Just set my FIRST eggs!

[lharper]

I set mine at 12pm today! I am so freakin excited! We set 10 of our "mutt" eggs, so we'll see how it goes. I am hoping for at least 50% hatch, but this is our first hatch, so I really don't know what to expect.

Lydia

 

[babsbag]

I just set my first eggs this morning in a home made incubator. I have a fan in mine and my temps are running around 99. I just put the eggs in so I am waiting for it to stabalize before I bump it a little.

I have set 14 eggs. It will be 15 when I go get the one that was laid this morning. She was in "progress" the last time I was out there.

They are all "mutt" eggs. I have all bantam hens but one, she is a Barred Rock. Both my roosters are Bantam, one gold laced wyandotte and one New Hampshire. This should be an interesting mixup.

Hens are Silver Laced Wyandotte, Wheaten EE, New Hampshire, and Blue Laced Red Cornish ( I was told she was a Wyandotte, but she didn't look like one. I saw someone else's chickens this week end and now I KNOW what she is. The breeder I got her from has both)

This will be a LONG 21 days

 

[brandyb]

Quote:
What kind of incubator do you have? And what temp is it at?

 

[brandyb]

I just added 5 more eggs to the incubator, so that makes 9. I just collected them from the coop and I couldn't resist putting them in there. I also bumped up the temp to 102. So if the first 4 don't hatch maybe the 5 I just put in will.

 

[lharper]

I have a homemade incubator made from a thick styrofoam cooler from a mail order food delivery. It has a fan, and I keep them temp around 99-100.

Lydia

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

Ok, we're in. 4 Speckled Sussex and 12 Buckeye from JamesA. First turn this morning. The bator was nice a stable when I was running it as a warm up with zippy bags of water to simulate eggs, but it is much more variable with actual eggs.

I'm still terrified that I will do something incorrectly. Perhaps having to go to work is the best ofr me, as I cannot check it constantly.

I hope I do not find all dead eggs at 9 day candle.

 

[brandyb]

Mine was varying a lot too when I first put the eggs but I went to bed and the next morning it was at the right temp and hasn't changed since then. Good luck.

 

[lharper]

When does everyone plan on candling?

Lydia

 

[brandyb]

I'm not sure when I should candle because I have medium brown eggs and I want to be sure I'll be able to see something so I don't want to do it too early. When should I candle them?

 

[lharper]

My eggs are brown too, so I think it might be harder to see anything. I think I'm gonna candle on days 3, 7, 14, and 18. Maybe a couple others if I get really curious. I read that you could candle everyday if you wanted, but not sure I wanna do that. I am hoping to be able to see some veins soon.

I do have a question about counting days. I put my eggs in at noon on 3/9. So, noon on 3/10 was the end of day 1/start of day 2. Noon today will be the start of day 3, so do you candle at the start of the day or the end of the day?

Oh, another one, how long do you wait before you pitch the eggs? I am terrified of having an exploder and ruining the whole batch!

Lydia