June Hatch A Long

[Kris5902]

Just remember it that way, how many days have PASSED since you started.

Also, if you set on a Monday, hatch day is three mondays later. Hatch day (with chickens and ducks) should be on the same day that you set them...

@Kris5902 have you started mealworms yet? I just started six weeks ago and they’re going crazy. I haven’t had my own babies to be harvested yet, but I have two nursery bins going and three beetle trays with several hundred beetles in each tray. I’m pulling out a couple hundred pupaes every few days.

Still a bit confused... I set in the afternoon/evening on Thursday, so they should hatch Thursday? Or maybe Friday morning... I’m in for a few sleepless nights again for sure, either way! If it’s all wrapped up by Saturday I’ll be relieved and happy!

Yes, I started with mealworms back in January, they live under my coffee table in rapidly expanding numbers of sterelite drawers. I’m at one drawer of a few hundred beetles and 4 nursery drawers, the first of which is starting to get to harvestable sized worms, which I’m restraining from feeding to my chickens so I can get more Pupae going. I’m starting and trying to remain small, due to space limitations in my current living arrangements. But when I get those extra bedrooms... who needs guest rooms when you can have chickens and bugs instead, right?

 

[CluckNDoodle]

who needs guest rooms when you can have chickens and bugs instead, right?

Lol! My "chicken room" is actually the extra bedroom in my house.
We gave away the bed and made it into a chicken hatching/brooding, craft space, and workout room...but the exercise equipment doesn't see much action, let's be honest, it's a chicken room and I need to get rid of the equipment.

 

[jolenesdad]

Lol! My "chicken room" is actually the extra bedroom in my house.
We gave away the bed and made it into a chicken hatching/brooding, craft space, and workout room...but the exercise equipment doesn't see much action, let's be honest, it's a chicken room and I need to get rid of the equipment.

I bet most of us on this thread have chicken rooms.


@Kris5902 yes. 21 days will have passed on Thursday at the time you set them. Camping out Wednesday night is a good idea, but I bet your kiddo gets to see plenty of hatching before leaving for the weekend.

My last hatch was weird, set on a Saturday at noon. super consistent temps in my Brinsea incubator but I started the hatch Friday morning. Technically the end of day 19, start of day 20. Hatching went all the way through Sunday morning.

21 days is just an average.

 

[Tatuana]

Three golden peepers out and about! I had to clean the chicken cage so they popped out to visit with the older two. Cage remade with felt fabric, paper towels, and proper water dishes. They love it.

Tiny concern.... Apparently when I was feeding my gecko this morning one of the worms made it into my pocket. Venus found it. She can't be more than a few days old, a week at most. By the time I caught her it was dinner. I'm guessing she needs grit now? She's only had chick starter so far.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Three golden peepers out and about! I had to clean the chicken cage so they popped out to visit with the older two. Cage remade with felt fabric, paper towels, and proper water dishes. They love it.



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Tiny concern.... Apparently when I was feeding my gecko this morning one of the worms made it into my pocket. Venus found it. She can't be more than a few days old, a week at most. By the time I caught her it was dinner. I'm guessing she needs grit now? She's only had chick starter so far.

They're too cute! Yep, a bit of chick grit should be all she needs. She'll be just fine!

 

[jolenesdad]

Just go grab a clump of dirt and grass! I do it at day one just in case they get into anything, they have grit and are already building immunities.

My last chicks that came 2.5 weeks ago I was brooding IN MY CHICKEN ROOM ;-), and I couldn’t help but give them mealworms I was growing. They were so happy and turned out just fine. They were probably 2 or 3 days old.

 

[Bookworm0124]

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGG @Bookworm0124 is that a welsh harlequin?

Yes it is I love my welshies.

 

[LilyD]

Well candled tonight and 6 out of 9 already are internally pipped of my Muscovy eggs. We are on day 32 as of 6:30pm tonight upped the humidity to 68 and am setting up a camera to do some egg watching. Any one else hatching this week?

 

[Tatuana]

They're too cute! Yep, a bit of chick grit should be all she needs. She'll be just fine!

Just go grab a clump of dirt and grass! I do it at day one just in case they get into anything, they have grit and are already building immunities.

I figured it was okay, but I know some babies are more sensitive than others! In the wild they'd already be eating bugs, but that doesn't always mean it's GOOD for them. After they'd nibbled at the dirt for a little bit I gave them each a mealworm. It... sorta worked? Venus is evil. She stole Virtue's worm. And when I tried to grab Venus to take it away she swallowed it. So I gave Virtue another one. Venus shot up and tried ripping it away. Thus the Great Worm Tug Of War was born. Anytime Virtue gets ANYTHING, Venus tries to steal it and they end up in a tug of war.


I have one more egg that I can hear sounds in. I THINK another is peeping, and I'm not hopeful for the third. I'm wondering why my hatch rates are so weird. First batch was 3/12 (Shipped eggs with saddle cells) next two were 0/12 (VERY bad saddle cells), these are local. I bought 12. I've had 3 hatched, possibly another 2 or 3 on the way. Shouldn't my hatch rates be higher? I'm doing everything right, I think.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I have one more egg that I can hear sounds in. I THINK another is peeping, and I'm not hopeful for the third. I'm wondering why my hatch rates are so weird. First batch was 3/12 (Shipped eggs with saddle cells) next two were 0/12 (VERY bad saddle cells), these are local. I bought 12. I've had 3 hatched, possibly another 2 or 3 on the way. Shouldn't my hatch rates be higher? I'm doing everything right, I think.

Do you use a secondary calibrated thermometer? Low temps can cause late hatches.
May I ask what kind of incubator you're using?