January 2016 Hatch-Come Join Me

[draye]

I have three wigglers

Congrats!

I got nothing so far. Hatch date tomorrow, probably late I didn't start the incubator until around 4:30 PM.

 

[TheLukeMeister]

Well, I candled my eggs and they were all no good. So, I collected some more eggs from my silkies and put them under my broody.

 

[butterfliesdoku]

It's day 14. How do I tell if I have quitters at this point?

 

[Soylent Chick]

I noticed a yellowish discoloration in the paper towel under one of the eggs. Suspecting the worst, I plucked out the egg and it had a stinky secretion at the narrow end. Oh well...

A few hours after that, the first pip! I know it can take a long time between the first crack and the actual hatch but I won't be able to sleep tonight.

 

[melnjerm]

Hi all!
I set 14 Cream Legbar eggs on the evening of the 7th. At my 4 day candling 2 had no development. Today, day 7, all 12 are wiggling away in their shells! This is my 2nd hatch, 1st time I personally picked up. My 1st hatch was mail ordered and very disappointing, leaving me with 1 CL cockerel and 1 Red Orpington cockerel, out of 16 eggs total.
Can't wait for hatch day on the 28th!

 

[Jessimom]

Of the 9 I put into lock down....it's day 22. 3 have hatched in the last 5 hours, 1 more is pipped. At least 1 is chirping. My temps were a little low the last few days. I'm hoping for at least 1, maybe 2 more chicks when I get up tomorrow.

I have 24 possible moving into lock down on Tuesday - I think maybe 6 of those are quitters or possible clears - I'm not a very good candler.

I have 12 Salmon Faverolle eggs and 11 Cochin eggs that were shipped 3000 miles or so. 12 from FL, and the 11 from MA. About 1/2 of each have good air cells, the other half saddled. They will settle another day or two, then go in the 'bator. They will be my first February hatches....


Happy Hatching everyone!

 

[NTBugtraq]

It's day 14. How do I tell if I have quitters at this point?

Look up "candling". Basically, you want to hold the egg over a bright (preferably LED) light while in a dark room (e.g. your bathroom?). This will show you (hopefully) what's inside the egg. At day 14 you should be able to see a lot of veins. There can be 2 distinct quitters at this point;

1. You see a distinct line that goes all the way around the egg. Doesn't matter where it is, although its usually where the air sac is. This is the result of the egg dying, with the veins collapsing.
2. You see no veins at all. This is usually because the egg was not fertile in the beginning. When people talk about hatch rates, they delete the number of infertile from the count.

There are tons of charts with pictures of what an egg should look like at each day of development, just google "chicken egg development", for example.

Good luck.

 

[feathersaloft]

Today is day 17 for my first batch in almost 20 years.
New incubator, with originally 41 barnyard mix eggs.

So far 1 clear egg, and one that somehow got the top shell shattered off.
Thinking maybe daughter was looking and the heat element busted the egg.

A friend who set my eggs is expecting 38 of 40 to hatch, so fertility is not an issue

 

[RachaelR32]

I use start/grow crumble for the chicks. You could use flock raiser I think also. I put rocks/marbles in the waterer for a few days so they do not drown. I just sprinkle the feed on the ground the first week or so. I add a little feeder with the round holes after a few days but they do not use it much. I wet some of the feed after a few days and they go for it. I would leave the egg in if it is not leaking unless I am sure it is no good. I do not like the concrete as I feel that it draws a lot of heat out of them.

Thanks. I will get some marbles.

I didn't want them on the concrete but I didn't expect a broody so hadn't got set up. She's only nearly 9 months old and had only been laying a few weeks before going broody. I've bought stuff to make another coop and run for them but haven't had time to make it :-(

 

[RachaelR32]

My broody has done just fine watching her two babies.  They have a standard chick waterer and haven't had a problem.  Use small pebbles or marbles if you are concerned. 

I'd put some pine shavings down for them-it'll help the floor to be warmer.

I've got some wood bedding to put down for them.