July Hatch-a-long

[misschickenlittle]

 Wow! came in the house and my hb said check and see if you have a chick,WHAT? Thats not till tomorrow?  But look at that. A baby favarolle.  A tiny baby OHHH its  a darling  a little soft  sweety trying to get about in the incubator. No one else moving about so I quess its tomorrow for the rest.   Hummmm.  The temp. seems to be holding well now.  Wonder what was going on with the incubator before.

Sweet!!!! Love faveolles!! They are so fluffy and fluffy!! Cheeks!!

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

I have my incubator prepping. I will be setting my eggs in incubator tonight, so that means I will have an August 2nd hatch...hopefully. Is there an August Hatch-a-long set up yet?

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

This is my 11....yes you can count all 11 babies!!!! I won 12 eggs from a breeder in GA. When the eggs shipped, they got delayed and were in transit 4 days. ALL air cells were perfect why they finally arrived! I culled one at day 10 and 11 went into lock down. On day 20 all 11 eggs hatched!!!! A lot has to do with treatment during shipping, but the rest is due to genetics. So many breeders have watered down bloodlines, that these chicks are at a disadvantage to begin with. Seeing a lot of defects, weak chicks, chicks dying for no reason just days after hatching. Research and make sure you have good quality parent stock that is cared for properly.

Aww, they are sooooooo Adorable!

 

[TheCrazyChick]

Today ends Day 22 and I have 23 hatched. There are 12 remaining, but no pips and no cheeps. Will leave them til the morning then probably end this hatch. 8 Ameracaucanas, 7 Blue/Splash Marans, 5 Black Sex Links and 3 Sussex. The Hovabator makes things so much easier!

 

[PugBug]

Lockdown humidity increase doesn't affect the next hatch? I might just try this. I know what you mean, I've been checking on the incubator ever 3 hours and turning, adjusting the humidity, etc... it's really tiring, &" I'll be looking forward to a full night of sleep after this is all done.

when I do staggered hatches like that I use 2 bators. I would start all of them in the styro bator, then as each set was ready for lockdown I would move just those eggs to the brinsea mini until they hatched.

 

[PugBug]

This morning there is a big pile in the Brinsea. I think it's twelve chicks. 19 eggs in the bator. So much cuteness!!!

I might wait until tonight and pop the hatchlings into a brooder and keep a close eye on who is left. I was thinking about the humidity issue regarding the membrane of the egg. If I run the hot water in the shower, I could probably get the chicks popped into the brooder with a high humidity in the air around me so that the eggs don't dry out... But I would have to unplug the bator and run the five feet to the bathroom...plug it back into the bathroom outlet... Is it worth the risk?

So loving these adorable pictures I'm seeing!

I know several people who have done it this way with the hot water going in the shower, but they also keep the incubators in the bathroom all the time. I don't know how that would work out with unplugging & moving it. I wouldn't risk it personally-

 

[PugBug]

I am getting soooo impatient here at the last. All is set up. sigh.... day 20 is here. all is quiet as it s.h.u.o.l.d b.e but everything seems to have slowed down to a snails pace. No pips no peeps no anythings . I am on lockdown.

If we had a twittly my thumbs icon that would be appropriate. I see others with early hatches and I know thats because their temps were a bit high but still I want some BABIES TOO!!!!!!!!!!. I keep telling My self to not try to hurry Mother Nature. Time will tell, Don't count your chicks till they hatch etc, Oh shucks!!! Hatch already!!!!!!

LOL you sound like me! I agree, higher temps are not worth it in the end.

 

[PugBug]

This is my 11....yes you can count all 11 babies!!!! I won 12 eggs from a breeder in GA. When the eggs shipped, they got delayed and were in transit 4 days. ALL air cells were perfect why they finally arrived! I culled one at day 10 and 11 went into lock down. On day 20 all 11 eggs hatched!!!! A lot has to do with treatment during shipping, but the rest is due to genetics. So many breeders have watered down bloodlines, that these chicks are at a disadvantage to begin with. Seeing a lot of defects, weak chicks, chicks dying for no reason just days after hatching. Research and make sure you have good quality parent stock that is cared for properly.

what a bunch of cute fuzzies! and I agree with you about so many of these breeders. That's why I'm so glad my own flocks are starting to lay.

 

[PugBug]

We are keeping a lot of these breeders in business! There are a lot of breeders on facebook who say they will no longer sell hatching eggs due to complaints. Yes the USPS does a lot of damage, but I have seen 12 eggs with perfect air cells after shipping, and 1 chick hatches. That is just unacceptable. You pay $25 for the dozen, $16 for shipping, and you get 1 chick for $41??? Everyone wants to be a breeder now and they order eggs, keep 1 roo and 2 hens, and start in breeding to get a flock big enough to sell eggs from!

I spent over $900 in 3 mo buying eggs from different breeders trying to get the birds I wanted that were not available locally- After all was said & done between bad hatches, weak chicks etc I ended up with 5 chicks that I was able to raise. You do the math- That's why I gave up & started to buy the chicks from the breeds I wanted & have them shipped in. Yes it was even more expensive than the eggs in the beginning, but much greater success rate. I bought only from reputable breeders & got quality chicks. I have lost very few. Now I have gorgeous birds & way less stress.

 

[PugBug]

I wonder if this is the case with my Wheaten Maran eggs. Received 8 eggs (2 were extra), air cells were perfectly in tact. Culled 1 on day 7 that was clear, and then 4 on day 14 that looked like they never progressed past day 7 or so. One started to hatch on day 20, but I had to assist it and it had no eyes and was not in great shape otherwise. One other started to hatch too but needed assistance.. 12 hours later it is doing okay but is definitely not as lively as the other chicks. I candled the remaining egg that never pipped today, and it was dark but looked scrambled.. it was never dropped or handled roughly. Do you guys contact the breeders in these situations or just take it as an expensive learning experience?

Most of the time contacting the seller will not amount to much- it's pretty much just an expensive lesson... In truth, there are so many variables in hatching shipped eggs from bad or weak breeding, USPO going 'postal' with your package, crappy packing, temps when shipping, bator fluctuations etc till there's not much a seller can or is willing to do. No way to prove what caused the bad hatch...