hatchers hatcherers..... who's expecting peeps on septembre 24th or so... :)

[rachmickmurphy]

Thanks. I started out with 76 inside of my incubator but, I got rid of the clear ones yesterday. I love to watch them flip summersaults. Some have gotten so dark that is too hard to see them now. Does anyone have any tips on how to get decent pictures of candling? It is hard to take a picture in the dark with no flash. Maybe adjust the camera to have the shutter stay open longer??? It is too dark inside the eggs to get pictures now but, maybe next time.

americanmom can help you with that she put a great shot up in this thread. I use phone to candle but the phone is also my camera.

 

[AmericanMom]

americanmom can help you with that she put a great shot up in this thread. I use phone to candle but the phone is also my camera.

Yes, I read somewhere on here when I first started thinking about incubating eggs that an old projector works great....I pulled my Dads old slide projector out of the closet and wow did it show alot...
Here is what I could see at 7 days:
I'll take another and post in a bit

 

[AmericanMom]

Day 11 and they are getting darker, what I can see and what the camera takes are two differant things... Also, I have a toilet paper tube over the light source to hold the egg firmly, but be careful, if your not paying attention one move and the egg tips over lol, easier to do with someone holding it for you while you just check eggs. anyways, this is the best I could do

Day 11:





In the second photo I can clearly see the outline of the chick and when I talk it starts rolling around pretty good.. My camera isnt a high def one so getting clear pictures from here on out I think is out.

 

[Majd]

yes I used to have digital hygrometer in it as well as two factory temp gauges only have one factory one now but I have metal basket which keeps hatched chicks from knocking the sensor. It known for drowning chicks tho that's why I dont alter humidity for hatching. my hens are not that reliable i have had so many dead and damaged chicks trying to use hens something always happens. Most recently my silkie honeypot deserted her nest on day 12 and my Plymouth got attacked by dog (she is ok but not going back to her nest). In last couple of days a pekinx silkie (i breed these for brooding) decided to sit on 8 eggs in the pekin pen she will do well but a large light sussex in the back pen is on 12 eggs so there probably going to be fatalities there lets just say I won't be counting her chickens before they hatch.

Ohh soo sad.... here we don't purchase chicks from hatcheries so most of our chickens are barnyard mutts and have good instinct and are reliable mothers and layers.... we never had to take chicks away from any hen...

 

[Majd]

This will be my first hatch. Mine are due on the 27th. I started with 76 eggs and I am now down to 65 with 11 non starters. Some are purchased eggs (  Brahma, Welsummer, Cream legbar, Ameraucana) and some of the eggs are crosses of my RIR's and Ameraucana and pure barred rocks since my roos are barred rocks and my eggs came from barred rock hens, Ameraucana and RIR's. I was amazed when I candles that i could see the babies move. From the candling pictures that I saw I thought that the pictures had been taken with time lapse photography but, nope thosee little buggers are jumpin around in there like jumping beans. Well...... good luck with all of your hatches

As others said.... for your first hatch that's a great job so far..... fingers crossed for you..... pics are a must whrn the big day arrives...

 

[lazypifarm]

Well, all of our bantams seem to think now is the time to hatch eggs, so they are all trying to sit on the nests in their coop. Guess I'll leave the eggs with them, and if they hatch some chicks early, I'll stick the rest of the eggs in the nest in the incubator! Silly hens, you don't all need to be mothers at once!

 

[AmericanMom]

Well, all of our bantams seem to think now is the time to hatch eggs, so they are all trying to sit on the nests in their coop. Guess I'll leave the eggs with them, and if they hatch some chicks early, I'll stick the rest of the eggs in the nest in the incubator! Silly hens, you don't all need to be mothers at once!

Thats great!! Wish one of my hens would go broody

I've got 26 in an incubator but would much rather momma do the work ..
Gonna have my hands full.. We also raise rabbits, our biggest female had 10 kits early this morning...this is her second batch and the last one she had eight and lost two ...were prepared this time, got formula and a teeny tiny baby bottle, probably have to bring atleast two in and hand raise

 

[rachmickmurphy]

Hi everyone, Congrads on the bunnies americanmom bet they're cuties. Did I see humidity issues on another thread all good now? Hi lazypifarm good luck with your hatch both hen and bator.

 

[AmericanMom]

Hi everyone, Congrads on the bunnies americanmom bet they're cuties. Did I see humidity issues on another thread all good now? Hi lazypifarm good luck with your hatch both hen and bator.

Yes, they are cute...it will be a few days before we know for sure if she is able to feed all of them, hopefully she can, if not were ready to help out... and yeah, I was having humidity issues, was kinda stuck at 52-53%...I hadnt been adding water. I had thought with a still air I needed to keep the temp around 102 but I was told to lower it to between 100-101 and now its staying at around 47%

 

[Majd]

Well, all of our bantams seem to think now is the time to hatch eggs, so they are all trying to sit on the nests in their coop. Guess I'll leave the eggs with them, and if they hatch some chicks early, I'll stick the rest of the eggs in the nest in the incubator! Silly hens, you don't all need to be mothers at once!

Wow.... that's gonna be sooo niceeeee and exciting. ...