July 2022 Hatch-A-Long

[FreedomFarm13]

1 day down and what feels like a million to go. haahaa at least not long till I candle for the first time which I am excited and soooooo scared for since m hatch rates have been horrible so I end up seeing NOTHING (the last batch of 18 none developed from the shipped eggs.... I did add in my own 2 and 1 of those did. the first shipped batch (with 3 of my own mixed in) was much better with 5/11 showing something early on, but 4 were broken so if you add those it was 5/15 then 1 quit around day 5-7, 1 around day 10)..... and I had a couple batches of my own eggs before then that never developed due to fluffy butts so poor fertilization....... So now I am a bit scared anytime I candle thinking I will see nothing yet still so excited to look in hopes of seeing something.....

remind me on Thurs (day 3) when I check that it is still early so I may not see anything. LOL

I hate when I have a run of bad luck. My last was when I kept having chicks die. They hatched fine but would slowly all die within a couple weeks for a bunch of different reasons. It sucks.
Yes, we must be patient. I'm so worried about my air cells I'm having to fight the urge to constantly stare at them with the candler. I can't wait til our candle on Day 3 to see if any are developing and how the air cells are looking. But yes, I may not see anything definitive, I know, and I need to continue to prepare myself for that possibility. Sigh. More of that dang waiting.....

 

[junior67]

I hate when I have a run of bad luck. My last was when I kept having chicks die. They hatched fine but would slowly all die within a couple weeks for a bunch of different reasons. It sucks.
Yes, we must be patient. I'm so worried about my air cells I'm having to fight the urge to constantly stare at them with the candler. I can't wait til our candle on Day 3 to see if any are developing and how the air cells are looking. But yes, I may not see anything definitive, I know, and I need to continue to prepare myself for that possibility. Sigh. More of that dang waiting.....

It is nice when you have a hatching buddy on the same day though. You get to be impatient together. Lol

 

[FreedomFarm13]

It is nice when you have a hatching buddy on the same day though. You get to be impatient together. Lol

YES!!! I'm so glad we'll be able to pace back and forth in front of our incubators together. When I'm going crazy waiting for a chick to zip (or you are) we'll just get on here and chat to distract ourselves, right? You're right, it is nice to have someone with babies coming at the same time. Simultaneous stressing, lol!

 

[Iluveggers]

It is nice when you have a hatching buddy on the same day though. You get to be impatient together. Lol

Yes it is! Next year we should plan another hatch together!

 

[mamablair]

I have NEVER had a hen go broody, so naturally now that I have eggs incubating, my little black silkie hen has decided to go broody. And she has decided on the poop board under the roosting bars is the perfect place to do it.

 

[Dragon Slayer Trinket]

So what makes an air cell saddled?

I'm on day three of my chicken and guinea eggs. Turning them is an ordeal, because I have a little bator recommended for 9-12 eggs. I have 21 eggs in it. I have to turn in two separate batches so the temperature doesn't get too low, and on top of that, my bator keeps picking random times to shut down. Watching it like a hawk. I'll candle them all on Friday at different times and see how they're doing.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

I have NEVER had a hen go broody, so naturally now that I have eggs incubating, my little black silkie hen has decided to go broody. And she has decided on the poop board under the roosting bars is the perfect place to do it.

That’s pretty funny. Hopefully she one you can move wherever you want and still sticks to the eggs like glue. Since she’s a Silkie I’m guessing that’ll be the case.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Yes it is! Next year we should plan another hatch together!

Easter HAL is a blast! That’s definitely the one to shoot for if at all possible.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

So what makes an air cell saddled?

I'm on day three of my chicken and guinea eggs. Turning them is an ordeal, because I have a little bator recommended for 9-12 eggs. I have 21 eggs in it. I have to turn in two separate batches so the temperature doesn't get too low, and on top of that, my bator keeps picking random times to shut down. Watching it like a hawk. I'll candle them all on Friday at different times and see how they're doing.

There’s a Stacker Hatcher group on Facebook. I haven’t tried it myself but overstuffed incubators is definitely a thing.

I hope the candling goes well and you can thin successfully.

Saddling is typically caused by trauma to the egg. Which is why it’s common in shipped eggs. The air cell sifts down between the shell and the internal membrane. Creating a pocket, aka saddle. Eggs can have multiple saddles in a few directions. They’re not always evident on initial candling.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Days 15. Still the same 19 eggs I’ve had for awhile. Air cells and development look great. After my success last hatch (minimal DIS) I’m locking down on day 17 again. We’ll see if this batch hatches well too.