January 2023 Hatch-a-long

[3KillerBs]

Just did my day 7 candling. Pulled 10 clears.

I also have a few dubious eggs and a Marans egg even my new Ovascope can't really see into.

I'm guessing about 15 likely at this point.

I can't blame Rameses for not being able to keep 20-some ladies fertilized. I'm keeping one of his sons from the October hatch.

 

[3KillerBs]

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.

My one-week clears get spiked into the run.

After that, clears and blood-rings get lobbed into the woods.

Quitter and dead-in-shell chicks after eggtopsy are left in a section of the woods I mentally refer to as "the graveyard of lost chicks".

I hate just throwing them away in the trash.

 

[Sally PB]

I hate just throwing them away in the trash.

Yeah. I know what you mean.

 

[FunClucks]

So, I just realized I could have an issue. Could really use you guys' input.

Background: I have a Nurture Right 360 incubator and this is my first hatch. The Nurture Right has spots for 22 eggs, and auto rotates them. I double checked the temp with my reptile thermometer and it was right on. I weighed them all prior to loading the eggs, and for my first weigh out at 5 days, they were on target (overall target is 12% weight loss by day 18). The second time I weighed was on Day 13, and they were about 1-2 grams heavier than they should be (missed the target). So I turned down the humidity from 51-53% to 46-48%, so hopefully that should increase the weight loss over the next week, and we'll meet the target weight loss of 12% by day 18.

Issue: So here's the issue - I kept adding multiple eggs. Eggs 1-19 were added on Day 1 at noon. Eggs 20 and 21 were added on Day 1 at 4:45 pm, so those are probably fine, but may lag a bit. Egg 22 was added on Day 2 at 10 am. So, may also lag, but hopefully no more than a day. Egg 23 was added on Day 5 at 10:30am. Egg 24 was added on Day 8 at noon.

Since I overloaded the incubator from the beginning, I've been hand-turning the extra eggs this whole time. I've been opening the incubator about every 2-6 hours to turn the eggs, and the temp and humidity bounces back in about 15 minutes each time. My plan was to just keep hand turning eggs 22-24 until they individually hit Day 18. However, I forgot to account for the fact that Nurture Right says I'm supposed to increase the humidity to 60% on Day 18. Should I do that so the majority of the eggs has 60% humidity and hope the last two don't drown and die before they hatch? I don't have a second incubator or a broody hen.

Newbie mistakes. What would you guys recommend? I'd really like to save those last two eggs, since they're from my favorite hen, but I also don't want to jeopardize the others.

 

[3KillerBs]

So, I just realized I could have an issue. Could really use you guys' input.

Background: I have a Nurture Right 360 incubator and this is my first hatch. The Nurture Right has spots for 22 eggs, and auto rotates them. I double checked the temp with my reptile thermometer and it was right on. I weighed them all prior to loading the eggs, and for my first weigh out at 5 days, they were on target (overall target is 12% weight loss by day 18). The second time I weighed was on Day 13, and they were about 1-2 grams heavier than they should be (missed the target). So I turned down the humidity from 51-53% to 46-48%, so hopefully that should increase the weight loss over the next week, and we'll meet the target weight loss of 12% by day 18.

Issue: So here's the issue - I kept adding multiple eggs. Eggs 1-19 were added on Day 1 at noon. Eggs 20 and 21 were added on Day 1 at 4:45 pm, so those are probably fine, but may lag a bit. Egg 22 was added on Day 2 at 10 am. So, may also lag, but hopefully no more than a day. Egg 23 was added on Day 5 at 10:30am. Egg 24 was added on Day 8 at noon.

Since I overloaded the incubator from the beginning, I've been hand-turning the extra eggs this whole time. I've been opening the incubator about every 2-6 hours to turn the eggs, and the temp and humidity bounces back in about 15 minutes each time. My plan was to just keep hand turning eggs 22-24 until they individually hit Day 18. However, I forgot to account for the fact that Nurture Right says I'm supposed to increase the humidity to 60% on Day 18. Should I do that so the majority of the eggs has 60% humidity and hope the last two don't drown and die before they hatch? I don't have a second incubator or a broody hen.

