Hatching Eggs / Paypal CHAT Thread

[caj1985]

I got a smashed box in the mail today. Almost half were totally smushed, and the rest Were bathing in it. As a previous poster said its never good when the box comes in a garbage bag. Anyway I dipped the whole ones in some very warm water with a little bleach. I've did it with my yucky ducks and loosely goosey eggs. Works great for me.

Dr. Bramwell at the U of A told us in a seminar that it doesn't hurt to gently wash eggs off with water as long as the water is warmer than the egg temp.

Extra eggs have been claimed looks like.

 

[wife2abirdman]

THANK YOU , everybody for the suggestions & advice. I'm going to "sleep" on it and decide what to do in the morning

I think you should just put them in. I was wondering the same thing myself this morning a couple of my eggs were a little poopy so I looked it up, there are a TON of threads on this issue. The best response by far that I read today was "When I see the hens washing the eggs before they sit on them I will too!" or something to that affect I think. I felt that yeah you don't want to add bacteria to the incubator but at the same time an egg does happen to come out a chickens BUTT!

It boils down to what makes you feel better because there is no real huge sway one way or the other. Another post had said if you ask 100 people about it 50% would say wash and 50% will say don't wash. I personally figured if it's ok for the hen to sit on it that way why not, right

just scrape off the big chunks and call it good.

 

[WVstruttin]

sent you a few pm"s CPL

 

[cluckitall]

Help, I just took a really sticky chick out of an egg. I have another one that pipped externally too early. I opened the second one once I saw how crusty the first one was and I didn't break any vessels or membranes. I took a damp cloth and wrapped it around the egg, I think it will be okay and hatch for me just fine tomorrow. The sticky/crusty one is okay. She has a little raw patch where some down got ripped off of her when I had to pry the egg off. She is just really crusty, should I help her in any way, or should I wait until she's a little stronger?

I didn't realize it, but my humidity was down to about 40%. I have managed to get it up to 52%, I think my hygrometer is pretty accurate. Do I need to go up more. I don't want to drown my other eggs, they're a week behind the ones that are hatching.

For hatching, I try to keep mine around 70%, which has helped a LOT with my hatch rate. Your mileage may vary, but if it were me I'd try to get it up a little more. Easiest way I know of is to stick a sponge in a tupperware container with some water and nuke it in the microwave for a minute or so, so it's already putting off steam when you put it in the incubator.

Hope that helps!

 

[KYTinpusher]

FWIW - For the NYD hatch, I did an experiment. I wanted to hatch one of my BCMxSFH eggs just to see what it would look like. It was the only BCM egg in with my SFH eggs, which I don't like to do because the BCM do better with lower humidity than the SFH. SO, I took my scrub brush (gentle, but effective one) and scrubbed off the dark brown coating. It hatched just fine and looks just like a BCM so far. Unfortunately, it's a roo.

 

[cluckitall]

FWIW - For the NYD hatch, I did an experiment. I wanted to hatch one of my BCMxSFH eggs just to see what it would look like. It was the only BCM egg in with my SFH eggs, which I don't like to do because the BCM do better with lower humidity than the SFH. SO, I took my scrub brush (gentle, but effective one) and scrubbed off the dark brown coating. It hatched just fine and looks just like a BCM so far. Unfortunately, it's a roo.

Oh, that's fascinating! I didn't know that about marans -- is it because the coating gives an added layer of protection so there's less evaporation while developing?

I had the opposite problem and it took me a while to realize it. My big incubator requires two fans to keep temps fairly even throughout so evaporation has never been a problem, and development in it is consistently excellent. But my hatches were awful. Like, half the eggs that made it to lockdown wouldn't hatch. Finally realized that even with the humidity up, there was so much air movement that the chicks were shrink-wrapping in their shells after pipping internally. So now I lockdown in a still-air hatching 'bator, humidity at 70%, and my last hatches have been 75% and better. Still going for that elusive 100% again!

 

[flocksalot]

I'm so excited! I'm getting a trio of my turkeys back from being loaned out. Yeah I'm going to have extra turkey eggs again. But then I loaned out one of my toms today too. Bye Fred we miss you. I'm just glad he has his very own harem now. Frankie doesnt like to share. Gotta spread that turkey lovin all over the place. Can't wait to see my babies that aren't babies anymore.

 

[cluckitall]

This is pretty amazing -- I should take pictures but I don't want to disturb the little bugger again My olandsk dwarf egg that I completely crushed during move-over to the hatching bator? I was sure it was dead. I mean, that shell is pulverized. A good third of it is missing! Had to do an adjustment on the 'bator (I hate doing that but it was necessary) so I took the pulverized OD egg out and just for the heck of it I candled it. It's pipped internally! Little chickie head waving around in there.

Now I'm never gonna get to sleep tonight!

 

[WVstruttin]

Oh, that's fascinating! I didn't know that about marans -- is it because the coating gives an added layer of protection so there's less evaporation while developing?

I had the opposite problem and it took me a while to realize it. My big incubator requires two fans to keep temps fairly even throughout so evaporation has never been a problem, and development in it is consistently excellent. But my hatches were awful. Like, half the eggs that made it to lockdown wouldn't hatch. Finally realized that even with the humidity up, there was so much air movement that the chicks were shrink-wrapping in their shells after pipping internally. So now I lockdown in a still-air hatching 'bator, humidity at 70%, and my last hatches have been 75% and better. Still going for that elusive 100% again!

told ya

 

[cluckitall]

Right! Sorry, I left out that part of the story. It was indeed WVstruttin who got me thinking in the right direction on the hatching problems Thanks again, Clarence!