May 2020 Hatch-A-Long

[sdm111]

That depends on the type of incubator you're using. Some incubators don't return to stable humidity very quickly or even when the hygrometer reads higher after opening quickly I have seen signs of it causing the membrane of the other pipped chicks to dry slightly. I do my best not to take chicks out while there are other external pips unless I have a chick that just popped out of the shell. When you have a newly hatched wet chick it seems to return the entire incubator to a more consistent ambient humidity the quickest. This isn't to say you can't get away with opening the incubator, I just try to be patient and don't open it more than necessary. It seems to make for a smoother hatch. Plus I like to let the chicks fluff up a little bit in the incubator so that they don't get chilled when I move them.

When I used incubators from styrofoam to homemade wood cabinets I took them as they hatched still wet aswell. They went right into the brooder no problem

 

[Knighstar679]

I finally have my first pip on the Welsh Harlequin eggs that I thought were supposed to hatch last week.


now the waiting begins
Hopefully I get plenty to hatch as these are for a friend.

 

[chickiebaby1]

So today is day 14 and I will candle this afternoon when I get home from work. I am so nervous for some reason. I am trying the dry hatch method. When I candled at day 7 the air cells looked great, so I'm hoping they still will. I have tried very hard this time to be hands off. The temps have stayed way more stable in the incubator. I am also planning on sitting on my hands come hatch day and letting them all hatch before I open the incubator. Last hatch I opened the bator to get chicks out after they hatched and then the hatched slowed way down. I am incubating these in an older Farm innovator Styrofoam and for some reason the humidity is just a pain in this one. But I am going to just try to set humidity at around 50% for hatch and let the newly hatched chicks keep the humidity levels where they need to be. Last time I set humidity at 65-70% and think a lot of my babies drown in the shell. I also have a set going in my brand new Hova Bator and I have barely had to touch that one, so fingers crossed those will hatch good. They are mostly silky babies!!!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

So today is day 14 and I will candle this afternoon when I get home from work. I am so nervous for some reason. I am trying the dry hatch method. When I candled at day 7 the air cells looked great, so I'm hoping they still will. I have tried very hard this time to be hands off. The temps have stayed way more stable in the incubator. I am also planning on sitting on my hands come hatch day and letting them all hatch before I open the incubator. Last hatch I opened the bator to get chicks out after they hatched and then the hatched slowed way down. I am incubating these in an older Farm innovator Styrofoam and for some reason the humidity is just a pain in this one. But I am going to just try to set humidity at around 50% for hatch and let the newly hatched chicks keep the humidity levels where they need to be. Last time I set humidity at 65-70% and think a lot of my babies drown in the shell. I also have a set going in my brand new Hova Bator and I have barely had to touch that one, so fingers crossed those will hatch good. They are mostly silky babies!!!

Fingers crossed!

 

[CABINHOLLOWNC]

Today is day 20...external pip day. I set 24 eggs...I think I have a couple, maybe three middle/late quitters...but I couldn't see in the dark and olive shells to be certain, so I left them in. I woke up to 3 pips (a light brown egg an olive egg and the tiny olive egg that came from a young pullet (looks like a bantam egg). The light brown egg hatched at 9:30 and produced a yellow chick, next an hour later the tiny olive egg hatched and produced a yellow chick that appears to have spots or spangles...its still wet so, it's hard to say! The third pipped egg has made a little more progress...but not zipping yet. The rest are just sitting there staring at me as I stare at them...LOL! Cross your fingers for more pips please! I need to go find something else to do besides stare at these eggs...my dog said I also need to cross off brushing him as he is sick of it this morning!

 

[Honora]

DH wants to order Barnevelder eggs so I might be hatching again next month

 

[chickiebaby1]

Today is day 20...external pip day. I set 24 eggs...I think I have a couple, maybe three middle/late quitters...but I couldn't see in the dark and olive shells to be certain, so I left them in. I woke up to 3 pips (a light brown egg an olive egg and the tiny olive egg that came from a young pullet (looks like a bantam egg). The light brown egg hatched at 9:30 and produced a yellow chick, next an hour later the tiny olive egg hatched and produced a yellow chick that appears to have spots or spangles...its still wet so, it's hard to say! The third pipped egg has made a little more progress...but not zipping yet. The rest are just sitting there staring at me as I stare at them...LOL! Cross your fingers for more pips please! I need to go find something else to do besides stare at these eggs...my dog said I also need to cross off brushing him as he is sick of it this morning!

 

[Knighstar679]

Two more pips have happened in the last few hours.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I finally have my first pip on the Welsh Harlequin eggs that I thought were supposed to hatch last week.
View attachment 2132099

now the waiting begins
Hopefully I get plenty to hatch as these are for a friend.

How exciting!!!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Today is Dat 21 - woke up to one just out of the shell, plus two externally pipped! All three olive eggers - nothing from the BCM yet...