MARCH Hatch-A-Long 2015: Please Read the First Post to JOIN the H-A-L

[mymilliefleur]

Resist! I know the foibles of shrinkwrapped chicks! But what's wrong with checking every 10 minutes for new pips...lol.

I found my blue eggs almost impossible even with my tactical flashlight!!!!!

I do a pretty good job resisting the temptation, but for some reason the incubator mysteriously opens every once in a while.

Yes, some eggs are really tough to candle! Especially dark brown or green eggs.


The incubator temperature is holding stable, but it was down to 97F yesterday morning. It was a bit chilly this morning, so I made sure I wrapped the incubator up in some extra blankets. I discovered a few days ago that there are mice in the same room as my incubator. I set up some sticky traps and caught three mice last night.

 

[scflock]

Final tally: 21/23, my best hatch ever!
Three things I did differently this time:
1. Returned to my 40-42% incubation humidity
2. Adjusted temperature on the display to 100.0 after reading low with a spot check
3. Never, not once, opened the incubator after lockdown. I told myself I would wait until day 22
All are very healthy, no splayed legs, no crooked toes. I have read that people think the Octagon 20 is too small to hatch 24 chicks. Not true! In fact, I think the cramped space kept the chicks from rolling the unhatched eggs around. Last night, all looked comfortable, like a fluffy carpet. This morning when I took them out they were all comfortable, calm, and healthy. They are now sleeping under the EcoGlow.
I'm not saying this is gospel and everyone should do what I did, it's just what worked for me, in my area, with my eggs. I'm not changing a thing on the next hatch!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

My eggs are FINALLY doing something! I have 1 that's almost all the way zipped around and another with a nice big pip

 

[minnehaha]

Final tally: 21/23, my best hatch ever!
Three things I did differently this time:
1. Returned to my 40-42% incubation humidity
2. Adjusted temperature on the display to 100.0 after reading low with a spot check
3. Never, not once, opened the incubator after lockdown. I told myself I would wait until day 22
All are very healthy, no splayed legs, no crooked toes. I have read that people think the Octagon 20 is too small to hatch 24 chicks. Not true! In fact, I think the cramped space kept the chicks from rolling the unhatched eggs around. Last night, all looked comfortable, like a fluffy carpet. This morning when I took them out they were all comfortable, calm, and healthy. They are now sleeping under the EcoGlow.
I'm not saying this is gospel and everyone should do what I did, it's just what worked for me, in my area, with my eggs. I'm not changing a thing on the next hatch!

Congratulations on your super successful hatch!!! I have been keeping mine around 40 humidity too this time. Did you bring the humidity up for lock down? How much humidity did you use during lock down?

I agree that the rolling eggs are a problem. I don't have tight quarters so I was thinking about using the cut egg carton method this time. It drives me bonkers to watch the first chicks roll the unhatched eggs all over kingdom come! How can the chicks possibly get into position when they are getting "turned" by the other chicks?

What breed of cutey pie fluffy butts did you hatch?

 

[minnehaha]

My eggs are FINALLY doing something! I have 1 that's almost all the way zipped around and another with a nice big pip

This is sooo exciting!!!!!!!!!!! Keep us posted!!!

 

[minnehaha]

I do a pretty good job resisting the temptation, but for some reason the incubator mysteriously opens every once in a while.

Yes, some eggs are really tough to candle! Especially dark brown or green eggs.


The incubator temperature is holding stable, but it was down to 97F yesterday morning. It was a bit chilly this morning, so I made sure I wrapped the incubator up in some extra blankets. I discovered a few days ago that there are mice in the same room as my incubator. I set up some sticky traps and caught three mice last night.

Holy moly, you must have your incubator in an out building? Good job catching those stinky rotten vermin mice!!!!!

 

[scflock]

Congratulations on your super successful hatch!!!  I have been keeping mine around 40 humidity too this time.  Did you bring the humidity up for lock down?  How much humidity did you use during lock down?

I agree that the rolling eggs are a problem.  I don't have tight quarters so I was thinking about using the cut egg carton method this time.  It drives me bonkers to watch the first chicks roll the unhatched eggs all over kingdom come!  How can the chicks possibly get into position when they are getting "turned" by the other chicks?  

What breed of cutey pie fluffy butts did you hatch?

These are all Easter Eggers. I added a paper towel to get to 65-67% humidity for lockdown, and once the hatch started it maintained 70+%.

 

[DRGLENNON]

Final tally: 21/23, my best hatch ever!
Three things I did differently this time:
1. Returned to my 40-42% incubation humidity
2. Adjusted temperature on the display to 100.0 after reading low with a spot check
3. Never, not once, opened the incubator after lockdown. I told myself I would wait until day 22
All are very healthy, no splayed legs, no crooked toes. I have read that people think the Octagon 20 is too small to hatch 24 chicks. Not true! In fact, I think the cramped space kept the chicks from rolling the unhatched eggs around. Last night, all looked comfortable, like a fluffy carpet. This morning when I took them out they were all comfortable, calm, and healthy. They are now sleeping under the EcoGlow.
I'm not saying this is gospel and everyone should do what I did, it's just what worked for me, in my area, with my eggs. I'm not changing a thing on the next hatch!

Congratulations!

 

[myguysmama]

Hi there!

I'd love to join you all. This will be my first time hatching eggs. I am mostly excited, but a little bit nervous too. I have an IncuView incubator. My eggs came in the mail today, Cream Legbars and Ameraucanas, a dozen in all.

I candled them and there do not seem to be any detached air cells. They're currently in my basement, and I plan to put them in the incubator in the morning.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Welcome myguysmama! That's amazing that your eggs didn't have any detached air cells, they must've been packaged very well! Good luck to you!

I'm happy to report I have 2 chicks out already! A super cute splash and a black (I think, it just hatched, could be blue). Now I just have to wait for the rest of the eggs, which don't appear to be doing anything, and a week or so to see if they're Silkies or Sizzles! I'll post pictures when they're dried off and moved to their brooder I'm going to have to brood them inside my house, which doesn't make me all that happy, but my outside brooder is at maximum capacity right now. If we warm up like were supposed to this week, I'm hoping to move those guys into the transition brooder in my feed storage shed. Then I'll move the Silkies/Sizzles into the outside brooder!