Little Giant Incubation Experiment - Day 21 - Hatch Day!

[narragansett1]

thanks amylynn for the link

 

[AmyLynn2374]

thanks amylynn for the link

You are quite welcome. I hope you find it useful.

 

[fiset94]

You are quite welcome. I hope you find it useful.

I too enjoyed the article... I have been using similar methods... dry- I am at about 30.. I like to be 35... so I add a bit of water....and I have been able to get the LG bator into lockdown at 65-70.

But... still no chicks.

My Air Cells seem to be a real problem.... always too small headed into lockdown... So maybe I shouldn't be up to 35?

My current 2 in the Bator - nada is happening. They are on day 20 and no sign of piping.....

If they have an early death say... day 16.. and you don't catch it.... will the air cell continue to grow when you check on it day 18 prior to lockdown?

The last egg had a VERY small aircell ( between day 7-14) ... and on day 23 I opened it up and found a very small chick inside... look about day 15ish...It was alive and opened it's beak once and then died. I was heartbroken.... Do you think that I should of wait a week past *due date* before preforming eggtopsy? My temp in the hovabator is between 101-102.

I did candle the chick and didn't see any movement.. but apparently I didn't look hard enough....

My silkie eggs are looking great in the hovabator... and I want to keep it that way!!! I am seriously considering just using the LG for incubating and try to hatch out the Silkie's in the Hovabator.... It would be interesting to see if the chicks in the Hovabator hatch!!! Maybe it's not me after all... and just the LG incubator?? That feels better to say then .... I am a hatching failure!

 

[rossfam06]

Chick update, all are doing great! In total I have 33, including the "Rhode Island Red" that are obviously mixed. Otherwise, I have both gold AND silver laced Wyandotte chicks... I'm so excited for them to grow! Gold Laced Chick. Silver Laced Chick

Super cute! Happy Easter everyone! He has risen!

 

[rossfam06]

I too enjoyed the article... I have been using similar methods... dry- I am at about 30.. I like to be 35... so I add a bit of water....and I have been able to get the LG  bator into lockdown at 65-70.

But... still no chicks.

My Air Cells seem to be a real problem.... always too small headed into lockdown... So maybe I shouldn't be up to 35?

My current 2 in the Bator - nada is happening. They are on day 20 and no sign of piping.....

If they have an early death say... day 16.. and you don't catch it.... will the air cell continue to grow when you check on it day 18 prior to lockdown?

The last egg had a VERY small aircell ( between day 7-14) ... and on day 23 I opened it up and found a very small chick inside... look about day 15ish...It was alive and opened it's beak once and then died. I was heartbroken.... Do you think that I should of wait a week past *due date* before preforming eggtopsy? My temp in the hovabator is between 101-102.

I did candle the chick and didn't see any movement.. but apparently I didn't look hard enough....

My silkie eggs are looking great in the hovabator... and I want to keep it that way!!!  I am seriously considering just using the LG for incubating and try to hatch out the Silkie's in the Hovabator.... It would be interesting to see if the chicks in the Hovabator hatch!!!  Maybe it's not me after all... and just the LG incubator??  That feels better to say then .... I am a hatching failure!

My air cells are in a weird position on a few of my eggs. I'm not sure if its a good thing or bad thing. One is kind of on its side and not up at the top. I keep my humidity levels at 25-40%. I added some water today because it was down to 22% and it made me nervous. Lol. Then I had a temp spike of 108 so I had to cool it down. Got the temp back down to 101.8 with 33% humidity so I feel pretty good.

 

[fiset94]

My air cells are in a weird position on a few of my eggs. I'm not sure if its a good thing or bad thing. One is kind of on its side and not up at the top. I keep my humidity levels at 25-40%. I added some water today because it was down to 22% and it made me nervous. Lol. Then I had a temp spike of 108 so I had to cool it down. Got the temp back down to 101.8 with 33% humidity so I feel pretty good.

I saw a weird air cell in one of my silkie eggs tonight....... it was TWO aircells... both at the top.. but completely separate! What gives???

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I too enjoyed the article... I have been using similar methods... dry- I am at about 30.. I like to be 35... so I add a bit of water....and I have been able to get the LG bator into lockdown at 65-70.

But... still no chicks.

My Air Cells seem to be a real problem.... always too small headed into lockdown... So maybe I shouldn't be up to 35?

My current 2 in the Bator - nada is happening. They are on day 20 and no sign of piping.....

If they have an early death say... day 16.. and you don't catch it.... will the air cell continue to grow when you check on it day 18 prior to lockdown?

The last egg had a VERY small aircell ( between day 7-14) ... and on day 23 I opened it up and found a very small chick inside... look about day 15ish...It was alive and opened it's beak once and then died. I was heartbroken.... Do you think that I should of wait a week past *due date* before preforming eggtopsy? My temp in the hovabator is between 101-102.

I did candle the chick and didn't see any movement.. but apparently I didn't look hard enough....

My silkie eggs are looking great in the hovabator... and I want to keep it that way!!! I am seriously considering just using the LG for incubating and try to hatch out the Silkie's in the Hovabator.... It would be interesting to see if the chicks in the Hovabator hatch!!! Maybe it's not me after all... and just the LG incubator?? That feels better to say then .... I am a hatching failure!

35% should be fine. My sSeptember hatch- running dry, mu bator stayed around 40% and I hatched 13/16 no problem.
I'm not sure how long after death the air cells continue to grow or if they stop. I haven't researched that one yet...lol
If the air cells are small, the chick should in theory grow bigger, not be smaller, that sounds like something else going on.
Personally I wouldn't wait a week past due date. I have firsthand experience that chicks born after day 23 have a much higher rate of having problems. I now do my eggtopsies by 24 hours after my last hatch. (Unless I see a definite, unmistakable sign of life.)

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I saw a weird air cell in one of my silkie eggs tonight....... it was TWO aircells... both at the top.. but completely separate! What gives???

Was it a shipped egg?

 

[Kendrain]

I'm a complete first timer. I hadn't even seen a incubator except on the internet. Lol so please keep all ideas and experiences flowing.

 

[fiset94]

Was it a shipped egg?

yep... they aren't saddle shapped.. but two normal shapped air cells.- Odd!

Okay... I won't wait past 2 days... my next eggtospy will be on Wednesday then... I'd like to remain positive .. but I have a feeling that the two that are in lockdown on day 20 aren't going to make an appearance.