Our First Broody and Incubator Hatch: a Diary

[aart]

The 'bator was at 48% humidity and 100* this morning. I did have to add a bit of water last night before I fell asleep though. I'm going to get a medicine syringe and some tubing this morning so I can add water without opening the lid.

Keep in mind it's the overall average humidity over the first 18 days,
so if it goes high or low for a day it won't be the end of the world.
Marking your air cells when candling can help you determine whether your target humidity is appropriate.

 

[igorsMistress]

Igors - Eva is doing fine so far. Still sitting and very dedicated to it. We candled the eggs a few days ago and out of 8 - 6 are definitely developing, 1 was not fertile (discarded that one) and 1 is questionable so just leaving that one in there just in case. Eva came out yesterday and pooped, ate and drank a little then went right back in to sit. Her comb is almost white - I guess that is just from this broody process on her body. Hatch day is July 31st! The eggs are 5 Easter Eggers and 2 Barred Rock - (one of the barred rock could possibly be a RIR) the guy we got the eggs from was not sure on that one eggs. Gonna candle again tonight then not bother them anymore until hatch. Good Luck on your hatch- very exciting.

I noticed Ruby's comb is pale too. I'm sure it's the stress of not eating/drinking much. Eva is in the home stretch please share pics!

I love my little EE, she's a sweetheart. I'm going with Turken mixes for the future due to the heat.

Good luck to you and Eva

 

[igorsMistress]

Keep in mind it's the overall average humidity over the first 18 days,
so if it goes high or low for a day it won't be the end of the world.
Marking your air cells when candling can help you determine whether your target humidity is appropriate.
View attachment 1478472

I did mark them yesterday before I put in the incubator. Not day 7 so will have to do a best guess but the 2 brown eggs are the only ones I could see into and they look about right.

 

[igorsMistress]

Here's my contraption for adding water. I can't take credit for this idea unfortunately. I read about how someone on BYC did a mod on a friends incubator with something similar. Rather than drill a hole in the lid for the tube, I can use the vents on the top then close them again.

 

[Onslow's Hens]

I noticed Ruby's comb is pale too. I'm sure it's the stress of not eating/drinking much. Eva is in the home stretch please share pics!

I love my little EE, she's a sweetheart. I'm going with Turken mixes for the future due to the heat.

Good luck to you and Eva

I have 3 EE and they are great. I am really excited to start breeding my own chicks. I have 2 - 12 week old Speckled Sussex Roos and 3 SS hens that I want to start getting chicks from. This breed seems to do really great in my climate. I also have Australorps that I would like to cross with the SS Rooster and see what I get. The Austra's are my best layers - egg machines! I also have 2 Welsumers that I just got a few months ago and they are turning out to be really great hens as well. Laying everyday and very hardy. Maybe a cross with the SS rooster as well to see what I get. This batch that is "in the oven" now are not my eggs. Kind of a practice run since Eva all of a sudden decided to go broody (before my Roos are up and running). That is how I got more EE and BR eggs, that is all I could find on short notice. Not sure I will be keeping these chicks since they are not from my Rooster and I have someone who would love to have them once they are a couple of weeks old and able to be on their own. He set a bunch of eggs in his incubator and something went wrong and they did not hatch out right and died. I may pass these onto him and then when Eva wants to be a mommy again, use my Roosters eggs. Will be hard to let them go but really want to hatch out my own.

 

[Onslow's Hens]

About the candling, I have never done it before either but I candled mine on day 9 with a really super bright headlamp. I used my fingers to cup around the end of the light and set the egg on my fingers, trying to seal up any gaps where light could escape. It worked really well. The brown eggs were the easiest to see - very definate veins and dark dot floating in center. The blue EE eggs were a little harder to see but since the light was so bright, it worked pretty good. I could definately see veins and a dark spot. I just waited until night time, went out to coop, opened up egg collection door and reached under her and took out one at a time to candle. Didn't need a dark room. The one that was not fertile was obvious. Just looked like a water balloon when eluminated, no veins. The one I was not sure about had some veins but no dark spot that I could see. I had no idea what to expect or how to "read" the eggs but once you see a definate fertile developing egg, it is easy to tell a non fertile egg.

 

[BlueBaby]

Yesterday someone must have been in Ruby's nest when she went back from a break. I had to move her eggs to the nest she's in now

Considering it was 100* and I'd seen her out about an hour earlier, I'm not too concerned they got too hot/cold in that short time. When I see her out I keep checking to see that she eats and drinks.

This morning the coop was 82* so the fan helps cool it down quite a bit over night. At least there's some relief for everyone.

The 'bator was at 48% humidity and 100* this morning. I did have to add a bit of water last night before I fell asleep though. I'm going to get a medicine syringe and some tubing this morning so I can add water without opening the lid.

You could also use one of them long straws. Put the straw in a glass of water, and hold your finger over the top end of it to get the amount of water that you want, then put straw in the hole, releasing your finger when it's in there where you want it at.

 

[igorsMistress]

I went out to put ice in the waders and Ruby was out having some well deserved time relishing in the cool water. I'd put a 10 lb bag of ice out there a while ago and just took it out of the bag and everyone is walking around in it picking at it.

Not so good is that the coop is 115* and the eggs are on the warm side. I'm leaving them in there and letting her do her thing though.

The incubator is holding steady without any attention. It's here in my work office with me so I can hear the turner running and watch the eggs turn. It's kinda like waiting for water to boil.

 

[aart]

It's kinda like waiting for water to boil.

10 gallons of water......over a very small candle.

 

[igorsMistress]

10 gallons of water......over a very small candle.

perfect analogy!