October 2021 Hatch-A-Long

[Lizzy733]

Another broody join for October! ..due to hatch 17th. I have 12 eggs under Puff but I know half probably aren't fertile so I'll check in a few days.
Smokey is in the far corner and hers should hatch in about a week from now.
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Banty eggs? My Silkie could only just fit 7 full size.

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Hi y’all I thought I’d join this where other cheeps are as excited as I am about hatching! I have 22 marans (black copper, blue, wheaten, blue wheaten) and 22 Ameraucana on day 8! Last night I candled and I’m by no means an expert. 2 of the ameraucana were yolkers but the rest were viable! The marans were much harder to tell. I saw a few big eyes moving around or a pulsating but some I couldn’t hardly see anything except the air sac. Fingers crossed! I’m thinking about my next hatch being a dry hatch? Humidity has been a struggle.

I thought I was going to go dry this time, but the heat in the incubator was plunging the humidity in there, while the room is like 60% or more.

I've settled with using the reservoir, but first weight check is tomorrow, so will see if they're losing enough/too much etc and adjust accordingly. Some of the air sacks looked a little big when I candler yesterday, so we'll see.

 

[WooingWyandotte]

Banty eggs? My Silkie could only just fit 7 full size.

I thought I was going to go dry this time, but the heat in the incubator was plunging the humidity in there, while the room is like 60% or more.

I've settled with using the reservoir, but first weight check is tomorrow, so will see if they're losing enough/too much etc and adjust accordingly. Some of the air sacks looked a little big when I candler yesterday, so we'll see.

How do you check the egg weight? like with a gram scale?

 

[LadiesAndJane]

How do you check the egg weight? like with a gram scale?

I use a small kitchen scale that weighs in grams and ounces.

 

[WooingWyandotte]

I use a small kitchen scale that weighs in grams and ounces.

I'll have to do that next time! I thought it would be too difficult but i guess some math would be involved but doable?

 

[Lizzy733]

Yup, kitchen scale with a 'tare' function to exclude the egg crate's weight. Weigh before setting and the should lose around 4% every 6 days - which is the start weight x.04. looking to be around -2g per weigh in for me.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Banty eggs? My Silkie could only just fit 7 full size.

I thought I was going to go dry this time, but the heat in the incubator was plunging the humidity in there, while the room is like 60% or more.

I've settled with using the reservoir, but first weight check is tomorrow, so will see if they're losing enough/too much etc and adjust accordingly. Some of the air sacks looked a little big when I candler yesterday, so we'll see.

I think mine are standard size some hens are smaller then others though so I wouldn't give them more then 8. Puff is bigger and I will be removing probably half of the eggs anyway as most probably aren't fertile... She hasn't got any eggs sticking out so she seems fine with 12.

 

[WooingWyandotte]

Yup, kitchen scale with a 'tare' function to exclude the egg crate's weight. Weigh before setting and the should lose around 4% every 6 days - which is the start weight x.04. looking to be around -2g per weigh in for me.

Thank you so much for the info!!

 

[WooingWyandotte]

Great breeds!
I have been dry incubating for about two years and would never go back. I live in Hawaii so the ambient humidity here is high. The humidity usually runs between 35 and 45%, so I do not add any water until I see the first pip, or day 19, which ever comes first.

Thank you I can’t wait to see what fun breeding projects we do with these! Makes sense, and it seems so much easier than adding water so often literally 1/4 teaspoon at a time or it spikes to 60%. I am in the lower 48 in a sort of humid area so I’ll have to experiment in the spring time with what works.

 

[AusHen]

My first lot of eggs go into lockdown in a few days. The kids want to call one of the Araucana chicks Zombie if it hatches. There was the start of a blood ring at first early candle so I marked it as a quitter along with some others that looked clear or DIS but as always I left them just in case. Well at my next candle their was still a partial blood ring but a larger and active embryo in that egg (other marked was clear and DIS). The chick has made it almost to lockdown but I can still see where the partial blood ring was and noticed the veining never really wrapped around the egg like all the others, instead it has a empty space on one side. good thing I left it for a little longer otherwise it wouldn't have had a chance at all

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Candled an egg here at barely day 3 (DAY 2 and 3/4) and I can already see development in all but one of the 15 eggs I set on Saturday.

I added three more the next day so I didn’t check those yet, but this is the earliest I have seen development. Very reassuring and exciting sign!
Wasn’t planning to candle already but out of curiosity I checked one and then had to check the others as well!
Took a photo though it’s not real clear, you can see the beginnings of the “spider veins” up near the air cell.