***JULY HATCH-A-LONG come join in***

[poularde]

Candled my eggs on day 11. All shipped eggs. Out of my 15 Houdan eggs it looks like I have 8 developing. As for my 9 bantam Cochin eggs which arrived with 2 broken and 3 cracked and dented (not the best packing job)

I only have 2 left in the bator. I think one is not good but I am hoping. I really wanted to have some bantam Cochins. The parents of the eggs are just gorgeous. Well maybe I will get one or two. Go Houdans!

I can hardly wait!

 

[spikennipper]

Quote:
There's no such thing as a dumb question

it is fine to either lay the eggs down or leave them as they were in the upright position for lock down perhaps in an egg carton, I prefer to lay mine down so I can see them moving but others prefer to leave them up, it's entirely up to you.

 

[Ady Road Chicks]

I can't believe it !!! I just locked the bator down last night at 9pm and my biggest blue egg is starting

I don't think I am going to get anyting done to get ready for the Fourth of July cookout. I'm really glad the computer is right next to the bator.

 

[Rin]

I have 15 eggs I'm going to be setting tonight. They were shipped and one was cracked a huge amount but will try anyway (who knows). But I'm tempted to try three different methods for turning since I have no egg turner and had such lousy luck hatching in egg cartons(three entirely failed hatches now). Going to be turning four from the start on the wire- the other 10 will be kept in an egg carton and turned that way, on day 18 I'm going to set half of my total eggs to make it that far on the wire and the other half will stay in the carton.. I need to figure out WHY this keeps failing so also using a Styrofoam carton instead of my usual paper pulp ones. It seems to be a low humidity thing and even with /three/ hygrometers saying I got it at about 50-60% throughout the entire incubation period with a spike of about 70% on LD - they still seem dry when I finally break into them. I don;t get what I'm doing wrong so my theory is the paper cups were "absorbing" too much water away from my eggs.

 

[PandoraTaylor]

when I incubate eggs I keep the Humidity at 25-35% during the first 18 days,

then I up the humidity to 65-70% for Lockdown.

I also hatch in the Pulp cartons, as I don't want the first hatched chick to play football with it's hatch mates...

Currently have 9 in Lockdown due July 4th!

 

[Lotsapaints]

Quote:
Watch the air cells when you candle adjust your humidity accordingly that is if the air cell looks too big add humidity looks too small don't add water and let your humidity drop to 25% before you do add water I find keeping mine between 35% to 45% works the best then starting on day 15 or 16 I bump it up to 50% then at lock down try to keep it at 65% to 70%. I don't use egg cartons I just use shelf liner and lay them down and I have square pieces of terry cloth about the size of a playing card that I add wet to bump the humidity they work better than sponges as the chicks always seem to move the sponges where I can't reach them with the tube I use to add water...

 

[Rin]

Quote:
Watch the air cells when you candle adjust your humidity accordingly that is if the air cell looks too big add humidity looks too small don't add water and let your humidity drop to 25% before you do add water I find keeping mine between 35% to 45% works the best then starting on day 15 or 16 I bump it up to 50% then at lock down try to keep it at 65% to 70%. I don't use egg cartons I just use shelf liner and lay them down and I have square pieces of terry cloth about the size of a playing card that I add wet to bump the humidity they work better than sponges as the chicks always seem to move the sponges where I can't reach them with the tube I use to add water...

Problem is though. I got the humidity as high as I could for the second and third attempts - using a washrag, sponge, and even rocks. This time I plan to watch their air bubbles like a hawk.. and I picked now because rainy season here is just getting started up... maybe I'm actually drowning them and don't even know it? I don't get it

I think it might be too hot too so I'm experimenting with a wiggler made of ziploc and its showing me it's a little less than a degree warmer /inside/ than the surrounding air AND at shell level... odd

 

[clothdiaperingmom]

I have a new hatchling!!!! Yay!!! It came out of the egg that had the indentation/cracks so I didnt think it would do anything, but I incubated it anyway. It was the 2nd pip, 1st to hatch.
Im still waiting on the other pipper to start zipping. COME ON CHICKY!!!!
The 3rd egg has no pip

These are RIR/Red sex link eggs. Huge, jumbo brown eggs!!

 

[Chickapooh23]

I am on day 20 with 1 pip this morning and a lot of peeping. I am using a brood hen so I don't really know how it's going. I went in and checked a little while ago and she just gave me a mean look. I didn't want to lift her but still a lot of peeping. No idea if they are in the eggs or out.

I have 7 light sussex eggs and 11 red sussex eggs under her. This is my first time using a brood hen and my first time with sussex. And my hens first time as a mom. I am a little nervous because they say they can sometimes kill them if they are new but I think she will be a good mom. She's always been a good hen and she has been a real trooper with these eggs.

 

[lauriemike]

I'm putting 14 Orpington eggs in tomorrow (they arrived today and are settling right now). 4 Buff, 4 Blue, 3 Black and 3 Blue/Splash. I am so very excited! So mine will be due to hatch on July 24.

I'm also expecting 25 Freedom Ranger chicks on July 16-17. So happy to be back in chickens (my signature is out of date - I had to rehome my entire flock when life circumstances changed, and now they changed again meaning new chickens!)