September 2015 Hatch-A-long!!

[TherryChicken]

My silkies are due tomorrow..I heard peeping in the bator last night, just once though.  Can't wait for your photos of your babies.  Good luck on your hatch. 

Thank you! You too!!

 

[generaldsherman]

]Well, I think my hatch is a bust

. I candled and pulled most of them. I left 4 just in case, but I think they're dead. The fact that I can see air at this point tells me they're probably goners. Think I lost them around day 15 or so. Maybe I'll just pick up a couple chicks from Over Easy Chicken Ranch. Will try hatching again, but first going to automate it more.

No movement or cheeping in remaining eggs. Give up or more time?

 

[generaldsherman]

One of my chickens got out of there chicken coop and my dog got to it I got there just in time before my dog can do real damage . All my dog did was took off all the feathers off the bottom of my chicken and she's still young about 5 mouths old and I washed her off with water and put her in a towel and after about 10 minutes she closed her eyes and stopped moving and I don't know what to do in holding her in a towel right now and I was wonder if she went into shock and what do I do ?

Yeah, hold her close. My favorite hen got a bad one a few weeks ago too. She's back running the flock now.

 

[Cynthia12]

Still hearing peeps..can't see any pips, but...the humidity went up a bit, without me adding any water. I have to wonder if it has pipped on the underside..I don't like it when they do that. Most of the time it's ok, but sometimes, it's not. Hope this is a strong little baby if it has. Due date, tomorrow at midnight, so not worry so much yet. Maybe I'll wake up to pips in the morning. What was I thinking setting at midnight? Thinking that these eggs usually hatch early..well, they have, got them from a favorite breeder.

 

[WVduckchick]

Yeah be careful in my experience once a dog learns to chase/kill chickens they are almost impossible to train to stop. As a child our neighbors German Shepherd used to come over and get our cocker spaniel to start in with her(he was a sucker for a pretty girl) and they finally had to bring us rubber bullets to shoot her with in the butt as she ran away. They had chickens too and couldn't risk her going after theirs. The bullets didn't cause lasting damage. But I guarantee she had a welt on her bum. She never came back and went after the chickens again though she did visit once in a while.

I agree with everyone else she could be in shock keep her warm and safe and when you do let her back out with the flock make sure they don't pick at her poor nakedness. I hope she gets better I know our great dane has occasionally chased the chickens and gotten her butt beat. The sheltie on the other hand gets chased by the chickens but that could be as much her breed as how I raised her. She loves every animal. Mice hamsters baby birds chickens cats etc. And small dogs. Shes getting better with big dogs but is still scared a bit as she was attacked as a six month old. Shes helped raise mice hamsters and bunnies and kittens. Not getting chased so much any more but we do have one hen that's kinda a nasty piece of work. She sleeps on the lowest roost but her attitude is above the highest roost. And she's a buff Orpington. What's up with that?

Just had to tell everyone a few more things. Thank you all for your support I really hope these eggs hatch too. I'm so glad I found all my hatching friends. WVDuckChick I know I'm dieing to see them too they look so cute online.

I'm not sure if its accurate(I never knew I needed to calibrate it until a week or two ago, still not sure how to go about that to be honest. Do I just get a reading from another thermometer/hygrometer and compare?) but the other hatches I did seemed to go fine if a little sticky on the first(stupid bator manual). So according to my thermometer and hygrometer everything has been super steady and nearly perfect. Like I said only the first three days was the humidity higher and they were in a very much cut up egg carton. Now they could have been unevenly being heated then but would three days make much difference? I just don't want to lose any more eggs. What I don't get is that someone said if there is condensation on the windows then they humidity is too high but my humidity is at 35-40% right now with lockdown(I'm trying not to drive it too high BC of the small air cells) but there is condensation on the window. Obviously I'm going to be calibrating this stupid thing but I just don't get it.

Calibration of a hygrometer is easy. Its scientific too, so its accurate. Take a small glass cup or a pop bottle lid or even a shot glass (something small) and pour some salt in it. Add water to the salt enough to make it wet, but not too sloppy. Just a slurry. Place the container of salt slurry and your hygrometer in something airtight, like a Ziploc bag or Tupperware container, and let it sit for several hours. It should stabilize to 75%. That's the relative humidity of salt slurry. It could vary a few points due to elevation and room temp, but should be very close to 75%. If you read 65%, then you know you are 10 off. Add 10 to your reading in the incubator. I tape a piece of masking tape to mine with the +3 or whatever its off to remind me.
Oh, and don't let the salt slurry touch your hygrometer, it will throw it off.
Good luck!

 

[mswendeu]

Yay!!! I'm horrible at sexing.....do you know the sex? I have a few ideas on names. I usually choose unisex names. Or idk maybe you don't want any help.....

lol just thought I'd offer.

Lol i like help. I hope it's a girl cause i don't need anymore roos that's for sure.

Sophie decided to sit since yesterday. I have no idea how many eggs. And thats definitely not the best place to be.

 

[Frankie Ruiz]

Hey everybody So I have 8 BBS Marans, 16 Rhodebar, 9 BBS Ameraucana, 5 Welsummer, and 5 Crested Cream Legbar eggs set on September 8th. Due on the 29th. My last hatch went great but had a tragic ending with my dog killing all of the chicks so I will hopefully have a better experience this time.

 

[Cynthia12]

Hey everybody

So I have 8 BBS Marans, 16 Rhodebar, 9 BBS Ameraucana, and 5 Crested Cream Legbar eggs set on September 8th. Due on the 29th. My last hatch went great but had a tragic ending with my dog killing all of the chicks so I will hopefully have a better experience this time.

Ohh nooo...that is so sad! Good luck on all of these very nice eggs! I love those Rhodebars. Very pretty. And, they are due to hatch on my baby boys birthday, he will be 22. Can't believe it.

 

[Frankie Ruiz]

Ohh nooo...that is so sad!    Good luck on all of these very nice eggs!   I love those Rhodebars.  Very pretty.   And, they are due to hatch on my baby boys birthday, he will be 22.  Can't believe it. 

Thank you very much! And a happy early birthday to him

 

[Purpletie3]

Hey everybody

So I have 8 BBS Marans, 16 Rhodebar, 9 BBS Ameraucana, 5 Welsummer, and 5 Crested Cream Legbar eggs set on September 8th. Due on the 29th. My last hatch went great but had a tragic ending with my dog killing all of the chicks so I will hopefully have a better experience this time.

Frankie, I am so sorry about your last hatch. I have dogs too...and -4 chicks. It challenged me to beef up my brooder security. It sounds like you are going to have a lot of beautiful chicks to keep you company soon!