September 2016 Hatch-A-Long

[draye]

Hi, everyone! I came over from the August forum. We are in lockdown, with a peachick peeping but not pipping yet. The incubator is going to be freed up in a few days, so I am checking out local eggs for a September hatch. So far, it looks like quail and Silkies are available. Why didn't anyone warn me that hatching is addicting??

Right! It is very addicting.

 

[draye]

I'm going to try incubating dry this time. Do any of y'all do this? If so maybe I could get some tips. I read that dry is the best way to go some people get 100% hatch rate.

Ive never hatched that way on purpose. I have let it go dry a couple of times, but it didn't seem to hurt the hatch very much.

 

[ladyargentum]

What are you using to candle? I like how bright it looks.

Behold my super advanced candling setup (LOL): an LED bike torch which fits nicely into a cardboard roll & is VERY bright. I found the egg didn't quite cover the opening of the cardboard roll so I cut a small hole into a box that the cardboard tube will just stand up under. Works well as I don't have to hold the light or box when candling. I also took the photos at night when this was the only light in the room.

 

[Fluffyserama]

Got my 12 Bresse in the incubator, they are looking good! Plus my replacement bantams just arrived. Most have disrupted air cells just like the last ones. The lady I purchased the bantam eggs from said to put them in same day even if they have disrupted air cells. Her feeling is that the blood vessels will help stabilize the egg more than anything and that to let them rest more than 12 hrs just takes away a day of viability. She says let them settle to room temp then put them in, then keep them upright without turning for the first couple days. I'm on the fence about when to put them in. I've always waited 24 hrs to settle shipped eggs, but I'm not sure if it really helped or not with the August eggs. Even with the better ones the air cells did seem to move until the vessels filled out. (the really bad ones never did anything) Tomorrow should be the first possible hatch day for my remaining 6 eggs.

What are some thoughts on 24hr settling Vs. quicker blood vessel stabilization?

 

[harmesonfarm]

Behold my super advanced candling setup (LOL): an LED bike torch which fits nicely into a cardboard roll & is VERY bright. I found the egg didn't quite cover the opening of the cardboard roll so I cut a small hole into a box that the cardboard tube will just stand up under. Works well as I don't have to hold the light or box when candling. I also took the photos at night when this was the only light in the room.

Love it! I'm gonna have to try to create one myself...another project! LOL
great idea!

 

[ladyargentum]

Love it! I'm gonna have to try to create one myself...another project! LOL
great idea!

I think having a bright light gives that look best. I tried it with a much weaker light and while I could still see the veins it didn't look anywhere near as bright as this.

It is fun having projects though

I'm currently planning on a small grow out run. I promised myself I would wait until the eggs looked good at day 14 before I would go and collect some pallets. I plan on having the chicks inside in a big plastic container I will use as a brooder. I have a heavy duty mesh piece of shelving that sits perfectly over the top so I know chicks wont be jumping out. But I need to work out where they will go after that. Suppose it ill also depend on how many hatch as to how long they can stay inside due to the space available. Its not too cold here and we are moving into spring so it will only get warmer by the time they are ready to go out.
My 3 current chickens have a small coop and run but most of the time are free ranging, so a grow out coop & run where they can see but not touch the young ones is my goal.

But first these chicks need to develop and hatch

 

[harmesonfarm]

@ladyargentum that sounds great!

We have about 7 pullets and one cockerel right now in our new coop and run, then another 5 older hens in our old coop and run (we wanted a different location) who will be going to he freezer near the end of this year.

Were planning on building a chicken tractor to house our new littles once their hatched and slowly integrate them to our pullet pen. We have pretty mild winters here, really just rains! Snow comes maybe once in a while until we hit January when it's more persistent.

haha it's really too exciting not to get ahead of ourselves!!

 

[draye]

I will start collecting eggs beginning tomorrow. I'll collect until the 31st then set on the 1st of September.

 

[ladyargentum]

Were planning on building a chicken tractor to house our new littles once their hatched and slowly integrate them to our pullet pen. We have pretty mild winters here, really just rains! Snow comes maybe once in a while until we hit January when it's more persistent.

Snow in a 'mild' winter....

I know many people on here talk about snow in inches but to me, any snow means it must be cold. If I get a couple of nights in winter where the lowest temp it gets to is 1C (34F) that's a cold night. I never get snow. Usually, our winter temps min & max fits somewhere in 5-20C (41-68F).

Ah our Earth has such a wide variety of climates it is amazing

The tractor sounds like a good idea for integrating the new ones

 

[snywalker]

Snow in a 'mild' winter....

I know many people on here talk about snow in inches but to me, any snow means it must be cold. If I get a couple of nights in winter where the lowest temp it gets to is 1C (34F) that's a cold night. I never get snow. Usually, our winter temps min & max fits somewhere in 5-20C (41-68F). 

Ah our Earth has such a wide variety of climates it is amazing

The tractor sounds like a good idea for integrating the new ones 

I've seen where in some years they get "snow" very far south. It is just a light dusting. We talk about snow in feet up here.

And to us, a forecast of snow in the winter must mean it's warm. It really doesn't snow when it's 20 or 30 below zero.

It is amazing how varied everything is.