Putting eggs in the bator on July 25, does anyone wanna hatch along???

[cluckitall]

Michelle, it sure can't hurt to ask! Worst case scenario, you'll know the answer's no and not to order eggs from that breeder during the heat of summer again! I have to admit, I'm scared to do mail-order eggs -- much as I'd like to get some well-bred non-hatchery stock, that's a lot of money for something where a 50% hatch rate is considered "good"!

 

[Aschenfire]

You lost 13? I am soooooo sorry!!!! Can you tell what was wrong by candling, were they not fertile? Well good luck with you four and that is wonderful that the breeder is willing to replace. I wish my breeder would I am scared to ask though.

Good luck,
Michelle

Yes, I candled them at 4 days, and again at 6 days...the post office was not kind to these tiny eggs, and most air cels are loose or broken, and some of them are fairly obviously scrambled in the shells. :/ Such is the nature of shipped eggs. I am glad to get the four little ones which are still hanging in there I have 7 Serama babies which are going on 5 weeks old that I hatched, and these new babes will add some more fun colors and lines to what I already have. I love the breeder I got these from...so great to buy from, and she cares about her birds

 

[shardean]

I bought shipped eggs once..won't do it again got 16 silkie eggs,,,and I think only 6 had anything grow and 4 hatched and one of those died with in 10 minutes. The breeder offered to send more, I would only pay for shipping. But I didn't even want to try that.

 

[dandydoodle]

I'd be fussing about that too!!!

Ouch!!!

That's very interesting on the humidity drop while hatching/shrinkage thing. I'll actually pay heed when someone with more experience tells me "Don't" even if they don't explain why -- but I have to admit I really like knowing why something happens. I suspect eventually I may get into experimental breeding just because I find it fascinating how things work and combine. I guess you could say I'm doing experimental breeding now

although not with any intent. Just happen to have a Marans roo and Rock and NH hens.

Just ordered two australorps, two columbian wyandottes, and one speckled sussex (hoping for a broody!) from Meyer hatchery. My little mutts are supposed to hatch on the 18th, I pick the new ones up on the 20th -- voila! Instant motley baby crew! I wanted a few other breeds too, but they weren't available that week. Just as well -- I really only have room for 16 chickens or so without crowding, and I'm already over limit. Chicken stew, anyone?

And I suspect I would do the same thing with "iffy" eggs -- I tend to hang on till all hope is gone, whatever the situation... Hee!

Question: when I first got my hens, their calcium was clearly very low, producing really thin eggs that crumpled with very little pressure, and their overall condition was fair but not great. I'm a bit of a health-food nut

and my hens are now sleek and sassy and lay eggs you could practically play baseball with. Okay, that's an exaggeration! But they're definitely very strong, sturdy shells at this point. Is it possible to give your hen too much calcium, thereby producing an egg a chick has a hard time breaking out of? If it is, I think I may have done it.

I like experimenting also, I don't like being stuck to a breed that everyone looks the same. For that reason I like EEs and Olive eggers. I don't like getting them to mixed up because, then I don't like the way they look. I like having a Ameraucana roo over different hens but, if I get an EE roo I won't breed him over different hens unless it is back to a hen that is at least 50% Ameraucana. I like to keep the blue egg gene strong because, if it get further then that I find you don't get pretty beards and muffs and nice looking pea combs. Thats just my own little thing.

I don't know about the calcium thing. I have heard birds tend to eat what their body needs so I wouldn't think they would eat to much calcium. I am not sure though so hopefully someone with a little more experience will help you will this question.

 

[dandydoodle]

I bought shipped eggs once..won't do it again got 16 silkie eggs,,,and I think only 6 had anything grow and 4 hatched and one of those died with in 10 minutes. The breeder offered to send more, I would only pay for shipping. But I didn't even want to try that.

Hmmm, I hoping my results don't end up that bad.

I hope I can at least manage to pull a 50% hatch rate. I know mail ordering them is a gamble but, I really want some birds that I don't know where to get in my state. I had a friend give me what was suppose to be an Aracauna from a popular hatchery and it didn't come close to meeting the standards. I am not even sure it could've been considered an EE no beard and muffs and strait comb not pea. So I don't want to order from a hatchery.

I guess I will keep doing it this way until I get enough of what I need. I guess bad results per the money but, if you think about it buying point of lay birds and shipping them would be even more pricey. It would probably cost close to what I paid for all these eggs for two birds and hopefully I pull out of this hatch with more then that. I guess I will just look for another breeder for what ever breed I don't get enough of or spring for a cold pack next time.

 

[litljenarey]

Litljenarey, do you raise chicks for sale? Or sell the eggs? I'm having to restrain myself -- I've really already got as many chickens as I need for myself. They keep me and my landlady in eggs very well

But I'm really tempted to get some marans hens to go with my CR roo and start a second flock, just for the heck of it. Maybe I could sell started pullets and cull the roos???

