Hatchalong! Setting Eggs April 6, 2012. Anyone else in?

[loves2hatch]

My last egg quit so I ended up with 24 out of 25 this has been my best hatch to date. I do have one little guy that only has three toes and has issues with that leg I am going to give him a week and see how he is doing but I will probably have to end up culling him so far he is eating and drinking time will tell. Here are a couple pics of the little buggers.

Congrats Lamoka! You did excellent, what a bunch of cuties! I can't remember did you do dry incubation or just followed the instruction for your incubator? Let us in on your secret from start to finish.
Poor little guy with only 3 toes. wonder what causes that? I actually had NO chicks with spayed leg or crooked toes this hatch. It seems I usually got one in the past.
In the first picture the chick on the left that has the stripes, Is that an americana? I had a couple hatch that looked like that. Some of my chicks seem to make a different sound then the usual chirp of a chick. But I can't explain it. Thinking it may be the sound an Americana makes?

 

[SilverDuck284]

My remaining 3 duck eggs are going into lockdown tomorrow morning. I'm so excited and so nervous. I feel like they're chances aren't good since they've been through so much already. So basically all I have to do is not open the Bator for the next 3 days, make sure its humid, and hope for the best. Right? Am I missing anything? My hopes are not high huge these guys.. =/

 

[tgperg]

SilverDuck, not opening the bator is the hardest part!

 

[SilverDuck284]

That's for sure. I had planned to not open it at all but once a week for candling. But with all the bad luck I've been having I feel like they really didn't get the best chances. From being shipped, cracked, and when the light went out... I'm gonna be sick with worry by tomorrow night. I'm hoping for the best, but definitely prepared for the worst.

 

[tgperg]

I've already set my next eggs. I taped the incubator shut. I think I won't even candle this time, I had such a bad hatch rate. My incubator hates eggs. It holds temperature okay unless I open it, then it takes forever to regain the temp.

 

[SilverDuck284]

I'm about to buy a second batch myself. This was my first try, so I think the second time around will be better. I will know to preemptively change the bulb!

 

[lamoka]

Congrats Lamoka! You did excellent, what a bunch of cuties! I can't remember did you do dry incubation or just followed the instruction for your incubator? Let us in on your secret from start to finish.
Poor little guy with only 3 toes. wonder what causes that? I actually had NO chid cks with spayed leg or crooked toes this hatch. It seems I usually got one in the past.
In the first picture the chick on the left that has the stripes, Is that an americana? I had a couple hatch that looked like that. Some of my chicks seem to make a different sound then the usual chirp of a chick. But I can't explain it. Thinking it may be the sound an Americana makes?

The Chick on the left is one of my mixes. I think Speck Sussex/Gold Laced Wyandotte. The "Americauna" actually I am thinking EE are the ones in the basket. I pretty much followed the directions on the Brinsea octagon eco. Day 1-18 I kept one trough full of water, day 18-hatch I put water in both and then I stuck a half sheet of paper towel in one trough and let it wick the water out. I incubated at 100 degrees. I openend the incubator to refill water at day 19 and noticed I had a pip. The main differnces I did this time compared to my other hatches is I increased the heat to stay at 100, and I put paper towel in one not both of the troughs at lockdown. I also would open the vent if condensation started forming on the lid. In previose hatches I think I was holding to high of humidity at lockdown especially as the hatch proceeded as the later chicks would be extremely wet and sticky and I would get some that would pip and then die. This hatch the last chick hatched exactly the same as the first

 

[loves2hatch]

Did any one else have anything hatch? The people that had Duck eggs anything yet? a wobble, a pip, or a chirp?

 

[loves2hatch]

Thanks lamoka for sharing what you did. I know different climates inside and outside all effect the eggs. I didn't have the heat or air on in the house so my temps did fluc a little and so did the humidity. I think it's good to know what other people did so you can tweak it the next time. (note takin, hope for 14 inches of snow with no power outages.. LOL) I do think I had better luck with the lower humidity at hatching. So i will only fill one trough with water and if it drops below 45 then add more to the same trough as mine seemed to jump up to 60 after an egg hatched in that bator. Also I really liked hatching in the egg cartons so i will do that again. I still need to figure out my incubation so I'm not throwing out half before lockdown even comes around. I liked the dry incubation at least in the spring here and the incubator being in my basement.
Thanks everyone who joined and tgperg for starting this thread. I really enjoyed hatching along with all of you. i hope to see more post of pictures from all of you soon. My chicks and ducks have all left for their new home. Time for me to scrub out the incubators and brooders and wait for someone that wants me to hatch some more eggs for them.

 

[tgperg]

No problem! I loved the thread too. I ought to jump in on another thread if one's started. My new eggs have been in since Sunday.