July Hatch-a-long

[Gen9]

Just keep an eye on them, make sure there is enough room, food, water etc for both. I do have mine together & have not had a problem

Thanks PugBug!

 

[Shellz]

Just finished my Day 10-ish removal of duds and was really surprised at how emotional that was!  The majority of those we pulled were empty, but it brought out some weird emotions from miscarriages.  What a strange journey this hatching is!  I don't know if I'm going to make it through the actual hatch.  

Out of 48 set eggs, we kept 25.  Does that seem like a decent ratio so far?  It was silkies, BCFM, Lavender and Blue Ameraucanas, SPPR and Welsummers.  We pulled all but 27 on Day 10 and pulled two more that were clearly quitters on Day 11.  7 had definite bacteria/blood rings - not sure if that's a normal number?  The kids have been helping me to handle the eggs, but we always washed hands prior to anyone touching them.  The other 16 weren't fertile.

Now I DEFINITELY understand the old adage "Don't count your chickens before they've hatched".  In a desperate attempt to console myself if I have a total failure at this incubating thing, I ordered MORE eggs for my now empty second 'bator.  Because that clearly makes sense to want more, just in case I have a terrible experience.  

So now who's coming over to help get me through the lockdown period (starting Saturday).  I am scared out of my pants that I am going to accidentally kill these precious babies I'm so enjoying right now.

Looks like you got the bug, like most of us here! Yeah, lockdown is a pretty tough time. Anxiety is at its peak. I'm always exhausted after a hatch, whether a good one or bad, I want to do it all over again! It's a challenge every time to master the incubator. I want to do better & better.

Personally, I don't worry too much about the numbers at this stage, if they're my own eggs. I wait until hatch is over before I figure out my hatch rate.

I agree that if you're able to manage the numbers of chicks hatching or to be hatched, it is good to get more experience with your incubator It helps to take notes if you take a long break between hatchings. Especially from season to season, as climate changes.

Best of luck at lockdown to you! I hope the rest hatch well!

 

[Shellz]

Sorry to hear of the ones that didn't make it. Are pea chicks more finicky to hatch?

Well, got up early & saw my broody #2 off the nest. Time to do a switcheroo! I took out eggs she was setting (non-fertile, roo was gone too long) & moved in 7 Malines eggs. I have 11 Malines eggs in the genesis now. 18 eggs again for these guys. Hoping for better hatch rate this time around. I picked up some adorable 4 & 5 week old chicks too! Now I'll have a good start to my new breeding program. Yay!

Rock on everybody!!!

 

[nicole63021]

So i fibbed, had a trace of a smell from the bator, all but 2 eggs have died, looks like maybe they drowned, fully formed, internally pipped, but didn't make it. Left the other 2 in the bator, but not holding out hope. At least I got a male and female (fluff out revealed the white dot on the head of one)

 

[Shellz]

I've had many like that in my last hatch. I think hygrometer in my unit was way off. Another one reads 10% lower. That's why I'm going with the other hygrometer for this hatch. I try to keep humidity between 45-50% for first 18 days. Anything higher drowned mine after day 14.

 

[nicole63021]

First timer mistakes I guess, the humidity was right at 70% until the first two eggs hatched, when I got back home from work it was almost 85%, so I had to open the bator and take out some of the paper towels I was using for humidity. Guess opening was mistake #2. Live and learn.

 

[sharol]

While we are on the topic of humidity.

It is my understanding that keeping the humidity lower (and what constitutes lower varies widely) during the first 18 days allows the moisture to escape from the egg keeping the chick from drowning. At that point, the humidity needs to be higher (again, a matter of discussion what "higher" means in terms of humidity) in order to avoid drying out of the membrane. IS THAT CORRECT?

I read Chooks Chick's hatching guide for styro/still air incubators (dry incubation method). I've also read a ton of other things here at ByC and no one seems to agree on anything. I'm trying something different from my first hatch which, for a variety of reasons, was pretty poor.

I'm trying to keep the humidity around 30-35% for the first 18 days, then I'll bump it up to around 60% (assuming I can control it). I ran a plastic tube (it was intended for aquariums) from the water holder in the bottom of the bator, out through the indentation for the wires and up to the top. I'm using an old syringe to shoot water through the tubing to the bottom of the bator when it needs moisture. It take about 3 of the little syringes full each morning to keep it in the 30-35 range. My goal is to keep the bator closed until day 7 when I plan to candle the eggs and then day 14 for the same reason. Keeping my hands off those eggs is a real challenge for me, so I have to set some rules for myself. By using the tubing, I don't have the top off or the window open, so I'm less tempted to touch them.

