Hatch-Along - Setting egg's Feb 18th, anyone else?

[Knittycat]

Good news! I checked on the eggs when I dropped my daughter off at school. The incubator has kept a steady 97 since at least 10pm last night (that's when the high/low on the thermometer resets). Sure, that sounds low, but the temperature in the water wiggler was a steady 99.5. I'm deciding to think of this as good news instead of assuming that the incubator was well over 100 all day Saturday and Sunday, kicking down to 97 in the evening, thereby heating the eggs way high, and they are just now cooling down to where they need to be. Nope. Not thinking that at all!

I'll just have to wait until Wednesday when I candle and hope there's no blood rings!!!

 

[Knittycat]

The eggs look good today. The incubator is a tad cool. It's currently holding at 99, but it's low was 97. I'd be a lot happier if it were bouncing between 98 and 100, so I squeaked up the thermostat dial just a hair. The water wiggler was 98.6.

I think that was from coming up from 97 earlier. I'm guessing that the dip is from the kids adding cold water to the 'bator. No biggie, but I do need to remind them to let the teacher do it.
I candle tomorrow! I'm going to be using the overhead projector in the science room. I've rigged up a black out drape with some left over lanolium and a paper towel tube. Hopefully the light will be bright enough (should be, it's an overhead projector for heavens sakes) and we will be able to project onto the wall. If not, it will be bright enough for the kids to come look at it in small groups.

 

[mjanderson437]

Joining y'all a little late...I set 8 mallard eggs on 2/18 and candled yesterday before adding 22 chicken eggs today. All but one of the duck eggs showed veining. Now anxiously awaiting 7 more days to check the chicks! There are 17 self blue OEGB and 5 black sex link x OEGB eggs.

Good luck to all!

 

[chickendodoo]

i actually set my 18 mixed eggs the 16th and i candled them last week and had only two clear eggs. i also had my little rir go broody for the first time the 24th so far she's got six eggs under her i think I'll add four more and hope she does well

 

[Knittycat]

Candled today! It looks like out of twenty, there is one that might have a blood ring, one that might be clear, one that's so porous that I can't tell and one with a shell that's too thick to see much through. The six local eggs are all developing nicely, and the rest of them at least have veining. A couple of them you could see the embryo!!

 

[Knittycat]

Ha! Figures the first hatch a long I joined would die.

I haven't been in since Thursday. They're doing well. The 'bator had a mysterious low recorded tempreature of 95, and my daughter was singularly unhelpful in pinpointing the when and how. Although, I'm betting it's from when *she* turned the eggs.

 

[Kilsharion]

I'm not sure about dying...I've just had nothing really to report. After the initial scare with my 'bator, everything has been going great. Good air cell development, perfect temperatures, and things look like they should for all 42 eggs. Which is kind of panicking me. Since this was a test hatch for a new incubator design, I expected at least a 50% mortality rate. I have notified my husband that it would be a good idea to get another coop built promptly....my coops are only big enough for about 20 chickens per...so.......

Glad to hear that your eggs are doing well.

 

[DraigAthar]

things look like they should for all 42 eggs. Which is kind of panicking me. Since this was a test hatch for a new incubator design, I expected at least a 50% mortality rate. I have notified my husband that it would be a good idea to get another coop built promptly....my coops are only big enough for about 20 chickens per...so.......

LOL! You know how they say, don't count your chickens before they've hatched? Well, it works both ways, haha! Chicken math strikes again!

Not a lot to report here, because this is my broody hatch and I'm trying not to interfere with them TOO much. But I can give the update! Two hens broody at the same time, I gave one of them seven eggs and the other six eggs. Candled on day seven and there were only four developing total between the two broodies. So I put the four all together under one of them, and gave the other ones nine fresh eggs (so she's a week behind the other one now). I candled the nine new eggs last night, and it looked like only two were developing. Bah. I left them all with her for a few more days, but she may not have a very good hatch. Either I've got a fertility problem, or she's not covering them all very well. We'll see how it goes. It was meant to just be a test for both of them, since this is the first time either of them has gone broody. But I just set my own eggs in the incubator yesterday, so I don't want to take over for either broody mid-way. Even if they each only get one chick to hatch, I figure the chick will still have a momma and won't be lonely. And I'm always standing by to stick 'em in a brooder, if momma decides she isn't up to the task. If they don't get any eggs to hatch, I have to decide between breaking them up or giving them more eggs for another try. So many permutations!

 

[mjanderson437]

Candled eggs today. 7 duck eggs still looking good. The 5 big eggs look infertile. Of the 17 bantam eggs, 10 have veining, 4 are questionable, 3 look infertile. Will check again Friday, which will be day 10 for the chicks.

 

[Kilsharion]

Candled eggs today. 7 duck eggs still looking good. The 5 big eggs look infertile. Of the 17 bantam eggs, 10 have veining, 4 are questionable, 3 look infertile. Will check again Friday, which will be day 10 for the chicks.

Good luck!