Incubators Anonymous

[Arielle]

I find that managing a boodie and her chicks are just another headache. Separate housing and run space until she can manage the situation. One of my broodies took her chicks back to a distant barn where few chickens go as I suspect this was her comfort level. She raised 12 out of 13 to adults this way. ( Her biggest challenge at the distant barn would be wild animals as this was outside the fenced area. She did a great job.

 

[ChickNmamma]

That would be my plan. Last time, my silkie went broody the day before lockdown, so I snuck half of my eggs from the incubator under her. The eggs I have now are on day 10, and sat straight up in the turner for 5 days before I plugged the turner in. I might have to re-evaluate things though, because when she went out to poop this morning she kind of freaked out that she's in a different run than most of the other hens.....we'll see if she manages to get back in the nest box.......

I'm not too worried about her getting off the nest. Last time the first egg hatched on Friday, and the last one on Sunday, and she was still sitting tight on the 2 that never hatched. I let her have her babies for 3 more days and then took them all away because the other hens were a little *too* interested in them.

When I built my Silkie Coop I built it with the idea that they would go broody and hatch chicks. It is all fenced in with chick wire, and the only birds in there are the Silkies. The broody girls do a good job of protecting their chicks from other Silkie Hens - and the Silkie rooster is fine with the chicks.

In another situation I would have to separate them out, make sure the chicks can't get into an area with hens that are not their mothers (because they attack the chicks) and let them get big enough before putting them back together. I have done that too. Its easier with my new coop.

When I moved my one broody hen to the other side of the coop - she came out, pooped, looked around confused, grabbed some food and water and went back in. I hope yours does the same thing.

In Incubator News: "Last" batch is now in lockdown!

for chicks!

 

[ki4got]

re: dropping eggs... I've learned two lessons...
- handling eggs for any reason decreases the hatch rates.
- opening the incubator frequently decreases hatch rates.

so I candle maybe twice during incubation, and then I only hold the flashlight over the end of the egg. clears are removed the rest left alone.

one exception are the broody-started eggs I've got going. no idea what day(s) they started, so I candle those daily to check for drawdown, so I know when to move them to the hatcher. but they're also the only eggs in that 'bator. knock on wood, I haven't lost too many doing that.

 

[ozexpat]

re: dropping eggs... I

Fortunately I have not redropped eggs - I learnt from the first lessons

 

[ChickNmamma]

Ok, I have an incubator/candling question.

I have some shipped eggs. When I candled them after receiving them I noted on the eggs my notes. I put W for those that looked wiggly inside. I don't hold very steady and have a slight tremor when I am trying to hold still - and these eggs looked like water vibrating inside.

On day 15 many of them had settled down -but a few still looked wiggly.

It is day 18, I candled them before lockdown, and while turning them to see if I could see veining in the eggs (they are blue - really hard to see inside) I noticed it still looks like there is water in some of them - and it "pours" from side to side. The aircells look proper on all the others, just the wiggly ones still move around (even though the aircells are larger).

I have had many of my chicks "drown" in the shell lately - and one actually hatched after I laid it on its side with the liquid pouring out of the egg around its mouth so it could breathe. These chicks did not "drink" the liquid in with them. I am wondering what is causing this, if it is something that happened in shipping? The membrane on these also moves away from the shells in areas - and the aircell can be shifted by tilting the eggs. I can see some veins - but those blue eggs are tough to see into!

Humidity ran around 16-20% (in a cabinet incubator) except I had a lockdown/hatch in the same incubator about day 10 (55-65% for 5 days). Air temperatures vary from 98 to 101 but usually about 99.6 I need to get the water wiggle so I can determine what the internal egg temperatures run.

Anyway, for this hatch I laid the wiggly/watery looking ones on their sides. If the chick pips on the low end the liquid will drain out - if it pips on the high end it will be away from the liquid.

The drowned ones had liquid come out when I opened them.

 

[ChickNmamma]

Quote:


once is too many times, huh?

Well I did the old "drop one egg on another egg" and cracked the egg I dropped it on. Its day 18... I am leaving it in there and

It is one of the ??? ones.

 

[justoldbobo2]

You have developed a good eye very fast!!!  Or you have a GREAT light to candle with . . .

A super led flashlight with a new battery really lights them up.

 

[ChickNmamma]

Quote:
If you are candling white, tan or brown eggs that really makes a difference.

I got a 200 lumen led flashlight and wrapped the top with duct tape and I use that. I can push the duct tape so it hugs the egg and directs the beam. I can see right through the light eggs (Silkies) and the light brown ones, and even some of the darker brown. Forget it on the Blue or Green or Olive or Gray ones.. nope!

 

[DMRippy]

I stopped picking eggs up to candle them. I leave them in the tray pull the clears and only pick up the odd looking ones and i dont hold them over the other eggs just in case.


Now my fear.....tripping with a tray of egg that would be bad.....30 eggs in a tray.


I hope my new phone will work better.....aaaaarrrrrrrggggggg

  I know someone that dropped a whole tray . . . so you won't be the first when it happens. 

WHEN IT HAPPENS dont say that!

 

[pepsiokay]

Hi guys

I had a 6 hour power outage on day 18. On day 21 three pipped and hatched. Today is day 23. No more pips or hatched.
I did three "eggtopsies" selected at random. All three were perfectly formed full grown chicks with a good yellow yolk, no signs of bacteria or any other issue - apart from being totally dead!
The night before the power outage all of them were moving inside their eggs.....

Really sad.

Have 12 eggs still in incubator, shall I sit tight or bin them?