March hatch along

[matlock585]

I target 20-30% till lock down, then close all my adjustable vents and raise the humidity to 50%. After they start hatching the humidity runs through the roof. I usually end up having to vent some out before I get to remove any chicks because it gets over 80% from just the moisture on the newly hatched chicks. Too much humidity will make the membrane too rubbery and they get stuck just like it was sticky.

 

[chicken junky]

I keep mine a little lower at lockdown because after adding water to the wells, 2 wet sponges and a wet paper towel it wouldn't stay above 62. Let me know how it goes I'm only on day 2 of the longest 21 so mine will be a while. At least both sellers gave me 6 extras so that should help. Good luck

 

[matlock585]

I've got day 14 in the books now, so I'm looking on to lockdown. I think I'm going to lock them down on day 19 due to the low temps at the beginning and the power outage. If I can get my wife to go in there and take pics I'll try to upload some for ya'll to see.

 

[matlock585]

Here's one pretty good pic... the chick decided to pop it's head up right when the pic got taken.
Hope every one else who's still going is doing well.

 

[carcar80]

Nice! Is that a good representation of your air cells? Looks a bit small to me for day 14 but could be the angle.

 

[johnderosa1]

What was you relative humidity throughout the hatch and during lockdown?

I went completely fry for the first 12 days and my gage was reading 10% but i felt it was not working properly. I added water to one of my dishes which usually brings it to 30-40 % but it still was reading low. At day 19 I filled the other 2 dishes but left all the vents open . When it became apparent that things werent going well i closed a few vent hole and added water to the tray below. The highest reading i got was about 45% but did have some condensation on the inside. I ve always had difficulty with bcm eggs quitting late so i was really trying to dry them out this time, the air cells of the BCMs looked good when eggtopsied and the lone chick that did pip hatched out fine. The smaller lav Ameraucana eggs really dried out and i will likely bot try them with the BCM eggs again. In fact, i will likely do only BCMs next time i try them. I just dont think they mix well with others... Their shell coating is so much different than the others. I'm thinking broodies next time i hatch them , if i have any available.

 

[jammyjammy2112]

i just put orpington and welsummer eggs into my incubator but i just went crazy and bought one goose egg never ever had a goose all i no is turn them 3 times a day and spray them every so often i dont no when to stop turning them doh any advice

 

[matlock585]

Nice! Is that a good representation of your air cells? Looks a bit small to me for day 14 but could be the angle.

I think it is just the angle I'm holding it at. I've already stopped with holding the humidity up, and I'm venting it all out. I was using a sponge and it would raise it to about 30-35% for a couple hours then it would fall back to around 20%. That's way more than I normally do, which is no water and venting it all out the whole 18 days. I'd say it's holding at around 20% now, and that's where I'll let it ride till I lock them down Thursday night.

 

[EllieBel]

I will tell you what my experience is w/ my hatching of chicken eggs.  As a rule it goes against everything you will read on hatching chickens.  It has worked for me and that is all I can say about it.

I have a brinsea forced air incubator and the first hatch I ever did in it I lost nearly all the chicks at hatch b/c I did my due diligence and read everything I could find on hatching and they all said lock down is sacred and never touch any hatching egg or help out in any way.  And I listened.  That first hatch and every hatch I have had since then my incubator or process or whatever you want to call it has a bad problem w/ shrink wrapping, both at internal and external pip.  Every chick that died that first hatch (and that was most) were fully developed and shrink wrapped.  So I thought on my next hatch that I couldn't do any worse if I helped out.

Fist off I get the humidity and keep it at about 70% at hatch time.  I eagle eye the pipps, and if they stall much more then 8ish hours w/o progress I assume shrink wrapped and I assist.  The first couple I helped I lost but then I learned from my mistakes and figured out what the problem was.  I have helped out over 50 chicks and only lost the less then 5 total.  They have grown to be healthy and productive birds.

I do start every lockdown w/ the idea it will be a true lock down and don't interfere  until I know I will lose them if I don't.

I take the incubator into the bathroom (I have a heater in there) I keep the bator plugged in, turn on the heater and the hot water, get it hot and steamy in the closed bathroom.  I have q-tips and warm water.  I only take one egg out at a time and keep
I gently remove the egg shell in small bits starting at the pip hole.  You will quickly see if it was in fact shrink wrapped, as the first layer under the shell will be white, dry and stuck to the bird.  There are 2 layers under the shell, the first one you will see will be the white hard layer, this layer has no blood vessels in it, you will need to dampen that layer w/ the warm wet q-tip and gently peel it away, making sure not to catch the layer just under, it will be moist, clear and has the blood vessels in it.  Once you have peeled away maybe 1/3 or so of the white layer, your chick will be more free to move and kick it's way free.  The moist under layer will have the hole from the pip, you want to gently work your warm moist q-tip between the chick and this layer, your wanting to ease it over the chick, like taking a sock off.  If you need to tear at that layer at all you need to make sure you pick an area that does not have blood vessels (you will see them) if you do accidentally tear one and it starts to bleed, stop, place that chick back in the incubator and wait, it isn't for sure going to die, I have had several to live, just depends on how much bleeding before it stops.  If I catch the shrink wrap before the chick gets weak I only remove enough so they can do the rest, but if I didn't see the pip or it was an internal pip and I waited to long and the chick is weak I will remove almost all and give it a chance to rest and recoop in the incubator.

This information is for eggs you are fairly certain are shrink wrapped.  If they weren't ready and you do this you will likely kill them.  If they aren't hatching b/c they are weak or have congenital problems from another reason they likely won't survive.  A shrink wrapped chick will die 100% garunteed w/o help.

I do not believe in allowing the weak to survive in my flock, I do not treat illness or failure to thrive they are 100% culled (and I mean killed), this is not allowing the weak to hatch it is correcting a mechanical incubation problem (shrink wrapping).

On this hatch I have turned my temps down since I have read that is a major cause of shrink wrapping (other then humidity which I know is good).   With the changes I hope to have a successful hatch w/o assisting, but I will be watchful and not hesitate to assist if I suspect shrink wrapping.

Also almost every time once you find a shrink wrapped egg all or nearly all are likely shrink wrapped, at least that is what I have found to be true.

Hi,

I never got chance to say thankyou for your advice

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[EllieBel]

Hi,

Well my first hatch ever is completed not majorly successful though! I've got 6 chicks out of a possible 18. I got rid of 5 on day 18 which had nothing in. Of the 7 that didn't hatch only 1 was not developed. The others were fully grown. Any ideas why they didn't hatch?

We opened the incubator to get the chicks out and don't notice 2 eggs were pipped will this have killed them? But the others were not pipped at all? They all seemed fairly wet when I opened them.

Feel like I've failed!

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