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

[minnehaha]

I gave up on the legbars. The rooster is gone, so now the hens are being crossed with an olive rooster. The chicks will not be purebred, but at least they are hatching.
On my first three hatches, here is how it went:
#1 Non-legbar eggs: 100% hatch. Pure Legbar: 0%
#2 Non-legbar eggs: 100%, Pure legbar 0% (rooster for all eggs was a pure legbar, so he clearly was able to reproduce, just not with the legbar hens)
#3 Non-legbar eggs: 93%, Legbars x eggs 75%

Here is how it went last year with 4 hatches total:

Pure cream legbar using incubator: 0% hatch rate
Pure cream Legbar using a broody Orp: 90% hatch rate
Pure cream Legbar using a broody Orp: 70% hatch rate
Pure cream legbar using incubator: 20% hatch rate, and accidentally putting 2 blue Easter egger x CL in incubaror: 100% hatch rate (I have 2 Easter Egge rX CL crosses.

I've got 3 hatches going, the first is all CL (started with 29 eggs, 17 discarded, 12 looking good and going to lockdown tomorrow)

The other two hatches are a combo of pure CL, and a easter egger X CL crosses, plus 2 White leghorn X CL. I've marked the eggs, we shall see who hatches!.

I am also about ready to throw the towel in too on pure CL in the incubator, but I love the crosses my CL rooster makes with the other hens!!!

I can't wait for my big black Orp to go broody, she can hatch those pure CL's, she is a master broody!

 

[HugHess]

Ok night before lockdown!

I have a few things I have to figure out by morning.... To take eggs out of cartons and trace air cells -- most people do this method -- but I worry about chick soccer... Hatchlings moving the others around. Or I can leave chicks in the cartons and have more stability for the others as the hatchlings walk around and dry off. I am going to be home all day for hatch day and I set at midnight hoping they will mostly be hatched before I go to bed. If I take them out of the carton should I put paper towels on top of the grating? Or will the poor littles stick to it?

Hi K,

I just wanted to add that I also used carton bottoms to incubate. Then I used carton top for lock down.
I also used kitchen cupboard liner for 'bator bottom. Loved it.

Happy healthy hatching vibes sent your way.

 

[minnehaha]

Hi K,

I just wanted to add that I also used carton bottoms to incubate. Then I used carton top for lock down.
I also used kitchen cupboard liner for 'bator bottom. Loved it.

Happy healthy hatching vibes sent your way.

I'm doing the exact same thing! Lock down is tomorrow!

 

[vonrow]

We had planned out 2 separate incubators and hatches this month. The first was set up for hatch on the 4th and the 2nd one is set for the 18th. The bad news is that the first hatch set up on the 4th has been a complete loss. 30 eggs, and it wasn't due to any fault with the incubator. Some small fingers were just a wee bit too curious and they managed to fidget with the thermostat. Way too cool on day 12-13. I re-set it to 99.5, and then it got cranked to way too hot. ( 130 on the 15th) Again, I re-set it to proper temp though I kinda assumed it was over at that point. I went ahead with lockdown on day 18. This afternoon I candled and water-floated the whole batch. My assumptions were right. It looks like the higher temp knocked em all out. Not a one of them made it even to lockdown. Rather then get upset with my children, it gave us all a good chance to learn a valuable lesson. (don't mess with the incubator after dad sets it up!) But at least we have that 2nd incubator, so we can still keep pace with everyone this month. Kinda rough, but that's how farm life can be some days. We'll keep y'all posted on the next run as things move along.

 

[minnehaha]

We had planned out 2 separate incubators and hatches this month. The first was set up for hatch on the 4th and the 2nd one is set for the 18th. The bad news is that the first hatch set up on the 4th has been a complete loss. 30 eggs, and it wasn't due to any fault with the incubator. Some small fingers were just a wee bit too curious and they managed to fidget with the thermostat. Way too cool on day 12-13. I re-set it to 99.5, and then it got cranked to way too hot. ( 130 on the 15th) Again, I re-set it to proper temp though I kinda assumed it was over at that point. I went ahead with lock down on day 18. This afternoon I candled and water-floated the whole batch. My assumptions were right. It looks like the higher temp knocked em all out. Not a one of them made it even to lock down. Rather then get upset with my children, it gave us all a good chance to learn a valuable lesson. (don't mess with the incubator after dad sets it up!) But at least we have that 2nd incubator, so we can still keep pace with everyone this month. Kinda rough, but that's how farm life can be some days. We'll keep y'all posted on the next run as things move along.

So sorry this happened!!! My kids are teenagers, and wouldn't do that now, but I know they would have when they were little. We are having a party next week and friends with small kids Will be here. I actually was thinking about the possibility that they would mess with the temp knob. I've been contemplating moving the incubators out of the rec room and into a room I can lock. Because you wrote this, I am moving my incubators to prevent this from happening. Sorry you lost this batch of eggs, but because you wrote about it, you potentially saved mine.. Thank you!!! And you are a good dad for not getting mad, I am sure they understand the consequences of their actions and feel bad enough about it, and learned a valuable lesson as well.

 

[Thirteen]

Lockdown begins in 3 days.
I didn't candle this group, so I wouldn't be tempted to do it all the time.

The two chicks from last hatch are healthy and happy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rainbowchick]

We had planned out 2 separate incubators and hatches this month.  The first was set up for hatch on the 4th and the 2nd one is set for the 18th.   The bad news is that the first hatch set up on the 4th has been a complete loss.  30 eggs, and it wasn't due to any fault with the incubator.   Some small fingers were just a wee bit too curious and they managed to fidget with the thermostat.  Way too cool on day 12-13.   I re-set it to 99.5, and then it got cranked to way too hot. ( 130 on the 15th)  Again, I re-set it to proper temp  though I kinda assumed it was over at that point.  I went ahead with lockdown on day 18.   This afternoon I candled and water-floated the whole batch.  My assumptions were right.  It looks like the higher temp knocked em all out.  Not a one of them made it even to lockdown.    Rather then get upset with my children, it gave us all a good chance to learn a valuable lesson.  (don't mess with the incubator after dad sets it up!)  But at least we have that 2nd incubator, so we can still keep pace with everyone this month.  Kinda rough, but that's how farm life can be some days.   We'll keep y'all posted on the next run as things move along. 

I mentioned this on the February HAL, but I wish I'd said it here too...
My incubator resides in a closet of our guest room. My four children (ages 2, 4, 6, and 8), have NO idea it is there. And I keep it that way up until hatch day. Then it miraculously shows up where they can watch the chicks hatch. If I didn't have it hidden, I KNOW my four year old would kill all of them one way or another. She is just too dang curious....
Hope you can find a safe place for your next hatch!

 

[LeMasterParty]

Hatch day is today, some started yesterday

16 of the 28 so far , I've got a
blue crested polish
blue silkie
red barred silkie
splash bantam cochin ( possibly frizzle )
2 creole polish
2 marans
white silkie
and some amerucaunas and other polish

 

[LeMasterParty]

teensy blue silkie

white crested blue polish

red barred ( cuckoo ? ) silkie

 

[rainbowchick]

So cute!!! I love the little "hat" on the polish!