March Hatch - First Time Incubating Shipped Eggs Hatch-Along!

[heyheypaula]

Hello everyone!

Today I received my order from mypetchicken.com. I ordered a dozen assorted Blue Standards and a dozen assorted Best of Bantams. I received:

Blue Standards:
-3 Blue Orpington Eggs
-1 Lavendar Orpington Egg
-4 Blue Copper Maran Eggs
-4 Blue Splash Maran Eggs

Best of Bantam:
-3 Red Silkie Eggs
-3 Blue Silkie Eggs
-2 Barnevelder Eggs
- 4 Quail Belgian Antwerp Eggs

I'm pretty disappointed that over half of my order of the blue standards are all Marans and the rest Orpington... I was REALLY hoping for some Blue Laced Red Wyandottes and Ameraucanas as well.. The description for the order claims that you will receive eggs from ATLEAST 4 of the 8-10 breeds listed. I would have preferred a little more variety.

Either way, they are all set out now slowly warming up and will be placed in my incubator tomorrow morning! I candled them and some of the silkies have detached air cells for sure, but the rest are hard to tell. We'll see how it goes I guess! My incubator is set between 99 and 100 degrees and about 40% humidity right now. I got the Farm Innovators 2200 and it is working out really well so far. I have been reading through all of the incubation and hatching threads and I am so excited to get started!
Is anyone else out there getting ready as well?!

 

[heyheypaula]

Day 1! (Or is it 3??) The eggs are in the incubator! If you look carefully you can see the temp dropped from opening it but I am thinking it will rise okay soon! Because they are shipped I don't think I am going to turn them too much, maybe just shift the incubator its self by placing some books under it..

 

[Wisher1000]

Good luck with your hatch, Paula!

 

[heyheypaula]

[COLOR=800000]Good luck with your hatch, Paula![/COLOR]

Thank you!

I have a couple questions for everyone:
Is day one for the eggs the day they are set in the incubator or is it the day they are collected/created out of the hen? I don't want to put them into lockdown on the wrong day!
Also, for shipped eggs is it better to keep them upright in the (bottomless) cartons for 12-18 days or should I be shifting the incubator by placing books under it? I candled the eggs and definitely had some moving air sacs. My coworker told me about a special needs chicken she had before and it was because she wasn't flipped/rolled around enough during incubation.
Thank you!

 

[gimmie birdies]

I built a small box incubator,my lamp is only 15 watts, it is so cute and hold the heat, never built one this small don't even like my big one now! (not my first time.) I love being skilled!

 

[gimmie birdies]

I say 1st day is the day you put them in the incubator. by the way, blue splash marans are PRETTY!

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have 6 eggs in little hatcher, one coocoo maran, one EE, one Creme mystery egg, one Sussex, one mystery brown egg, and one that is a greenish yellow, probably an EE. they will be do 3/8.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I turn mine by hand 2or 3 x aday. they say atleast 3x daily but sometimes I only get 2

 

[gimmie birdies]

when they are first developing I try not to handle them at all, then candle on the 3 day.

 

[gimmie birdies]

they are 2-days old under, lamp- 5 out of 6 show germ disk, if you are new, look on day 4 and you will see a spider.