Hatch-Along - Setting eggs week of February 8th!! Who's joining me?

[r4eboxer]

Well lock down is tomorrow morning. So I went ahead and candled this morning. Started with 20 eggs. 5 where infertile. Those where thrown out last week. So out of 15 only 4 are going tomorrow.

I cracked one open and it looked like a bean with the eye forming when died. So I'm guessing around day 10ish or so. So back to the drawing board to figure out why!!

Keep us posted!!!

What kind of temp and humidity gauges you all have. Spent about $20 on 2 already and there both not even close.

I have the one you buy at Pet Smart in the fish department, can't remember the name of it, I bought it a year ago but it is a dial type. I also use the liquid one that came with my bator, they are both spot on. I think I paid like 2.00 for the one at Petsmart, I also got the humidity scale there.

Not holding my breathe but have seen 3 of the 4 rocking. So we will see.

Yay, let us know they should be externally piping soon

 

[NestingHillsSC]

I sure hope so!!

Can't cross my figures enough. LOL. If I just get 2 out of these 4. I'm not greedy.

But I do think I know why the bad hatch out of 15. I noticed these 4 don't have days on them. When first collecting them I put D1 for day 1 etc till the third day. But the third day they went pretty much straight in the bator. I think it was how I stored them. I put them in a small cooler with ice on the bottom to keep them at 55. Well I didn't consider that when I shut it no oxygen and the next day was full of water so pretty much too much humidity. They were on top of bricks so they didn't get wet but still.

After this is done going to go for another one. This time just putting the eggs in the coolest room closet. They will only be in there 2 1/2 days. If you followed all that.

 

[Crisses]

What kind of temp and humidity gauges you all have. Spent about $20 on 2 already and there both not even close.

I got one from Incubator Warehouse, and I got one from a pet store in the herp section (lizards/snakes area). On the shelf in the store I looked at the gauges in the packages and figured if they told the same story, they were correct. Of the ones that told the same story, I chose one of the moderately priced ones, about $10-11. It seems to be doing quite well, it's in the hatcher. The one from IW is in the incubator with the 2nd batch.

So I'd say if you need another, try in a store where you can actually compare them with one another. If they're all over the place, then none are correct -- try another type, brand, etc.

You shouldn't panic about humidity too much -- just keep an eye on air space development and keep it on the dry side except when they're hatching out. When they start to hatch, the humidity goes up up up! because all the babies are breaking eggs and things inside are drying off/evaporating. So yeah, the first guy might have a harder time with the membranes being too dry, but that problem is self-correcting depending on how many hatch out... Hatch enough eggs and soon you'll wish it weren't raining inside the incubator

I have 2 who have cracked their shells -- I call them pips. I don't know if they've broken the membranes yet. From the weak chirps, I would guess not yet. I'm so excited....I'm trying to get my work done because I know I'll only get MORE distracted as time goes on.

 

[Crisses]

I sure hope so!!

Can't cross my figures enough. LOL. If I just get 2 out of these 4. I'm not greedy.

But I do think I know why the bad hatch out of 15. I noticed these 4 don't have days on them. When first collecting them I put D1 for day 1 etc till the third day. But the third day they went pretty much straight in the bator. I think it was how I stored them. I put them in a small cooler with ice on the bottom to keep them at 55. Well I didn't consider that when I shut it no oxygen and the next day was full of water so pretty much too much humidity. They were on top of bricks so they didn't get wet but still.

After this is done going to go for another one. This time just putting the eggs in the coolest room closet. They will only be in there 2 1/2 days. If you followed all that.

I gathered eggs for 1 week and kept them in an egg carton at room temperature (about 64F, low humidity) -- when I remembered to add some humidity, I put a wet paper towel in the unused parts of the carton, not on the eggs but next to them. I didn't wash them. I added 6 to the bator, then the next day (after letting it rest at room temp) I added 1 I got the day I put the first batch in -- so 1 was a day behind the others. Then I saved up eggs the same way until I had 7 (4 more days), and put them in the bator for a 2nd batch. I have 2 roos & 3 girls laying -- the girls see all too much action from the boys. 13 of 14 eggs are still good...

Curious: Where did you hear to keep them at 55?

The first batch I had was in a cooler -- similar to your batch, except by the time they got to the bator they were 2+weeks out of the hens, and my mom laid wet paper towel on the eggs themselves. Of that 24 I had 1-2 unfertilized, a few bacteria eggs (probably due to the wet paper towel), 18 went into lockdown all showing development & movement, but only 9 hatched out. I didn't "autopsy" the eggs. I think my humidity was too high, or the eggs were just too old -- I didn't try pipping for them, I'm not sure that's the right thing to do or not. I was dumb and hatched on cardboard, so the hatchlings were bumping the eggs around, the other 9 could have drowned... no way to know now. I've been much more relaxed about this hatching...


I guess one difference might be breeds... mine are banty RIR mix/mutts. My mom has had them for several years, mixed in birds from different breeds, and has an occasional batch with whites or darker birds but all of my flock came out pretty classic RIR or New Hampshire Red by the look of them. Some of the ones that didn't make it could have been the whites or darks...because it's funny out of 2 weeks of collecting eggs that my mom ended up with ones that could be siblings. Here's hoping this new brood isn't too inbred

 

[Pyxis]

Anyone else going into lockdown? Today is day 18 for my buff orps, so they're going into lockdown when I get home. I'll candle them and let you all know how many are looking good!

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Mine went yesterday. Only 4 out of 15.

 

[Crisses]

We have a peep!

3 are pipped, one of those has entered the zipping stage. I'm a grandma! heh

 

[NestingHillsSC]

 

[Crisses]

4 peeps as of this morning, one zipping and 1 due a day later than the others. Have my fingers crossed! Then I do it again for another 7 eggs....

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Nice. Mine due tomorrow but who knows. Had movement yesterday morning but nothing since then.