Incubators Anonymous

[gimmie birdies]

I have about 8 days left to wait, and got these feed store fluffies to keep me busy.

 

[scflock]

I have about 8 days left to wait, and got these feed store fluffies to keep me busy.

You got a WCBP at the feed store? Nice!

 

[ki4got]

Quote: the chicks I've gotten from the tsc bantam bin are all the same breed, still can't tell 100% but either buff brahma or some bantam cochin can't tell if the combs are single or pea. need better eyes for that. LOL

 

[SRHartley]

Ok so I may have went a little overboard, but I couldn't help it. There were simply to many eggs sitting about begging to be hatched! I now have 88 eggs in a homemade cooler incubator. It is so full I have to tilt the actually cooler to "turn" the eggs. Now I just have to figure out how to actually hatch all of them...

 

[Faraday40]

In this thread, I usually share my joy & success, but today I share my sadness.

Out of 12 fertile eggs, 10 looked great on day 14. In fact 8 of those 10 were dancing about! (Two bad eggs on day 14 = One quitter & 1 blood ring) I also had a few clears that were never fertile. I put them to the side to help maintain the steady temp. since there was no odor or weeping.

This morning (day 18), I did a quick candle & noticed 2 of those 10 were smaller than the rest & not moving. I put them near the likely bad & infertile eggs. I wanted to keep them away from the 8 really good eggs - but still inside the incubator. As I was putting them to the side, one slipped through my fingers & cracked vertically. I thought it was probably already dead & decided it should be removed. With the crack I had so clumsily made, I figured I didn't want to risk a rotten egg oozing out into the incubator. I went to do an egg-topsy.

I think you know where this is going. I practiced an assisted hatch & cracked the air cell, gently peeled, then all of a sudden I saw & felt it move, then tear, then the embryo slid into my hand - wiggling & kicking. I thought it was dead! I never had anything like this happen before. The large yolk was still attached. Although it was not bleeding, I knew I had killed this poor creature. I could not undo it & put it back into the egg!

I have had chicks pip & die because I did not assist, but that was simply nature's harsh reality. Being the direct cause has made me feel terrible all day. I hope I can move past this & enjoy the successful hatches of the strong healthy chicks remaining.

 

[lizcasee]

No matter how hard one tries, the reality is that no one is perfect, even the people who seem so very close to perfection make mistakes sometimes. I am very sorry for your lost chick, but I hope that the rest of your good eggs all churn out to be healthy, adorable, little fluff balls, and eventually end up becoming beautiful, strong, producing chickens.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Being the direct cause has made me feel terrible all day. I hope I can move past this & enjoy the successful hatches of the strong healthy chicks remaining.

I have had this to happen and even though I hatch 1000's and 1000's It bothers me but I do let it go because it was a ACCIDENT----Nothing I meant to Do-----Accidents happen to all of us. One time I had a tray with 18 eggs in it---dump---hit the floor---18 day old eggs that I was fixing to put in the hatcher-----yes It bothered me, but again it was a Accident. Don't beat yourself up, clean up the mess and Move on is What I suggest----It Happen's!!!


As a Side Note, "I" do not feel leaving a bad egg in the incubator is a good thing and "I" do not feel it is needed to hold the heat. I have put 1 egg in and hatched 1 egg in the styrofoam incubators(special egg from a staggered set). Leaving a "bad" egg in can do 2 bad things. 1, it could "blow' and make a Bad Mess. 2, it can give off bacteria that could affect the other eggs. Good Luck in your hatches!!

 

[CashandTracy]

That's a lot of eggs! When you candle in a week, you can toss the clears. That can give you a little room.
Of course, I don't know how you'll candle that many eggs.....

At night with a flash light

 

[CashandTracy]

Congrats!!!!!

So happy for you! I am getting eggs for the beginning of April...YIPPIEEEEEE!!!

Could use some pics of your fluffy chicks to hold me over

I'm sorry I don't have any fluffy butt pics, I'll get some with the next hatch.

 

[gimmie birdies]

are we actually chosing to hatch the eggs, or are the eggs making us? look at a momma hen, she goes into some weird egg hatching trance, like she is possessed.

and when I am in the mood to hatch, don't get in my way...

yes be afraid, be very afraid...