Potato Box Incubator

[MissPrissy]

I have drilled holes for ventilation. These eggs are alive and need to breath. Fresh air is required in any hatch. This box has good air flow and I haven't put a fan in it.

The bread box incubator does have a fan. I wired a cpu fan to an adaptor and it works just fine. I'll make a photo.

 

[MissPrissy]

5 of the eggs in this batch of 11 are marked "Silver" one of speckledhen's Ameraucanas. The other 6 are unlabled.

When candled the 5 show at least twice as much veining, the air cells look perfect and I can see the 'spot' that is the embryo.

I wonder if this means those eggs will be more viable in the long run than the others.

Candling those 5 is a cynch. Everything is easy to distinguish, the others not so much though the veining is there.

I am not counting my chicks before they hatch. I am very curious about the development and the viability of eggs from one hen vs. eggs from another hen when both having mated with the same rooster.

 

[speckledhen]

Priss, the unlabeled ones are Charlotte's, as you know, and I label them that way so we can see whose eggs hatch better, just like you're doing. I thought it would be an interesting experiment to try. Charlotte has been laying longer than Silver has, but not by much, and the baby I just hatched that is in the brooder is hers. The other chick, which was also Charlotte's, didn't pip the egg, although it was completely developed and the yolk was absorbed as it should have been. No idea why, but it happens. The two eggs going into Day 18 are Silver's. They go in the fridge-a-bator tomorrow. Hope all of the babies hatch for you, every one of them.

 

[MissPrissy]

Today is day 14. I have candled them all today. This is the first candling of them all since 10/24. I have spot candled a couple when I added water for humidity. They are due to hatch friday of next week!

Eggs 1 - 5 are from Silver

1. Very large dark mass in the egg
2. Very large dark mass in the egg
3. Dark mass but not as large as the others - iffy on this one
4. Very large dark mass in the egg
5. Very large dark mass in the egg


Eggs 6 - 11 are from Charlotte

6. Bloodring
7. Very large dark mass in egg
8. Clear
9. Bloodring
10. Very large dark mass in the egg
11. Clear

I am very excited by the growth I can see in the egg. I have my fingers crossed and said a little prayer for at least one or two to hatch.

I am having a bit of trouble getting the humidity up it has been hover at around 30%. I added yet another wide dish of water and will check on it in an hour or so.

The only thing that could make this better right this minute is to have blue, black or jubilee orps in the bator growing as well as Silver's eggs are!

Edited to add -

I meant to post this and simply forgot. I found this link and thought the info was really good.

http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/Avian/pfs32.htm

 

[speckledhen]

You know, I'm wondering if Charlotte's that have blood rings are due perhaps to where they were in the box I sent-maybe that side was bumped or sustained more vibration, somehow. Would be good to note that in the future, I think. Anyway, STELLAR performance from Silver's eggs! Sounds not too shabby!

 

[MissPrissy]

Wouldn't you know it! I went in for the evening turn and one thermometer read 106 and another read 96. I put in new batteries. I just hang my head. But I am NOT giving up without a fight!

 

[speckledhen]

That's quite a temp spread! Doesn't sound right. Update me on what happens in a while.

 

[MissPrissy]

I just checked after changing the batteries again -

One temp reads 100.8 in the wiggler with 29% humidity.

The other reads 100.4 in the wiggler and 35% humidity.

I have no idea why the temp spiked. Or didn't.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, maybe it really didn't. Weird. Well, you're back on track now anyway. GOOD!

 

[LoneCowboy]

Well, I've been reading.... That could be dangerous. But in a still air bator, you should be ok if the temp doesn't exceed 107 degs. It's higher than a forced air bator. Of course you all know that, but maybe somebody dumb like me didn't, so I thought I'd mention it. After all, it is the one thing I learned today