pips and zip and LOTS of pics... Lockdown.......Hatch date 8/28

[TXmom]

Hopefully they are just late hatchers. I've seen some people write that theirs didn't hatch until day 23 or 24. At least wait until tomorrow before panicking...easier said than done! I'm worried about mine and they're not even due yet! I don't know how many times I've been out to the coop asking Sammie if she has any babies yet...LOL.

 

[cluck-addict]

checking in on the hind end of this group. How are things coming along?

I used a hova forced air and I KNOW my temps ran .5 to 1 degree warm. around 100.5

GOOD LUCK!

 

[Bananas]

I candled, but I didn't really know what I was looking for so I didn't take anything out. There did seem to be big dark blobs and big air sacks in several of them. My temps have been pretty consistent (if my thermometer is good, which I compared with two others), between 99.4 and 100.5...fingers crossed they are just late bloomers. I have a brand new still air hova-bator.

Muddi- That's probably why your hatch is late. Still air incubators need to incubate at 101.5 on top of the eggs. You were running approximately a degree too low, so your hatch will be about a day late. I did the same thing (accidentally though, because I found out my thermometer was running 1-2 degrees low so even though I kept it at 101.5 I was incubating too cold).

If you had dark blobs and air sacs your chicks were developing fine, they will probably hatch late though. Because I incubated cold I only had about 50% hatch rate and the rest either pipped and died or died in the shell without pipping. I was happy for the 50% I got though- had to help one out of the shell but all are doing fine. Look for hatching tomorrow.
Good luck!

 

[Bananas]

Muddi-
By the way, I got frustrated with my still air hovabator after that first hatch and bought a small fan to upgrade it to a thermal air incubator...NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE! I have much fewer temperature fluctuations, and fewer early embryo deaths. I have yet to see how my hatch will go but so far it's been so much better. I bought the thermal fan on e-bay for 99 cents plus shipping and I am so glad I did. I would highly recommend upgrading your 'bator for the next hatch. (with thermal air you incubate at 99.5 degrees).
Hope that helps!

 

[muddipuppy]

Quote:
What kind of fan did you buy? Was it meant for an incubator or did it need special rigging? Thanks for the tip, bananas.

muddi

 

[cluck-addict]

how are your eggs Muddi?

 

[Bananas]

I bought a thermal air fan made especially for incubators on Ebay. Where I went wrong, though, is accidentally buying a fan that was 12 volts instead of 120- but then I just had to buy a power supply for it that converted it to an 120 volt AC plug. So make sure you get one that is 120 volts and you can wire it directly to the incubator heating element.

Txmedix upgraded hers using a computer fan from radio shack and it worked great. The nice thing about mine is that the bolts to attach it were in the right places so you didn't have to drill holes. Don't drill more holes in the incubator, it messes up the humidity.
Hope that helps!

 

[LarryPQ]

Only a week late, but here are pics of the 2 sizzles and OEGBs. ALhtought 1 OEGB likes to hide in the washcloth.

 

[vkp23]

I'm still waiting on my one RIR I have left!

He's made it through the membrane but hasn't piped yet. How long does it take for them to pip after making it through the membrane? I'm on day 21 now. He needs to hurry up already!

 

[TXmom]

SAMMIE HAS A BABY!!!!!

We're keeping an eye out for more. Will download pics soon...