Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE

[jeapa]

My girls made it through the night. They came out to eat and drink then back into the pad.

They look snug as a bug!! Do you only have 2?

 

[lisasflock76]

The other three were exploring

 

[Jessie22]

Maybe you can help me. I have put questions on here and no one has given me any advice. I am incubating guinea eggs and then I put in silkie eggs. My guinea eggs are at 14 days. Half of the egg is dark and I see movement. My silkie eggs are at day 4. What can I do with my silkie eggs when I lock down my guinea eggs since the humidity will go up. I know high humidity is not good for silkie eggs. I will also remove my egg turner. I need some help deciding on what to do with my bearded silkie eggs, they are ebay order eggs but where well wrapped in bubble wrap then in the egg carton. I had to take the guinea eggs because my hen got hit by a car, so far 2 were bad and I believe one more is bad but I am going to wait until next candling, which will leave me with 10 guinea eggs and so far 12 silkies. Hope you can help me, you seem to be real knowledgeable by reading your posts. Thanks for the help.

 

[Jensownzoo]

Maybe you can help me.  I have put questions on here and no one has given me any advice.  I am incubating guinea eggs and then I put in silkie eggs.  My guinea eggs are at 14 days.  Half of the egg is dark and I see movement.  My silkie eggs are at day 4.  What can I do with my silkie eggs when I lock down my guinea eggs since the humidity will go up.  I know high humidity is not good for silkie eggs.  I will also remove my egg turner.  I need some help deciding on what to do with my bearded silkie eggs, they are ebay order eggs but where well wrapped in bubble wrap then in the egg carton.  I had to take the guinea eggs because my hen got hit by a car, so far 2 were bad and I believe one more is bad but I am going to wait until next candling, which will leave me with 10 guinea eggs and so far 12 silkies.  Hope you can help me, you seem to be real knowledgeable by reading your posts.  Thanks for the help.  

                      

Not an expert, but I think you're going to have to beg/borrow/build a second incubator to use as a hatcher if you want to keep both sets. As you said, the humidity require to hatch the guineas will likely drown the silkies.

 

[Jessie22]

Thanks so much, don't know anyone with an incubator so I will either have to build one or buy another, wow!!

 

[Victoria-nola]

Thanks so much, don't know anyone with an incubator so I will either have to build one or buy another, wow!!

You can get a super cheap one for the hatcher, it doesn't have to have a turner or anything. What I learned from the guinea eggs I hatched is that they really need good strong humidity while incubating and for hatching. I followed the "dry incubation" technique for the guineas and wound up having to help more than half of the keets hatch-- could hear them trying to get out but every one was already dried in by their membrane, got them out and all I helped did live. So I learned, high humidity and no dry incubation for guineas.

I'm sorry your guinea hen got hit by car, you're lucky to have the eggs.

best wishes.

 

[jeapa]

These chicks are loving life lol. They are chowing down on their FF and hanging out with their MHP.

 

[Jessie22]

What should the humidity be while incubating the guineas, but remember I also have silkie eggs in there also for right now? Right now it is running at 32% humidity and 100 degrees. The humidity was running at 42% but I didn't want the silkies to drown while developing. The guineas are at day 15 and are doing really well. The eggs are growing and some of them are hard to candle because of them growing. I think I have a bad one, inside the egg everything moves when I turn it from one end to another. Looks like a quitter. What do you think is it bad? Doesn't smell yet so I am waiting for next candling at day 19 or lockdown. Thanks for answering my question.

 

[Beekissed]

What should the humidity be while incubating the guineas, but remember I also have silkie eggs in there also for right now? Right now it is running at 32% humidity and 100 degrees. The humidity was running at 42% but I didn't want the silkies to drown while developing. The guineas are at day 15 and are doing really well. The eggs are growing and some of them are hard to candle because of them growing. I think I have a bad one, inside the egg everything moves when I turn it from one end to another. Looks like a quitter. What do you think is it bad? Doesn't smell yet so I am waiting for next candling at day 19 or lockdown. Thanks for answering my question.

These are the people who can help you the most about any kind of hatching here on BYC: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...osts-sally-sunshine-bantychooks#post_16038469

Miss Sally Sunshine is the go to lady for hatching here and is the nicest person you'd ever chance to meet.

 

[Victoria-nola]

Quote:
Well unfortunately Sally Sunshine is the person who wrote the "Dry Incubation" article that influenced me to do dry incubation and in both hatchings I did this spring I had major problems in following her advice. I studied the article in depth but there are some problems with the instructions. (Have written elsewhere about the details, had problems with chicks being killed in the shell because of too low humidity, and had problems with advice to "raise the floor" of the incubator once you remove the egg turner, which led to a gap around the edge of the floor and chicks getting caught in that gap after hatching.)

imo 32% is too low for the guineas. Be aware that no egg/chick will "drown" prior to hatch moment-- the only time the size of the air cell comes into play is when the chick or keet internally pips into the air space in preparation for hatching out. The general advice is to monitor the air cell size and adjust humidity accordingly. My point being, there is still time to adjust the humidity for the silkies after the guineas hatch, or maybe there isn't. I don't know how many days the silkies will have left after the guineas hatch.

By all means go to the link provided for information and ask your questions. But please be aware that there is a trend toward encouraging excessive dryness. Of 36 guinea eggs, I had to help 18 out or they would have died in the shell, after I followed Sunshine's instructions and kept the humidity at around 25-30%. I had a total of 26 keets hatch, 10 eggs didn't develop (shipped eggs which have a lower hatch rate). But it's really true you need advice from folks experienced in mixed hatches.

Wishing you most well.
--V