June Hatch A Long

[jolenesdad]

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?

Good luck @LilyD !!!!

32 is a little early I’m so glad you were going to lockdown!!!

@Tatuana i would hope for better hatches. Are you marking/measuring/weighing air cells by chance too?

 

[Tatuana]

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

Good luck @LilyD !!!!

32 is a little early I’m so glad you were going to lockdown!!!

@Tatuana i would hope for better hatches. Are you marking/measuring/weighing air cells by chance too?

I have a Jenoel 12 incubator. Just the one temp gauge that I know to be correct, a humidity tester (there's a right word for it, but I can't spell). I have to hand turn them due to the amount, which I do at LEAST three times a day. Often six or seven. The humidity is tricky to keep stable, but I do my best. If I'm remembering right it's blood rings that are causing me the most problems. One baby pipped half a week early once. Then died. These guys are a full day and a half early. Tonight is actually their official due date. My temp is stable. I'm not sure why they keep dying on me. The only thing I can think of is humidity or not enough turning?

I mark air cells, but my eggs are usually scrambled at the top so I can't see them. I'm still learning how to find the cell properly. (Yeah, I know. It should be easy!) I haven't thought to weigh them, though. Most of my eggs are dark so it's hard to see what's going on inside.

 

[jolenesdad]

I have a Jenoel 12 incubator. Just the one temp gauge that I know to be correct, a humidity tester (there's a right word for it, but I can't spell). I have to hand turn them due to the amount, which I do at LEAST three times a day. Often six or seven. The humidity is tricky to keep stable, but I do my best. If I'm remembering right it's blood rings that are causing me the most problems. One baby pipped half a week early once. Then died. These guys are a full day and a half early. Tonight is actually their official due date. My temp is stable. I'm not sure why they keep dying on me. The only thing I can think of is humidity or not enough turning?

I mark air cells, but my eggs are usually scrambled at the top so I can't see them. I'm still learning how to find the cell properly. (Yeah, I know. It should be easy!) I haven't thought to weigh them, though. Most of my eggs are dark so it's hard to see what's going on inside.

Weighing can be SUPER frustrating. I have had several eggs lose WAY MORE weight than they should have and hatch great.

BUT I would recommend it for dark eggs. Just a small kitchen scale will do. You take the weight when you set them (or at any point, you can start in the middle) and then they should lose .65% each day.

So let’s say you have an egg that weighs 2.00 ounces whenever you take the measurement. After 7 days, it should lose 7x.65% or 4.55%. So 2.00 (starting weight) Times .0455 is how much you want to see lost. That’s .091. Your egg should weigh 1.909.

You can do this after two or three days, just multiply the number of days by .65% to get your formula.

If your number is higher, you aren’t losing enough weight and you need to decrease your humidity. If it is lower, you’re losing too much and you need to increase your humidity.

I usually pick the couple eggs I want to hatch the most and base the humidity off of those egg weights. Air cells on fresh eggs are super tiny. I would get a white egg even from the store if you don’t have one of your own and candle that, fertilized or not, to practice finding it.

 

[LilyD]

Okay if this doesn't work I'm sorry but posted the incubator on a live feed. Eggs were rocking up until a minute ago now they are taking a break. You can watch them here

https://www.twitch.tv/davlil73?fbclid=IwAR14SpofQsUVq9jyJ-jFoYknP5iflyeYAVZp3h__RcYkAvPTVmxDjxs9oBs

 

[jolenesdad]

Okay if this doesn't work I'm sorry but posted the incubator on a live feed. Eggs were rocking up until a minute ago now they are taking a break. You can watch them here

https://www.twitch.tv/davlil73?fbclid=IwAR14SpofQsUVq9jyJ-jFoYknP5iflyeYAVZp3h__RcYkAvPTVmxDjxs9oBs

Yes it totally works!!!!! I can’t wsit to check first thing in the morning.

 

[jolenesdad]

Does anyone mist their duck eggs?

 

[jolenesdad]

@CluckNDoodle i came across this thread that has pictures of the first stage at day 2 of the duck eggs and a germinal disc. Is this what those mallard eggs looked like??

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/duck-egg-candling-photo-diary.304863/

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Does anyone mist their duck eggs?

Hatched ducks only once, last year. Yes, I misted them lightly with cool filtered water once a day. I also hand turned. My eggs from a friend were so dirty, so I also dipped half in bleach and left the other half dirty. Almost all (15/18) eggs hatched so dip probably made no difference.

 

[Tatuana]

Weighing can be SUPER frustrating. I have had several eggs lose WAY MORE weight than they should have and hatch great.

BUT I would recommend it for dark eggs. Just a small kitchen scale will do. You take the weight when you set them (or at any point, you can start in the middle) and then they should lose .65% each day.

So let’s say you have an egg that weighs 2.00 ounces whenever you take the measurement. After 7 days, it should lose 7x.65% or 4.55%. So 2.00 (starting weight) Times .0455 is how much you want to see lost. That’s .091. Your egg should weigh 1.909.

You can do this after two or three days, just multiply the number of days by .65% to get your formula.

If your number is higher, you aren’t losing enough weight and you need to decrease your humidity. If it is lower, you’re losing too much and you need to increase your humidity.

I usually pick the couple eggs I want to hatch the most and base the humidity off of those egg weights. Air cells on fresh eggs are super tiny. I would get a white egg even from the store if you don’t have one of your own and candle that, fertilized or not, to practice finding it.

Thank you! I'll try that. It's frustrating setting a dozen eggs and only getting a few. I candled from the side of the incubator and I can clearly see two went bloodring. The other two have pipped! I can see two yellow beaks breathing.

 

[jolenesdad]

Thank you! I'll try that. It's frustrating setting a dozen eggs and only getting a few. I candled from the side of the incubator and I can clearly see two went bloodring. The other two have pipped! I can see two yellow beaks breathing.

Come on June babies!