Hatch-a-long Countdown!!!

[PoultryGirly]

Aww! So cute!

 

[nettifer]

mine have gone on lockdown

temp 37.5 humidity 65 deg so hopefully

 

[PoultryGirly]

Mine go into lockdown tomorrow hopefully

 

[PoultryGirly]

4 days left!!!

 

[PoultryGirly]

I just candled and I think 15 are alive out if the 16. None have internally pipped yet. Is that okay?
nettifer, any updates on your eggs?

 

[JSelvaggi]

Mine go into lockdown tomorrow hopefully

I think we are starting lockdown tomorrow at our school too... our hatch date is Thursday.

I'm so excited but so nervous!

 

[JSelvaggi]

Okay so I'm hoping someone can help me answer some of these questions. I am a nervous nellie now that the hatch date is nearing and this morning was rather upsetting!!

Iwent for my Sunday weekly check-in at school (thank goodness the custodians are so nice) and while my 6 eggs had movement (yay- I talk to my duckies all the time I wonder if they can hear me lol), my friend's incubator down the hall was OFF! I nearly had a heart attack because I knew it had something to do with the electricians in the school hallway this morning so I asked them if ALL the power was off on this side. They said yes and so I carefully relocated her eggs to my classroom but by that point, the eggs were cold. I have no idea how long the electricity was off but certainly enough that the eggs were cold to the touch. I am so sad. Are they definitely gone? Something also smells in her incubator but I couldn't figure out which egg it was.

I am also nervous about setting up the brooder. I know I need to pick up pine shavings but I read a few places that the ducklings may mistakenly eat the pine shavings?! I don't want that to happen either! Are there different sizes of pine shavings?

Finally, I have the brooder clamp light but I don't know what kind of bulb to buy. Does it have to be blue-tint? I was told a regular 75 watt light bulb is good.

I'm worried I'll be a complete mess and have already decided to stay after school late just about everyday until they hatch. I want to make sure humidity doesn't drop and the ducks don't get shrink wrapped. This is my first hatch but I have been religiously on this website trying to learn everything and anything everyone here has to offer... please help!

 

[PoultryGirly]

1. A few days ago a teacher at school had her incubator cut off (unplugged by accident) for a whole weekend and they were sure the eggs we're goners. I think this happened at the 10-12 day of incubation and the lowest temperature they got was around 60* F. The chicks actually did hatch but were two days late so they hatched on day 23. Your friend's incubating eggs should hatch out fine but maybe a little late. Wish her good luck! Also, I would try to find which egg stinks because it could explode in the incubator!

2. I used to use pine shavings for my babies but they would eat it and I didn't like that. I was afraid they would get impacted crops or they wouldn't be able to pass the chips. Now I use towels in their brooder and change them every other day. It's so easy because all you have to do is shake the dirty towels off outside, wash them and put them (or a different towel) back in!

3. I just use a regular 60-75 watt light bulb for my heat lamp. When you first take the babies out of the incubator and put them in the brooder, the temperature in the brooder should be 95*. Every week after that you should drop the temperature 5* until you reach room temperature.

I wish you good luck!

 

[nettifer]

I just candled and I think 15 are alive out if the 16. None have internally pipped yet. Is that okay?
nettifer, any updates on your eggs?

hi, so you have 3 days left? that is fine that none have pipped internally yet

some dont do that till last day, 15 out of 16 is great , good luck on your

mine on day 19 so im watching now

but i wont give up till day 29, after last ones

 

[nettifer]

Okay so I'm hoping someone can help me answer some of these questions. I am a nervous nellie now that the hatch date is nearing and this morning was rather upsetting!!

Iwent for my Sunday weekly check-in at school (thank goodness the custodians are so nice) and while my 6 eggs had movement (yay- I talk to my duckies all the time I wonder if they can hear me lol), my friend's incubator down the hall was OFF! I nearly had a heart attack because I knew it had something to do with the electricians in the school hallway this morning so I asked them if ALL the power was off on this side. They said yes and so I carefully relocated her eggs to my classroom but by that point, the eggs were cold. I have no idea how long the electricity was off but certainly enough that the eggs were cold to the touch. I am so sad. Are they definitely gone? Something also smells in her incubator but I couldn't figure out which egg it was.

I am also nervous about setting up the brooder. I know I need to pick up pine shavings but I read a few places that the ducklings may mistakenly eat the pine shavings?! I don't want that to happen either! Are there different sizes of pine shavings?

Finally, I have the brooder clamp light but I don't know what kind of bulb to buy. Does it have to be blue-tint? I was told a regular 75 watt light bulb is good.

I'm worried I'll be a complete mess and have already decided to stay after school late just about everyday until they hatch. I want to make sure humidity doesn't drop and the ducks don't get shrink wrapped. This is my first hatch but I have been religiously on this website trying to learn everything and anything everyone here has to offer... please help!

calm down , you might be ok ! if they are back on now all you can do is pray, eggs are very resiliant , and the egg may well still be warm inside

to find the rotten egg you need to sniff each one to locate it

or it could explode over the others, brooder light needs to be a fireglow bulb or a ceramic one, and i use equine chippings not shavings cos it stays fresher longer ! hope everything goes ok