January 2023 Hatch-a-long

[sevenhelmet]

That is good. If you are only going by digital reading, they always read low on the humidity. (I have found for me.)

It is a tad low, I agree. I’m using a salt-tested hygro inside the ‘bator to back it up. The digital reads about 5% lower than the calibrated gauge most of the time.

 

[BuckeyeFoodie]

I dry hatch, but I guess if you are watering every day, opening the incubator would be a good thing to let out all that moisture. Talk to me before you lock down. Say day 16. I will tell you what to look for.

I have three splash silkie eggs due to hatch the 17th. It was four, but I accidentally dropped one candling yesterday and it didn't make it.

It is so interesting to see everyone's different methods of incubating and hatching - using NR360's, unless it's very dry (and I live in Ohio, soooooooo) I dry-hatch, I keep the turner going through day 20, and I don't raise humidity until I see 1/3 of the eggs have external pips. My hatch rates have gone from 70% of locked-down eggs to 95%

 

[gimmie birdies]

If you candle at day 18 just be sure ALL of the egg under the air cells. (Seeing veins is nice knowing the egg is still alive, but if you can the egg still needs to dry up. day 18)
The pointy end of the egg should be dark by day 16.

I have 2 incubators going near lock down, one is for lockdown, and if some eggs are not ready, they don't go into lockdown mode. I think this has saved some chicks.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I use these 2 pic to compare my eggs to...
Below day 18 but not ready...but you can still see veins so yes it is alive...

Below day 18 ready, all dark under the air cell

If you see an egg like the one below get it back in incubator ASAP!
The egg below would be like a day 19/20 and you could hear it peep.

 

[sevenhelmet]

I have three splash silkie eggs due to hatch the 17th. It was four, but I accidentally dropped one candling yesterday and it didn't make it.

It is so interesting to see everyone's different methods of incubating and hatching - using NR360's, unless it's very dry (and I live in Ohio, soooooooo) I dry-hatch, I keep the turner going through day 20, and I don't raise humidity until I see 1/3 of the eggs have external pips. My hatch rates have gone from 70% of locked-down eggs to 95%

This is our first hatch, so I’ve been following the book so far. What’s your humidity in the incubator before you lock down? Around here, mine would be around 20% this time of year, which seems low to me.

 

[sevenhelmet]

I use these 2 pic to compare my eggs to...
Below day 18 but not ready...but you can still see veins so yes it is alive...

View attachment 3376358
Below day 18 ready, all dark under the air cell
View attachment 3376360
If you see an egg like the one below get it back in incubator ASAP!
The egg below would be like a day 19/20 and you could hear it peep.
View attachment 3376365

Thanks for sharing this. So maybe delay jacking up the humidity if they’re not all ready on day 18? I only have the one incubator.

 

[Jen Leigh]

Adorable!!! I just want to cuddle them!

How do you know that one chick is male? Did he have a head spot?

I hear you about the cold snap. It took me all morning to find an electrician and another day before he came out to fix my electrical for the bucket heater for the chicken water. No fun!

I do the hang test by the neck, not sure how scientific it is, but the first 6 silkies we bought we were 100% on the sex, can't wait to see if I'm right with this batch. I did do the wing test which confirmed what I think they are, but I've heard it isn't accurate with silkies.

 

[BuckeyeFoodie]

This is our first hatch, so I’ve been following the book so far. What’s your humidity in the incubator before you lock down? Around here, mine would be around 20% this time of year, which seems low to me.

If it goes below 30 I do add water. I also have to keep my incubators out in my un-heated coop now, so in the cold months they are swaddled in blankets for insulation, which helps keep the humidity up.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I had 2 batches of hatching eggs that were 2 weeks apart. I moved my day 18 eggs into one incubator, and left the others in for more weeks, but accidently left one egg. This egg got forgotten so it had no lockdown... no water added, hatched fine.

With out adding water if I trusted my digital hydro- it would read about 26%, but with a dial hydro- it reads 50%

 

[gimmie birdies]

I am going to test my EE rooster...saved the eggs below for setting.
At 12'oclock Blue bell egger. (This hen was grump at the rooster yesterday.), At 2'oclock frizzle NN (yesterday had a muddy back and was squatty), 3 oclock steel egger, (This egg I saw fertile the other day), 6'oclock BCM, 8'oclock white-almost pink first egg of I think Brown leghorn., 10'oclock OE acted grumpy about laying her egg, center black frizzle. She was the first to beat up the rooster, but has been cozying up lately.

My shipped eggs will come in a few days or so, I can at least test these in incubator. If not fertile, I can give to the pup-er after a few days.

Quick note, if you try and set an unfertile egg in incubator, it IS still safe to eat if it doesn't develop after 3 days. (I read that in a chicken book.)
Although I would just give it to the dog.