October 2016 Hatch-A-Long!!

[Cerise1924]

Air cell, which is almost always on the large end, should be up, unless you are laying eggs on their sides to incubate. Also: If an air cell is detached (you will see it moving around when candling), leaving the egg large end up instead of laying the egg on its side may help it to reattach and increase viability of a fertile egg.

 

[Cerise1924]

Oh yes, considering that the automatic egg turner has 41 egg slots in it.

Oh, my! It seems that you are falling under the influence of Chicken Math! Beware!! http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/05/chicken-math.html

 

[BlueBaby]

Oh, my! It seems that you are falling under the influence of Chicken Math! Beware!! http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/05/chicken-math.html

I have to save some eggs for breakfast, don't I?

I currently have only 5 hens that are laying. I'm still waiting on 5 more pullets to start kicking in.

 

[generaldsherman]

I haven't even set eggs or anything yet but I thought I would let ya all know I am in! I was in the September hatch for myself, I had 39 eggs go in, 25 into lock down 16 pipped total 2 of those pipped and died and I had 2 die in the incubator because they were weak and had 1 die in the brooder. So I have 11 chicks... I think my humidity was a little to high, I was concerned about the air cells after candeling on day 15 and I dropped the humidity but they were still small at lockdown.... I have ANOTHER (4 of them now) thermometer and 3 hygrometers but I will pay much more attention to air cell size this time.... ANYWAYS I decided to offer high schools biology/anatomy/life science teacher a new experience, he had said he had always thought about hatching eggs but as most of us know buying an incubator plus buying hatching eggs can be pricey, and being a small school there isn't much money to go around, so I offered him the experience for free We will set the eggs on October 5th for a hatch on October 26 in the middle of the week that way even if we hatch a day early or late we can still see all the action! I am supper excited to share this with lots of people at the school, and I'm sure it will be the talk of the school come hatch week! If you have any tips on incubation in a school setting be sure to let me know as any advice will be appreciated!

I am seriously tempted to take my incubator into my classroom for hatching, but I've already started at home.

Got 10 guinea eggs veining on day 7, with 1 clear and 4 maybes. Also just got an order of eggs from Papas poultry, crested cream legbar, chocolate Orpington, and silkies. Super excited!!!!

 

[darkbluespace]

Oh, my!  It seems that you are falling under the influence of Chicken Math! Beware!! http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/05/chicken-math.html  

The funniest thing about that article is that when you get to the end, there are ads for incubators!

 

[BlueBaby]

I candled the eggs again tonight and I definitely see those spider vein looking things in 4 of them. Those were of the 12 that I put in the incubator the other day. I added 9 more eggs in there this afternoon, so I have to wait a few more days before trying to candle them. I guess this proves that my Splash Australorp boy is fertile now. Nice Blue Baby Australorps on the way!

 

[darkbluespace]

I candled the eggs again tonight and I definitely see those spider vein looking things in 4 of them. Those were of the 12 that I put in the incubator the other day. I added 9 more eggs in there this afternoon, so I have to wait a few more days before trying to candle them. I guess this proves that my Splash Australorp boy is fertile now. Nice Blue Baby Australorps on the way!

That is awesome news!! e

 

[darkbluespace]

I candled my most recently set batch of Silkie eggs yesterday and apparently one hen is laying infertile eggs. They are big eggs too. Not sure who, for the moment I have a hodge podge of colors in there! I took out 7 clears... Down to 14 eggs.

I also realized I have a batch of a dozen that is on day 17 today... So babies are close!

 

[Mylied]

I candled my most recently set batch of Silkie eggs yesterday and apparently one hen is laying infertile eggs. They are big eggs too. Not sure who, for the moment I have a hodge podge of colors in there! I took out 7 clears... Down to 14 eggs.

I also realized I have a batch of a dozen that is on day 17 today... So babies are close!

Do silkies lay different colors? Mine haven't started laying yet. I can't wait until they make some babies. Silkies are the cutest.

Awesome that you only have a few days left on some! Time is going sooo slow for me. Only on day 9.

 

[darkbluespace]

Do silkies lay different colors? Mine haven't started laying yet. I can't wait until they make some babies. Silkies are the cutest.

Awesome that you only have a few days left on some! Time is going sooo slow for me. Only on day 9.

Am I remembering correctly that some of your silkies are white? If so, white is like a switch that covers up other colors so you can get lots of different colors from white silkies.

I just happen to have a handful of girls laying and they are lavender, paint, blue and Isabel I think(lavender and buff) and a variety of Roos so a number of colors are possible. When my younger birds start mating I will separate into paint and lavender and cuckoo pens but right now it is pretty mixed up! I don't know what to do with my blue girl... She doesn't seem to fit in anywhere. I am tempted to get a splash rooster for her but I have to stop myself from trying to get every color of Silkie!