July Hatch-a-long

[Heidisgran]

came in from work and one of my peafowl eggs is pipped

 

[PugBug]

Lockdown! Still at six viable eggs from the original seven, hoping for some cockerels.

Love all the pictures, congratulations to everyone.

LOL you're the only person I know who hopes for cockerels!

 

[BuckNBark Farm]

Waiting on the first pip! 5 Silkies due today.

Pam Pittman

 

[PugBug]

PugBug, Thank you for answering my question, I think you hit the nail on the head. The five chicks that hatched are doing great. Let me ask you this, since you are from LA, and I'm in MS so he have similar outside humidity: What do you think is the ideal humidity for before and after lockdown?

Honestly I know some might not agree with me on this... but for me when I use my styrofoam bator which does not hold the humidity as well, I try to keep my humidity between 37- 44 for days 1-18, then I kick it up to 72-85 for lockdown. When I use my brinsea mini advance, which I am using right now for my silkie eggs cause there is only 8 of them, then I can't tell you what the humidity is because you have a cup in the middle of it that you fill half the cup for days 1-18, then fill all the way for lockdown. BUT I not only have the cup full for lockdown I also add a warm wet sponge in for lockdown too. Because I have cental air, which is set at about 71* it does act as a de humidifier in the air- that's why I keep my bator humidity higher than most ppl do. Before I did this I can't tell you how many shrink wrapped chicks I had, most of them I lost. It was AWFUL & expensive too! Also, and again I know I might get flack for this- BUT when I have an egg with an external pip- if it goes more than say 10 - 12 hours w/o advancement, I gradually help them. And if I have 1 hatch, and say more than 10 hours pass b/f I see any advancement from the other eggs, I have been known to do the external pip for them. I can't tell you how many I've saved this way. I don't advocate other's doing this- it's just what works for me... Oh and another thing, I only add very warm water to my bators, it takes too long other wise to heat it up.

 

[PugBug]

Ok, I hope yall don't mind one more question. I bought some more hatching eggs a couple of days ago, and some are pretty dirty. In my last hatch I had a few eggs that had some smudges, and I didn't worry about cleaning them. These new eggs have several eggs that are caked up with poop and yolk.

Do yall clean your eggs before adding them to the incubator?

in a case with extremely dirty eggs, if I can clean some off with just a dry finger nail brush then I'll still use them. if not I toss'em

 

[PugBug]

Dirty eggs= dirty nest. I very RARELY have dirty eggs. But I also make sure the nesting material is cleaned weekly.

I agree, I make sure my nest & pens are kept clean

 

[PugBug]

This is my first hatch, how can you tell if they pip internally?

If you were to candle the egg, you will see like a triangular shaped shadow where the beak has pierced the inner membrane. Sometimes after internal pip you can hear them peeping

 

[PugBug]

came in from work and one of my peafowl eggs is pipped

Oh happy to hear!!! That is something I would love to hatch! Please post pics!!!!!!

 

[Heidisgran]

sad news already...almost as soon as it pipped it died...can't see a thing wrong except I think it had a little film on its beak that caused it to suffocate...I wish I'd known!! I could have saved it! our hearts are broke poor baby

 

[CGinJCMO]

Dirty eggs= dirty nest. I very RARELY have dirty eggs. But I also make sure the nesting material is cleaned weekly.

I seem to have hens that lay wet eggs...I'm always picking hay and the occasional feather fluff off. The eggs are other wise clean (unless we've had rain and then I might find a mud smudged egg) except for the hay.

sad news already...almost as soon as it pipped it died...can't see a thing wrong except I think it had a little film on its beak that caused it to suffocate...I wish I'd known!! I could have saved it! our hearts are broke poor baby

Aww. So sorry.

CG