June Hatch A Long

[Knighstar679]

This. I. Love.

I love tracking and figuring things out like this. And sharing the discussion.

I have always felt like with bad air cells I have to base the hatch off the best eggs and just cross my fingers for the poor cells. I haven’t come across any specific research about humidity specifically for shipped eggs. And I do agree their air cells keep growing and getting bigger.

However, I was shocked to find my worst air cell eggs (tiny bubbles and totally displaced) in the March hatch lost 20% of their weight and still hatched. Apparently that’s not uncommon at all, and you’re going to have more hatch with 20% loss than say 8%, so I would keep humidity geared towards the best eggs hitting 12-13% and the bad cells should be okay losing more.


View attachment 1806873

My little eggs that have slightly detached air cells seem to have already gained huge air cells. I am not sure how worried I should be at this point but I am not misting every day right now.

I am still cooling daily but not spraying water to help with more water evaporations. I also thought I should try to keep my humidity up around the 40-50% mark because it seems to be growing so big. Usually I am fighting to get the air cells down in size.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I love the splash coloring and I only hatched splash copper marans cockerels. :-(

If I could get a splash Orpington hen?!? Omg. The fluffiest of fluff.

My Splash Orpington is my favorite hen. She's soooooo fat and fluffy!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Interesting! Even though my Hovo bator has a fan, I’m still seeing hot spots, so I’m rotating the eggs around once per day, as per the pattern in the uploaded file. I have a calibrated probe that I’m also rotating around and trying to write the temperatures down (see picture). Where two values are recorded, the first was before the auto turner was turned on. Interestingly, having the autoturner on seems to have modulated temperatures so that the hot spots are less extreme. I’m a little uncertain what to do with humidity. I’ve been running at about 35%, but with my problem air cells in some eggs, I’m wondering if I should up it a bit...

Very interesting! I love how detailed your research is! I really thought I was over the top until I met you fine people in this thread, lol!
Some people swear by dry hatching but I'm pretty happy keeping my humidity between 45-55% for the first 18 days and 65-70% for the last 3. My hatches have all been 70-100% hatch rates with locally purchased hatching eggs and the one hatch that I had a 70% rate was actually due to bacteria in early incubation but I wanted to honest with my numbers so it's still in there, lol.

 

[jolenesdad]

My little eggs that have slightly detached air cells seem to have already gained huge air cells. I am not sure how worried I should be at this point but I am not misting every day right now.

I am still cooling daily but not spraying water to help with more water evaporations. I also thought I should try to keep my humidity up around the 40-50% mark because it seems to be growing so big. Usually I am fighting to get the air cells down in size.

I read ducks should be higher anyway? I’m running at 48% humidity this hatch with ducks (1st time) and I have run at 35% with my chicken hatched s. My weights were spot on at 6 days, probably going to weigh tonight or Tuesday again.

I can’t get a feel on misting. Some things say it’s to help thin the shell some say it’s for added loss, and I’m on track so..... I’ve been misting every other day-ish when I tend to my mealworms.

I miscounted the other day and I have THIRTY ONE developing really well. I know we don’t count before we hatch.... but uh oh. Cute ducklings can’t be too hard to find homes for right? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[jolenesdad]

My Splash Orpington is my favorite hen. She's soooooo fat and fluffy!

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Perfection. <3

 

[two j farm]

Yessssssss. How were the eggs coming along??


Welcome! Can’t wait to watch your progress!!!




I think that’s a fabulous idea. It makes me nervous when a broody has to protect her chicks on her own, but of course most do super well. Never hurts to be prepared!



@Kris5902 how are the last eggs this morning? I’m sorry the end has been a bit stressful. There are SO many things that can happen and go wrong in incubation, and we always have to remember that Mother Nature is one of the biggest cullers of them all, especially at hatch and at birth for animals.

Whatever we choose to do, the energy and intentions are from the best spot, and what else could the chicks ask for?

