SEPTEMBER HATCH-A-LONG!!!

[ChickenCanoe]

Hmm, we have a breed here called Minorka, which look absolutely the same and also imported from Spain. They lay white eggs and I think they are recognized in the USA.
I think the other name for Penedesenca is Catalunian (not sure about the spelling) chicken.

Penedesenca and Catalanas are separate breeds. I used to raise White Minorcas. They come in white, black and blue - black being the largest and most common variety of Minorca - I loved the whites though. They laid huge white eggs.
Catalunia, is more properly known as Catalana but also known as 'Catalana Del Prat Leonada' or just Prat for short.
Other Spanish breeds are Castellana Negra, Andalusian, White-Faced Black Spanish and Empordanesa.
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/CastNeg/BRKCNegra.html
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Andal/BRKAndalusians.html
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Spanish/BRKWFBS.html
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGD/Empord/BRKEmps.html
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Penes/BRKPenes.html
Minorca, Catalana, WFB Spanish and Andalusian are all recognized by the APA.
I'm not sure if Castalana Negra have been imported and only the white variety of Empordanesa have been imported along with the 4 varieties of Penedesenca.
All lay white eggs except the Empordanesa and Penedesenca both of which should lay very dark eggs.

Where are you located?

 

[wolfwalker]

So it's day 7 and I candled and weighed this morning.

Out of 24 eggs 22 of them have lost an average 2 grams of weight. 2 of them have lost 1 gram or have lost nothing. these two also show the least development, so i expect them to quit by day 18.

About half have well developed vein systems and or nice little dark blobs. the rest have a very dark section that while I can't see veining does match the size of those with veins.

The issue is, being CCL the eggs, while not as hard to candle as darker eggs, are not as easy as I thought they would be. Of course white is the easiest LOL.

I have been pleasantly surprised that all the eggs have nicely defined air cells,, all located just where they are supposed to be and are stable. meaning they stay where they are supposed to be when rotated.

So here I am at day 7 and I still have 2 eggs, jutting out in awkward positions on the rotating platen of my incubator because at this point I can't clearly say I have failures. unlike the last batch I did in August. And those came from a farm a couple of hours away.

I have been thinking about maybe adding an oxygen line to the incubator to increase the oxygen content as I am about 5300 ft above sea level and these were laid at around 2300 to increase my chances at success. but I am still researching and reading through journal reports. If so i will add the O2 around day 14. Though since I rotate on the side, instead of vertical, the reports, I've read so far, state there is better O2 dispersion to the embryo so it might not be needed

 

[ChickenCanoe]

So it's day 7 and I candled and weighed this morning.

Out of 24 eggs 22 of them have lost an average 2 grams of weight. 2 of them have lost 1 gram or have lost nothing. these two also show the least development, so i expect them to quit by day 18.

About half have well developed vein systems and or nice little dark blobs. the rest have a very dark section that while I can't see veining does match the size of those with veins.

The issue is, being CCL the eggs, while not as hard to candle as darker eggs, are not as easy as I thought they would be. Of course white is the easiest LOL.

I have been pleasantly surprised that all the eggs have nicely defined air cells,, all located just where they are supposed to be and are stable. meaning they stay where they are supposed to be when rotated.

So here I am at day 7 and I still have 2 eggs, jutting out in awkward positions on the rotating platen of my incubator because at this point I can't clearly say I have failures. unlike the last batch I did in August. And those came from a farm a couple of hours away.

I have been thinking about maybe adding an oxygen line to the incubator to increase the oxygen content as I am about 5300 ft above sea level and these were laid at around 2300 to increase my chances at success. but I am still researching and reading through journal reports. If so i will add the O2 around day 14. Though since I rotate on the side, instead of vertical, the reports, I've read so far, state there is better O2 dispersion to the embryo so it might not be needed

Adding oxygen is probably a great idea, especially since the breeder flock is raised at much lower elevation. Large hatcheries at elevation use large scale oxygen generators.
You can probably use a portable oxygen concentrator.
https://www.inogen.com/products/inogen-oxygen-concentrators/
https://www.oxygenconcentratorstore.com/portable-oxygen-concentrators/
The following link explains the science behind issues with high elevation incubation and possible solutions to each.
https://thepoultrysite.com/articles/incubating-eggs-at-high-altitudes

 

[wolfwalker]

Adding oxygen is probably a great idea, especially since the breeder flock is raised at much lower elevation. Large hatcheries at elevation use large scale oxygen generators.
You can probably use a portable oxygen concentrator.
https://www.inogen.com/products/inogen-oxygen-concentrators/
The following link explains the science behind issues with high elevation incubation.
https://thepoultrysite.com/articles/incubating-eggs-at-high-altitudes

LOL I have an medical grade E tank sitting in the shed, completely full. Have it leftover from when My grandmother needed O2 and had been using it in the jewelry store for repair work. So I hav eit on hand.

Thanks for the links, I've been reading a lot of University studies so far.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm not currently at elevation but in one of my cabinet incubators I use a small aquarium air pump the last 10 days.

You know how much weight your eggs have lost but have you calculated the percentage of loss?

 

[Maiahr]

Penedesenca and Catalanas are separate breeds. I used to raise White Minorcas. They come in white, black and blue - black being the largest and most common variety of Minorca - I loved the whites though. They laid huge white eggs.
Catalunia, is more properly known as Catalana but also known as 'Catalana Del Prat Leonada' or just Prat for short.
Minorca, Catalana, WFB Spanish and Andalusian are all recognized by the APA.
I'm not sure if Castalana Negra have been imported and only the white variety of Empordanesa have been imported along with the 4 varieties of Penedesenca.
All lay white eggs except the Empordanesa and Penedesenca both of which should lay very dark eggs.
Where are you located?

Why so many breeds??? I bet it is for another PhD of a Spanish student
I am in Bulgaria. I guess we are more practical here.. Eggs or meat, haha.

So it's day 7 and I candled and weighed this morning.
Out of 24 eggs 22 of them have lost an average 2 grams of weight. 2 of them have lost 1 gram or have lost nothing. these two also show the least development, so i expect them to quit by day 18.
About half have well developed vein systems and or nice little dark blobs. the rest have a very dark section that while I can't see veining does match the size of those with veins.

I am not an expert, it is currently my first chicken hatch, but I candled on day 9 (counting from 0) and I indicated 2 as dead, but I left them in the incubator as there was no need to remove them. On day 14 they were alive and moving. On lockdown day they were still moving. My point is...maybe wait? But again, this is my first ever chicken hatch and I am not an expert.

 

[Maiahr]

I have 6 pips so far, but no zip yet. Some of these pips have been there for 12 hours. I am going to sleep now, but don't you think it is a bit early? I did a Lockdown on day 18 and the first pips started on day 20. Maybe for the next batch (in 1 week) I should do Lockdown on day 17?

 

[Maiahr]

So it's day 7 and I candled and weighed this morning.
Out of 24 eggs 22 of them have lost an average 2 grams of weight. 2 of them have lost 1 gram or have lost nothing. these two also show the least development, so i expect them to quit by day 18.

Do you adjust the humidity based on the weight loss?
I use an Excel spreadsheet that "tells" me to increase or decrease humidity.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Do you adjust the humidity based on the weight loss?
I use an Excel spreadsheet that "tells" me to increase or decrease humidity.

View attachment 1900420

I only weighed and charged %weight loss once, last year, but I also did it in excel. That seemed the easiest and most efficient way to do it.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

The third, and final, chick just hatched! I'm so happy that every egg that made it to lockdown hatched. Looking forward to the future and hatching out these chicks offspring next year.