No, I don't even have chickens right now. This is our first everything. I had chicks when I was little, now I have a three year old and a four year old. Where we live we're allowed 4 hens only. So after alot of research I decided to make this a learning project. Here is what I learned from the locals and from BYC. Fertility goes down in the summer, shipped eggs are usually a less than 50% hatch rate and your first time is usually not a great hatch rate either. So I thought I'd probably get 25% or less, and if half of those were roosters, we would need to hatch a minimum of 8 to have our 4 hens so we would need to incubate about 30.
Yes....I do tend to over-think things. lol. But so far we're right on target! hahaha

So what is a hatcher bator? I think you have already explained this if you have sorry for asking again.

I don't mind explaining. I learned it all on here.
I put different batches in at short intervals, and I have an automatic turner so it would have made lockdown difficult. I would have some eggs needing turning and lower humidity while other eggs where hatching, then the ones in the middle would be going into lockdown at the same time I'd be pulling the chicks out from the first set.......logistically it was a nightmare. (Like seriously, I'm also 9 months pregnant and I was actually having chicken hatching nightmares!)
The solution I found was to have a second incubator. Set at lockdown humidity, and without turners. So when the time comes for the first set to go into lockdown I just move those eggs out and into my hatcher incubator.
Also, my bators are both styrofoam and I hear they can be tough to clean. My primary bator is an LG and I'm planning to sell it after we have our hens. The second one is the one where the messy stuff can happen and it cost me $9 to build so I don't care so much about it staying nice.



So here's the update. I candled the assorted 14. It's too early for me to toss anything but it looks to me like both my Wyadottes are good (possibly started prior to me getting them too because they seem more developed than they should be for day 5), one EE, and two Polish.
I put the next 11 in and the temp went up to 102, which shocked me. I expected more eggs to make the temps drop. I didn't realize it until they had been in for the whole night and I don't know when the temp spiked. I'm trying to get it stable still. It seems like its been bouncing between 98 and 101 so that's pretty good I guess.

 

[farmer boy]

mine will be hatching tomorrow i can't wait

 

[dandydoodle]

mine will be hatching tomorrow i can't wait

post pics. :0) Whatcha got in?

 

[dandydoodle]

No, I don't even have chickens right now. This is our first everything. I had chicks when I was little, now I have a three year old and a four year old. Where we live we're allowed 4 hens only. So after alot of research I decided to make this a learning project. Here is what I learned from the locals and from BYC. Fertility goes down in the summer, shipped eggs are usually a less than 50% hatch rate and your first time is usually not a great hatch rate either. So I thought I'd probably get 25% or less, and if half of those were roosters, we would need to hatch a minimum of 8 to have our 4 hens so we would need to incubate about 30.
Yes....I do tend to over-think things. lol. But so far we're right on target! hahaha


I don't mind explaining. I learned it all on here.
I put different batches in at short intervals, and I have an automatic turner so it would have made lockdown difficult. I would have some eggs needing turning and lower humidity while other eggs where hatching, then the ones in the middle would be going into lockdown at the same time I'd be pulling the chicks out from the first set.......logistically it was a nightmare. (Like seriously, I'm also 9 months pregnant and I was actually having chicken hatching nightmares!)
The solution I found was to have a second incubator. Set at lockdown humidity, and without turners. So when the time comes for the first set to go into lockdown I just move those eggs out and into my hatcher incubator.
Also, my bators are both styrofoam and I hear they can be tough to clean. My primary bator is an LG and I'm planning to sell it after we have our hens. The second one is the one where the messy stuff can happen and it cost me $9 to build so I don't care so much about it staying nice.



So here's the update. I candled the assorted 14. It's too early for me to toss anything but it looks to me like both my Wyadottes are good (possibly started prior to me getting them too because they seem more developed than they should be for day 5), one EE, and two Polish.
I put the next 11 in and the temp went up to 102, which shocked me. I expected more eggs to make the temps drop. I didn't realize it until they had been in for the whole night and I don't know when the temp spiked. I'm trying to get it stable still. It seems like its been bouncing between 98 and 101 so that's pretty good I guess.

Yea, all those eggs going in at different times sounds to difficult to me. Some people can handle all that but, not me I like things simple.

I would be having hatching nightmares too. Having a second incubator sounds great. I would be a second one but, since they are close to a hundred bucks I might have to wait a little bit. Right now I want to concentrate on getting the birds I need and maybe pay someone to design me a new brooder.

So you know how I said I had three that I didn't think were any good but, I wasn't positive enough to throw away yet. Well I candled and one of them turned out to have a viable baby. I guess yesterday it was in a position that I couldn't see the eye and the baby wasn't moving. I am so happy I might actually have 3 viable Wheaton Marans.

So I guess waiting to be double sure is a good thing. Hope you get your temps stable, I have that trouble with humidity.

 

[farmer boy]

post pics. :0) Whatcha got in?

they are just mixs but first hatch ever even from a bator never have so this will be great .... i am getting some other babys from a friend to put in with her .. but the mixs are mostly bantams mixed with a white leghorn or a partridge chantecler .. and the other two are barred rock and one of those roos adn the other is a rir i think or a sex link with one of those lol but im getting pure breds to give her and sell the mix or something