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

[fisherlady]

We candled tonight, and had to pull three more Marans, and one orphington egg. one was clear, but the other three had only the faintest of red, and had gone bad.
That leaves 18 marans eggs for me, and about a dozen (give or take) of the golden cuckoo orphington eggs for Jill.

Here's hoping we all have every egg hatch that we've kept till now!

Sorry you lost the ones you did... hoping the rest make it through!!

 

[RoyalLegend]

Quote: "Also, when cleaning a styrofoam incubator should you just use antibacterial soap and water or something stronger?"


I always clean it, and then leave it sit an hour with bleach in it. Then rinse it, and leave it in the sun for several hours to dissipate any residual chlorine. Make sure there is no whiff of chlorine before you try to use it again.

 

[RoyalLegend]

Having Marans eggs is very cool when you're in the kitchen, and really awful when trying to candle incubating eggs.
Some of the really dark eggs, even an LED light has trouble finding the air sac, must less anything else.
I can't wait until I can start some Cream Legbar eggs this spring. At least those are a bright blue.

 

[LuvMyRoo]

Today I did the second set of weigh-ins, and so far it looks as though the dry(er) incubation method is the better one for attaining optimum weight loss. I needed to add a small amount of water to the incubator after week one to slow the process, but that was a tiny adjustment. It is hard to watch something you believe to be in danger, and to refrain from intervention for the sake of knowledge. My gut tells me that the dryer set of eggs will do better, but there's always the chance that I'll be wrong. However, I'm a worry-wart so hopefully I'll get at least 3 hens out of 21 eggs.

You probably posted this already, but what are you running the rh for the dry hatch?
We also candled this morning for day 14. Two have dark masses that are not very big and look like quitters, but the rest all have very large dark masses. I didn't see any movement though, and I didn't pull any b/c they don't smell. Just four days til lockdown

 

[BroosterSpringsteen]

We did our day 14 candle last night. All the eggs I had marked as potentially clear were obviously clear at this point, so I had to pull 11 clear eggs! Sheesh.

On a good note, all the other eggs showed obvious development. Getting excited for hatch week!

 

[chicken pickin]

I also did my candling last night at like 2am

. So almost day 14. IOn day9 I had marked 2 clears 3 bloodrings and 2 ?s. After recandling I pulled the 2 clears(cracked open both were clear) I pulled 2 bloodrings(were indeed bloodrings) the 3rd bloodrings looks like I was wrong and It seems to be developing so I left it in the bator. I pulled 1 ? and it was a clear and I left 1 ?. So in the end 24 eggs I pulled 5. So now out of 19 eggs I have 1? and 18 good.

 

[dblea202]

So we are getting ready to make our brooder, any suggestions for lamps and lights?

 

[SilkieSensation]

Quote: "Also, when cleaning a styrofoam incubator should you just use antibacterial soap and water or something stronger?"


I always clean it, and then leave it sit an hour with bleach in it. Then rinse it, and leave it in the sun for several hours to dissipate any residual chlorine. Make sure there is no whiff of chlorine before you try to use it again.

Make sure the chickens can't get to your bator if you set it outsida. Chickens are known for EATING styrofoam bators.

 

[SilkieSensation]

So we are getting ready to make our brooder, any suggestions for lamps and lights?

Depending on how many chicks you will have a large rubermaid tub usually works quite well for 5-15 chicks for at least 2-3 weeks. I just use a regular household bulb in a heat bell. Some people will try to tell you you have to use a colored bulb, but you don't. I have never had chicks pick each other or not sleep. No neurotic chicks either. Your babies will tell you if you have the lamp close enough or not. Chicks huddled in a pile are cold. Lower the lamp closer to them. Chicks scattered as far from the light as they can get are hot. Raise the light away from them. Chicks running around or lounging randomly are perfect. Leave the lamp where it is. If you have trouble maintaining temps you can drape a towel over the top to hold heat in.

I use a wire bird cage for my brooder. No bedding needed. Droppings drop through the wire into the pan below & I just dump the pan every couple days. This allows me to brood ducks & chicks together until the ducks get too much bigger than the chicks. I brood quail & turkeys the same way. So much less mess & healthier for the birds because they can't eat the bedding or their own poop. Keeps feed & water bowls cleaner with no bedding to be kicked in them.


I only had 1 heat lamp available last week & the bigger quail were jumping out of my plastic dresser drawer so the babies went with them into the birdcage in their box temporarily. Now everyone is running around the cage, including the chick hatched a few days ago.

 

[Peggy-Sue]

Depending on how many chicks you will have a large rubermaid tub usually works quite well for 5-15 chicks for at least 2-3 weeks. I just use a regular household bulb in a heat bell. Some people will try to tell you you have to use a colored bulb, but you don't. I have never had chicks pick each other or not sleep. No neurotic chicks either. Your babies will tell you if you have the lamp close enough or not. Chicks huddled in a pile are cold. Lower the lamp closer to them. Chicks scattered as far from the light as they can get are hot. Raise the light away from them. Chicks running around or lounging randomly are perfect. Leave the lamp where it is. If you have trouble maintaining temps you can drape a towel over the top to hold heat in.

I use a wire bird cage for my brooder. No bedding needed. Droppings drop through the wire into the pan below & I just dump the pan every couple days. This allows me to brood ducks & chicks together until the ducks get too much bigger than the chicks. I brood quail & turkeys the same way. So much less mess & healthier for the birds because they can't eat the bedding or their own poop. Keeps feed & water bowls cleaner with no bedding to be kicked in them.


I only had 1 heat lamp available last week & the bigger quail were jumping out of my plastic dresser drawer so the babies went with them into the birdcage in their box temporarily. Now everyone is running around the cage, including the chick hatched a few days ago.

How long do you usually keep your chicks in that brooder/cage? I would assume that eventually you'd have to move them in something bigger... We have a cage just like your's we just need something to put them in when they get too big for that!