May 2020 Hatch-A-Long

[gimmie birdies]

Donald duck! too funny!

 

[gimmie birdies]

I went to a health food store last month and got these eggs for 5.5 a doz. the farm was one hr away. I hatched out 20 here are the babies barnyard mix...

17 above and 3 in a separate brooder, the 3 last babies, need to stay separate for a bit.

They hatched in a farm innovator incubator, foam you will see a pic of it soon. I like it, it is a learning process, I hatched some in March, but my hatch didn't go well because my different incubator conked out on me and I had to wait 1 week for my farm innovator to arrive. Also my last one I set in right on a rug. The bottom of the incubator has holes, and you have to watch not getting water in them, but also it needs to be on a flat table or counter so it can breath. The above batch I had it on a small table. I was experimenting with the temp also since it is still air, I set temp at 100, 102 is fine for still air, but the inner thermometers would show it 104 if the temp was at 102. They hatched okay, but I am going to go with 101 inner temps. I kept the hydro at 50% most of the hatch, and raised it up to 60-65 near the end. (some of the non-hatchers still had fluid) All and all it was good. These will go to friends.

I cleaned the incubator and put the eggs below in with 7 other healthfood store eggs( due the 1st)... the ones below were ordered on line...due the 6th.

The incubator I taped the view window down, and took out the plugs for the hatch.
below are 10 diff farm eggs also from on line. They are also barnyard mix. Little egg is AC. There may be Svarthona or Svarthona mixes in there.

I also got More health food eggs (11) to go with them they are in separate incubator...due the 10th
.

In May I have partridge rocks, BA, Olive egger, and SS coming from Meyer but just one doz total. Then I will be done for the year hatching... I hope.

 

[Farmpearl]

We are waiting on 3 deathlayer eggs and 2 pure white Cornish LF eggs to open up before the weekend is out...

It's painful to wait. We've had our deathlayers for a year. They were mature when we bought them. They haven't exactly lived up to their name. Unless it refers to us possibly dying before we get any eggs at all, being resuscitated when 3 hens actually started leaving us 1-2 eggs per day in just the past 2 months, only to throw away most of the eggs during candling.

It's killing our 3-year-old daughter. She shines the flashlight in the hatcher every hour or so waiting for chicks. She wants them so bad. Not just hatching, but even the preview. Minutes after hubby puts a new batch of eggs in the incubator, she wants to candle them so she can see tiny developing chicks hopping around inside their eggs. Doesn't work that fast, kiddo! But so fun to see the kids excited about our small-time adventure.

 

[igorsMistress]

We are waiting on 3 deathlayer eggs and 2 pure white Cornish LF eggs to open up before the weekend is out...

It's painful to wait. We've had our deathlayers for a year. They were mature when we bought them. They haven't exactly lived up to their name. Unless it refers to us possibly dying before we get any eggs at all, being resuscitated when 3 hens actually started leaving us 1-2 eggs per day in just the past 2 months, only to throw away most of the eggs during candling.

It's killing our 3-year-old daughter. She shines the flashlight in the hatcher every hour or so waiting for chicks. She wants them so bad. Not just hatching, but even the preview. Minutes after hubby puts a new batch of eggs in the incubator, she wants to candle them so she can see tiny developing chicks hopping around inside their eggs. Doesn't work that fast, kiddo! But so fun to see the kids excited about our small-time adventure.

Awe that's so sweet!

 

[Farmpearl]

Awe that's so sweet!

I agree! Our oldest is constantly cradling a chicken. I'm surprised I haven't caught them on the couch eating popcorn with their feathers babies watching a movie.

 

[igorsMistress]

I agree! Our oldest is constantly cradling a chicken. I'm surprised I haven't caught them on the couch eating popcorn with their feathers babies watching a movie.

You never know, it could happen. I've found my oldest GS cuddling a chick in his lap and playing video games at 3 AM.

 

[SueT]

Day 5---I candled eggs this morning! DH says he will set up tripod and good camera next time, but I used my point and shoot camera, and here's a blurry pic of a Spitzhauben egg.

One white egg had no development at all, and I think it might be a leghorn egg, looking at the shape now that it's out. (The leghorn girls don't like the rooster.) The other white eggs are all like the above.
The Sebright eggs are quite a bit harder to see in, but at least 5 of 7 have veins and embryo showing. I'm not sure what I'm seeing in the other 2. I'll try to get pics in a couple of days.
How often do you candle? Is it harmful for the embryos?

 

[FortCluck]

Donald duck! too funny!

My friend named it that it's her egg she brought here. We are going to keep the duck for a bit until it can be released on her pond

 

[FortCluck]

Day 5---I candled eggs this morning! DH says he will set up tripod and good camera next time, but I used my point and shoot camera, and here's a blurry pic of a Spitzhauben egg.
View attachment 2097102
One white egg had no development at all, and I think it might be a leghorn egg, looking at the shape now that it's out. (The leghorn girls don't like the rooster.) The other white eggs are all like the above.
The Sebright eggs are quite a bit harder to see in, but at least 5 of 7 have veins and embryo showing. I'm not sure what I'm seeing in the other 2. I'll try to get pics in a couple of days.
How often do you candle? Is it harmful for the embryos?

I candle day 7, 14, 18... Then I wait till they hatch.

It's not harmful to candle. I've candied every other day before and nothing happened. I had happy and healthy chicks.

 

[ASteelman]

Well, I candled last night (I believe day 8, as I have my calendar reminder set for tomorrow as day 10). I roped my DH into watching, he had never seen eggs candled and was curious.

One definitive unfertilized, which I'll toss tonight. Zero progress.

The others, well, I think I just confused myself more. I referred back to the candling pictures in the reference files, but I'm not sure if what I saw was normal or if they might be quitters - and I didn't get any pictures, since I was trying to show DH.

Shall I candle again tomorrow night? What might I look for in a day 10 candle?

I like to wait to candle until day 11. At that point it's very clear who's developing and who isn't.

Signs of quitters could be a blood ring, or a still blob that floats loosely around the egg rather than attached to healthy veins.