jeepgirl13
Crowing
I was given an incubator by my neighbor. It's a still air farm innovator with auto egg turner. I set 40 eggs, threw out 11 on day 8 due to infertility/failure to develop, and 2 more day 18 that had died. I've never used a still air incubator before, I always had forced air, and this is my first hatch since I've moved to colorado.
After A LOT of reading about hatching at high elevations, (I'm 7000+), I decided to go with a higher humidity during incubation than normal. It was around 45 to 50 percent and the temp between 100 and 102 according to 2 different calibrated thermometers. I also had both vent holes open the whole time.
Now we are in lockdown, its day 19, and I've got one externally pipped and cheeping at me! When I candled yesterday before lockdown, it looked like one of the silkie eggs I put in had internally pipped as well, but here we are almost 24 hrs later and no external pip on that egg, but one of the larger barnyard mix eggs i put in has and that's the little guy cheeping at me! Everybody had different size air sacs too.
I guess I'm just really looking for confirmation I've done things right so far and should just let them be and do their thing. Should I intervene with the silkie baby or just wait? I've been so good up until now, and now I'm a hot mess fretting since the pip and peeps.
Any advice for the next go around from any other high altitude hatches? I'm super disappointed with my rate so far. I've always had 80% hatch or better. Not sure if it makes a difference, but the barnyard eggs came from my neighbors flock which is older. The silkie eggs came from my landlords flock, which the hens have been trying to hatch all summer and have only had 2 successful babies hatch.
After A LOT of reading about hatching at high elevations, (I'm 7000+), I decided to go with a higher humidity during incubation than normal. It was around 45 to 50 percent and the temp between 100 and 102 according to 2 different calibrated thermometers. I also had both vent holes open the whole time.
Now we are in lockdown, its day 19, and I've got one externally pipped and cheeping at me! When I candled yesterday before lockdown, it looked like one of the silkie eggs I put in had internally pipped as well, but here we are almost 24 hrs later and no external pip on that egg, but one of the larger barnyard mix eggs i put in has and that's the little guy cheeping at me! Everybody had different size air sacs too.
I guess I'm just really looking for confirmation I've done things right so far and should just let them be and do their thing. Should I intervene with the silkie baby or just wait? I've been so good up until now, and now I'm a hot mess fretting since the pip and peeps.
Any advice for the next go around from any other high altitude hatches? I'm super disappointed with my rate so far. I've always had 80% hatch or better. Not sure if it makes a difference, but the barnyard eggs came from my neighbors flock which is older. The silkie eggs came from my landlords flock, which the hens have been trying to hatch all summer and have only had 2 successful babies hatch.
