June Hatch-A-Long

[erinnoie]

Two babies moved to brooder.

One baby just hatched in the bator. Four eggs left. Candled and one seems very watery, the other three had good air sacs and big dark mass but I didn't see any movement.

 

[baylybreeze]

Seems like the time is coming. I put 41 eggs in a LG incubator on May 11th, a hen got broody on the 12th with eggs, and another went broody on the 24th.

1st Broody hen has 5 chicks as of the 2nd, and FINALLY have a chick out of the incubator last night. I now see 3 more working on things. I am having some problem getting the temp back up in bator after taking out the turner. and since they have been on lock down for almost a week I did add some water thru the air holes yesterday.

I moved the broody hen and her 5 chicks to a brooding box so the chicks have to stay close to her and she can sit on the eggs, cause yesterday I found all 5 chicks outside the coop with no mommy. Mommy was in nesting box a foot above where the chicks could go and Mommy didn't want to set on eggs on the main floor of coop with all the other hens.

I'm going to keep the bator going just to see if it's just a slow hatch time. Sure glad I have at least one hatch!!! Looking forward to hearing more chirping.

 

[Speckles14]

Everyone's eggs are hatching and it so exciting!!! I put 42 eggs in the hovabator then on day 10 I removed 4 then last night I candled and started lockdown! Had to remove 3 quitters... so sad.

When I candled last night some of my eggs seemed like they were less developed than they should be... They are bantam eggs and I've never hatch bantams so I'm not sure if this is normal. The eggs weren't quite 2/3 full of chick then air and clear space... But the chicks were moving inside. Is this normal for day 18? Will they hatch late?

 

[Roxannemc]

I posted in the wrong month! lol Forgot this is now June! I'm supposed to be in this thread

My eggs went into lock down Sunday lunchtime, tomorrow (Wednesday) will be day 21. No piping yet but I can see the eggs wobbling about in there. This is my first time! I improvised a DIY incubator out of an old cupboard with a glass door that i wasn't using. I'll be thrilled if my eggs actually hatch because my set up is as low tech as possible, but fingers crossed they will! I'v been doing the dry incubation method. I just had a saucer of water in there the whole time, letting it almost go dry and refilling it about every 3-4 days. I wasn't sure what to do about the humidity at lockdown. I'v been reading something else that says for still air incubators the water surface area should cover at least half the floor space, so i'v added more trays of water to cover half the floor. I'v also decreased the temp, it's now at around 36.6 C. But the temp has been falling by a degree at night, by the morning it's reading 35.6C. I had to open the door to ajust the light closer to the eggs to make it hotter, and i added a couple of trays of water, since lockdown on Sunday.I know im not supposed to open the door but i had to! I'v seen the eggs moving though since opening the door, so i think they're ok. If they were to die from opening the door would that happen right away or later on?

I dont think it hurts to open it so much unelss they have pipped then you can shrink wrap them if you dont keep the humidity up 60-65F not lower than 55F for sure.. during lockdown and when opening.
A spray bottle of water works great to raise it when opening
.If they are wiggling they are fine.!

 

[Farmer Viola]

omg... gueess what!! my pullet has decided to go broody!!

she is still young, almost 7mos. been laying for 2. I put some fake ceramic eggs under her so she feels important right now. I will see if she's really serious about staying on..

except I have been refrigerating ALL our eggs to keep myself from incubating them LOL
I have heard they can still hatch, I may have to mark the refrigerated ones and see what happens.....

 

[missnu01]

