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

[gabrielle1976]

Humidity really is all about where you are , florida versus arizon , low altitude versus high ect . You just go with the avrage that your bator tells you but tweek it till you get it right for you I guess unless someone has a better idea
Humdity veries as well by bator type , a sportsman cabnit may need a diffrent humidty possibly then a still air hoverbator , I know my little brinsea mini eco seems to due better so far with less water in it then with the recomneded amount I still am fine tuneing it but since the temp dosnt very and I got better results with my own non shipped eggs haveing less water in there an dlower humidity Im gonna guess that its becuase the plastic dome traps in more humidity then a squar or boxy styro bator ect .
I hope this made sense im feeling extramly sick suddenly and my mind is wandering

 

[SilkieSensation]

The inside of the bator is one atmosphere, one temp one humidity (that the goal). When ya do ducks ya GOTTA have lotsa constant humidity as well as 2-3 times a day mist eggs with warm water. This is because the membrane in duck egg is SUPER tough and thick. Without enough moisture ducks can't get through membrane and get shrunk wrapped.

I've never misted my ducks & they do just fine.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Humidity really is all about where you are , florida versus arizon , low altitude versus high ect . You just go with the avrage that your bator tells you but tweek it till you get it right for you I guess unless someone has a better idea
Humdity veries as well by bator type , a sportsman cabnit may need a diffrent humidty possibly then a still air hoverbator , I know my little brinsea mini eco seems to due better so far with less water in it then with the recomneded amount I still am fine tuneing it but since the temp dosnt very and I got better results with my own non shipped eggs haveing less water in there an dlower humidity Im gonna guess that its becuase the plastic dome traps in more humidity then a squar or boxy styro bator ect .
I hope this made sense im feeling extramly sick suddenly and my mind is wandering

Your eggs are Serama & quail. They tend to need lower humidity than LF or ducks. I do not raise humidity above 40% for hatch for Serama or quail.

 

[FeyRaine]

I hatch chicks, ducks, quail & turkeys together in staggered hatches all the time. Best solution is as follows: Keep humidity as low as possible as long as possible. Watch for the 1st pip & add a bowl of HOT water to quickly raise humidity & also mist lid of bator with HOT water before closing. As soon as last chick hatches from 1st batch remove all chicks & water. Repeat when next batch begins pipping. Ducks can stand a bit higher humidity than chicks, especially if humidity has been low through the 1st 2-3 weeks of incubation. Perfect humidity for chicks for 1st 18 days is 30-40%, ducks is 40-50%. Chicks can hatch well with humidity 40-60% & ducks hatch best 55-70%. (Quail hatch best when humidity is NOT raised & stays below 45%.) Turkeys fall somewhere in between chicken & ducks at about 50-60%. I try to keep everyone at 30-45% until lockdown, but as I said, ducks can handle slightly higher humidity for the 1st 25 days if need be.

Ok so I need to let it fall to 40% (currently 51%) and only mist the sponge (no water on bottom, sponge not dripping wet -- I went overboard trying to correct from 15-20% last hatch part I ).

When I get to lockdown, then as you say, up humidity which will make the duck eggs happier, allow the chickens to hatch, and as long as I'm super carefully when removing stuff ; like never really take the lid off, just raise the corner to get my hand slipped in & out keeping 90% or better of the hot&moist air right inside where it was, it should be all good. And I don't have to talk the DH into a second homemade bator , <big exhail>!

Thanks, also for the note about Turkeys b/c they are on the To-Do for March, my 2 Bourbon Red girls from last spring would really like a Tom this yr ....

 

[SilkieSensation]

49 eggs set tonight. 48 came from the Amish farm down the road & are a mix of Hybrid Layers, RIR, Cuckoo Marans, Ameraucanas & 2nd & 3rd generation Easter Eggers & Olive Eggers. Egg #49 in the bottom right corner of the bator is from my Red Star hen covered by a Lemon Blue Cochin Bantam roo. Since I have 1 space left, I'm hoping she or 1 of my other girls gives me another egg early enough in the morning to fill that last space. I'm experimenting with cartons this hatch. I've never tried them before but just don't have time to hand turn 4 bators full of eggs right now (1 other is already full & I'll be filling the other 2 in the next 2 weeks) with trying to get everything unpacked from moving, doing repairs to house, setting up new coops & chasing kids. I simplified it so my daughter can help this time. All she has to do is stick the wedge under the opposite side of the bator when I tell her to.


Easter Eggers, Oliver Eggers & Chocolate Eggers (Collect the Rainbow)


Room for just 1 more!!!

 

[SilkieSensation]

Ok so I need to let it fall to 40% (currently 51%) and only mist the sponge (no water on bottom, sponge not dripping wet -- I went overboard trying to correct from 15-20% last hatch part I ).

When I get to lockdown, then as you say, up humidity which will make the duck eggs happier, allow the chickens to hatch, and as long as I'm super carefully when removing stuff ; like never really take the lid off, just raise the corner to get my hand slipped in & out keeping 90% or better of the hot&moist air right inside where it was, it should be all good. And I don't have to talk the DH into a second homemade bator , <big exhail>!

Thanks, also for the note about Turkeys b/c they are on the To-Do for March, my 2 Bourbon Red girls from last spring would really like a Tom this yr ....

As long as none of your ducks are pipped you can take the lid off to get your chicks out without harming the ducks at all. They will actually have a few days of turning left when the chicks are done hatching. I keep turning all eggs that aren't in lockdown until I have an external pip, then raise humidity & "lock down" the bator until hatch completes. That way turning only stops for 24-48 hours usually. By adding a bowl of water or sponges rather than pouring water in the wells it allows me to immediately drop humidity back down as soon as each hatch completes which greatly reduces the number of soggy, drowned babies from humidity being too high. I always keep a spray bottle of hot water at hand during hatch in case I have to open the bator for any reason or if humidity drops. Spraying the inside of the lid of the bator will instantly raise humidity by 10-20%.

 

[BroosterSpringsteen]

49 eggs set tonight. 48 came from the Amish farm down the road & are a mix of Hybrid Layers, RIR, Cuckoo Marans, Ameraucanas & 2nd & 3rd generation Easter Eggers & Olive Eggers. Egg #49 in the bottom right corner of the bator is from my Red Star hen covered by a Lemon Blue Cochin Bantam roo. Since I have 1 space left, I'm hoping she or 1 of my other girls gives me another egg early enough in the morning to fill that last space. I'm experimenting with cartons this hatch. I've never tried them before but just don't have time to hand turn 4 bators full of eggs right now (1 other is already full & I'll be filling the other 2 in the next 2 weeks) with trying to get everything unpacked from moving, doing repairs to house, setting up new coops & chasing kids. I simplified it so my daughter can help this time. All she has to do is stick the wedge under the opposite side of the bator when I tell her to.


Easter Eggers, Oliver Eggers & Chocolate Eggers (Collect the Rainbow)


Room for just 1 more!!!

That is just plain beautiful! Can't wait to see all your chicks.

 

[SilkieSensation]

That is just plain beautiful! Can't wait to see all your chicks.

I actually got to check out the parents of these eggs when I went to pick them up today. They had a Rainbow in the coop as well as in the nestbox!!!

 

[BroosterSpringsteen]

I want my egg basket to look like the eggs in your bator! How lucky that you have access to those eggs nearby.
My goal for a while now has been to have a broad range of egg colors, which is why this hatch is Maran focused.

 

[SusanRenee]

Pretty! My next hatch will hopefully be olive eggers and pure ameraucanas... Just need to coordinate the egg timing from a couple of local people.