May 2022 hatch along

[OzarkCountryGirl]

Thunderstorms off and on all evening and the power went out for over an hour, dropping the temp in the incubator down to 78.2°F despite covering with a blanket. It's been over two hours since the power has came back on and even with bumping it up a couple of times, it's just now getting to 99°F. I'm pulling night duty to make sure it doesn't steadily climb over the course of the night and cook them. Of course these have to be the eggs I paid over $100 for. It's going to be a long night...

 

[kurby22]

Thunderstorms off and on all evening and the power went out for over an hour, dropping the temp in the incubator down to 78.2°F despite covering with a blanket. It's been over two hours since the power has came back on and even with bumping it up a couple of times, it's just now getting to 99°F. I'm pulling night duty to make sure it doesn't steadily climb over the course of the night and cook them. Of course these have to be the eggs I paid over $100 for. It's going to be a long night...

Ahh that’s terrible! It’s good you know that it can climb back too high if you aren’t careful! I didn’t know that and checked them after an hour or so and it had gotten up to 101

$100? Man, I thought I was bad spending $60 for 6 eggs What are you hatching? They sound like interesting eggs! I would totally pay that much for the right chickens or other birds. Someday I want a white peacock and an aviary I can have fancy quails

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

Ahh that’s terrible! It’s good you know that it can climb back too high if you aren’t careful! I didn’t know that and checked them after an hour or so and it had gotten up to 101

$100? Man, I thought I was bad spending $60 for 6 eggs What are you hatching? They sound like interesting eggs! I would totally pay that much for the right chickens or other birds. Someday I want a white peacock and an aviary I can have fancy quails

Exhibition (hopefully) Silkies and Seramas. And I've Black and Lavender Orpington eggs arriving tomorrow... again, out of exhibition birds, so there's another benjamin plus. And I've got several colours of fancy quail, a few of which are celadon egg layers, and they are all laying like crazy. Funny thing is my birds are pretty much just for personal egg production and lovely yard ornaments. I don't show (although I used to years ago), but I feel that if you're going to raise animals, raise and breed for the best quality you can afford. When I was growing up my grandfather always used to tell me it costs just as much to raise and feed a mutt as it does a champion, and I tend to live by that. White peafowl are gorgeous and I would love to get some one day, but I'm going to need a bit more land first.

 

[kurby22]

Exhibition (hopefully) Silkies and Seramas. And I've Black and Lavender Orpington eggs arriving tomorrow... again, out of exhibition birds, so there's another benjamin plus. And I've got several colours of fancy quail, a few of which are celadon egg layers, and they are all laying like crazy. Funny thing is my birds are pretty much just for personal egg production and lovely yard ornaments. I don't show (although I used to years ago), but I feel that if you're going to raise animals, raise and breed for the best quality you can afford. When I was growing up my grandfather always used to tell me it costs just as much to raise and feed a mutt as it does a champion, and I tend to live by that. White peafowl are gorgeous and I would love to get some one day, but I'm going to need a bit more land first.

Yeah me too! I live in suburbia CA too…so gotta get further into the country to have more things I too have pretty quail and celadon layers and love them!

I am the same way about my birds (well, anything actually). I like having the quality ones because I like looking at them when they’re my pets. I don’t just get them for eggs, they’re for my enjoyment and therapy and I like appreciating the true qualities of each breed when they’ve been worked on so hard by breeders. My husband is a bit confused by it, but has finally decided it’s a hobby/passion that isn’t terrible and lets me do my thing now. I got a bunch of eggs in time for the EHAL and if I total those eggs and the shipping costs, I was over $100. I got 6 very adorable babies from 24 eggs…and the buff Brahma baby i got is the only one that hatched from a show quality breeder of bantam Brahmas. She alone cost about $60, since the other 5 died.

Good luck with your hatch! Silkies and Orpingtons are great birds

 

[Dinoroar]

They are pretty cute! I am excited to see them all fluffed out and dry.

I just hate it when they get all the way to hatch day and then die. It's so much easier to handle when they quit before they look like a full blown baby chick. Oh well, ODs are rare for a reason! I am going to be able to sell them for $20/chick so at least they will make up a little bit for the loss. I usually don't get more than $10/chick for my usual chickens! My next batch will be at a lower lockdown humidity, and hopefully more make it to hatch day!

The ones that make it almost to the end always get me too. $20 a chick is really good. I hope lowering humidity helps with your future hatches. I’ve struggled with low hatch rate with my seramas and read they like really High humidity. They originated in pretty much opposite climate from Ods so maybe there’s something to it.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I was just wondering. I’ve always heard people say that the hen can adjust the humidity under her when hatching eggs but I’ve never heard an explanation of how that would work. They don’t sweat and I’m assuming they can lower it somehow considering the wild chicken populations in Hawaii and south Florida which are extremely humid year round. I guess that’s the long way of asking if anyone knows how it works.

 

[Dinoroar]

. I guess that’s the long way of asking if anyone knows how it works.

I would think chicken mothers poses a lot of automatic system adjustments to meet the needs of their eggs & hatchlings, but I haven’t seen any discussion of how they regulate humidity in a clutch. Seems like ventilation and temperature adjustments would be involved somehow.

My hatch is all finished and all 14 eggs that made it to lockdown hatched which is a shock to me since there were several severely saddled eggs! One was late and is still drying off but I think it will be ok.

So I have 7 buckeyes and 7 supposed lavender Ameraucanas… however I ‘suspect’ one of them may be something else….

Buckeye bebes

Lavender Ameraucanas

mystery man.

 

[DavidReaves]

First hatch is early! It pipped and zipped in about 90 minutes.

 

[Iluveggers]

First hatch is early! It pipped and zipped in about 90 minutes.

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Congratulations @DavidReaves How exciting! What breed is she? (I can’t remember if you said). Was it day 19 or 20 for you?

 

[DavidReaves]

Thanks! There are two more that have externally pipped (ever so slightly) but this one was extraordinarily energetic. Still full of energy as it staggers around the incubator getting dry and stronger. So far, no rest breaks.

They are potentially Rhode Island Red (heritage) or RIR x Cream Legbar cross. I have 5 blue eggs that will be Cream Legbar or CL x RIR cross. The hens were all exposed to two different roosters, so there's a chance of either pure or cross.

This was actually the tail end of day 19. Day 20 doesn't start until tonight, with Friday night being the start of day 21.