Newbie mistakes. What would you guys recommend? I'd really like to save those last two eggs, since they're from my favorite hen, but I also don't want to jeopardize the others.

This is one of the reasons why it's generally advised not to do a staggered hatch but to, instead, collect all the eggs you're going to set and set them all at once.

There are, however, a lot of threads about people having staggered hatches and how they managed it. Best to do a search and read everything you can find.

 

[WallyG74]

My one-week clears get spiked into the run.

After that, clears and blood-rings get lobbed into the woods.

Quitter and dead-in-shell chicks after eggtopsy are left in a section of the woods I mentally refer to as "the graveyard of lost chicks".

I hate just throwing them away in the trash.

Yep, Foxy Brown gets all of ours out in the woods.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I heat up eggs in a separate incubator if I add any. I also suggest getting an incubator with a turner. I got one from the feed store +fan. ($109) I set eggs in it until day 18, then move them to a still air incubator. Mostly because I want the hatching to happen in the cheaper incubator.

 

[FunClucks]

I heat up eggs in a separate incubator if I add any. I also suggest getting an incubator with a turner. I got one from the feed store +fan. ($109) I set eggs in it until day 18, then move them to a still air incubator. Mostly because I want the hatching to happen in the cheaper incubator.

That's a great idea! Maybe I can jurry rig something with my reptile heat strip and temperature controller. It's pretty high powered heat strip and kept my crabs at 89F consistently with ease.

I just got so excited because the day after I loaded the incubator I positively identified which eggs my favorite hen was laying. So I threw one in then, and then the next time and the time after I saw her lay, I put her eggs in. I didn't realize the last one was 8 days behind the others, or that it would be such a problem.

 

[Tumbleweedlynn]

Just did my 7 day candling - 17 set and 17 developing - I cannot believe it! Just ordered 25 chicks from the hatchery to be delivered the week of Feb 12th, and my daughter is getting married on the Feb 18th. The next month is going to be busy!

 

[BuckeyeFoodie]

So, I just realized I could have an issue. Could really use you guys' input.

Background: I have a Nurture Right 360 incubator and this is my first hatch. The Nurture Right has spots for 22 eggs, and auto rotates them. I double checked the temp with my reptile thermometer and it was right on. I weighed them all prior to loading the eggs, and for my first weigh out at 5 days, they were on target (overall target is 12% weight loss by day 18). The second time I weighed was on Day 13, and they were about 1-2 grams heavier than they should be (missed the target). So I turned down the humidity from 51-53% to 46-48%, so hopefully that should increase the weight loss over the next week, and we'll meet the target weight loss of 12% by day 18.

Issue: So here's the issue - I kept adding multiple eggs. Eggs 1-19 were added on Day 1 at noon. Eggs 20 and 21 were added on Day 1 at 4:45 pm, so those are probably fine, but may lag a bit. Egg 22 was added on Day 2 at 10 am. So, may also lag, but hopefully no more than a day. Egg 23 was added on Day 5 at 10:30am. Egg 24 was added on Day 8 at noon.

Since I overloaded the incubator from the beginning, I've been hand-turning the extra eggs this whole time. I've been opening the incubator about every 2-6 hours to turn the eggs, and the temp and humidity bounces back in about 15 minutes each time. My plan was to just keep hand turning eggs 22-24 until they individually hit Day 18. However, I forgot to account for the fact that Nurture Right says I'm supposed to increase the humidity to 60% on Day 18. Should I do that so the majority of the eggs has 60% humidity and hope the last two don't drown and die before they hatch? I don't have a second incubator or a broody hen.

Newbie mistakes. What would you guys recommend? I'd really like to save those last two eggs, since they're from my favorite hen, but I also don't want to jeopardize the others.

I've never had a problem doing this. I usually have two, but sometimes up to four, separate clutches in the same incubator (I have another NR360 that can no longer be reset to turn, so it's my dedicated hatcher). I would try dry incubating next time, it's worked well for me.