Nursing Home hatch-a-long, set 4-14

[LoveNewChicks]

I know this is a old thread, but how do you check if the eggs are fertile?

 

[drlcb]

You can crack one open and look for the "bullseye" in the yolk. Or incubate for a week and candle to see if there is development. Obviously the first method is fatal for the chick.

 

[what did I do]

I know this is a old thread, but how do you check if the eggs are fertile?

sorry, I"ve been so so busy. try this page. It has all kinds of info including fertile eggs. Every time I cook with an egg I look for the "spot".


https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

 

[what did I do]

My duck eggs just went into lockdown this evening! 15 out of 16 that are in the 'bator seem to be alive and they're supposed to hatch on Wednesday evening

How did the duck hatch go. None of our ducks hatched. I think I want to hatch a batch of ducks - what am I thinking - at home where I can watch them.

 

[what did I do]

I hit the wrong button and lost everything. I went in on tuesday and the humidity was at 12. can't you believe that. There was a chick hatching and very stuck. I hatched the chick by pelling off the shell. but he still couldn't straighten out so I washed him in warm water and removed as much gunk as I could. Then I put him back into the bator. The chick lived.

We have two or three chicks with twisted toes and I don't understand why that is. What causes twisted toes? The one I hatched has twisted toes. None are all that bad but you can't show birds with twisted toes.

The hatch is over. We ended up with 12 chicks. I'm sure some or most died due to humidity problems. The others died from candling them.

The chicks will be there until further notice. They love the chicks. They are also being inspected at this time and the inspector loves the chicks. LOL

We took pictures yesterday with some of the residents, visitors and the 4-H group. It was a great picture.

They have asked me to do this again. I told them that I needed a different incubator, one with auto humidity and a good window so they don't have to open it to look into it. They want to help raise money to get a better bator.

More later, need to get lunch on.

 

[PoultryGirly]

How did the duck hatch go. None of our ducks hatched. I think I want to hatch a batch of ducks - what am I thinking - at home where I can watch them.

Nothing is really happening :/ I have one egg (that I know of) that is externally pipped and he's rocking away A few others MAY be moving but I'm not sure.

 

[what did I do]

Nothing is really happening :/ I have one egg (that I know of) that is externally pipped and he's rocking away A few others MAY be moving but I'm not sure.

Keep us posted if anything hatches

 

[PoultryGirly]

I have 2 ducklings that have hatched But I'm pretty sure the others are dead. Oh well...at least I have a couple!

 

[drlcb]

Congratulations on the two. I know ducks are a little harder to hatch than chickens. I'd give the others a couple days then do egg topsies to see what went wrong. Then try again! Of the folks that I've known to hatch ducks, their first time out was pretty disappointing. I think they require much more humidity.
I got another 60 bresse cooking in the incubator right now. I received the eggs a week a part (52 then 8) so ill be throwing another incubator together in the next week. My first time with staggered hatches...

 

[PoultryGirly]

Well I tried to hatch call ducks on this hatch (first duck hatch) and none of those hatched. The 2 that hatched were mixed breeds from my ducks. I LOVE them SO much. I'm going to probably order more call duck eggs soon and try to incubate them. Here are a few changes I want to make (maybe---if recommended):
1. Bump the temperature up from 97-99 to 101* (still air)
2. Use my egg turner
3. Not candle every single day (I think maybe bacteria got into dome eggs?)
4. The humidity was 45% the whole time until lockdown. Is this okay?
5. What else?