Help me keep my hands out of the bator...

[Buttercup Chillin]

I can't help myself it seems. I'm not like this at all when it comes to chicken chicks hatching. I lock down and its locked down. But when it comes to these little baby Coturnix, I can't leave them alone. Can't follow my own advice, this is horrid.

Big hatch going on, 30 Texas A&M's, 10 Mongolian Golds and about 20 Jumbo Browns are out and running around. Most are in the brooder. But I still have about 50 eggs that may hatch as this is day 17. Some of these eggs were old, so who knows. You know that I never candle. Makes it better to add to the suspense.

Got one in the bator that may not make it and I keep opening the top to move it from the others. Geeeeeesh.

So ya got to help me keep my hands busy here, and not over there.

There now you know why I looked at all 24 pages of that quail shopping cafe. My hatch started last night.

 

[Robo]

It's hard. I can't keep myself from opening it either. Oh well, we can dream.

 

[mhwc56]

what are mongolian golds?

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

Just checking to see if anyone was paying attention.

Told you I was loosing it. I meant Manchurian Golds of course.

I have no idea where Mongolian came from. Although these seem to be very light, must have some white in them. Maybe that makes them Mongolian.

Well the little one didn't make it, didn't really think it would. It was a Gold and hatched gasping and continued gasping for air. That makes 2 Golds I lost this hatch for sure. First one out, piped in a circle and the night before the humidity had dropped. So it stuck for sure. Just feel something wrong with it, anyway.

Well in 2 hours, we're on day 18 with nothing happening. The hatch may well be over. i think this is the first time I didn't have any early hatching at lock down.


Edited: I take that back, there is one unzipping now.

 

[Stellar]

I was gonna say, Mongolian??? LOL. You know me and names

I was going crazy today. I thought I saw a chick in my hatcher and had to get it. Well I peeked and ummm, there is no chick...now I am wondering if there was a chick in the first place

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

You better take it apart just incase and look around the area.

Mine disappear on me behind the thermometer.

edited to add: There I go again. Just took 7 little hungry ones to the brooder, they were picking at each other.
Set them in, stood back and watched the wave of little bodies hurry scurrying about.
Thought God, thanks for giving us little baby birds and incubators, they are so so cute.

And later will taste so so good. Sorry, but I am already picking out breeders and menus.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Eventually you lose the constant urge to open the incubator, though for me it took about 2 years

Once you lose that urge you have to remind yourself to look, otherwise you'll end up having hatches like mine....open the incubating incubator (the one with a TURNER and LOW-LOW humidity--about 25%) and find babies riding the turner....Found a duckling that way earlier today

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

A duckling, it didn't get squished? Humidity - You go down to 25 and all is fine and I go under 60 and get into trouble. But it is really dry here. We are under no burn laws again. I don't remember when it rained last, its been months. Supposed to Tuesday, we'll see.

No I don't think 2 years is going to do it. DH never checks the bator with the chicken chicks and I have been doing them for years and years.
SHHHH - Don't tell anyone, but I have caught him checking on the baby qail. No wonder he doesn't bother about me bugging him to make this, make that for the quail. He likes them as much as I do. He just doesn't talk about them.

I just took the last 2 from the bator (another is still unzipping) and carried them into the bathroom to the brooder. Squirmy, wiggly, let me out of here, little things. Until I bent over and they could see the others while I was taking the top off the tub. Quiet as ever could be. Waited patiently. Wow what a difference, had to look and see if I was still holding them.

Such little darlings.

 

[shelleyd2008]

The only ones I've had problems with 'squishing' are the coturnix, they seem to like sticking their itty-bitty heads underneath the turner racks

The duckling was just sitting there on some other eggs like 'where did everybody go??'

I keep my incubating incubator at around 25% humidity (whatever it runs without any water in it). When I remember to mark my eggs, then remember to move them, the hatching incubator isn't much higher, maybe 50%-60% but usually more like 40%. It is very dry here right now, though summer time it's definitely not

Though the humidity in the bator still stays around 25% then too.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

Oh, quess what I just thought of. Me being a no no I don't want to vent sex them- that takes the fun out of it. Well.
I have about 30 Texas A&M's hatched today.

So how long is my growout cage going to be tied up with them, before I can sex them? And pick out breeders? HUMMMMM.

Well, I have been wanting to make a tape recording of the males calling. Want to use it to get these little slowpokes out of their eggs faster. I'll get the wine ready and a comforter, these crazy boys have started calling at night now.

OH, OH. I stood over there crowing with 'Look at Meeeeee" and a little M Gold (dare not spell it out this late at night after 4 hrs sleep last night) stood up on wabbly little legs and head held high went cheep cheep, cheep. Cute cute cute, little male - got that one pegged. Course all I had to do was look at it to know. But still cute.

I don't know Shelleyd the more I hatch em the more I like em. Wish I wouldn't have to do such large hatches though.
I was better off when I couldn't figure out how to keep the eggs on the turn trays.

Smaller hatches more often would work better. I need to just not use all the trays, not sure that will work though. Throw the motor off balance? Have to ask DH. No, I don't think it will work out with the eggs either, well, we'll see. Thinking with fingers on the keyboard. Now you know how my mind sometimes works. 4/5 thoughts in different directions all at once. Can you tell, I have done a lot of logistics in the past, I did and burned my brain out too I think.

So will the eggs get smaller as they lay more in "the appointed" season? That would resolve this.
I got to go check that slowpoke.

EDITED: BREETCH - UNZIPPED AND HEADED TO THE BOTTOM, A WHITE. WHY? One before was a gold and pecked in a circle. Didn't make it. This one I took out of egg, just thought it was taking to long.

I think I got a stink growing to. Don't see anything wrong though with any of the eggs. Its only start of day 18.