how the heck do you manage that when you have this many thermometers, side by side, and they still don't agree? Which one IS accurate and can be safely used as the benchmark reading? Is a puzzlement! At one time over the last 3 incubations, two different thermometers were out of this assortment were used at the same time and I couldn't trust any of them. Going by the photo below, I can ASSUME it's 75 degrees where they are sitting, but what if I'm wrong over 21 days? No wonder this is hard sometimes!!

I thought I had a lot of thermometers....lol I'd say 75.....lol

 

[BantyChooks]

You know, I think I figured out why some of us, getting eggs from the same sources, using decent incubators, and following guidelines and advice, can still have drastically different outcomes! In most things a degree or two in temperatures makes no difference. Neither do a few percentage points in humidity. But in incubation they can make all the difference!

Calibrating meters is critical, and pretty effective with those that can handle being put in ice water. Others say "Test for accuracy with a thermometer you know to be accurate." But how the heck do you manage that when you have this many thermometers, side by side, and they still don't agree? Which one IS accurate and can be safely used as the benchmark reading? Is a puzzlement! At one time over the last 3 incubations, two different thermometers were out of this assortment were used at the same time and I couldn't trust any of them. Going by the photo below, I can ASSUME it's 75 degrees where they are sitting, but what if I'm wrong over 21 days? No wonder this is hard sometimes!!

 

[RubyNala97]

Home from vacation, now I need a rest!!!! My fluffies are getting so big. I need to get some new pics!!

Welcome back! I hope you had fun. I'd love to see pics!

Wouldn't that be considered mottled instead of paint?

I have no idea what it is! But it has a pigment spot on a toe, so one parent is a paint. I thought mottled was like calico colors?

I have way too many lav orp eggs Guess I'm going to have to set a couple dozen :/

I just realized today too that I have way to many eggs! Maybe I will try to figure out how to do an auction too. I do have room in the new hova bator.....

Here's the other one. She may end up being splash as she has a few dark polka dots.

What a cutie!

You know, I think I figured out why some of us, getting eggs from the same sources, using decent incubators, and following guidelines and advice, can still have drastically different outcomes! In most things a degree or two in temperatures makes no difference. Neither do a few percentage points in humidity. But in incubation they can make all the difference! Calibrating meters is critical, and pretty effective with those that can handle being put in ice water. Others say "Test for accuracy with a thermometer you know to be accurate." But how the heck do you manage that when you have this many thermometers, side by side, and they still don't agree? Which one IS accurate and can be safely used as the benchmark reading? Is a puzzlement! At one time over the last 3 incubations, two different thermometers were out of this assortment were used at the same time and I couldn't trust any of them. Going by the photo below, I can ASSUME it's 75 degrees where they are sitting, but what if I'm wrong over 21 days? No wonder this is hard sometimes!!

You've got a lot more then me! Get a cheap glass one that goes to freezing, test it and then sit it next to the rest and see where they're at.

 

[Blooie]

What I find the most disturbing is that on only the tall one in the center do the two temperatures match....in other words, the reading in the indoor and the outdoor display are the same. Look at the others....the one on the far left says it's 73 outside and 75 inside, yet the transmitter is sitting right in front of it! Same thing with the second one in.

I thought I had a lot of thermometers....lol I'd say 75.....lol

Ah, but now are you really sure?

Welcome back! I hope you had fun. I'd love to see pics!
I have no idea what it is! But it has a pigment spot on a toe, so one parent is a paint. I thought mottled was like calico colors?
I just realized today too that I have way to many eggs! Maybe I will try to figure out how to do an auction too. I do have room in the new hova bator.....
What a cutie!
You've got a lot more then me! Get a cheap glass one that goes to freezing, test it and then sit it next to the rest and see where they're at.

As soon as I manage to find one with numbers I can actually read while it's in the incubator I plan to do just that! The two glass ones that are up there I can't even read unless I open the incubator, and then what happens to the accuracy? See, is a puzzlement!!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

What I find the most disturbing is that on only the tall one in the center do the two temperatures match....in other words, the reading in the indoor and the outdoor display are the same. Look at the others....the one on the far left says it's 73 outside and 75 inside, yet the transmitter is sitting right in front of it! Same thing with the second one in.
Ah, but now are you really sure?

As soon as I manage to find one with numbers I can actually read while it's in the incubator I plan to do just that! The two glass ones that are up there I can't even read unless I open the incubator, and then what happens to the accuracy? See, is a puzzlement!!

Well, 4 of them that are visible read 75...lol So the probability would be greater....lol. This is why as long as mine are above 99.5 and under 101, I am happy. Most of the time, mine are within tenths of agree, sometimes within 1 degree. When they get a bigger discrepancy than 1 degree, I get anxious and start messing around.....lol

 

[Lacrystol]

Sorry to hear that! You did a great job trying to take care of them. I know what you mean. I've got so many broodies and eggs and chicks right now that at some point it's going to have to just play out. I can't keep policing all these hens and eggs.

I have a red paint, I have to admit, I thought he was a Messy Sloppy Silkie. Why? because I thought his red spots was dirt, I kept trying to clean him up by bathing him and DANG IT, those dirty spots would NOT come off. LOL I finally accepted the fact they aren't going to come off.

He's a COCKY Rooster today, he's even attacked me a couple of times, he's really bad when his lady friends are sitting on eggs. OMG, he's sooo mean. But when they aren't sitting, he will do this circling dance in front of me. LOL constantly Stickying his chest out and twirl. The funniest thing ever. he's probably ****** at me because of all the baths I have giving to him trying to get those dirty spots off of him. LOL One thing for sure, he's a VERY clean Silkie, not by choice though. LOL

 

[mikeldb]

So I had 4 oegb that were suppose to hatch today, apparently my temp was way down at 94.... *** anyways 1 made it and internally piped last night. So this morning I got up and it piped the shell but only one very small hole and wasn't moving very much anymore, so I opened the shell ever so slightly and came back an hour later still nothing he was peeping and moving his head slightly but nada, so I opened the air sack area completely and then replaced the shell, misted the Bator and closed it back up. Came back every hour no changes...... so at 430 I decided to open the shell almost all the way bring cautious not to pull the shell away where the cord is attached. Once I got 3/4 of the shell moved away I could see that the yolk sack was pulled in and looked good so I took my tiny clippers and detached the remaining "stuff" no blood lose or anything.... he was very weak so I misted the Bator put him back in and waited an hour came back he was doing good gave him a tiny bit of water and now he's up and moving like he should be after they hatch.... so happy I stepped in he's so cute ....

 

[mikeldb]

That pic was after I got him out of the shell and back into the bator

 

[mikeldb]

just now