Need Help From Experienced Golden Pheasant Hatcher/ Incubation Ques.

[ninejw]

I have 2 red golden pairs. They have been laying eggs since April. I have been incubating them in a little giant still air and have had bad luck. Most of the eggs are fertile (out of 24 eggs maybe 1 wasn't fertile) they make it until the week on incubation when I candle them and put them over into my hatching incubator. They are moving and developing in the shell and maybe 30-50% actually hatch. There are partial pips, dead in shells, and only 3 have managed to fully hatch. I don't think the moisture is the problem it is consistently 80% in the hatching incubator. I am trying this batch currently at the 22 days recommended incubation time for goldens. The first time I hatched them with some chicken eggs. (I had better luck with the chickens) We had some probs too with the hatching incubator surging temps the first time and I've since replaced it. I've now invested in a circulated air hovabator because the other ones are crappy. Anyway I am 2 days now past the hatching date (22 days) and there is no activity. I have another 2 doz goldens in the cir. air hovabator at 100 deg and don't want any complications. Is this 22 days absolute for goldens and where am I going wrong here? I believe I have my temperatures accurate also. I'm perplexed

Any advice would be greatly appreciated? Thanks in advance! Jen

 

[Tony K T]

Goldens take 24-25 days to hatch.How is your air vent?
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[chickenzoo]

In my Dickey incubator I keep the humidity at 62-67% all the way through to hatching. I've been hatching out all that I set................?

 

[ninejw]

While incubating til day 19 I leave one red vent plug out. Then I have both red vent plugs out in the hatcher the last 3 days. I was following little giants instructions. My eggs all have been hatching late if they do even hatch... Why does it say in almost all the literature that goldens take 22 days total? The few that have hatched for me have hatched late-like day 25. My relative humidity ranges between 46-54% thru day 20 and 77-88% through the 3 day hatch. The second group of 11 we hatched we took out longer to about the 22 day and we stopped turning-3 hatched and 2 died during hatch and the rest were dead in shell. I have all sponges in the incubator etc. to boost the humidity. I never knew his hatching was going to be so challenging! Tony, I've changed to a hovabator circulated air should I plan to use a 25 day incubation period at 100 deg. for the goldens in that? Thanks

 

[Tony K T]

In a circulated bator run your temp at 99.5.I leave my eggs right in the turner,and let them hatch in the turner.Myself I have better luck this way.My book says 22 days also,but I always thought it was 24 -25 days,don't know where I got it from.The humidity thing is tricky.I run mine around 65% from start to finish.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[ninejw]

Thanks Tony! I will try tweaking things a bit. I'm hoping that the circulated air will make a big difference. I few days ago I was reading another thread and was admiring these photos of your birds. I looked back again b/c I though I remembered that you posted it. What is the first bird in the pic line up? It's gorgeous...looks kinda like a peacock.... are they hard to raise and is that a male or female? I tried copying the link to your pic below hopefully it works..


www.backyardchickens.com/foru/uploads/thumbs/1376_tony_011.jpg


Jen

 

[ninejw]

Apparently it didnt work so I just went back and quoted it. It's the first pic in the line up.


Quote:

 

[Tony K T]

Yes that is a grey peacock male.I have a pair of breeders plus an extra male that I am looking for a hen.
I also have a hen palawan looking for male,and a male temminick tragopan looking for a hen.
Everything else is paired or trioed up:impeyan(2 pr),swinhoe(2 pr 1 pr for sale),eliot (trio),mikado,lewis silver,amherts(trio),brown eared,blue eared(trio) and black ringneck(quad).I also have diamond doves,cockatiels,lovebirds,scarlet crested grass parakeet and a blue and gold macaw.All but the macaw live outside in the warm months,but she does go out once in a while.She really doesn't like the outside.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[Barry]

About the Hova Bator circulated air unit: The temp is slightly more consistent than still air, but you will go crazy if you check the temp in several places! Also remember that the wafer switch is far above the eggs!
The trick is to figure out the average temp at the center of the egg. Pheasant eggs in chicken racks make the temperature measurement very difficult.

 

[ninejw]

Hi Tony
Well...you sound as obsessed with birds as I do! lol How are the Swinhoes to raise and you have a pair for sale? What part of NH are you located? I go up there quite a bit to the White mtn area. It's finally blooming out there now. What a long winter this year! Where do you get those gray peacocks? I googled for more pics and i love their feathers... do or will you have any eggs or chicks of the all other breeds you listed? omg... you have impeyans they are the same as himalayan monals right? I was looking for breeders online earlier but didn't know they went by a different name also. They are gorgeous! Do you have any eggs or chicks of those? I will keep an eye out down here for the birds that you need and let you know.

Barry- How on earth can I get the temp of the center of the egg? I have the thermometer resting on the tops of the eggs on the turner. Maybe that $200 fluke thermometer would work for that but it' too big of an investment for me!

Jen