I set eggs 2/27/10 ** DUE 3/20th-3/21st** WE"RE HATCHING!!!!

[patandchickens]

I'm with ya. After an incredibly depressing hatch this weekend (only one chick out of 14 fertile eggs, most dying between day 18 and pipping) I have turned the incubator around ASAP to try to produce some friends for that chick.

So, I set 27 eggs today (12 mutts for my neighbor, and 15 sussex which have low fertility at the moment but I figured I'd fill out the 'bator) and am crossing my fingers big-time.

I installed some additional vents and will be actually weighing sample eggs when I candle, this time (I weighed them all before setting), so I can be SURE whether I'm on the right track with humidity, and darnit I'd BETTER get a bunch of happy peepy little chicks this time

Good luck to all,

Pat

 

[jerseygirl1]

oohhhh, I see, Thanks!!

 

[fordmommy]

Quote:
You know, I never thought about that. I did open up the bator and took all the water out. The humidity is down to 43%. I like that much better. I'll be keeping an eye on it closely.

patandchickens, I am terribly sorry to hear about your babies. I hope these hatch better.

 

[fordmommy]

Well- the humidity is stable now. 43%. But the temp is running at 99.1. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[patandchickens]

Turn the thermostat up a wee bit?

Be careful with fiddling, though -- IME (and I have produced three mediocre-to-lousy hatches so far, so I consider myself to be a reasonable authority on screwing things up <g>) it is awfully easy to get into overcorrecting and make a problem worse. Try doing about 1/3 what you think's required to solve a problem, and then let it sit for 12-24 hrs and see where it stabilizes before adjusting any more. (Unless it is a life-threatening problem, like a high temperature spike).

Remember that if you have a largeish water reservoir, the incubator temperature will fluctuate less when it is full than when it is low; and when it is empty, the temp will run a bit higher than when there is water in the reservoir, b/c of the slight cooling effect of evaporation.

Pat

 

[fordmommy]

I figure I better leave it alone for this hatch. It keeps going from 99.1-100.4. I don't think that's too bad. The humidity has gone down to 40%. I think I like that better. I check about every hour to see where every thing is at. If the humidity gets a little lower, I may open the plug and add an oz. of water with a straw and a funnel. I'll keep everyone posted. Thanks for everyone's advice in advance. I really appreciate any advice given.

 

[carriehelene]

Hey Fordmommy, can I join your hatch to? I'm due a little before you all, and it's not my first hatch, does that mean I'm disqualified

I set eggs on the 18th, 19th, 20th and 22nd. Not intentionally, but the po held up 2 of my shipments, 1 by 3 days and the other by 5! So, I'm doing a very staggered hatch this time. Never having done a staggered hatch before, does that makes me a newbie enough to join

(I'm lovin the bunny today for some reason lol).
I've set:
20 bbs silkies
8 std cochins
2 mysteries
1 olive egg
15 ameraucanas
14 pyncheons
3 seramas
7 buff orps
6 black orps
Here's some pics of my bators

As you can see, I've marked the ones that I think might be clear, I'll have a better idea in a day or so.

 

[fordmommy]

No, carriehelene. You are more than welcome! Glad to have you join! I have that same bator and turner, The one in the first pic.


Now I have noticed something. I am having these temp. changes. From 99.1 to 100.4. You have your therm. in the same place I do. Now when the eggs are facing the therm. my temp is the 99.1 and when they are facing the away from the therm. it's 100.4. I think it ust have something to do with the air flow. Do you notice that with your bator too? I'd really like to know!

 

[KDbeads]

So looks like I'm joining you guys!!

From my post that is now way buried:

Just as I got my cooler bator temps in a good range yesterday I had a silkie FINALLY go broody. So I let her have the one egg she was guarding and set the cooler... I had more than I thought so I gave her a few more after I got her in a crate, I though I was only going to have 2 extra for her. She decided to try and take a chunk out of my hands several times during me moving her.

In the bator.... 25 silkie eggs, all laid 2/22 to 2/28, 5 barnyard mix laid 2/25 to 2/28
Under the silkie.... 2 silkie eggs and 3 EE/barnyard mix
All the mixes are from my almost made into dinner teen roo (ugly mutt, really but the girls love him) that has been with the big girls (EE, NHR, Mutt) for 3 weeks now, we started getting fertilized eggs on the 24th so we decided to set a few to see what we get.

So I'm due around the 21st. My incubator luck/skill has been horrible, I had been waiting on the silkies but with easter coming I figured I'd try again to sell a few chicks. Now watch, all the rest of the silkies will go broody and take most of the eggs in the bator for me

This time I'm not going to worry over the whole process, I'll keep an eye on the temps and turn the eggs but.... I didn't even put a window in the cooler!!! Nope, not going to obsess. Not even sure I'll candle before day 10 or 15 or so. Not going to watch. I left it beside the couch, not in the bedroom or the master bath. Doing dry incubation as well this time, last hatch had most of the chicks drowned in shell even though the humidity was correct with a calibrated hygrometer.

With the silkie, she's one of my tiny almost solid black splash girls. She has food and water on the door of the crate, lots of wood shavings and I tossed in some lint front the dryer for around the nest since she just barely covers the eggs. I have a folded sheet over the crate to block out the wind and it's sitting on top of my low to the floor silkie coop, right at waist height for me to check her. So far she hasn't budged off the nest even to poo. The roo is splash and the girls are blue, black and splash.


The official set up:

I'm lifting a side of the egg crate for turning so I do have to open this up and look at it 3 times a day but other than that I'm not obsessing....

 

[fordmommy]

That is very handy, dandy! Great job!

Glad you came and joined us. But I am sorry about your thread. I found that must happen a lot in this section.

I like that you say you're not going to obsess. I am trying not to. This is my first hatch though. I plan on candling this weekend some time.