November 2016 Hatch-a-long!!

[Faraday40]

I have my eggs in the turners not big end is up can I leave them like this for the lock down or no????

Sorry error I have the big ends up

Some people leave the eggs upright in the turner (&/or egg carton with top removed & bottoms cut out). The idea is to keep the air cell (big end) up & to prevent hatching chicks from playing soccer with the unhatched eggs.
Pros: It does both. When I tried it, I did not notice an increased hatch rate (as some have claimed). Chicks were able to push up & out just fine. I was nervous about them scraping navels or injuring their legs/toes, but my chicks were all fine.
Cons: The turner needed to be thoroughly scrubbed for hatch debris & the chicks had little to no room to walk around. It may be more difficult for weak chicks to push out, but I have no evidence to support or deny this. (Just a thought).

 

[aliciaplus3]

So when you figure hatch rates do you count the infertile eggs?

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I love baby ducks! I am not fighting the urge to get them though, just fighting resistance! I keep getting a very determined and resounding "NO". Lol I will wear him down though!

You'll get through to him! My hubby said no ducks very sternly for 2 years, then one day, I brought home a duckling to keep an young injured pullet company. It wasn't long before he said that we needed another duck to keep the one company. I brought home two more lol. Now, he's constantly just outside, watching the ducks. He told me today that if we had stayed with ducks, we'd have probably never gotten chickens lol. He loves their personality!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I love baby ducks! I am not fighting the urge to get them though, just fighting resistance! I keep getting a very determined and resounding "NO". Lol I will wear him down though!

You'll get through to him! My hubby said no ducks very sternly for 2 years, then one day, I brought home a duckling to keep an young injured pullet company. It wasn't long before he said that we needed another duck to keep the one company. I brought home two more lol. Now, he's constantly just outside, watching the ducks. He told me today that if we had started with ducks, we'd have probably never gotten chickens lol. He loves their personality!

Cocoa, Ebony, and Cosmo

 

[NysiaAnera]

You'll get through to him! My hubby said no ducks very sternly for 2 years, then one day, I brought home a duckling to keep an young injured pullet company. It wasn't long before he said that we needed another duck to keep the one company. I brought home two more lol. Now, he's constantly just outside, watching the ducks. He told me today that if we had started with ducks, we'd have probably never gotten chickens lol. He loves their personality!

Cocoa, Ebony, and Cosmo

Duck math?? Lol! Awe, they are cute! I hope I can wear down his resistance by spring... We had ducks when I was in Jr. High and High School (Easter ducklings), and we just loved them! My brother and I built them a nice pond (yep, dug it with shovels, lined it and everything!), and he taught them to jump up and get treats. They were like dogs! I miss having them.

 

[NysiaAnera]

Looks like the temperature is about to drop and a winter storm is heading our way. I was getting ready to set up a brooder outside for these 5 chicks (maybe only 4, I might just return this one yellow one to its momma since it is doing so well... haven't decided yet) but now I am not sure. I want them to be raised with the flock, but temperatures are going to be in low teens on the F scale. I told Duke they may just end up as house pets! I sure hope all our mommas can handle babies with snow on the ground!

 

[dcba flock]

So when you figure hatch rates do you count the infertile eggs?

I usually do not count those or any egg that doesn't start at all if I have a quitter then yes I would count that. I don't hatch my own eggs so it's not something I'm necessarily doing if they don't start at all it PO handling or infertility neither of which can be brought up as an issue w/ the breeder or the PO w/ handling. I def keep track overall how many I set and what ends up in lockdown/hatching for future buying consideration. If I hatched from my own I would be more concerned if my eggs weren't fertilized

 

[HeritageHenNut]

No pips last night, woke up to this little guy

 

[Faraday40]

So when you figure hatch rates do you count the infertile eggs?

It depends on how you want to measure. I personally do not count infertile eggs, because there's no way an infertile egg would hatch no matter how well I do at incubating it. (However, if I get clear eggs from my own hens, then I know my roo needs some vent grooming.)

I count all the eggs that show veins on day 7 & compare that to the total number of peeping chicks after hatch.

 

[aliciaplus3]

Thank you for the input