JANUARY HATCH-A-LONG come join in

[PandoraTaylor]

Temp spiked in the hatcher (still air) at 104F...

I woke up to alarms beeping (good thermometer with alarms)....

Opened the incubator, reset the alarms, and noticed the waffer looks cockeyed, Guess I will have to take it apart when this hatch (does whatever it will do) is over, so I can attempt to repair or replace it.

I am going to start the Galvanized Brower 846 (holds 100 eggs) and see if the temps in it will stabilize. However I don't see any way to add humidity to it; so I will have to read the manual (downloading now).

ETA correct my typing errors

 

[Madcap621]

IT's HATCH DAY

................. NOTHING!!!

14 EGGS,with narry a peep nor pip nor peck nor wiggle [we are, however having cold, wind and blowing snow -- that's the bright side]!!!! Silence. Not even a fan or turner to listen to as it's lock-down and my fan fizzled last night. Some 'so-so' news, tho'. Temp and humidity are holding just under where I want them.

So, in the interest of entertaining a slow thread, I have decided to share my day with you -- so far. It's just 3 pm. Still plenty of time for things to look up, OR down [we need a thundercloud smiley for here].

THE PERILS OF PAULINE [dramatic piano music]

All incidents are true. My name has been changed because I like 'Pauline" better than 'Eunice'.

My day started by being wakened early [after sitting up late watching NOTHING happen in the hatcher] by a phone call from someone I don't know asking me to do something I didn't want to do. I made coffee, but forgot to turn it on, so when I finished doing the unpleasant 'something' I STILL didn't have caffeine!

Before I could pour a cup, the phone rang AGAIN! [ I don't like talking on the phone]. My daughter had locked her keys in the car and was standing in the cold -- "can you bring me the extra set I left w/Daddy? " Of course, I couldn't find them, so went and picked her up, came back to find the keys, took her back to her car. During this time, it started a blowing snow, BUT, by the time we got back to find the Keys, the coffee was done!

Finally, a chance to check the hatcher. NOTHING! But hey, the incubator, with my 17 bantam Welsummers, is holding steady as a rock!!

Fed and watered my peeps and pullets. Discovered Porch Brooder I spent yesterday afternoon building issn't warm enough but can't find my extra lights.

Turned on puter to discover it froze up and had to be crashed [just got the @%#&$& thing out of the shop last week! Thank goodness DH has one!

Got on line and decided to cheer myself up by tracking my new King Suro 20 bator, due for delivery tomorrow. It has been sitting in Memphis since Thursday, so thought they might deliver it today, but according to tracking, there has been a "shipping accident" somewhere between there and here this morning

[this is where the mournful violin cuts in]

My day HAS had a bright spot, tho'. Natalie [Sonew] tells me that she does occationally have frizzle cochin eggs!

I would break out the wine but finished it last night after my fan quit! What's a PeepMama to do??

Sending best wishes & goo hatching vibes to all of you!

Eunice

 

[thechickonthehill]

Madcap621 - First of all I offer sympathy (especially for the no coffee part, what a nightmare!) but then I had to laugh at the way you described your day. It sounds rather familiar acutally. Somewhat dejavu-ish even. My computer crashed last week as I was waiting on something, anything to happen in the incubator. An egg actually pipped while I was gone to take it to the repair shop. I went to pick up my computer today . . . and then had to take it right back since, although the first problem seemed to be fixed, it had another problem.

So, if it makes any difference, "I feel ya!" Best wishes for a speedy, successful hatch.

 

[PandoraTaylor]

Day 19- I am worried the temp spike may have doomed them....But I don't want to take them out, for fear of killing them.

any suggestions???
to candle or not to candle?

 

[nhnanna]

back away from the bator and

 

[chickenmeadow]

PandoraTaylor: Sorry to hear about the temp spike. It's day 19 so you're in lockdown; stablize the temperature, up the humidity, don't open the incubator till all hatched & just wait. Hope all goes well for the next few days or so.

Yesterday was wierd for my 2 bators, they became unstable in temps & humidity (no real explaination). All I can do is stablize & wait for the Wed. hatch day (or so, always give it a couple more days-mine often go an xtra day).

 

[blessedchickenmama7]

Quote:
Hang on! Don't give up!!

 

[petrelline]

I! HAVE! A! PIP!

And just now I went down to check the bator for the 4000th time in the last hour, I pressed my ear down to the lid and I heard "cheep cheep cheep" I stood up and did this very dance:

I'm supposed to be working at home today. bwhahaha. Riiiiight.

Pandora, I'm no expert -- this is my first hatch -- but I think just stabilize the temp and wait out the last few days. Don't open the bator. My temp was all over the place the last few days (after being rock solid for the whole month) and (so far) they're doing OK. But if you open the bator you run the risk of doing MORE damage cause you'll lose the humidity.

Madcap: pppppatttienceeee......

 

[pbjmaker]

Pandora - that spike shouldn't have killed them all. Have some patience, and don't open the bator. It is only day 19 after all. Give them time. We spiked to 106 this spring in the 4th grade classroom hatch and still got like a 75% hatch.

Pauline ( I mean madcap, err Eunice) Very funny day. Very typical. You want some more blowing snow? We were supposed to get a dusting to 1 inch overnight. Woke up to over 4 inches, now there is over 6 inches and the wind is gusting around 52 mph.

Oddly enough all the chooks are refusing to leave the coop. Don't know why

Need to make my brooder between tonight and tomorrow. My official hatch day is Thursday , but there are always early ones for me (usually the banty eggs) I have a couple frizzle cochin X showgirl eggs in there.

This time my brooder is gonna have to be puppy proof. My cats and the two other dogs do not really bother the chicks but our 5 month old puppy really thinks they are squeaky toys. He loves to run through the big girls and make them fly. He does however respect my big black copper maran rooster. (He is the only one who respects him - he is lowest on the totem pole in the chickendom)

I went out to check on the big girls today and my avatar sizzle (Tina) is broody for the first time. She is like a ninja broody. She has dug down through the layers of hay until only her head is showing and being jet black, she just blends with the shadows. I am still debating on letting her keep some eggs. This is the third day she hasn't budged.

Hope everyone has good luck with their prospective hatches in the next few days!

 

[PandoraTaylor]

I added water when I opened the incubator to release the extra heat earlier, but I didn't touch the eggs.....
Now Temp at egg level is 100.4 and humidity is close to 65%.

Any other suggestions for this impatient, scared, 1st time chicken hatcher?