Official Christmas Hatch! c'mon and join

[guinea fowl galore]

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I am puting the container inside the incubator. but I have a still air incubator so I am a bit worried how the temperature will stay the same in the incubator.

I am getting sooooooooooo excited. 2 days to lockdown

You might try one of the tiny storage crate boxes that look like miniature file crates. You could line just the bottom with paper towels and that way you'd maintain humidity throughout the incubator. I've seen the tiny organizer crates at the dollar store and at wal-mart. I bet drug stores carry them too.

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for them.

 

[guinea fowl galore]

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Thank-you.
I think the are going to hatch early cause they are filling up nearly the whole egg already.

Are there any problems that are involved in the chicks hatching early?

 

[Poco Pollo]

A little early sometimes means your temperature was higher than normal. A little later can mean your temp was too low for all or part of the hatch. Right at 21 days is best, but some are just slower developing. Too much heat or too little heat causes deformities and embryo deaths. The more hatches you set the better feel you'll have for how the hatch is going. I'm most successful when I open the bator every four days to add water, and that's it. I candle at 10 days and right before lock down, unless there's a stinker in the bunch.

 

[guinea fowl galore]

I am hand turning the eggs so I have to open the bator about three times a day.
I am also using the dry incubating method but it's always above 50% ( it's really humid here ).
I just hope they hatch cause as well as me being excited about them and everything, some of them are for my cousins and I think I might have to buy some if these don't hatch and I would rather hatching them myself, It would just feel beter, and if only a few hatched then they would get them and I wouldn't have any fuzzy buts of my own

 

[Poco Pollo]

My sister is in California (arid temps there) and uses a homemade incubator. She hand turns every hatch. She usually has good results. I'm thinking happy hatching thoughts for you.

 

[sangel4you]

So since I'm not set in my ways, I have a question. I candeled day 5 and that was when I found all 15 eggs had veining. I candeled the front few on day 7 and 1 in the row behind them today. Day 7 the ones I candeled had eye spots and good movement and the one I did today had a visible body and good movement. I was going to candle them all today but don't like to keeping opening the bator and losing heat. I was going to candle again on day 18am when I take the turner out and put them in for lockdown. Nothing smells, should I be concerned enough to candle the rest or will they be ok from day 5 until day 18? I guess I'm asking, should I candle again or not before the day of lockdown?

It's not that I'm not anxious too I just hate losing the heat and the last few days of not opening the bator at all, i noticed my temp has been much more stable right at 100. Thanks in advance for the input.

 

[Poco Pollo]

A broody hen will get up to eat and do her business, so the eggs would be uncovered for that time each day. I have friends who candle every few days, but I'm not sure why. I candle so that I know what can be removed to make room for other eggs. I candle if I smell a stinker (and sniff the eggs then too). I try to keep my incubator closed unless I need to adjust the humidity. Watch your temperature at lock down. Developing birds generate heat, so the temp in your bator may go up in the last few days. Candling late in the hatch won't show you much. The eggs will be filled with the developing chick. It'll be a dark mass.

 

[sangel4you]

well tmrw is day 12 so maybe I'll just quickly candle then... I this I have got it that I can just point the flashlight down over them in the turned and not have to move them unless there's a stubborn one. And then I might not bother to candle before lockdown if things look good tmrw and nothing smells. I am nervous about keeping my humidity up anyway then since I'm having trouble keeping it above 35 now so I am not going to want to risk anything those last few days. Where do you rec the humidity be for lockdown in a still air? They've been basically between 35-45 the majority of the hatch so far and doing good. I think they may be a bit late hatching bc temps have only been 100 still air but I'm ok with that as long as they hatch!!!
Thanks Poco!

 

[kathyinmo]

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King

Yea, you're right .... K is a hard one!

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Hey, I like the name, "Lumpy!" Yea, that's a good one!

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I do like the Bible names, and of course, they ARE Christmas related!
Lucy
Linus (cartoon Christmas Lucy and Linus?)

 

[LaSombra]

I went out there this morning to let everyone out and Gilly was not on the nest... again. Anyway, I checked the eggs and they weren't warm. I put them in my bra to keep them warm and when I went back out later, found her on the nest again and slipped them back under. I hope they're ok!