January 2016 Hatch-Come Join Me

[generaldsherman]

*sigh* lost my last egg- almost made it but hadn't absorbed the yolk.
No more shipped eggs for me. Too disappointing when nothing happens.

In protest, I gave up and bought two chicks, one mixed silkie and one full silkie. Sweet little things- road home tangled in my hair

 

[draye]

I was wondering if everyone had moved over to the Easter HaL.

89 into lockdown today. I am very disappointed with candling, so now I just look for obvious clears and leave it at that. That fact does, however, allow me to imagine a 93% fertility rate...;-] (I've been averaging ~75% until now)

Another problem with not culling too many is that now I cannot fit all the eggs onto the trays laying down, I've had to put a couple into holes they don't quite fit in...;-[ I think I will load laying down next time...but then there's no way it will hold more than 84.

My weight loss at the beginning of day 19 is spot on (well, I should have lost 2 grams more out of the over 6Kg I started with). Its amazing the control you have with this bator and Brinsea's humidity pump.

Now all I have to do is keep them alive until my Premier 1 heat panels arrive in the next few days.

There are still some posting on here, but I'm posting in both right now.

January isn't over, but my hatch is. I'll still be posting pictures here if the whether will clear up some.

 

[devinandfeather]

Yay I finally got a hatching of Orpingtons only 3 but who cares it's a start next hatch due next week

 

[Shadow722]

I finally had to put water in my incubator. It had been holding at 43% and last night it had dropped to 30%. Must've been the dry arctic front that came through, Tomorrow starts lockdown.

 

[NTBugtraq]

I was wondering if everyone had moved over to the Easter HaL.

89 into lockdown today. I am very disappointed with candling, so now I just look for obvious clears and leave it at that. That fact does, however, allow me to imagine a 93% fertility rate...;-] (I've been averaging ~75% until now)

Another problem with not culling too many is that now I cannot fit all the eggs onto the trays laying down, I've had to put a couple into holes they don't quite fit in...;-[ I think I will load laying down next time...but then there's no way it will hold more than 84.

My weight loss at the beginning of day 19 is spot on (well, I should have lost 2 grams more out of the over 6Kg I started with). Its amazing the control you have with this bator and Brinsea's humidity pump.

Now all I have to do is keep them alive until my Premier 1 heat panels arrive in the next few days.

I just got off the phone to Brinsea. They tell me that there is no need to lay the eggs down, apparently commercial hatcheries all hatch eggs upright?? I realize this can be a subject with lots of opinions, just reporting what they told me.

 

[TJordan]

Well today is day 5 of my incubation. My 8 year old and I are doing a day by day video diary of this hatch for her 3rd grade class. They are studying penguins and the teacher thinks this comparison was a great idea. Granted both very different but still.

so.... 40 eggs set on Jan 21st. Humidity gauge is acting up so I printed up an air cell chart and will use it to watch. Temp staying constant at 37.5 c dispite cold weather outside. A mice 8'x8'x6.5' tall BARN (can't call it a coop) has been built and a nice size 6' tall pin will house the birds until I get my privacy fence built and can skirt it with wire and concrete. Wish me luck.

 

[melnjerm]

Well today is day 5 of my incubation. My 8 year old and I are doing a day by day video diary of this hatch for her 3rd grade class. They are studying penguins and the teacher thinks this comparison was a great idea. Granted both very different but still.

so.... 40 eggs set on Jan 21st. Humidity gauge is acting up so I printed up an air cell chart and will use it to watch. Temp staying constant at 37.5 c dispite cold weather outside. A mice 8'x8'x6.5' tall BARN (can't call it a coop) has been built and a nice size 6' tall pin will house the birds until I get my privacy fence built and can skirt it with wire and concrete. Wish me luck.

Good Luck!!

 

[melnjerm]

Yay I finally got a hatching of Orpingtons only 3 but who cares it's a start next hatch due next week

Adorable!

 

[NTBugtraq]

Well today is day 5 of my incubation. My 8 year old and I are doing a day by day video diary of this hatch for her 3rd grade class. They are studying penguins and the teacher thinks this comparison was a great idea. Granted both very different but still.

so.... 40 eggs set on Jan 21st. Humidity gauge is acting up so I printed up an air cell chart and will use it to watch. Temp staying constant at 37.5 c dispite cold weather outside. A mice 8'x8'x6.5' tall BARN (can't call it a coop) has been built and a nice size 6' tall pin will house the birds until I get my privacy fence built and can skirt it with wire and concrete. Wish me luck.

If you can weigh all of the eggs somehow, checking the weight daily is really the better way to judge humidity. Every day they should lose 0.67% of the total original weight, but you can start with today's weight and be sure you lose 0.67% by the same time tomorrow. If the weight loss is not enough, reduce humidity by 5%, if its too much, increase by the same amount. Remember, humidity isn't the main issue, its weight loss, so the embryos will become small enough to move about inside the egg (which in turn means a big enough air sac to let the chick internally pip and breath till it gets enough strength to do the external pip.)

Air cell charts are notoriously vague...how big is the egg in the chart versus each of your eggs (which are likely different sizes).

How are you planning on brooding the chicks till they can go outside?

 

[TJordan]

I have no acurete way to weight them but thank you for that information. I might invest in a scale.