No more turning!!

[justusnak]

Today is day 18....ohhhh its been a Looong 18 days!!

Now, the hardest part.....step away from the bator....only long enough to check temp and humidity, and peek in the window for pips! I noticed the humidity spiked today...from a comfortable 50% to just over 60%. Is this a bad thing?? It keeps going up...i just checked it, and over the last hour, it is up to almost 70% I havent changed anything....same old same old for the last 18 days. Oh I DO hope this hatch works....

 

[speckledhen]

Good luck with your hatch! If your humidity goes over 70, you could open one of the plugs briefly to let some out. Just watch that it isnt climbing higher. When they begin to hatch, that will spike up to 80%, I bet. Then you'll want both plugs out for ventilation anyway. This is the hard part-kind of "hurry up and wait" at Day 18. I have one special egg going on Day 16 tomorrow and a broody hen just got a few put under her tonight.

 

[justusnak]

Cynthia.....this is terrible! I didnt think I would be so nervous! Oh my!!

I wonder if I will be able to sleep now? HA! So from what I heard and read on here.....any day now...could be early..could be late.UGH!!

Thanks for the info on the plugs, I will definately be watching them closely!

Good luck with your "special" egg. May I ask why it is so special?

 

[speckledhen]

Long story here. I have a favorite hen, a Barred Plymouth Rock named Lexie. For months, many thought she was a rooster because the rules of Barred Rock sexing were all broken by her. She is full of personality, that one, but she's at the bottom of the pecking order(except for the 12 week old chicks). When I bought a Barred Rock rooster back in October and then put him with my Girls in November, he didn't pay any attention to Lexie. She flirted and fawned over him shamelessly! She's very small for a standard Barred Rock, but her coloring is very pretty. I only have two grown Barred Rock girls, but her brooder mate, Ivy, has not-so-great barring and I really only wanted babies from Lexie. Just in the last couple of weeks, I started seeing fertile eggs, but only from Lexie, no other hens! Hawkeye isn't the pushy type of rooster and although he is a year old, he was never with any hens before mine, so it took him awhile to get it right. I wanted to give some to a friend to incubate to mix up her Barred Rock gene pool since she's given me many BR eggs to incubate from hers, but my rooster just slow in coming around. I decided to incubate one just to be absolutely sure it was fertile before collecting eggs for my friend and it was! SO, it is still in the bator and set to hatch next Sunday. And my friend, Kate, has five of the Lexie/Hawkeye eggs developing in hers as well. Just took us five months to get to this point, LOL!

 

[justusnak]

Oh how exciteing....I bet she has BEAUTIFULL babies! I cant waite to see them. I love the BR...but DH said NO MORE!! LOL I will give it a year or so. He does like our new Polish Roo....Ben...but I have YET to find Ben any women....small town...not into "pretty birds" Will have to broaden my horizon! Thanks for the story on the "special egg" Cant waite to see it hatched!

 

[zimmy]

XD Weren't you there when I was having my freak-out-attack on day 20? Yeah, it's nerve-wracking all right.

KEEP US POSTED OR EEELLLLSSSSEEEE un

 

[justusnak]

ok, today is day 19....not turning...not opening....not leaving the bator!!!

HATCH ALREADY WILL YA!!!

LOL, I know....patience is a virtue.....I will never get anything done around this house! Poor hubby.

 

[AccidentalFarm]

Keeping my fingers crossed for ya!

 

[akyramoto]

I'm on day 13. My hen seems to be doing well, tried to candle the eggs, my little mille fluer egg def looks like it's gonna be a winner. I couldn't see through the other ones - maybe I will try again tonite. Yellow Butt is only sitting on 6 eggs, I'm interested to see which ones hatch ( the eggs came from a couple different chickens). It's neat to see her dedication!! I can't wait for more chicks!!

 

[justusnak]

Ok, I just came back from peeping in the little window....what I want to know is this.....WHY in the world....would someone design an incubator to hold 100 eggs, and only put a window in it the size of an egg?? UGH!!

I cant see them all, and I CANT open it! Ohhhh dear....this is going to be a loooooong 3 or 4 days.

I think it will drag on longer than the first 18!

come on little ones...make some noise...let me know you are ok in there!! Oh...and HOW will I know they pip the air pocket?? Will I hear them over the TV, and the washing machine, dryer, 4 barking dogs. telephone???? Ohhhh the stress!! I LOVE IT!!