HATCH RATE

[hsm5grls]

I was wondering, what were your hatch rate on the first eggs you ever put in a bator? Thought it would be interesting for all us new hatchers to know.

 

[speckledhen]

My first one was with shipped eggs and the rate was around 88%, if I recall. It was in the upper 80's somewhere anyway.

 

[Katy]

My first chicken eggs...the call duck eggs were a disaster so we won't count them!!.....were my own eggs and 9 of 12 hatched. My first shipped eggs were 2 of about 18 I think it was

. It has gotten better, but it's not as high as I'd like.

 

[hatchcrazzzy]

cant remember back that far lol

 

[hsm5grls]

I have one egg in the bator so if it hatches that will be 100%
LOL. I was just interested to see where everyone started and where they are now. How long it took to get the feel of things and if you are confident about your hatching now. It is amazing to me that you can get an egg and if you do it right it hatches. I am in awe at the whole process and can't wait to have a hatch. Right now I am living vicariously through you all and looking into your bators and hoping to have little fluff balls in mine. I will candle this egg on day ten and if nothing, will get new eggs and try again.

 

[Katy]

As for how long it took to get the feel of things, I'd say by my third hatch I was feeling not quite so lost about things. I felt like I knew more what to look for when I candled...the size of the air cell etc. It's nerve racking and as many on here have said it's very addicting, but also great fun. Hatching eggs and seeing one of our cows calve never gets old!! I just wish I had a site like this to refer to when I started out. Probably would have made it less stressful.

 

[silkiechicken]

First time I tried to hatch eggs, I had a heat lamp and a cardboard box. I hid this contraption in the library/attac/bonus room and flipped eggs 2x a day when nobody was looking. Put in I think 10 or 12 eggs, hatched I think 8, but had to cull two. So 50% hatch rate if I started with 12 as I ended up with 6 chicks.

Granted... this was a cardboard box, I was oh 13, and had no real good way to keep track of temperatures and didn't think about humidity. That was just before I found the original BYC while on a old 56k dial up connection. A lot has changed on BYC since I first saw it.

 

[jazzchicken]

Well, I'm on my first hatch, and I think it will go well, despite recent occurances

 

[ZuniBee]

My first attempt at incubating I set 12 cornish X eggs that were shipped. I hatched 1 chick so - I guess it was about 8%.

I just got finished with my second attempt and out of 12 fertile eggs I had 7 chicks hatch which equals 58% hatch rate.

So, I'm getting better and learning ALOT on BYC

 

[serendipity22]

I just had my first hatch last week. Started out with 13 eggs. Culled one at 8 days due to a blood ring. Then one died in the shell prior to hatching. So I hatched 11 out of 13. I think that makes my hatch rate around 86%.

I've got more in the incubator now.

We'll see how I' do when these hatch!