June Hatch a Long

[mrsguardian88]

Many people hatch all the time at 50-55% so I really doubt a couple days would harm them Low really works well for me though, it's like my incubator "wanted" to run steady at 40 so I didn't use any water until the end. Avoided fighting between humidity and temp that way. On day 18 I filled my first reservoir with warm water and hit 65 after about 2 hours. I never filled the second one. I'm in Michigan so I think our climates would be similar.

That's great, thank you! I'm feeling much better about everything now!

 

[Wrightsx4]

Ooh, did you loose any that had pipped?

I lost one that had an internal pip but never reached the outer shell. It was my only shipped egg that developed (out of only 4 was all, so chances weren't good - my eggs received by mail always get scrambled!) Anyhow, it developed an enormous airsac, taking up about 2/3 of the egg and just an tty-bitty chick. I don't think it would have survived if it would have pipped - too weak. It had a large airsac before I put it in the incubator so I figured it wasn't a fresh egg. I probably shouldn't have included it. Around day 10 I thought about increasing humidity to slow down the evaporation but didn't want to risk the other 20 that were developing perfectly. 20/21 hatched in the end.

 

[Alaskan]

OK.... So, what you telling me, is if (hopefully hopefully) these eggs start hatching, even if they are super slow, I am NOT to help them out.

I might be able to do that :eyeroll:

 

[mrsguardian88]

I lost one that had an internal pip but never reached the outer shell. It was my only shipped egg that developed (out of only 4 was all, so chances weren't good - my eggs received by mail always get scrambled!) Anyhow, it developed an enormous airsac, taking up about 2/3 of the egg and just an tty-bitty chick. I don't think it would have survived if it would have pipped - too weak. It had a large airsac before I put it in the incubator so I figured it wasn't a fresh egg. I probably shouldn't have included it. Around day 10 I thought about increasing humidity to slow down the evaporation but didn't want to risk the other 20 that were developing perfectly. 20/21 hatched in the end.

Wow, that's a great hatch rate!! Sorry to hear about number 21 though! I'm hoping I didn't scramble my Buff Orps, I drove with them in the car for two or three days- we will see in two days when I candle!

 

[chickydee64]

Yay! I hope you have a great hatch! I had DARK marans eggs last hatch. One from a black tailed buff maran was almost black. I wasnt able to see veins but on day 15 I could see very slight shadows of movement against the aircell - nowhere else! Of my eggs that went to lockdown, my marans (wheaten, BTB, golden cuckoo, blue copper) took FOREVER to zip and get out, compared to my other breeds. They pipped and waited a day then zipped...and waited half another day...Anyone else have that happen with marans?

My Marans were always slow..........

 

[Wrightsx4]

I should've added, I did not include the 3 shipped eggs I removed before lockdown in my 21. They showed no veins by day 10 so I removed - silkie eggs so super easy to see through. I swear, everytime I get shipped eggs (okay, not a lot of data here...only 3 attempts!) the post office workers take them on a roller coaster ride - a really rough one. I always have to pick out the broken ones and hope for the best.
ALASKAN... let me know if your marans are slow to zip. Mine were so slow compared to the others, which were my own barnyard crosses and bluebells - all were somewhat local unshipped eggs. And yes - don't help them! Lol. Just kidding. That same batch of eggs, half of them had hatched and fluffed up ahead of schedule - all from my backyard eggs (yay home team!) - and I wanted to get them out and into the brooder. I looked through the window and to the best of my ability I could see no other pips so I thought it was safe to quickly scoop them out. Wrong. One was zipped half way around the backside and I noticed while I was getting chicks out. I quickly misted it with warm water and closed the lid. I had to go to work. It got stuck. It was still stuck 9 hrs later when i got home, finally trying to push up the "egg lid" without finishing zipping. Then it gave up and wasn't trying anymore. It had made a large round hole but wasn't going around the egg, I could then see the membrane was dried to its beak and head. By this time I had a few more hatched (bluebells) and could see a few pips (marans) so I had my kids mist with warm water while I opened the lid only enough to get my hand in and out and grabbed the stuck chick. It took a little work but got it unstuck and dried out. It was perfectly healthy - just lost some feathers probably while struggling. The rest of the eggs did fine so I guess my misting assistants did well

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

I'm incubating my first time ever without a broody hen. I just got a GQF Genessis 1588 for my birthday. I set 41 eggs that are due to hatch 6/4 and I'm SO excited!

I have 3 different flocks eggs
A wheaten and blue EE roo over Red Sex Links, Black Sex Links, and Wyandotte crosses
A Mahogany EE roo over Red Sex Links
A Black Sex Link roo and Australorp roo over RSLs, BSLs, and Wyandotte crosses

I know they're just barnyard mixes, but I love them anyway. I hope I get some cool colors and LOTS of pullets of course ; )

 

[Wrightsx4]

I'm incubating my first time ever without a broody hen.  I just got a GQF Genessis 1588 for my birthday. I set 41 eggs that are due to hatch 6/4 and I'm SO excited!

I have 3 different flocks eggs
A wheaten and blue EE roo over Red Sex Links, Black Sex Links, and Wyandotte crosses
A Mahogany EE roo over Red Sex Links
A Black Sex Link roo and Australorp roo over RSLs, BSLs, and Wyandotte crosses

I know they're just barnyard mixes, but I love them anyway. I hope I get some cool colors and LOTS of pullets of course ; )

My mixes are some of my prettiest chicks (in my opinion!) Lol
here's Begonia - her mom is a NH, dad is an EE.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

Oh! She's SO CUTE! She's got super cheeks ;D

 

[jnjmanning]

I think I might, seems like a smart idea!

Okay, so I guess I'm dumb. My digital gives me the TEMP inside the incubator, but only the outside humidity. So I guess this whole time I've been using the dry method and didn't know it. So the humidity "out" is reading 61% and the humidity "in" the incubator is reading 45% now. If im adding the two levels together- that's way too high, right? I really have no clue what I'm doing now. Darn it!!!

For incubation Days 1-18 the combined humidity should be 80%. If you live in and extremely dry climate, regardless of room humidity, never get incubator above 50%.
On lock down or hatching, the last 3 days, increase your humidity inside the incubator to equal 100%, by adding room humidity and incubator humidity. It is important to make sure you have good ventilation, and a room where the temp and humidity stays stable. Room conditions are just as important as incubator. ESPECIALLY if you are using a table top styrofoam incubator.