Is there any definitive word on humidity? Why does it make any difference what your outside humidity is? I can see how that would affect how much water is needed to keep the humidity up during hatch, but why would it change the recommended levels within the bator?

 

[Shellz]

Yeah, I know its tough! Don't beat yourself up. Just learn from it & move on. With more experience, you WILL get better! Once you know how to manage it, it will become less stressful & more intuitive.

I talked to the owner of the hatchery, where I got my bator from. He says that this new digital genesis unit was never meant to function with higher than 65% humidity. One could damage the electronics with humidities so high. This is just a tip to anyone with this unit. He is a vet tech as it turns out, & hatches his own stock regularly with this unit. Ducks, geese, doesn't matter. 65% maximum humidity. He says, sure you can still hatch at higher humidities, (a lot do, I've heard) but its shortening the life of the unit.

 

[Shellz]

While we are on the topic of humidity.

It is my understanding that keeping the humidity lower (and what constitutes lower varies widely) during the first 18 days allows the moisture to escape from the egg keeping the chick from drowning.  At that point, the humidity needs to be higher (again, a matter of discussion what "higher" means in terms of humidity) in order to avoid drying out of the membrane.  IS THAT CORRECT?

I read Chooks Chick's hatching guide for styro/still air incubators (dry incubation method).  I've also read a ton of other things here at ByC and no one seems to agree on anything.  I'm trying something different from my first hatch which, for a variety of reasons, was pretty poor.

I'm trying to keep the humidity around 30-35% for the first 18 days, then I'll bump it up to around 60% (assuming I can control it).  I ran a plastic tube (it was intended for aquariums) from the water holder in the bottom of the bator, out through the indentation for the wires and up to the top.  I'm using an old syringe to shoot water through the tubing to the bottom of the bator when it needs moisture.  It take about 3 of the little syringes full each morning to keep it in the 30-35 range.   My goal is to keep the bator closed until day 7 when I plan to candle the eggs and then day 14 for the same reason.  Keeping my hands off those eggs is a real challenge for me, so I have to set some rules for myself.  By using the tubing, I don't have the top off or the window open, so I'm less tempted to touch them.

Is there any definitive word on humidity?  Why does it make any difference what your outside humidity is?  I can see how that would affect how much water is needed to keep the humidity up during hatch, but why would it change the recommended levels within the bator?

Sounds spot on to me. I do exactly as you are doing right now. I have better hatches with 45-50% range. Yes, you won't find others agreeing with one range of humidity%. This is because climates vary from one area to another. What works for one hatch somewhere else, may destroy your own. You have to do some trial & error testing initially. If I lived in the U.S. with access to a Trader Joe's, I would buy their fertile eggs to use. A winter hatch can differ a lot from a summer hatch as well. Something else I like to do, is to mark with pencil on days 7, 14 & 18 the air cells when I candle. This can give you good info as to how things are developing. Although it was too late for my last hatch, it gave me excellent info on how to improve my current hatch. By day 18, I could see the air cell was too small. As much as I tried at that point to decrease humidity, it didn't work. There are pics somewhere on the Internet of what normal air cell development looks like. I hope this helps some folks!

I don't pretend to know the science of why ambient humidity levels affects the unit, but it does. Maybe someone smarter than us can enlighten?

 

[sono-chic]

I've been reading the LG Incubators tips thread since that's what I've got and it's my first time incubating (first hatch was incubated by a broody).  I've read that the larger number of eggs will help keep the temps steadier than few eggs (good idea to fill up with water in closed jars if you don't have a lot of eggs esp. if electricity tends to go off a lot in your area) and around hatch time more eggs will produce more heat/humidity and require higher oxygen levels.  Each individual egg isn't needing more oxygen - there's more eggs "breathing" and using up the Oxygen.  Hope that makes sence. 

CG

I noticed pictures of mason jars in bators and wasn't sure why. Good idea. Makes sense. My best batch was my largest batch (20). My last was the smallest and the worst. Can you take off a row from the turner? How would you place a jar if not? I'm seeing a purchase of water balloons in my future.