Hatch-Along - Setting eggs this weekend (Jan5/6) WHOS WITH ME!

[chicken pickin]

There is so much going on on this thread. I love to see everyones progress. Sounds like most eggs are doing very well. Sorry to hear about speckledroos eggs. Thanks for sharing all the great candling pics guys. I havent been on in a few days so I had a lot to catch up on. Today is day 9 for me! I still have yet to candle all of my eggs. Me and my fam will do it tonight finally. Im very excited to see how many eggs are good, and cant wait to see the wiggling babies.

 

[LuvMyRoo]

So I have a surprise shipment coming today! When I first ordered my eggs, I had tried from two sources. I never heard back from one and didn't think much more of it. Got a msg the breeder had been in the hospital and she put 7 fbcm eggs in the mail on sat and will send more out this wk to be sure I get fresh ones! How fun now....do I do a staggered hatch or try out the homemade bator?? The main thing I don't like about the homemade is the heat source is a lamp and I would think the eggs would prefer the dark

 

[SilkieSensation]

So I have a surprise shipment coming today! When I first ordered my eggs, I had tried from two sources. I never heard back from one and didn't think much more of it. Got a msg the breeder had been in the hospital and she put 7 fbcm eggs in the mail on sat and will send more out this wk to be sure I get fresh ones! How fun now....do I do a staggered hatch or try out the homemade bator?? The main thing I don't like about the homemade is the heat source is a lamp and I would think the eggs would prefer the dark

The eggs don't care & neither do the chicks. I've never used anything other than a standard household bulb in my brooder lights & never had a problem with picking or chicks who don't sleep. If it's quiet, they sleep. If there's a bunch of commotion in the room, they run around & make noise themselves. My brooder for the little babies is right in my bedroom & the only 1 the light bothers is ME.

As for a staggered hatch, I have several bators available so I incubate in 1 (or 3) & hatch in the 4th. I just move all of the eggs to the hatching bator at lockdown. It's the only 1 I keep water in. You can do a staggered hatch in 1 bator without any problems as well. Think I mentioned that process a couple times in this thread already, but I can repost if you need me to.

 

[fisherlady]

If all else fails & Gracie doesn't get any babies you can always swing over & get some from me to give to her.

Thankyou!! I would gladly give her 2 or 3 to raise if something goes wrong... and our TSC store doesn't carry any day old chicks till sometime in March or April I think. Nowhere else around here carries them either, that I know of, till later in the spring either.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Thankyou!! I would gladly give her 2 or 3 to raise if something goes wrong... and our TSC store doesn't carry any day old chicks till sometime in March or April I think. Nowhere else around here carries them either, that I know of, till later in the spring either.

I'll be hatching year round

Quantity is all that changes. Never know what breed may be in my bator either. Ducks, chicks, quail, turkeys, guineas, pheasants, maybe some geese if I can get my hands on them. Had peafowl in there last fall but none were fertile. A friend gave them to me when his birds started laying again unexpectedly & he knew my bators were still running.

 

[CamiLynn]

If you crack open a live chick the blood will be bright red in the veins around it. A dead chick will have brown blood in the veins.

I am quite positive it was a blood ring, because it was very dark when I candled and shown instantly. I searched and turned to find the black dot and movement, but got nothing. However, when I opened the egg, there was a dark red ring around the embryo. Please tell me I didn't crack too soon!?!

 

[SilkieSensation]

I am quite positive it was a blood ring, because it was very dark when I candled and shown instantly. I searched and turned to find the black dot and movement, but got nothing. However, when I opened the egg, there was a dark red ring around the embryo. Please tell me I didn't crack too soon!?!

Without seeing it I can't tell you for sure. Like I said, I always do a 2nd candling before eggtopsy just to make sure. If the blood was dark then it was likely dead. A live chick will have BRIGHT red veins. Anything that's slightly brownish would be dead.

 

[Outrun Acres]

Here are my candleing results!

11 with veins
3 with veins and movement (that was sooo cool!)
5 non-fertile?
2 blood rings?
3 Welsummer eggs that were too dark to see much of anything.

So overall, out of 24 eggs I saw development in 18, and didn't in 6

I haven't removed any of the eggs. I think I will take SilkieSensations advice and leave all eggs in until lockdown unless I see moisture or smell anything unpleasant. This is so much fun! My 3 year old son was even able to see the embryo moving in one of the eggs. I feel like I am back in college conducting a science experiment . I tried to take pictures and I couldn't get any that were of very good quality. I need to figure out the setting on my camera. I have cannon T2i. If anyone has this camera, do you have any tips? I just tried turning the flash off but all I was able to see in the picture was a round glowing orb - no detail. The shutter speed was really slow too.

 

[LuvMyRoo]

We have a 3 year old as well Outrun Acres, also a 5 yo. We are all so excited, even my dh has finally lamented and agreed to help build a new coop.

Thanks silkie, I think I will give the homeade one a shot!

 

[gabrielle1976]

I would like your run down on how to stagger hatch in one incubator as I have 3 differnt hatch days in one of mine I think.