Incubators Anonymous

[Arielle]

HAAAhaaa I won't be sacrificing any of those to see at this stage because they are French Back Copper Marans. But I will know more when the hatch is over by the end of the week.

Glad you bagged that egg ! I made the mistake of assuming the shell in the compost heap was an empty shell that needed crushing to help the composting process. Oh Yuck!! my sneakers and clothes!!! I'm terrified to have such an accident in the incubator--and foam absorbs everything!

 

[ki4got]

HAAAhaaa I won't be sacrificing any of those to see at this stage because they are French Back Copper Marans. But I will know more when the hatch is over by the end of the week.

Glad you bagged that egg ! I made the mistake of assuming the shell in the compost heap was an empty shell that needed crushing to help the composting process. Oh Yuck!! my sneakers and clothes!!! I'm terrified to have such an accident in the incubator--and foam absorbs everything!

then just put your sniffer to work and make sure it still smells good in there... when i took it apart, i was surprised to find dead flies in the bottom... couldn't see them with the turner and eggs in there.

 

[DMRippy]

Ok, I read that about the egg in the first post, I was cooking and thinking "she need to isolate that egg.... maybe a baggie would do it" But you beat me to the idea! Glad that worked out. I have never had that happen so I didn't really have an answer.... other than the baggie thing...

That has to be a BIG mess.... yuck!

This is all a learning thing.... I had an egg that was cracked and I didn't know it when I set it. It had a chick and it was a Wheanten AM so I had to try and save it... I put wax on it and it seems to be doing fine..... I think lock down is next week for it.

I think I am going to take a break again from hatching. Just a few weeks to grow these babies up so I have room for the next ones... I also have to get rid of my roos. Someone from BYC is driving up from Chattanooga to get a Blue Copper Marans Roo or a few LOL.... they are free she can take as many as she wants home. I have some eggs that should be coming in June so maybe after that I will stop setting eggs. The girls are helping with this decision since they have basically STOPPED laying

I need a break and they do to...

 

[DMRippy]

I have a question too..... With my Ameraucana's I have not had good hatches. It is really only the one breed and I just wondered if anyone else had this problem. I just did a hatch of only AMs and some were shipped eggs and mine. I set about 2 doz eggs. I got 6 chicks. I decided to do an eggtopsy.... ALL the eggs had chicks but one. One was fully developed but didn't pip... I saw it moving in the egg at lockdown. Another pipped internally and died. The others died some earlier. They were very wet and had not absorbed the yolk sack yet, but fully developed. Anybody got any tips or ideas? I set lots of eggs at one time and others will hatch 80-100% but these AMs don't and I don't understand what is going on. I have read several things, but since the others are hatching, I don't see anything that fits. HELP!

 

[Arielle]

donna,

I'm not expert but I can throw out some ideas to ruminate over.

The wet eggs would indicate, to me that the moisture level is too high. My AM eggs are porceline like whereas my BO are chalk like. ( Sorry done't know the spelling on porcelin) Makes me wonder if they need a lower %RH or more ventilation than other eggs. or sand the eggs like shipped marans are sanded.

You didn't clarify if those that hatched were yours, the shipped eggs, or both. I'm assuming both.

I always think nutrition. Breeder birds actually need a higher plain of nutrition than the basic layer pellets. Esp Riboflavin and others. I provide extra meat sources like left over hamburgers and eggs; and fresh grass every day. I actually stand over their run with scissors snipping fresh grass.

When you have time to read the boring and the mundane, check these resources and see if anything resonates. I keep a running list of sites just for this reason.

Trouble shooting hatching problems
http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/trouble.html

Another hatching trouble shooter in a different setup that might be easier to use for some people. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/aa204

A jack pot of PDF and HTML files on anything poultry from North Carolina extension service.http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/poulsci/tech_manuals/small_flock_resources.html

 

[DMRippy]

donna,

I'm not expert but I can throw out some ideas to ruminate over.

The wet eggs would indicate, to me that the moisture level is too high. My AM eggs are porceline like whereas my BO are chalk like. ( Sorry done't know the spelling on porcelin) Makes me wonder if they need a lower %RH or more ventilation than other eggs. or sand the eggs like shipped marans are sanded.

You didn't clarify if those that hatched were yours, the shipped eggs, or both. I'm assuming both.

I always think nutrition. Breeder birds actually need a higher plain of nutrition than the basic layer pellets. Esp Riboflavin and others. I provide extra meat sources like left over hamburgers and eggs; and fresh grass every day. I actually stand over their run with scissors snipping fresh grass.

When you have time to read the boring and the mundane, check these resources and see if anything resonates. I keep a running list of sites just for this reason.

Trouble shooting hatching problems
http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/trouble.html

Another hatching trouble shooter in a different setup that might be easier to use for some people. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/aa204

A jack pot of PDF and HTML files on anything poultry from North Carolina extension service.http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/poulsci/tech_manuals/small_flock_resources.html

I do dry incubation so I don't think it is high humidity. No higher than 40% ever and usually it is between 25-35%. The think that is getting me confused is it is just one breed really. WTH? All the stuff I have read (I will look at those links when the babies go to bed) you would think it would be across the board and effect all of them. I do feed a higher protein diet. so I don't think that is my problem. Is there a supplement I can give them to help?

 

[ki4got]

I have a question too..... With my Ameraucana's I have not had good hatches. It is really only the one breed and I just wondered if anyone else had this problem. I just did a hatch of only AMs and some were shipped eggs and mine. I set about 2 doz eggs. I got 6 chicks. I decided to do an eggtopsy.... ALL the eggs had chicks but one. One was fully developed but didn't pip... I saw it moving in the egg at lockdown. Another pipped internally and died. The others died some earlier. They were very wet and had not absorbed the yolk sack yet, but fully developed. Anybody got any tips or ideas? I set lots of eggs at one time and others will hatch 80-100% but these AMs don't and I don't understand what is going on. I have read several things, but since the others are hatching, I don't see anything that fits. HELP!

well, having similar problems with the dorkings, i wonder if your am's are related to each other or from separate sources? if they're from related birds, it might be as simple as being too inbred. if you can, maybe swap out for unrelated roosters, or even a rooster of a different color to test the theory... if an unrelated rooster produces a better hatch rate, then you know the answer.

with my dorkings, i average about 30% hatch from my purebred silver greys, but from the same roo and my dark red and colored hens, i had a 90% hatch. same incubator and hatcher, at the same time. so in this case i'm pretty sure it's a genetic issue not a hatcher issue. I've got 1 unrelated hen and 2 roosters right now, plus i've got another unrelated pair of chicks about 6 weeks old right now. and i'm hanging on to my color-crossed chicks too, with the intent of crossing them back and creating a second line of sg's from unrelated sources.

i would think the ameraucanas are more popular than the dorkings so it souldn't be an inbreeding problem, but you never know what can crop up with closely related birds.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: I did think about that, but I only have one pullet that is the sibling to the roos. I am going to move her soon to see if that helps for her eggs. It is equal between the 2 pens. I have Laves over Blacks and splits so they are unrelated... I plan to keep it that way too

Thanks!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: It maybe that the humidity that is working for other eggs is not right for these eggs, or they are dying before they have reached the point of being dry at day 21 hatch.

Liquid vitamins can be added to their water. I have a book on hatching with detailed support why feeding breeder formulated feed is better than layer feed for the breeder birds.

I would go for liquid vitamins if the grain stays the same. OTherwise try breeder feed for just the AM. GEnerally , 4 weeks of feed to see the true effects of the feed.

 

[ki4got]

Another hatching trouble shooter in a different setup that might be easier to use for some people. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/aa204

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