Jan./Feb. 2014 hatch a long

[BrickWall Honey]

Hatching date the 21st, had an early pip which was very malpositioned, small pip hole with not much movement 24 hrs later. So time to assist.




And a few hours later, now a happy peep.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Good morning....................
I hope this is not a repeat from me......
Just want to add to the staggered hatch comments...

I use two incubators.( one for hatching)
I set once a week...always the same day..then my eggs don't get to old.
I mark different colors on the eggs ( as already mentioned) then mark my calendar for lockdown and hatch date
in the  same color.
Move lock down to the second incubator on day 18........gives me 7 days to hatch and sterilize the hatcher.
I like this method when I am doing continuous hatch because I always know what day I am doing what
and can plan my other activities better..........ie: set Friday, lockdowns on day 18....hatch over the weekend.

My directions were for someone with only 1 bator doing a staggered hatch. I prsonally have 3 & use 1 as a hatcher when I can. I am currently stagger hatching 3 batches in a single bator only because of the season & the fact that they are small batches. We also just moved, so 1 bator of eggs was much easier to move.

Keep humidity as low as you can until you have to raise it for lockdown on each batch

Thanks! How low should I keep it until lockdown? 35%? Or lower? And do I keep turning the younger eggs or do they just have to sit while the first batch is hatching?

For still air go 25-35% (dry hatch method) until lockdown & then bump to 45-60% for lockdown & hatch. You will want to watch air cell size if possible & adjust slightly if needed for your set up.

I set a bunch of mixed LF eggs on the 11th along with 6 swedish flower eggs...So excited for the flowers! I don't candle- I don't have anything bright enough and I am too afraid of making a mistake that would cost a chick its life. I also am anxiously awaiting a bator full of coturnix quail eggs due today. My first attempt at quail....

We have 2 bators; 1 is a Genesis Hova-bator circulating air with egg turner, aka Old Reliable, but I have recently began having a heck of a time keeping the humidity up in it despite having added a sponge for holding water AND putting water in the reservoir. The second is new, and it's a Farm Innovators circulating air with egg turner. It vibrates, which I am not happy about. It has the quail eggs in it and we had to put cotton in the (chicken) egg cups to keep them from jiggling pointed end up all the time. I would've taken it back, but we had already set eggs and it was too late when it started doing this. grrr.

Regular egg turners should not be used for quail for exactly the reasons you mentioned above. The cups are just way to big to hold them properly. You will want to either get the turner rails made for quail eggs, hand turn or (as I do) put them in quail flats & tip the flat end to end 2-3 times per day to turn them. Just be careful the "up end" is not right against the heating coil. It's best to have the high end toward the center of the bator when possible to tip it facing the heating element to heat the tray as evenly as possible.

 

[dolfi]

Good morning....................
I hope this is not a repeat from me......
Just want to add to the staggered hatch comments...

I use two incubators.( one for hatching)
I set once a week...always the same day..then my eggs don't get to old.
I mark different colors on the eggs ( as already mentioned) then mark my calendar for lockdown and hatch date
in the  same color.
Move lock down to the second incubator on day 18........gives me 7 days to hatch and sterilize the hatcher.
I like this method when I am doing continuous hatch because I always know what day I am doing what
and can plan my other activities better..........ie: set Friday, lockdowns on day 18....hatch over the weekend.

It's never bad to repeat. I always get something that I didn't get the first time. Lol

 

[chickydee64]

SilkieSensation~~My directions were for someone with only 1 bator doing a staggered hatch. I prsonally have 3 & use 1 as a hatcher when I can. I am currently stagger hatching 3 batches in a single bator only because of the season & the fact that they are small batches. We also just moved, so 1 bator of eggs was much easier to move.


I'm just not good early.......like before several cups of coffee..........If my response was off, I'll blame it on that.
Otherwise.................I forget that not everyone is as nutty as I am and only want a few chicks...........

I want three bators............

Good Luck everyone.................

 

[Cynthia12]

Hatching date the 21st, had an early pip which was very malpositioned, small pip hole with not much movement 24 hrs later. So time to assist.




And a few hours later, now a happy peep.

Great job...took photos of yet another one that was pipped at the wrong end, and came on to post them, and saw this. I'm glad you have your baby.

 

[Whoops]

World, meet Ursula! - hope she gets a sibling! Otherwise, she will have to abide by her lonesome for a few days until she can join George and Astrid. I can't tell if she is black or blue.

 

[gimmie birdies]

If I have a malposition I make sure they have air, but try not to help, because most chicks hatching the normal way breathe the air cell before breathing our air and that gives them time to pip then rest another 24 hrs absorbing yolk before they hatch. a chick that is malpositioned doesn't have that 48 hrs absorbing and breathing, and resting before coming into the world hence the bloody veiny look. I am glad it worked out for you. chicks need to be ex. warm if helped because they loose blood- Handwarmer packets and heated beanbags, and extra protein- I give yolk water or tuna water.

 

[Cynthia12]

So, my little baby that made that sound last night..did it again! I leaned down just to talk to them, out came that scream. My goodness, that's going to be one noisy rooster!

I went ahead and opened my baby up more today. Went ahead and pulled the head out because there wasn't much blood. Looks like the yolk is absorbed too. Not much more blood to absorb, guessing it will kick itself out by mid day, if not earlier. It was looking at me and peeping away. Didn't get it with it's eyes open though.
And of course. Another one has pipped at the wrong end. So, it gets to hang with the other one.

Had to pull up the left leg since there wasn't much blood, don't want splayed leg.




Back to the bator. Those feet look big right now. Those feet look big, but they are usually swollen at hatch time, then it goes down.


Now these little ones got turned around right..there are two pipped here..at the right. There are a lot in thee that are pipped. You can see the empty spots where the others pipped at the wrong end and the little bits of shell. I am hearing a lot of peeping going on in that bator. Love it.

 

[klj491]

I saw heartbeats today in 6 of my eggies! And I could see the eye on one of them.

 

[kimmommy23]

So, my little baby that made that sound last night..did it again! I leaned down just to talk to them, out came that scream. My goodness, that's going to be one noisy rooster! I went ahead and opened my baby up more today. Went ahead and pulled the head out because there wasn't much blood. Looks like the yolk is absorbed too. Not much more blood to absorb, guessing it will kick itself out by mid day, if not earlier. It was looking at me and peeping away. Didn't get it with it's eyes open though. And of course. Another one has pipped at the wrong end. So, it gets to hang with the other one. Had to pull up the left leg since there wasn't much blood, don't want splayed leg. Back to the bator. Those feet look big right now. Those feet look big, but they are usually swollen at hatch time, then it goes down. Cute little babies I can't wait to see more pics after the dumplings have all hatched and fluffed out. Now these little ones got turned around right..there are two pipped here..at the right. There are a lot in thee that are pipped. You can see the empty spots where the others pipped at the wrong end and the little bits of shell. I am hearing a lot of peeping going on in that bator. Love it.