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

[Arielle]

I have done a Dry hatch twice now and both have had a much better hatch rate then previous hatches using the other method, It really depends on your incubator, I have a little giant foam incubator, I left both holes unplugged with a weather station reading the outside and inside temperatures in my room not the incubator, as long as the humidity in the room is between 20-30% I don't need to do much because I have learned with this incubator that the room temp and humidity affect it a lot. I always have my kids cool mist humidifier in the room just incase the humidity is not to my liking. Even for a Dry hatch the humidity has to be between 20-30% for the first 18 days then 60% for the rest. This hatch I added a little water to the bottom of the bator on day 18 for lockdown because i do not have a humidity reader with a probe so I honestly had no idea the actual humidity in the incubator at hatch. I really need to get me one and maybe i would have a better hatch rate, I had a 75% hatch rate this time :/. Last time i added one teaspoon of water to the bator at the very beginning and left it at that for the rest of the hatch, I still got a 75% hatch rate, I am still working on getting better percentage. I have had a horrible hatch and it wasn't my first time either, I lost all but 2 chicks and thats when i decided to try dry. each incubator have different methods that work better for them, and each person has a different incubator that works for them its a matter of trial and error and learning from it.
I am sorry for those who had bad hatches and experiences with this particular hatch and happy for those that had great hatches. All of us can learn from this and get advice and ideas from others about there hatches to hopefully get a better hatch next time.

Great post! So others can see the details.

I have pips! Don't give up hope folks. In my problem bator I have 2 pips and a bunch of rocking eggs. I've given up all hope for the quail eggs but the rest are local eggs and a couple of the shipped eggs. But the shipped eggs look like they're doing nothing. I'm soooooo excited for more babies!!! yay!

I gotta definitely put the serama with a buddy, she won't shut up. For such a tiny little baby she sure makes a big noise. I just love her so much. I don't know why but I do.

I guess I'm through with my "pity party" because I am actually warming up to the idea of participating. I can feel the slightest little twinge of excitement at the thought....I must be a masochist.

I'm up to 21 live chicks!

I know the feeling!! Two broodies hatched some 50 chicks late last fall.

Ummmm, yes, I have new hatched chicks for sale.

I sold 7 this afternoon!! Have a nice bunch of Easter Eggers to go to new homes , too!

I guess our hatch is over with 12 out of 40 set. I guess thats not terrible for the girls and I's first attempt at hatching.

 

[chick-among-us]

Ok NO idea what the count will be...but to GET pics I will need to take several of EACH brooder! what a task...AND count them all...I just have the final two (I think) drying now and a few more eggs that could wait a bit but I really think We are done now...time to clean and pack it all in for a bit other than just ONE bator....the sportsman

...seriously need to count some more shells and record that to get final number to report but am off to shower first! been putting netting on chicken coop WAIT till yall see the pics of this coop !!! omg it is AMAZING ...at least to us it is with fancy hand made sliding glass windows and EVERYTHING...so cool....ok bye for now...cant wait to SIT and catch up almost a thousand posts behind....that is ridiculous...sheesh

 

[The Sheriff]

Here's my one and only chick from the Easter Hatch-a-Long! Cream Legbar female from my own flock. I set seven eggs. One had a crack and quit very early. Four made it to lockdown, two quit before pipping two hatched and one died during the night.

She's a sweet little thing. She has a a hobble on to try to correct a foot and leg issue from being in tiny eggs. these were tiny birds in tiny "first" eggs from my Legbar pullet. I am happy to have her and hope the leg does well. It is way better than it was last night so I think it will be fine.



Her beak is fine, just a weird camera angle.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Quote:
I did a dry hatch too. All the eggs that were fertile developed and hatched (but only 3 were fertile). I like this method but I keep the RH between 25 and 35%. Then bump it to 60-65 for lockdown. These were marans eggs which are hard to hatch (no I didn't sand them) and they were brand new pullet eggs which are also hard to hatch. I do think where you live (humid or cry country) makes a difference plus there are so many other things that can go wrong...

So sad when it happens though! I understand your frustration completely!

