June Hatch A Long

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Working on my final notes.

Originally I set 36 eggs
19 shipped assorted from Metzer
17 local Silver Appleyards.

4 clears (2 each) and one day 6 quitter from the shipped.

Discarded the cracked egg (Silver Appleyard) and I’ll keep it in my total as a reminder to candle the whole dang egg not the air cell. It quit at day 20 and was gross looking.

Went into lockdown with 30 eggs
16 shipped Metzer eggs
14 Silver Appleyards

DIS:
4 shipped eggs
1 Silver Appleyard
(SA was the first bottom pipper I didn’t see... so with this and the cracked egg... I was on the verge of a perfect hatch!!!)

Assists
Bottom Pippers
1 silver Appleyard (plus the 1 DIS that doesn’t count in assists)
5 shipped eggs

Regular air cell pippers
1 shrink wrap
1 sticky chick
1 my fault last Hatcher I probably dried the membrane with all this helping.

8 total assists and they’re all doing great! 1 splay leg that is handling the brace okay. 1 bottom Hatcher hatched on its own with no assistance.

Totals:
shipped eggs 71% hatch rate
Local eggs 87% hatch rate

At first glance the most interesting part for me is this:

EVERY DIS egg is a side incubated egg.
Some side incubators made it, but this is interesting.

All but ONE bottom pipper is a side incubated egg.

I put 6 eggs in the carton.

A fluid egg hatched on its own which was awesome. 3 other eggs hatched normally. 2 eggs pipped the BOTTOM. One I almost lost I was really late to get it out and on its side I just happened to pull it out.

I’m going to forgive the carton statistic because I took two side eggs and tried to hatch them in the carton. That I certainly will never do.

Photo update coming later with some breed ID questions!

Without the help of this thread I would NEVER have been able to have the confidence or patience necessary. I can’t thank you guys enough.

Wow! Your hatch rate from shipped eggs is really amazing! Congratulations on an unbelievably good hatch!!!

 

[LuckyCluckyCA]

Freak out number 29 (a guess) so my humidity was high all along the incubation 80s or so. Someone here explained taht it wasn't hte amount of water in there that it was the surface that makes the humidity, suggested I let the water out. So when I put chicks in lockdown yesterday, I did just that. When I looked at it just a few min ago, humidity at 29 te temp at 98. Is that OK? do I need to sneak in some water? but its in lock down, don't open the thing! Oh what to do for this first time hatcher who really really REALLY does not want to kill chicks. HELP my chicken guru is not avail I think she's harvesting.

 

[LuckyCluckyCA]

Outside temp is 67 and humidity 69

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Freak out number 29 (a guess) so my humidity was high all along the incubation 80s or so. Someone here explained taht it wasn't hte amount of water in there that it was the surface that makes the humidity, suggested I let the water out. So when I put chicks in lockdown yesterday, I did just that. When I looked at it just a few min ago, humidity at 29 te temp at 98. Is that OK? do I need to sneak in some water? but its in lock down, don't open the thing! Oh what to do for this first time hatcher who really really REALLY does not want to kill chicks. HELP my chicken guru is not avail I think she's harvesting.

If there aren't any external pips yet then it's safe to open the incubator and add some water to increase the humidity to about 65%. The primary reason you don't want to open the incubator after lockdown is so that you don't lose humidity but yours is very low so that's really not a concern.
80% is very high for the first 18 days but hygrometers are notorious for being inaccurate so hopefully that's what happened in your case!

 

[LuckyCluckyCA]

Ok added water - did I kill the babies

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Outside temp is 67 and humidity 69

Um, so now I'm just extremely jealous of your weather!! lol, It's in the 90s here and humid...like living in a sauna.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

did I kill the babies

No matter the outcome you did not kill them. They may have been sunny side up if not for your efforts. I think my hatch is going sideways and if it does I will take what I learned and try again.

Gary

 

[LuckyCluckyCA]

Temp 98,8 hu mott 67 and climbing

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Ok added water - did I kill the babies

It's doubtful if they haven't even pipped yet then opening the incubator to add water is perfectly fine! What day is hatch day?

 

[LuckyCluckyCA]

That was humidity 67 and climbing I’m all twitchy cause I thought I killed them