Hands on hatching and help

[jenniferlamar70]

I have my incubator at 65% humidity. I have 4 chicks pipped and singing. Today is hatching day. Can't wait till I can see the cuties!

Are you removing the chicks as you go or waiting for all of them to hatch forst?

 

[RubyNala97]

I'm happy to hear explosions aren't that common. I candled them last night before bed. Out of the 7 Ameracaunas I saw 5 black dots moving so 5 out of 7 is not bad. I'm waiting on the other 2 just in case they are late bloomers but I don't think they are. Out of the 9 mix saw 6 baby's for sure the other 3 are still so dark I can't even see light penetrating the shells. Fingers crossed..

That's great for shipped! Keeping my fingers crossed. My first several hatches were all shipped eggs until my first batch of shipped eggs that hatched were old enough to lay there own eggs. I actually hatched the very first egg my pullet ever laid! Once I started my own eggs (local) it was a breeze from all the hard shipped! So trust me, you're going to be a step ahead!

 

[jenniferlamar70]

That's great for shipped! Keeping my fingers crossed. My first several hatches were all shipped eggs until my first batch of shipped eggs that hatched were old enough to lay there own eggs. I actually hatched the very first egg my pullet ever laid! Once I started my own eggs (local) it was a breeze from all the hard shipped! So trust me, you're going to be a step ahead!

Thanks so much. I think so far my biggest problem has been figuring out which is the round end and which is the pointed. A few of the eggs looked round which concerned me cause I don't want to accidentally kill one of my chicks my placing it upside down. Any tricks for round eggs? The breeders/shippers did a great job on packaging. When I opened the box it took forever to get the eggs out of all the wrap and styrofoam. They really took the care to keep them from breaking and keeping their temps steady.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Hey guys if I put my 2 seperate orders of shipped eggs together ( they are a day apart) together in my new incubator how would I do lockdown?

 

[Blooie]

Thanks so much. I think so far my biggest problem has been figuring out which is the round end and which is the pointed. A few of the eggs looked round which concerned me cause I don't want to accidentally kill one of my chicks my placing it upside down. Any tricks for round eggs? The breeders/shippers did a great job on packaging. When I opened the box it took forever to get the eggs out of all the wrap and styrofoam. They really took the care to keep them from breaking and keeping their temps steady.

I got a round egg, huh, @RubyNala97 ?

I wouldn't have been sure which side to put down either, but I was lucky. The eggs I ordered from her were so doggone fresh and packed so well that I didn't have to incubate it pointy side up or down - I was able to lay it horizontally. And I got this little doll baby out of it:


I would say to check your air cell carefully in that egg...if you can't really see one very well, you should be able to incubate that one flat instead of upright. I'm no expert but I think that's what I'd do.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

I got a round egg, huh, @RubyNala97 ? I wouldn't have been sure which side to put down either, but I was lucky. The eggs I ordered from her were so doggone fresh and packed so well that I didn't have to incubate it pointy side up or down - I was able to lay it horizontally. And I got this little doll baby out of it: I would say to check your air cell carefully in that egg...if you can't really see one very well, you should be able to incubate that one flat instead of upright. I'm no expert but I think that's what I'd do.

I'm glad to hear you say that. I've had it laying down instead cause I wasn't sure which side was which. I only sat them up for the 12 hours before I put them in the incubator. That baby is so adorable. All these pictures make me so impatient lol.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

sweet things

i think that from this hatch and the last, among the many other things i have learned, i am going to mark the deepest part of the air cell as the top and stop turning my eggs on day 17. i now know that i feel comfortable continuing to candle as long as there is no external pip as well, and both of those things make me feel better about the next go around, which won't be for a very long time!

I stop turning at day 14. But I candle all the way through....lol I mark air cells at day 18 too. (Actually 7/14/18)

I have my incubator at 65% humidity. I have 4 chicks pipped and singing. Today is hatching day. Can't wait till I can see the cuties!

Good luck!

Hey guys if I put my 2 seperate orders of shipped eggs together ( they are a day apart) together in my new incubator how would I do lockdown?

Normally. You can either go into lockdown a day early or a day late as long as you don't have pips. Up to you.

I got a round egg, huh, @RubyNala97 ?

I wouldn't have been sure which side to put down either, but I was lucky. The eggs I ordered from her were so doggone fresh and packed so well that I didn't have to incubate it pointy side up or down - I was able to lay it horizontally. And I got this little doll baby out of it:


I would say to check your air cell carefully in that egg...if you can't really see one very well, you should be able to incubate that one flat instead of upright. I'm no expert but I think that's what I'd do.

Adorable.

 

[thebulg]

you stop at day 14 @AmyLynn2374 ?!?!!??! well shoot, that is worth thinking about! i read somewhere on here that after day 12, it isn't "pointless" but that it's not necessary. all of the deaths in my eggs have been after day 15 and most of them the yolk never absorbs at all, and on several of them the yolk looked more like a clover than a circle. i had read elsewhere that the yolk can get twisted. i wonder if i just let them be except for candling from day 15 on, if they will be safer and able to grow and move as their little bodies dictate instead of getting swirled.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Hey guys if I put my 2 seperate orders of shipped eggs together ( they are a day apart) together in my new incubator how would I do lockdown?

Are you saying you got 2 different orders of eggs at your home------What you mean---They are a Day apart?? Come in a day apart? Layed a day apart? You put one order in the incubator, then the next day you put the next order in???

 

[AmyLynn2374]

you stop at day 14 @AmyLynn2374 ?!?!!??! well shoot, that is worth thinking about! i read somewhere on here that after day 12, it isn't "pointless" but that it's not necessary. all of the deaths in my eggs have been after day 15 and most of them the yolk never absorbs at all, and on several of them the yolk looked more like a clover than a circle. i had read elsewhere that the yolk can get twisted. i wonder if i just let them be except for candling from day 15 on, if they will be safer and able to grow and move as their little bodies dictate instead of getting swirled.

Yes I do. Before I go to bed at day 13 I do my last turn. At 2 weeks they don't need to be turned. According to the Cobb's development chart the chick turns to the big end of the egg day 14 (ish) so I started leaving them at rest at this point. I usually candling once a day, so you could say they get turned once a day when I candle, but that's it. I have found that with the exception of my daughter nn's eggs, which I've had trouble in general hatching, that I don't normally have malpositioned pippers any more. (Not that I ever had a big problem with malpos, usually managed one or two in a hatch nothing big.) I am not saying that not turning is or isn't the factor, but it matches my logic. I believe that the hen can feel the movement of the chicks when they turn and logic follows that they probably sit tight during this period. We can not tell when the chick is positioning to the big end, so letting them rest just makes sense to me. It definitely hasn't hurt my hatch rate as I continue to have healthy chicks, so there's no reason I would change the process.