All the eggs was looking good. She wasn't happy with me when I picked her up and put her under my arm. She took a few pecks at my side but we made it through. This morning she came off of the nest and tried to chase me around with her wing flopping. Shes going to make one hell of a mama.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

All the eggs was looking good. She wasn't happy with me when I picked her up and put her under my arm. She took a few pecks at my side but we made it through. This morning she came off of the nest and tried to chase me around with her wing flopping. Shes going to make one hell of a mama.

My goodness nobody is going to mess with her babies! lol!

 

[Kris5902]

I finally found that image I mentioned from an earlier discussion if anyone was still curious.

I’m using little giant incubators (if I had known initially that I was going to end up with 2, I might have sprung for a Brinsea Cabinet instead back when I still had more cash) sometimes I shake my head that I spent so much on two little plastic trays and styrofoam boxes, especially after my first hatch only had a 29% hatch rate...

My problem areas seem to be the blue spots, and I’m not certain but I think maybe my cup baby was right under the heater? I agree that more eggs in the incubator helped stabilize the temperature much better than in my first hatch. In that one, I recieved extra eggs 7 of which wouldn’t fit in the one turner, so I ended up with the second incubator. It is kind of nice to have 2 though, because with both my hatches once something went wrong and things got really stinky, I was able to transfer the eggs into the second incubator without shocking them too badly with a temperature/humidity drop.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I’m using little giant incubators (if I had known initially that I was going to end up with 2, I might have sprung for a Brinsea Cabinet instead back when I still had more cash) sometimes I shake my head that I spent so much on two little plastic trays and styrofoam boxes, especially after my first hatch only had a 29% hatch rate...

View attachment 1807189

My problem areas seem to be the blue spots, and I’m not certain but I think maybe my cup baby was right under the heater? I agree that more eggs in the incubator helped stabilize the temperature much better than in my first hatch. In that one, I recieved extra eggs 7 of which wouldn’t fit in the one turner, so I ended up with the second incubator. It is kind of nice to have 2 though, because with both my hatches once something went wrong and things got really stinky, I was able to transfer the eggs into the second incubator without shocking them too badly with a temperature/humidity drop.

That would make a lot of sense considering one of the common reasons for hatching without the yolk sac absorbed is because of higher temperatures during incubation. I wonder if putting something (other than an egg) that would retain the temperature in your problem areas would increase your hatch rate. Like rocks. It might sound silly but one of the things I read to do when expecting a storm that may cause power outages was to put rocks in the bottom of the incubator because in the case of a power outage they would keep the temperature stable for much longer, so why wouldn't it work the same when you're trying to increase hatch rate with a "full" incubator and not actually needing to put your precious eggs in your problem spots. I have a Little Giant that I use for overflow as well so I may conduct a little experiment of my own!

 

[LilyD]

I finally found that image I mentioned from an earlier discussion if anyone was still curious.

Interesting! Even though my Hovo bator has a fan, I’m still seeing hot spots, so I’m rotating the eggs around once per day, as per the pattern in the uploaded file. I have a calibrated probe that I’m also rotating around and trying to write the temperatures down (see picture). Where two values are recorded, the first was before the auto turner was turned on. Interestingly, having the autoturner on seems to have modulated temperatures so that the hot spots are less extreme. I’m a little uncertain what to do with humidity. I’ve been running at about 35%, but with my problem air cells in some eggs, I’m wondering if I should up it a bit...

Very interesting cleaning out my incubators tomorrow which are both forced air hovabators and going to map my temps in it too.

YES!!! A new addition to the Mottled English Orpington club! I just love them! Did you get Chocolate Mottled or Black Mottled?

Can I join too? My buggers aren't very big yet but they are still awfully cute little Chocolate Mottleds.

Not hatching these guys for July but I ordered 20 eggs (should be 2 dozen with extras) that are Crele Orps hehe These are their parents.
First Dozen

Second Dozen

fingers crossed we get a good hatch.