March 2018 Hatch-a-long

[atomic]

Hello everyone! I have one Pekin duck egg set to hatch on the 8, and an aquaintance of mine gave me a whole slew (about 30) of varied eggs from Silver Appleyards and Khaki Campbells. I have a suspicion a couple might be chickens, because they are pretty small. What do I do in the event that there are some chickens and they hatch a week before the duck eggs? I was going to let my lone Pekin attempt to hatch before setting all of the new eggs I've acquired.

I edited to add that the eggs are a variety of colors, which does not coincide with the traditional white these duck breeds are supposed to lay! A number are definitely a pale blueish green (greenish blue?) others are white or more cream.

 

[gimmie birdies]

Candled and pulled 2 clear eggs.

 

[toomanyjewels]

I looked it up in the "chicken bible" which is hatching & brooding your own chicks, By Gail Damrow, She says let the eggs get cold, don't try and wrap blankets around it because the eggs will do dormant, which is better than developing in the wrong temp. She says 12 hrs. with no power will only delay the hatch, even an 18hr. will be bad on the hatch rate, but still not fully kill the eggs.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[mcclucker]

I’m doing my first hatch right now too. I had gotten eggs for my broody hen - who gave up being broody the day the eggs arrived. She had been persistent for 2 weeks! And did a clutch last year. Broody hens!! Oh well. So I whipped up a diy incubator and set the eggs yesterday.

Question - I’m having trouble keeping the humidity up without lowering the temp in my homemade bator (styrofoam cooler, 40watt light bulb on a dimmer switch w/ a wireless thermo-hygrometer set-up in my closet). If I crank the humidity to 50% (I’m using an actual humidifier since water trays and sponges weren’t cutting it in my very dry house) the temp just doesn’t stay stable and hovers around 97-98, and I have to constantly tinker with it which I know isn’t good for the eggs. I can get the temp constant at 99.5-100 but the humidity won’t go past about 38-40%. Can they incubate at 40% until the last 3 days? I know I need to get it up to at least 60 by then, so I’ll have to figure that out. But for now, will this humidity crash my hatch rate? I’ve only got 4 eggs in there. Hoping for 2-3 to hatch.

Also, my closet is pretty damp at this point from the humidifier...

 

[mcclucker]

Here they are in the bator - 2 ameraucana eggs, a Birchen Marans and a cream legbar.

 

[Messica]

I've got two batches of Hedemora in my incubator! Started the first 2/20, the second 2/23. 9 from first, 11 from second with two questionables. Looking at tentative hatch dates of 3/12 and 3/15 <3

 

[gimmie birdies]

we are going to lose power again!

 

[gimmie birdies]

The heath food store eggs to the right, some were fertile, but I didn't know their ages,

I have 3 left that are questionable, and pulled some clears and a few blood rings today. The eggs on the right I have 8 still going, and had to pull a few clears, (the green and the blue are still going,) so 11 total I have not given up on, but that is why you put in so many. I was really gambling on the store eggs, but now I know they are fertile, but I think I will not use them in the future. (The cute spotted egg didn't make the cut.)

 

[Chris240]

Overkill is a good thing. I was going to use a styrofoam cooler for my coolerbator but one thing lead to another and I decided to use the 120 qt. Igloo Marine cooler that was collecting dust in the garage.
It was a bit breezy yesterday and this morning

That's a 50 pound gas grill that failed to maintain its vertical orientation in the wind.
Power went out for a few hours, temp in the bator stayed over 98. Oil burner was off until this morning. It was 60 in the basement but a cozy 100.1 in the incubator.
Day 13 started a couple of hours ago, I might candle tonight if not tomorrow, I'll post some pics if I get some decent ones.

 

[gimmie birdies]

This incubator, which I had high hopes for, because it was cute, will not be used again, I had the right temp, water pan, air holes. I am down to 4 eggs and one has a dent. (it is doing the best). I understand half would probably not hatch, (health food eggs) but my others came from a near by farm, although collected at the coldest time of year, they had warmed up by the time I got them. I have made many incubators. I know I didn't miss anything. There were a few days where we had some mini black outs while I was sleeping and through out the day, and the incubator was in a cool room I was having troubles keeping warm, then it warmed up outside and I have been trying to keep things cooled down. I am going to wait until the temps are more steady. I am going to warm up a smaller incubator, for the remaining eggs and switch them when ready.