June Hatch A Long

[LilyD]

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)_/¯

Ducks should run about 35 to 40 I believe for the beginning of the hatch. I have heard of some actually incubating dry before lock down and then going up to like 68 at lock down but I think they lose too much fluid that way. More chance of shrink wrapping and getting stuck

 

[HenHouse4Life]

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


Can I join too? My buggers aren't very big yet but they are still awfully cute little Chocolate Mottleds.
View attachment 1807226

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.

Those are ADORABLE Maybe I won't tell my husband I've fallen in love with them

Is anyone else incubating with the Harris farm nurture right 360? I'm just loving mine so far!

 

[LilyD]

Those are ADORABLE Maybe I won't tell my husband I've fallen in love with them

Is anyone else incubating with the Harris farm nurture right 360? I'm just loving mine so far!

Hovabators here with the digital read out seems to be fairly good I can get 100% hatchability with my eggs usually.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Hovabators here with the digital read out seems to be fairly good I can get 100% hatchability with my eggs usually.

That’s what I’m using, Lily. When I started hatching last year, I burrowed a friends old still air Hovo bator. I hand turned and rotated positions with each turn and had excellent hatch rates also. My friend needed her incubator back, so I bought the Hovo bator with fab and turner. Less temperature differential with it’s hot spots but they are still there...

 

[LilyD]

That’s what I’m using, Lily. When I started hatching last year, I burrowed a friends old still air Hovo bator. I hand turned and rotated positions with each turn and had excellent hatch rates also. My friend needed her incubator back, so I bought the Hovo bator with fab and turner. Less temperature differential with it’s hot spots but they are still there...

Yeah going to check on mine after I clean it out and reset it for next hatch. I wonder if there are temp variables can there also be humidity variables depending on where the egg sits in the incubator. Might want to check that out as well.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

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


Can I join too? My buggers aren't very big yet but they are still awfully cute little Chocolate Mottleds.
View attachment 1807226

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.

Well yeah! You were automatically an honorary member! lol
Your chicks are soooo cute! I plan to get some Chocolate Mottled, Crele, and Blue Silver Partridge Orpington eggs for next month! Probably some Gold Laced Orpington eggs as well but I haven't discussed that yet.

Those are ADORABLE Maybe I won't tell my husband I've fallen in love with them

Is anyone else incubating with the Harris farm nurture right 360? I'm just loving mine so far!

YES! I love my Nurture Right 360s! I have 2 of them! They're by far my favorite incubator.

 

[Knighstar679]

Those are ADORABLE Maybe I won't tell my husband I've fallen in love with them

Is anyone else incubating with the Harris farm nurture right 360? I'm just loving mine so far!

I am using mine sorta. I would really like to use it more but my eggs I don’t think would live through side turning. As soon as I have eggs that can I will be using it more often.

 

[Tatuana]

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.



Do you have any tiny rocks or pebbles?

View attachment 1806873

That's what I ended up using. They're both very good at figuring out water for some reason. They don't handle new dishes and such. Bit tricky! But I think we got it.

Now I have to convince them to use their heating cave. It seems to confuse them.


We had a small incident earlier! Due to storms out temps have been going up and down. Two days ago it was 80f outside, today it's 60f. I forgot to turn on the heat instead of AC. The basement was COLD. Babies don't understand the warming hut so you can imagine. I had to throw most everything out due to stink.

So while we waited for the basement to warm up I took them out in the sun in a VERY limited way. They were caged into a 3x3 space with me sitting right there. Plenty of shade, water and food. They loved it. They even behaved while I cleaned their booties!

Basement is back being toasty, everything in the cage is replaced, and they're home. They still don't understand the warming cave. We'll get there.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

That's what I ended up using. They're both very good at figuring out water for some reason. They don't handle new dishes and such. Bit tricky! But I think we got it.

Now I have to convince them to use their heating cave. It seems to confuse them.


We had a small incident earlier! Due to storms out temps have been going up and down. Two days ago it was 80f outside, today it's 60f. I forgot to turn on the heat instead of AC. The basement was COLD. Babies don't understand the warming hut so you can imagine. I had to throw most everything out due to stink.

So while we waited for the basement to warm up I took them out in the sun in a VERY limited way. They were caged into a 3x3 space with me sitting right there. Plenty of shade, water and food. They loved it. They even behaved while I cleaned their booties!

Basement is back being toasty, everything in the cage is replaced, and they're home. They still don't understand the warming cave. We'll get there.

View attachment 1807281

Aww, they're very cute! May I ask what you're using as a warming cave? I've never had issues with my chicks using a heat plate, is it something else?

 

[Tatuana]

Aww, they're very cute! May I ask what you're using as a warming cave? I've never had issues with my chicks using a heat plate, is it something else?

I'm using the setup that I've been using for the previous batches. It's a cookie cooling rack bent into a V shape. On top is a heating pad. And the entire thing is covered in felt. They keep squishing it flat somehow!