May Hatch Thread--Fill up those bators n' broodies!

[18Peeps]

ya gotta luv it that's how it all starts ,,, one day your happy having a few hens for fresh eggs then a few more and then a roo or two one day your walking about in the feed store and spot a incubator and you think ,,, well I'll give it a try ... It works and along come a few more and more and more and wella you have no place to keep them so you build a few more pens problem solved so know that you have the new housing and success with the bator you buy some eggs of that breed you always just had to have but could never find at chick days at the feed store so you order eggs and a way you go and go and go ohhhh now you need more pens and more and more ..... Well that's how it happened to me any way lol I don't think my story is a whole lot different than many here ,,,,, hooked chicken math gotta love it !

Sound like a slippery slope!!

 

[18Peeps]

With still air, bottom of egg is to be 99 and top 101, I was running 97 at bottom and 99 at top. These chicks are so fragile, I doubt they were able to develop properly. I will hang in, but dont have much hope

They could at that temp right? But they'd just be later...from what I read in the 4H manuel anything under 96 would develop with deformities and so forth...so maybe. Hope they are okay in there!

 

[melina90]

Mel those look just like my shipped Tolbunt eggs! Day 21 was at 11pm last night, no pips, no movement, nothing. I feel your pain. I am giving them a couple more days. Last hatch I got 1 out of 9.

Sounds bad. I can imagine they easily die when it's time for pipping, since those aircells must be hard to pip into... Hoping you get some chicks, keep us posted!

 

[jnjmanning]

I finally got the temp up and holding. Seemed like it took forever. I candled one quickly and I still have chick movement and undissolved yolk in the bottom of the egg. So I assume there is still hope!
Now the next issue. My next batch of Tolbunts (6) are due to go into lockdown tomorrow in the bator that these eggs are in UGGGGGH.
Wonder if I can just pop them in real quick and give a mist to keep humidity up???
Opinions???

 

[18Peeps]

Just wanted to show you guys the worst aircells on my shipped hedemora eggs due in 5 days. I'm moving the whole incubator into the dark room and candling without handling the eggs, because these aircells are BAD...



No.4: Seriously. This looks like a freakin continent on a map.


For reference, here's an egg from my own flock that was both laid and set the same day:



So... Wanna place bets on how many surviving chicks I get from these?

Needless to say, my expectations are low - but my hopes are high!

Wow! Those are some wonky air cells, but I have faith in your ability to save them because I've seen your assisted hatch videos

.

 

[jnjmanning]

PLUS everyone needs to read this
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-truth-about-insuring-hatching-eggs

 

[18Peeps]

I finally got the temp up and holding. Seemed like it took forever. I candled one quickly and I still have chick movement and undissolved yolk in the bottom of the egg. So I assume there is still hope!
Now the next issue. My next batch of Tolbunts (6) are due to go into lockdown tomorrow in the bator that these eggs are in UGGGGGH.
Wonder if I can just pop them in real quick and give a mist to keep humidity up???
Opinions???

I would think so because if you temp was low, you might not be in real "lockdown" yet...until you get an internal pip, you don't need high humidity...but again, I'm new to hatching, so what do the seasoned hatchers say? I'd go with their opinions over mine. I'm crossing my fingers that your hatch will be okay.

Oh wait, the tolbunts didn't have trouble...I would think you could put a wet paper towel in there or spray to keep the humidity up no problemo.

 

[chickydee64]

Never again will I hatch and put in so many egg cartons...................I have 7 6 egg cartons in there
It left no room for chicks................some have become trapped between the cartons.............................
What could I have been thinking...or not thinking..........................
I have kind of lost count..7 out,about the same in pips...1.zip
Cannot get the temp over 95.wonder if my heating element is giving up.
My head hurts and I am stressed....................
After the hatch is over........I CALL IT FUN...........................................

 

[jnjmanning]

Never again will I hatch and put in so many egg cartons...................I have 7 6 egg cartons in there
It left no room for chicks................some have become trapped between the cartons.............................
What could I have been thinking...or not thinking..........................
I have kind of lost count..7 out,about the same in pips...1.zip
Cannot get the temp over 95.wonder if my heating element is giving up.
My head hurts and I am stressed....................
After the hatch is over........I CALL IT FUN...........................................

Sorry you are stressed, So am I, maybe in a day or so something will start hatching here!

 

[jnjmanning]

I would think so because if you temp was low, you might not be in real "lockdown" yet...until you get an internal pip, you don't need high humidity...but again, I'm new to hatching, so what do the seasoned hatchers say? I'd go with their opinions over mine. I'm crossing my fingers that your hatch will be okay.

Oh wait, the tolbunts didn't have trouble...I would think you could put a wet paper towel in there or spray to keep the humidity up no problemo.

This batch in now are Tolbunts 10 of them, and then I have 6 more to go in tomorrow! The air cells on them are awesome, so hopefully they will be fine!