Hatch-A-Long (May-June)

[MtnFamilyFarm]

Newbie here. Just joined BYC last week. May I join?

We hatched our first batch last month and are now HOOKED! We set more the evening of Mother's Day - 2 doz - and 1 1/2 days later we set a doz more. We bought a new LG (auto turner, fan) in April.

Day 18 for first ones will be this Thurs and Fri for the others. The first batch should start hatching this Sunday!!

We got 14 of 21 on our first hatch. Hoping to improve it!!!??? How long do y'all leave your incubator plugged up before you give up, unplug and clean? Do you take the chicks out as they dry or leave them in? If you leave them in - how often do you remove chicks? When you add water once a day?

Haven't candled yet - wasn't completely sure how to - but read on this thread you did it with a toilet paper tube and flash light! I can handle that!! Going to do that for sure on Thursday! We have only opened it to put water it in (and read to move eggs around at that time to different parts of the incubator); will see if that helps any.

Also, we picked up 5 doz RIR fert eggs for $5 at a local sm animal auction and a friend is incubating them for us. He has an awesome hatch rate. He mists his eggs with a spray bottle. Also going to try that this time. Those are about a week behind the ones we have at home.

Hatch time is so exciting AND intimidating! We did help a few of our chicks last time who couldn't seem to be able to go past the first hole, so we enlarged it and if still no progress we helped some more. All of those are doing great! We think we need more humidity this time.

LOVE seeing everyone's pics!!

Amanda
Upstate SC

 

[chickenpooplady]

Egg#1

blob moves from end to end, didn't see veins

egg #2





. The top looks like a double yolk??? Didn't see veins in this one either

Sorry, I don't know.

Try giving them a few more days. Or you could ask here https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/704328/diary-notes-air-cell-detatched-shipped-eggs/16790

I just candled a few eggs again to day and I saw some strange dark spots. I really have no idea what they are because they don't look like chicks, I was wondering if anyone else knew what they were. Here are pictures of the two eggs with the problem:

I have no idea about the top one but the bottom one looks like a blood ring. You could give it a few more days just to be sure.

 

[holmes0927]

Okay, I am officially in lockdown. 14 eggs total, 4 in the LG and 10 in the Brinsea. I can't wait for Saturday!

 

[Amykins]

Does this look about right for the 8th day of incubation?

 

[AvianEgo]

Does this look about right for the 8th day of incubation?

looks like Viens to me!

 

[Amykins]

Well yes, but most of the other hatch-a-long photo threads are showing a distinct embryo by now. I'm just real worried that I'm going to screw something up.

 

[AvianEgo]

Does this look about right for the 8th day of incubation?

looks like Viens to me!

 

[Cknldy]

5 pips before work this morning. Currently 6 hatched doing good and another pipped. And no problems with hatching while in auto turning tray! I wait a couple of hours for chicks to fluff and dry a bit then put them in brooder. It keeps them from knocking into other eggs/ turning a zipping chick thus causing problems for it. That part helps a lot with staggered hatches. Humidity gets higher as more chicks come out so if it gets to 75% or more I'll hold the bator open a bit to lower it so the developing eggs won't be affected. The second round that hatched from last time were pretty wet and the 3rd had liquid still in the shell so I didn't add water at all after setting the eggs initially. Humidity has stayed just right.

 

[Cknldy]

Newbie here. Just joined BYC last week. May I join?

We hatched our first batch last month and are now HOOKED! We set more the evening of Mother's Day - 2 doz - and 1 1/2 days later we set a doz more. We bought a new LG (auto turner, fan) in April.

Day 18 for first ones will be this Thurs and Fri for the others. The first batch should start hatching this Sunday!!

We got 14 of 21 on our first hatch. Hoping to improve it!!!??? How long do y'all leave your incubator plugged up before you give up, unplug and clean? Do you take the chicks out as they dry or leave them in? If you leave them in - how often do you remove chicks? When you add water once a day?

Haven't candled yet - wasn't completely sure how to - but read on this thread you did it with a toilet paper tube and flash light! I can handle that!! Going to do that for sure on Thursday! We have only opened it to put water it in (and read to move eggs around at that time to different parts of the incubator); will see if that helps any.

Also, we picked up 5 doz RIR fert eggs for $5 at a local sm animal auction and a friend is incubating them for us. He has an awesome hatch rate. He mists his eggs with a spray bottle. Also going to try that this time. Those are about a week behind the ones we have at home.

Hatch time is so exciting AND intimidating! We did help a few of our chicks last time who couldn't seem to be able to go past the first hole, so we enlarged it and if still no progress we helped some more. All of those are doing great! We think we need more humidity this time.

LOVE seeing everyone's pics!!

Amanda
Upstate SC

Be patient! Sometimes it can take 24 hours AFTER external pipping before they hatch. Many different people= many ways- the one I "helped" had deformed legs and ended up being trampled by the others although there was lots of space. I believehave Nature has its reasons

 

[caitanni]

Newbie here. Just joined BYC last week. May I join?

We hatched our first batch last month and are now HOOKED! We set more the evening of Mother's Day - 2 doz - and 1 1/2 days later we set a doz more. We bought a new LG (auto turner, fan) in April.

Day 18 for first ones will be this Thurs and Fri for the others. The first batch should start hatching this Sunday!!

We got 14 of 21 on our first hatch. Hoping to improve it!!!??? How long do y'all leave your incubator plugged up before you give up, unplug and clean? Do you take the chicks out as they dry or leave them in? If you leave them in - how often do you remove chicks? When you add water once a day?

Haven't candled yet - wasn't completely sure how to - but read on this thread you did it with a toilet paper tube and flash light! I can handle that!! Going to do that for sure on Thursday! We have only opened it to put water it in (and read to move eggs around at that time to different parts of the incubator); will see if that helps any.

Also, we picked up 5 doz RIR fert eggs for $5 at a local sm animal auction and a friend is incubating them for us. He has an awesome hatch rate. He mists his eggs with a spray bottle. Also going to try that this time. Those are about a week behind the ones we have at home.

Hatch time is so exciting AND intimidating! We did help a few of our chicks last time who couldn't seem to be able to go past the first hole, so we enlarged it and if still no progress we helped some more. All of those are doing great! We think we need more humidity this time.

LOVE seeing everyone's pics!!

Amanda
Upstate SC

Where do you keep the humidity during lock down? First timer here