I think the wording DRY hatch is misleading people. I've read posts of many people who never added water in first 18 days. There needs to be a more accurate phrase as people take the word dry literally.

I myself am a huge advocate of dryer or lower incubating humidity. Older resources will say 60% first 18 days and 80% last 3. I believe all can agree that is ridiculously high. I think 50% is too high also. Basically, if your air cells don't develop enough then your humidity is too high. If your chicks take more than 12 hours to dry then your humidity is too high. Yep, huge advocate of a dryer hatch and monitoring air cell growth or weight loss of eggs to adjust humidity if needed.

Running at 40% my air cells were a bit small day 10 so let dry out day and half to 20% then back to 40. Next year I'll try 35%.

I agree the term "dry hatch" is misleading. I live in the desert and dry here means something entirely different than dry means in other areas. I have to work hard to keep mine at 30% without a humidity pump and without sponges (with all vents open). During lockdown I have to use sponges and extra bowls of water to get it to 65%. Hatching ducks would be a real challenge here! These percentages are considered dry hatch percentages.

I guess I'm through with my "pity party" because I am actually warming up to the idea of participating. I can feel the slightest little twinge of excitement at the thought....I must be a masochist.

Awwww Wisher. I'm so sad for you! So happy to hear that you plan to keep at it though! Keep notes and soon you will find out what doesn't work and will start to have fantastic hatches!

I love the example you are setting for other folks that are discouraged about their terrible hatches as well!

 

[Illia]

Well, I've been too busy to even enter in some of the contests but anyway, if anyone is curious at all -

I set 42 eggs, and got a little over 30 total to hatch. For the first time ever I actually had chick #1 on day 18, weird I know, then the last chicks, just a couple, were on day 22, Easter.

I got myself some Shamos of neat colors, some Polish, some EE's, some Olive Eggers, and some gorgeously bilaterally tufted Olive Eggers, too.

Boy or girl, doesn't matter, I'm keeping this beaut!

And here's all three of the tufted Olive Eggers I hatched. The one on the left has only one tuft, the middle one has two nice big ones, and the one on the right has one big one, one small one.

 

[SunnyDawn]

OK I filled out the form. I don't qualify for worst or best hatch so it doesn't really matter but I know you all need an accurate number for total chicks hatched, for the Brinsea contest, so I filled it out. Still have my fingers crossed for that contest!

I plan to donate mine to the local elementary school if I win. They would be so thrilled!!!

 

[buckabucka]

I filled out the form: 20 of 49.

My late-hatching Basque is still hanging on, but I am not confident that he'll make it. He had started to fluff this morning, and could move a few steps, but was still exhausted and a little damp-looking, so I left him in the incubator this morning.

This afternoon, I decided to try putting him in the brooder. When I opened the incubator, I was horrified to see that is was growing all kinds of mold. Not sure if that will kill the chick, but at least he is out of there now.

In the brooder, he was totally overwhelmed by the other stampeding chicks, so I sectioned off a little separate area for him. He has a whole Eco-glow to himself, while the other 19 share the other.

He was making the loud chirping distress call, which I have found to be symptomatic of a dying chick, but then he settled down and is quiet. I figure that after a couple of days separate from the others, it will become clear whether he is going to sink or swim. Keeping my fingers crossed!

SunnyDawn, I was also thinking my elementary school might love the Brinsea mini!

 

[ThePigeonKid]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/648975/pekin-ducks-made-a-nest-outside-of-coop

 

[kvmommy]

I have a chick that pipped and immediately tons of goo poured out around it and the beak it stopped breathing. I got it out and opened it enough and wiped all the goo from the beak and it started to breathe again. BUT I could see the top of it is FILLED with goo. The gluey sticky kind. And the membrane bled a little when I opened it enough. What should I do?

 

[superchemicalgirl]

OK I filled out the form. I don't qualify for worst or best hatch so it doesn't really matter but I know you all need an accurate number for total chicks hatched, for the Brinsea contest, so I filled it out. Still have my fingers crossed for that contest!

I plan to donate mine to the local elementary school if I win. They would be so thrilled!!!

THANK YOU!