SEPTEMBER HATCH-A-LONG!!!

[jolenesdad]

I can't find it here, but this is this link mentions the study I was looking for. It was on broiler eggs, and it was by Elibol and Brake in 2004. The specific post I remember had a chart, and I can't find the chart from their study anywhere, because I'm not paying to read the academic article. ;-)

Recently Elibol and Brake (2004) confirmed the finding of New (1957), that the most critical period for turning broiler hatching eggs is during the first week of incubation. Elibol and Brake observed differential effects due to an absence of turning between 0 to 2 days (primarily increased early mortality) versus 3 to 8 days (primarily increased late mortality).

The effect of not turning during the first half of incubation is only seen during the second half of incubation, but by then it is too late to take corrective actions. Turning failures during the second half of incubation will generally have less dramatic effects, although the growth rate of the embryo can be affected, depending on the moment and duration of the turning failure.

The angle through which the eggs are turned is important. Hatch of fertiles was significantly better in eggs turned over an angle of 45˚ either side of the short axis of the egg, as compared to turning of 30˚ and 15˚. Hatched chicks from eggs turned 45˚ weighed more and had less dry matter in the residual yolk. (Cutchin et al, 2007)​

Here's the link to this article that references that.... https://www.pasreform.com/en/knowledge/67/relevance-of-turning

 

[Lizzy733]

ok question as haven't had this one happen before, we got notified today there will be no power tomorrow from 9 am to 5 pm, I will be out of town, should I chance taking the incubator with me for being out of town at least would only be 40 minutes without being turned or the fan forced heat of the incubator instead of 8-9 hours. Chicks are on day 11 of incubation , and the incubator is encased in Styrofoam around the hard plastic incubator.

Much better than 8-9 hours... I've heard momma hen can be off the nest for that long and since it's in a styro incubator, I wouldn't suspect it would lose heat that quickly during the card ride. I am

I think you'll be okay with no rinse. I usually do rinse, but I usually have water. If you follow with the hydrogen peroxide, you'll essentially be rinsing anyway. Plus, vinegar is generally considered safe around chicks, from all I've heard. When I'm raising chicks with no mom in a brooder, I put cider vinegar in their water to counteract stress issues/pasty butt. If you want to be extra careful, use cider vinegar rather than the white vinegar - I think the white is more acidic.

White is better for sterilization; save back some apple cider vinegar to add to their water - particularly any that says 'with mother' or unpasteurized. Still has all the scoby bits in it which are good for you or the bitties

Lotta drama with our second, 2-egg hatch this weekend. Both were viable when I candled them Thursday night, thinking they'd hatch Monday (day 19 - bantams usually hatch early for us). Saturday afternoon I went out to check on the mama and found her off the nest freaking out in the corner of the pen, and only one egg left in the nest. Best guess is a rat or snake got in there somehow and made off with one. So apparently that was enough to put mom off the nest. Best we can tell, she was off the one egg for the next couple of hours mostly, was on it overnight, and then back off of it an hour or so the next morning. In desperation we took it and put it under the new mama next door, the one who hatched three chicks last week. She seems to have adopted it and is happily chortling on it while her three chicks climb all over her. Anyone want to lay odds whether or not it will hatch? And if so, what day? Wednesday would be day 21. And finally, will the other three chicks accept the new one if it hatches successfully?

Chicks don't really discriminate till their hormones kick in at adolescence. I added a 2 week old silkie in with my 1 week shavers to avoid integration issues and all is peaceful.

 

[Kat MacK]

Update on the One Egg: no action since Saturday afternoon even though we've been checking every few hours...until just now when I went out intending to candle that sad little egg...and pulled it out from under mama to find a good sized pip with a beak poking out! I put it right back under her, of course. I hope it's not drying out. I'll check again in the morning and hope there's a new little one running around with the big kid week-olds.

 

[slordaz]

Update on my incubation after the no power on day 11:
Removed 1 infertile that was questionable on last, have 1 egg that not seeing movement but looks like a big red area now in the egg will check tomorrow on it, and one with a single yolk definitely looks like there are 2 babies in that one shell, all others are looking good 11 still in the incubator

 

[Maiahr]

In regards of turning eggs- I recently read an article that after day 14 it is pretty much not needed as the chicks have developed by then. I am going by memory as I don't have time to look for this article now. I think Lockdown is more for the humidity than the turning. And as long as the eggs have lost enough weight (13%) then I think you can do lockdown.

@john_wrightson2003 hold on, if you set eggs on Sept 9th, Sept 26th is day 17 if you are counting from 0 (and day 18 if you are counting from 1) . Isn't that the NORMAL Lockdown day? I always thought this is the normal lockdown day. If you do lockdown on Sept 27th that would be day 18 if you are counting from 0.

I did a lockdown on day 17 counting from 0 last time. They started piping 2 days later (not 3) and the whole hatching continued 3 full days (3X24 hours). It was exhausting (for me ) I had close to 70% hatch rate, but I had Black Orpingtons and some other strange breed which normally do not hatch well. Both my Brahmas hatched 6 days after lockdown!

 

[john_wrightson2003]

I guess I count from zero

 

[thefishguy77]

Ok question for the experts.

I have one chick in the incubator that seems to be drying slower than the others did. Should I just leave it in there longer? Its been in for around 18-20 hours currently.

 

[Maiahr]

Ok question for the experts.
I have one chick in the incubator that seems to be drying slower than the others did. Should I just leave it in there longer? Its been in for around 18-20 hours currently.

I am NOT an expert. I've done both- some cases left it until fully dry and in other cases - took it out half wet. If you have a good heating lamp in the brooder being half wet has not caused me issues.

 

[Kat MacK]

Ok question for the experts.

I have one chick in the incubator that seems to be drying slower than the others did. Should I just leave it in there longer? Its been in for around 18-20 hours currently.

I'm not an expert either, but I'd leave it where it is for another 12-24 hours before intervening.

 

[Kat MacK]

Update on the One Egg: no action since Saturday afternoon even though we've been checking every few hours...until just now when I went out intending to candle that sad little egg...and pulled it out from under mama to find a good sized pip with a beak poking out! I put it right back under her, of course. I hope it's not drying out. I'll check again in the morning and hope there's a new little one running around with the big kid week-olds.

Tentative good news - the new little one is out and fluffy. It's not yet running around with the big kids: it can't stand yet. Mom is a little confused (okay, freaking out) about why she has a chick just sitting there peeping instead of following her around the pen, so I had to go in there and coax her to settle back down on the little one (it's CRISP this morning - brrrrrr), but all is well for the moment. I'll check again before I leave for work, and aim to get a pic when I get home this afternoon. We've named it Pigwidgeon after the tiny owl in the Harry Potter series. The others are Fredricka, Georgina, and Ginny.
So assuming that it gets up and moving, that's 4 of 5 OD eggs that hatched under broodies, and the fifth was well on its way before a predator took off with it. MUCH MUCH better hatch rate than we had in an incubator, which was 2 of 9 (and one of those had to have serious assistance).