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

[ginbart]

Quote:
I know i've been warned but I cant help but candle more often than i should. Let us know what you find.

I can't wait to hear!

Well, my 12 silkies are still doing good.

I had 5 RIR's that were blanks and I forgot I had an EE in there that was a blank too. The RIR's are from my chickens and I'm selling them when they hatch but the silkies are from someone on BYC and I want all of them to hatch.

This is only the second time I candled.

I have done eggs before so I'm not so nervous as some of you.

One time I had eggs in and it was over 100 eggs, I had left to go to my DD in Delaware and my DH had to take care of them when they hatched.

But he did a great job.

 

[cluck-addict]

found another dud yesterday. Must have died a LONG time ago. barely visable remnant of an embryo. maybe?

How is everyone doing?

 

[GAChknGirl]

Quote:
Mine are good so far 4 hatched now we are waiting for three days for the rest to hatch!!

Edit spelling

 

[LarryPQ]

I am confused.

I started mine on the 6th. They had been shipped from FL, and were in Phoenix heat for the last 2 days of shipping. You were talking about them incubating themselves?

They were warm when I unpacked them...so I counted the 6th as all of day 1.

If it takes 21 days, and we are not supposed to touch the last three days--then stop turning on day 18, right?

So the 6th+17 days= the 25th.

In short, I should stop turning them tonight (or my last turn being tomorrow morning)? Does my math sound right?

 

[cluck-addict]

Quote:
Sounds right to me

 

[LarryPQ]

OK- then I am going to set up for "lockdown" for the first batch of eggs...the second batch will still need turning, but I doubt they will suffer from the additional humidity. I am turing by hand.

I have maintained about 55% this whole time.

It rained Thurs and Friday this week and yesterday it was SO humid outside both the DH and I got sick working in the garden. I thought we might die (most embarassingly). I checked the bator, and (oooOOOOooohh) the humidity was up to 58%.

I think I can get & maintain 65-70% in this weather. If it rains again, maybe we'll spike another 3%.

I will keep turning the other eggs, but will make it snappy. Keeping the bator closed will help me resist candling.

 

[Bananas]

Wait- Laree- you have two batches of eggs with separate hatch dates in the same bator? How many days after the first batch are the 2nd batch due?

I did the same thing my first hatch- I started a batch of eggs then 3 days later started a second batch. When it came time for the 1st batch to go to lockdown, I took all eggs out of the turner, cranked up the humidity, and then just kept sticking my hand in to turn the other eggs.

Long story short, my first batch of eggs didn't hatch. Opening the bator during lockdown to turn the other eggs is not a good idea. The 2nd batch hatched fine but the first batch had fully developed chicks dead in the shell.

I found out later that I should have just locked down all the eggs. 3 extra days of not turning won't affect the 2nd batch as much as opening the bator 3 times a day to turn will affect the first batch. Or you can shorten lockdown on first batch to 2 days even.

I would not open the bator during lockdown to turn the 2nd batch of eggs... opening once or twice is ok but opening 2-3 times a day can kill your batch....learned from painful experience!!!

 

[Raisinghens]

Quote:
Hi everyone, I put my last note back in again as I have learnt some of the answers for myself and it might help someone else.I candled again last night and the 7 eggs I thought were no good are no good and the other 7 seem okay. I cannot see any veins so my candling system must need improved on. I think I will candle next time on day 8 and see if it helps me to see better what is happening. What do you all clean your incubators with between hatches? All the best everyone, some of you are right on the brink now.

 

[cluck-addict]

What are your lockdown humidity and temp goals for lock down?

 

[ginbart]

Quote:
The humidity for lock down is around 70% the temp stays the same, if you have a fan around 99, if you don't I try for 100- 101. I'm trying something different this time. I have a large bator that I put my eggs in and a LG to do the lock down with but I can't get my temp up to 100 on the LG. I worked with it 2 weeks ago and had it just right

I hate that thing. I'm going to candle agaiin tomorrow night when I move the eggs over. Well today is the first day of school for DS so I need to get him going.

OH did I do that.