Mahonri's 3rd Annual, BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[CayuseRanch]

For those of you willing to help me figure out what I am doing wrong in the incubation process...please feel free to comment, at this rate, my easter hatch is not looking soo good.

So I removed all 40 eggs from the bator today and did an eggtopsy on 10 of them. 6 of them had very little development, two I saw no signs of development and one was not quite as far along as the last which is pictured below. I was hoping to pinpoint a time when something went wrong but with various stages of development that makes it pretty hard. As you can see from the picture this one looked like it make it atleast to day 18??? Soooooooo sad...40 some chickie lives wasted on my incubating failure. AGAIN! This time I tried the dry hatch, which I am going to do again. It is only my third hatch but this one and the last one resulted in no chicks. The first one I had a 50% hatch. The only thing I can figure out that is different is that I did take the space heater out after the first one because it is soo much warmer now, but it will be going back in. Any ideas?


OK, never mind on the picture, I couldn't get it to load, but it was a pretty well developed chick.

 

[kathyinmo]

For those of you willing to help me figure out what I am doing wrong in the incubation process...please feel free to comment, at this rate, my easter hatch is not looking soo good.

So I removed all 40 eggs from the bator today and did an eggtopsy on 10 of them. 6 of them had very little development, two I saw no signs of development and one was not quite as far along as the last which is pictured below. I was hoping to pinpoint a time when something went wrong but with various stages of development that makes it pretty hard. As you can see from the picture this one looked like it make it atleast to day 18??? Soooooooo sad...40 some chickie lives wasted on my incubating failure. AGAIN! This time I tried the dry hatch, which I am going to do again. It is only my third hatch but this one and the last one resulted in no chicks. The first one I had a 50% hatch. The only thing I can figure out that is different is that I did take the space heater out after the first one because it is soo much warmer now, but it will be going back in. Any ideas?


OK, never mind on the picture, I couldn't get it to load, but it was a pretty well developed chick.

What kind of thermometer do you have?

 

[Razadia]

Have you hatched your new living arrangement plans yet?

I'm just trying to help him decide to build another coop.

Besides, who doesn't want some lovely blue and green eggs? With a very high chance of barring in the chicks?

My neighbor wants a cross breed of my RIR roo and BA hen, so we're swaping the chicks before my dad catches wind. Plus this goes towards my breeding project. I want barred RIRs.

 

[coz74]

I have been collecting the bluest eggs to hatch from my own hens, and I am going to get some from Kowgurl62 this week. I have also thought of adding some from some of my brown egg layers and I may not have enough space in my turner. Tell me what you know about "stacking." Do you just balance the extras between the first layer eggs? How many eggs can go in the second row?

We have some expert stackers here! I'm sure they will post some pictures to show ya!
Good luck!

I would be interested in seeing this also.

 

[Arielle]

For those of you willing to help me figure out what I am doing wrong in the incubation process...please feel free to comment, at this rate, my easter hatch is not looking soo good.

So I removed all 40 eggs from the bator today and did an eggtopsy on 10 of them. 6 of them had very little development, two I saw no signs of development and one was not quite as far along as the last which is pictured below. I was hoping to pinpoint a time when something went wrong but with various stages of development that makes it pretty hard. As you can see from the picture this one looked like it make it atleast to day 18??? Soooooooo sad...40 some chickie lives wasted on my incubating failure. AGAIN! This time I tried the dry hatch, which I am going to do again. It is only my third hatch but this one and the last one resulted in no chicks. The first one I had a 50% hatch. The only thing I can figure out that is different is that I did take the space heater out after the first one because it is soo much warmer now, but it will be going back in. Any ideas?


OK, never mind on the picture, I couldn't get it to load, but it was a pretty well developed chick.

To jump right in on key points . . . .

How well did the temps stay close to 99.5-100 degrees?

Did the eggs get turned 3-5 times a day?

What was the humidity thru the dry hatch?

Are these shipped eggs or from your own hens?

 

[cherylcohen]

So my new incubator is in full swing and has been tested now for weeks and it's ready for this hatch! I'm also sprouting in the brooder room, it's so nice and toasty in there

 

[Wisher1000]

My neighbor wants a cross breed of my RIR roo and BA hen, so we're swaping the chicks before my dad catches wind. Plus this goes towards my breeding project. I want barred RIRs.

So would those be RIBRs (Rhode Island Barred Reds) or BRIR (Barred Rhode Island Rocks) or perhaps BIRRs (Barred Island Rhode Rocks?)

 

[cherylcohen]

Question, as I haven't been able to keep up enough with this thread... I see there is a form to fill out. I won't know until the day before what I am setting in terms of numbers. Is it okay to wait that long to submit it?

I'll be setting all eggs from my breeding flocks...jubilee orpingtons, mille fleur leghorns, coronation sussex & silver penciled plymouth rocks. Oh and a surprise package from Jonathan Burton if they arrive in time!

 

[Lotsapaints]

Question, as I haven't been able to keep up enough with this thread... I see there is a form to fill out. I won't know until the day before what I am setting in terms of numbers. Is it okay to wait that long to submit it?

I'll be setting all eggs from my breeding flocks...jubilee orpingtons, mille fleur leghorns, coronation sussex & silver penciled plymouth rocks. Oh and a surprise package from Jonathan Burton if they arrive in time!

I always wait until I put them in then fill out the form knowing you who knows what you might find at the last minute to set

I hope to have my sportsman running at the right temperature by Friday I should end up with close to 200....my turkeys will be a week late

 

[featherz]

I have at least 36 eggs incoming, plus I want to throw in a few of my own.. so what *I* do is remove all the rails in the brinsea and squish all the eggs in. I can usually get in around 30 eggs that way. Generally I put as many 'special' eggs in there as I can, then the overflow plus my mutt eggs go into my hovabator. At day 7ish I candle and rearrange, maybe a bit earlier if I can - then questionables move to the hovabator and good ones go into the brinsea.

Eventually 40 eggs will turn into 20-25 (especially with shipped eggs) so they usually all end up fitting in the brinsea and the hovabator stays on as my 'chick ICU/holding area'.