Ok. I have 17 eggs from my own mixed flock that go into lock down tomorrow...
And today I started 13 mixed eggs from my own flock and 16 mixed shipped eggs from the designer egg swap here on byc. I set the 29 today in an excalibur 301 commercial food dehydrator without the timer. It has temp range from 95-145. It holds 9 trays, but with the eggs can only use 4 of the trays...could probably use 5 if I change what is where, but 36 eggs to a tray using egg cartons. So more than enough for me. My earlier 17 eggs are in my brinsea eco 20. The shipped eggs arrived a day early with good looking air cells, a few are not exactly circular, but none or broken or detached. One egg has a hairline crack. I'm expecting a blood ring in the next few days for that one. Not going to try and fix it. But I feel like the possibilities are now endless.
I will never have 144 eggs to hatch at once, but I can use this as my incubator and the brinsea as a Hatcher and I could conceivably set 6 of my own eggs every 3 days. I'm eggcited to see if this dehydrator will work. I would think so since it has an adjustable thermostat and it seems to hold its temp easily. I've got it going at 101...which I know people say 99.5 is right for a forced air but this same thermometer in my brinsea stays at 102 until the end when it seems to turn itself down to 99...I happen to know the people at brinsea really know what they are doing so I'm going to do what they do. 102 until lock down and then 99. Right now it is reading 101. It is very very even temperature as the warm air blows out from either side of each tray as opposed to only from the top or bottom. I've moved the thermometer all around it and it's reading the same all over. I think it really will work, but I will know for sure in 3-4 days and I will surely let everyone know how it goes.

 

[handyman42]

Ended up with 8 out of 10 hatching and surviving. Some are Buff Orps and the others are 3/4 Buff & 1/4 RIR. Hoping for some more pullets outta the bunch.

 

[Fiona11]

Hi All,
The school hatch didn't go so well. Only 4 of 28 Ameracauna eggs hatched. I am not sure what happened but I think the turner was left on until Day 20...would that have caused the low hatch rate? At least it is a great educational tool for the kids!

 

[Speckles14]

...

Everyone's eggs are hatching and it so exciting!!! I put 42 eggs in the hovabator then on day 10 I removed 4 then last night I candled and started lockdown! Had to remove 3 quitters... so sad.

When I candled last night some of my eggs seemed like they were less developed than they should be... They are bantam eggs and I've never hatch bantams so I'm not sure if this is normal. The eggs weren't quite 2/3 full of chick then air and clear space... But the chicks were moving inside. Is this normal for day 18? Will they hatch late?


YIKES!!!! Last night I was worried about them being under developed and I just got home from work and found 2 pipped! I'm worried they are too early! These eggs aren't supposed to hatch till Friday! Please give me some advice

 

[missnu01]

 
[COLOR=333333]I posted in the wrong month! lol Forgot this is now June! I'm supposed to be in this thread [/COLOR]


[COLOR=333333] My eggs went into lock down Sunday lunchtime, tomorrow (Wednesday) will be day 21. No piping yet but I can see the eggs wobbling about in there. This is my first time! I improvised a  DIY incubator out of an old cupboard with a glass door that i wasn't using. I'll be thrilled if my eggs actually hatch because my set up is as low tech as possible, but fingers crossed they will! I'v been doing the dry incubation method. I just had a saucer of water in there the whole time, letting it almost go dry and refilling it about every 3-4 days.  I wasn't sure what to do about the humidity at lockdown. I'v been reading something else that says for still air incubators the water surface area should cover at least half the floor space, so i'v added more trays of water to cover half the floor. I'v also decreased the temp, it's now at around 36.6 C. But the temp has been falling by a degree at night, by the morning it's reading 35.6C. I had to open the door to ajust the light closer to the eggs to make it hotter, and i added a couple of trays of water, since lockdown on Sunday.I know im not supposed to open the door but i had to! I'v seen the eggs moving though since opening the door, so i think they're ok. If they were to die from opening the door would that happen right away or later on? [/COLOR]

I dont think it hurts to open it so much unelss they have pipped then you can shrink wrap them if you dont keep the humidity up 60-65F not lower than 55F for sure.. during lockdown  and when opening.
A spray bottle of water works great to raise it when opening
.If they are wiggling they are fine.!

I can't help but open my incubator about a million times so when I open it I put some wet wadded paper towels in there and drip more water on the towels each time I open it
Have yet to shrink wrap a check and manage to keep the humidity around 80 percent or so. I have great hatches, so I think just worry less...or maybe me constantly helping gives me the good hatches, but I've never lost more than one out of a batch. At least with my brinsea...we will see how my food dehydrator-incubator does. It's at the same temp and humidity as the brinsea...so here's hoping it all works out.