Oregon Spring Poultry Swap April 23, 2011 in Canby!!!

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Of course you are welcome from washington!

Congrats on the chicks Laura! 42 isn't so bad for shipped eggs. You just got real lucky the first batch! Think of it this way, you've found the answer to the universe.

For air sack method, just keep an eye on how fast it is growing and add or reduce surface area accordingly. There is a diagram showing aproximate air cell size per day somewhere... at work atm... If you have a scale, just make sure the egg is on track to lose 10% of it's initial weight between day 1 and day 18.
 
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Can't wait for pics! How many did you have hatch?

Sorry about your bummer hatch rate. I would like to follow the air sac size too, it seems like a much more accurate way to figure out humidity. I'm keeping my humidity down really low for the first 18 days and that seems to work ok but I think it could be much better.

Yep, that is what I did because everyone was saying keep it low during incubation and hatch for the Seramas etc etc. Well, all 12 dead Serama babies were basically shrunk wrapped in their shells, half formed. I am just going to stay away from the incubating and hatching thread here lol and do my own thing. Besides the fact I paid a lot of money for these eggs, all those dead babies
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And I will get photos later tonight of the babies. They are still finding their footing. I have 2 Show Girls and 2 Silkies that were supposed to be Show Girls lol. I have 3 Maran crosses, 2 black and white and one blue. I got one Sizzle Leghorn and 7 Seramas. I have one of my mutts under a broody and 2 in the incubator fighting to live. Out of 54 eggs (36 went into lockdown), 15 babies
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I second what silkiechicken said - come on down!
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And thank you, I know it isn't bad but I feel awful. I think I need to sit down with you and do a crash course this summer on incubating that way. I really liked it your incubator with no gauges lol. You said keep it full, keep it closed
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Can't wait for pics! How many did you have hatch?

Sorry about your bummer hatch rate. I would like to follow the air sac size too, it seems like a much more accurate way to figure out humidity. I'm keeping my humidity down really low for the first 18 days and that seems to work ok but I think it could be much better.

Yep, that is what I did because everyone was saying keep it low during incubation and hatch for the Seramas etc etc. Well, all 12 dead Serama babies were basically shrunk wrapped in their shells, half formed. I am just going to stay away from the incubating and hatching thread here lol and do my own thing. Besides the fact I paid a lot of money for these eggs, all those dead babies
hit.gif


And I will get photos later tonight of the babies. They are still finding their footing. I have 2 Show Girls and 2 Silkies that were supposed to be Show Girls lol. I have 3 Maran crosses, 2 black and white and one blue. I got one Sizzle Leghorn and 7 Seramas. I have one of my mutts under a broody and 2 in the incubator fighting to live. Out of 54 eggs (36 went into lockdown), 15 babies
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Were you doing low humidity for the whole 21 days or just the first 18?
 
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Yep, that is what I did because everyone was saying keep it low during incubation and hatch for the Seramas etc etc. Well, all 12 dead Serama babies were basically shrunk wrapped in their shells, half formed. I am just going to stay away from the incubating and hatching thread here lol and do my own thing. Besides the fact I paid a lot of money for these eggs, all those dead babies
hit.gif


And I will get photos later tonight of the babies. They are still finding their footing. I have 2 Show Girls and 2 Silkies that were supposed to be Show Girls lol. I have 3 Maran crosses, 2 black and white and one blue. I got one Sizzle Leghorn and 7 Seramas. I have one of my mutts under a broody and 2 in the incubator fighting to live. Out of 54 eggs (36 went into lockdown), 15 babies
hit.gif


Were you doing low humidity for the whole 21 days or just the first 18?

It ran about 40% for 1-18 and then 65%-70% for the last days. I was supposed to keep it between 60 and 65% (per the advice) but with an LG that is impossible to control with much luck. I think all of it was just too low in general and I will never listen to advice again
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That is about what I do. I couldn't bear to do an eggtopsy this last hatch to see what went wrong with the 11 that didn't hatch. I've definitely seen the half formed shrink wrapped ones in the past. Hatching my own eggs always seems to go really well, even when some shipped ones in the same batch go wrong. Sorry again about the bad hatch. I've gotten as low as 5% on shipped eggs before.
 
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Yikes! I will stop complaining now...
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And thanks, it happens and comes with the territory, it's just really hard the day it all happens! The upside, I have 15 more fuzzy butts than I had before lol
 
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Yikes! I will stop complaining now...
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And thanks, it happens and comes with the territory, it's just really hard the day it all happens! The upside, I have 15 more fuzzy butts than I had before lol

Laura, if you want to borrow my most wonderful Roll-X for your next batch of expensive eggs you may. It keeps perfect 99.5 and the humidity you target. It also rolls the eggs 1/2 way each hour...or not if you want it off. I do just what you did with the humidity 35% until day 18 and up it to 60%, depending on which chambers I keep full. I have not hatched seramas so I actually don't know if it would be any better. You know what they say about seramas...so delicate to hatch. And I think it holds like 70 eggs!!!!! Just think of all the potential fuzzies!
 
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Yikes! I will stop complaining now...
smile.png
And thanks, it happens and comes with the territory, it's just really hard the day it all happens! The upside, I have 15 more fuzzy butts than I had before lol

Laura, if you want to borrow my most wonderful Roll-X for your next batch of expensive eggs you may. It keeps perfect 99.5 and the humidity you target. It also rolls the eggs 1/2 way each hour...or not if you want it off. I do just what you did with the humidity 35% until day 18 and up it to 60%, depending on which chambers I keep full. But you know what they say about seramas...so delicate to hatch. And I think it's take like 70 eggs!!!!! Just think of all the potential fuzzies!

Thank you
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I just might take you up on that! I was about ready to sell my Brinsea to the highest bidder today and throw the LG in the trash lol. I know it is mostly user error but it's so frustrating and I'm just so sad this afternoon. I had such high hopes for this last batch of eggs. Now I have to rethink all my available Seramas since I do not have as many as I thought I would. I will definitely not have as many available for the swap as I had hoped but I do have lots of other fuzzies
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I'm trying to let them cheer me up with their cute little chirpings.
 
Laura... remember now... you have fertile eggs among your girls at home. Just make more with those! LOL

With seramas being such tiny eggs... not ever have hatched them before, I would probably just keep an eye on the air cell and not do anything different with them either. If anything, I'd make sure the humidity was always high with a full tray of water due to larger surface to volume ratio.

I'd set your bators full of your own non shipped eggs and use that as the baseline of hatch ratios.

As for crash course in hatching... uh... it's a pretty short course. LOL Set eggs, turn before work, after work, before bed.. if you remember, then keep water tray full. After 18 or so days, spend quality time with other house pets and come back on day 22 to collect hatchlings.
 

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