MARCH 2021 HATCH-A-LONG 🌷🌸🌼

[jeapa]

I was going to join the Easter hatch-a-long but my eggs are arriving today. So I set 16 from my flock which will be mixed and will be setting 12 pita pintas tomorrow if they arrive.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

My new incubator arrived today. Putting it together and test it for two days before setting March test hatch. View attachment 2546583

That incubator looks awesome! How many eggs does it hold? How many are you setting for your test run?

 

[gimmie birdies]

I had 23 eggs I just got, and put in my homemade incubator, but I decided to move them to my farm innovators incubator since it just opened up. I candled and they look good. My own hens eggs were not fertile. This evening will be day 2.

 

[Derangedplanet]

Any of you ever cannabalized an incubator to build a bigger one?

 

[gimmie birdies]

I just removed eggs from one like that, over to a regular incubator. they only went one day. We call them "franknbator".

 

[Araucana Nest]

That incubator looks awesome! How many eggs does it hold? How many are you setting for your test run?

Thank you. I just wrote a review for it on a thread I posted when I was thinking about it. It will hold about 290 chicken eggs with the trays I purchased.
I have about 4 - 5 dozen eggs waiting

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

Eek! It’s day 22 for the calls! Just went to check them and we’ve got a rocker! Egg 6c is rocking it was one of the ones with a small air cell that I was concerned about. I’m thinking I’ll go ahead and unplug the turner for now.
There is one egg that is 1 day behind on day 21 but I’m thinking it will be ok.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Question for you lovely people here:
I have incubated and hatched shipped eggs on their sides and upright. Mixed results with both. I just had a 1 out of 10 hatch this week-end on the February hatch-along, also shipped eggs. All incubated upright.
Now with the current batch of 5 on day 10, all are viable. 2 now have stable aircells after incubating upright, the other 3 are still saddled and loose.
So the question is, should I go ahead and set the 2 that have good aircells now on their sides and back in the auto turner? Keep the other 3 upright? I just want to ensure the best possible conditions. I have two incubators now empty except for these 5, so I can do both. Any thoughts?

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have been doing a lot of reading on hatching, and they say shipped eggs, let rest 24 hrs, place in incubator upright- no turning for 3 days. (Yes as we know.) Maybe whether the egg cell is loose or not. Also turning the egg for the first 7 days... (I will get to the other weeks in a sec.) If hand turning it is best to turn just 3x a day, because the first 7 days open the incubator as little as possible. Wait until the 7th day to candle. After day 7 do the 5x a day turn because, they get the benefit of fresh air. Turn until day 18. lockdown don't open again, until hatch is done.

As far as candling goes candle day 7. Candle day 11 because some die off happens on day 10. Don't candle on day 14. candle on day 18. Set up eggs like this...

Put down twine so when eggs are hatching they don't get pushed around...
and can stay in this position.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I have been doing a lot of reading on hatching, and they say shipped eggs upright- no turning for 3 days. (Yes as we know.) Maybe whether the egg cell is loose or not. Also turning the egg for the first 7 days... (I will get to the other weeks in a sec.) If hand turning it is best to turn just 3x a day, because the first 7 days open the incubator as little as possible. Wait until the 7th day to candle. After day 7 do the 5x a day turn because, they get the benefit of fresh air. Turn until day 18. lockdown don't open again, until hatch is done.

Thanks! Yes I have read all this is well. My question is whether I should go ahead and set the two over on their sides or let them continue upright with the others. My most recent hatch rate of 10% doing everything "by the book" obviously did not really make any difference, other than maybe I would have had a 0% hatch rate? Hard to know.