Set eggs 3/5. Looking for others to hatch with!

[JulieNKC]

Wait a minute!!!!!

What days do you candle the "lockdown" eggs on to hear for internal pips? And do you leave all the eggs in the bator, the incubating eggs that are on days 1-18 and the hatching eggs, days 18-21? And I've thought about misting with warm water, but then I read it was not good for eggs. Do you mist all the way through or just at the end or just the eggs that are getting ready to hatch? I have so many questions. I am going to think on this and post again tomorrow. But I would like to say if they had a blue ribbon icon, I would be giving you one.......let's see what they have that might work

I like this one....KUDOS!!! How many years have you been hatching? How many times a day do you turn the eggs days 1-18?
Yes, I'm full of questions. I'm so intrigued.

Ha, ha....I like this one for you too.
And I'm going to look into these woodstove pellets. How many weeks do you keep the chicks on them? I am so tired of the dust of the pine shavings and kicking it into the food and water so bad.
Thank you for the information.

I don't lockdown until I get internal pips. So when they are close to when they should be put on lockdown I listen to them real quick while I'm turning them, and candle a few of them. Once I've got a pip in one I quit turning all the eggs due with that one.
I turn the eggs 5 times a day, 3 if I'm busy or have eggs hatching and don't want to open the incubator too much. If I have a bunch hatching sometimes I won't turn them at all for a day.
As far as the woodpellets, I'm keeping them on them until they go outside. I have a brooder with a heat lamp outside and it's nice enough now I don't plan on keeping anyone inside longer than 2-3 weeks. I let everyone out during the day for a little bit to mingle, and start introducing them to the big girl coop at 8 weeks.
I've only been hatching since last summer, but have been hatching a lot or trying to the last few months. I think I've finally got what works for me down.

Hope so, cause I'm getting more call duck eggs soon.

 

[onawhimfarm]

Good luck. I have eggs all over the place in the bator. First batch is set to hatch 3/26. I have one single egg I took from a broody hen because someone snuck it in the nest box. The development was way behind the others. Then I had 10 eggs someone gave me, but it looks like only one is going to develop. And then the 17 I put in today because my broody hen got off the nest and moved to a new one. I'm pretty sure the chicks are dead, but I put them back under her and put all the brown silkie eggs I have been saving in the bator. Some of them were a little over a month old, but I'm going to give it a try and see what happens. Then I have Ameraucana eggs coming for Tuesday. Wow, I really jumped in, huh? And in the barn I have other eggs under other broodies! Chick fever

I don't think my DH knows what I'm up to, LOL!

Onawhimfarm, Cali Chick is on here too.
What do you have in the bator this time?

I have (had) 24 welsummer's set on 3/7. Had to take 5 out as clears on 3/17. Then I set 18 AM/EE 5 BLRW and 1 RIRX on 3/17. They are all for the easter hatch along... so I'm praying for a good hatch!! Plus I really really really need some laying hens!!

 

[onawhimfarm]

Ok, I'm now caught up on this thread!! I cant seem to get caught up on the hatch along thread either!! WOW they are chatty!! LOL! I think I just need to keep up with this thread and just pop in on the other. This is my second hatch, so I'm with you guys on still figuring most of this out. Right now I have 22% H and 100 for the temp. This time I can't seem to keep the temp down to 99. I'm hoping that it won't kill my hatch but I think it should be ok since it is a forced air hovabator. I did succeed in getting the second bator from my uncle, so I have a hatcher now for this staggered hatch... and my DH decided I should just buy it from him instead of borrowing it, LOL!! Yep, he is learning chicken math too!!

So, I have a ? for you guys... I have just started letting my chickens free range her at my farm. They have been in a 8x6 coop with a 12x6 outside run. My nearest neighbor has 4 hens w/ 8 roos all free ranging with no coop. Now that my chickens are out, one of their roosters is down here trying to fight my rooster and steal hens!! What do I do?? I talked to them and they said," Oh well, just eat him I guess." I really dislike their rooster, but I'm not really sure about killing their rooster!! Any suggestions for me???

 

[mohillbilly]

Um, maybe I have mine too high. It's about 50% with three air vents open. And I know I'm bad, but I ended up putting all my silkie eggs in the bator today, so a little bit of a stagger. I couldn't seem to help myself. I had my little chicks and momma out to scratch in the yard since the weather was so nice and the one partridge baby is so beautiful so I went inside and marked the eggs and put them in the incubator, closed it up and left for the day. Right or wrong, the deed is done now! And if I get a few more that look like the first two, I won't be sad. My black babies that I have so far look fantastic also. So don't ask how many I sat.....I didn't even count them yet. I don't know what I will do if I can't sell them this spring though......too little to eat for dinner.

cook them 2 at a time

 

[mohillbilly]

Good to see there are a lot of us hatching.

I am a little nervous about my humidity. I didnt get a hygrometer. I have had really good luck in the past not worrying about it but have had an issue once.

Where do you get a good hygrometer?

you can get a good one from Cutler supply

Hopefully it's not too much of a stagger. I bet they come out fine. I'm a little confused on my roo because I was getting better fertility over the winter than I am now. Maybe it's just the girls are able to get away a little better since it's warmer outside and they are not so huddled up! I checked my eggs and only ended up with five out of 11. I pitched the others so I have more room for airflow. But I had veins on the one I really want and I have two more of that hen's eggs under a broody in the barn so I'll be okay with that.
Does anyone on this thread know how to sex a day old Rhode Island Red chick?

you vent sex them ...i could teach you if you were closer

I want to candle the eggs so bad. But I don't think Buffy would like me digging around under her at night. At what point do I need give up on an egg hatching if I don't candle them? I stuck 3 under Buffy about 14 hours after the main batch. Also I am not incubating my own eggs. Maybe next year I will. But I found a local guy who hatches and puts it on a web cam. He hatches every weekend. Looks like this weekend is cochins. The kids love to watch them hatch and I don't have to worry about them opening the incubator.
.

http://cmfarm.us/cam_2.html

if they are under a hen, let the hen decide

Julie, your baby ducks are so sweet. Why do they have to be so cute? Now I want ducks too.

Your sizzle is very striking. Are you trying to tempt me with that picture?

HEY EVERYONE, I'm so excited because I just bought my first pair of "Chore Boots". What have I been doing without these? I wore them out in the rain and muck for 2 hours and my feet stayed dry and cozy. I'm jealous because I hear many of you talk about "the barn" or "all the coops" and I'm literally just a Backyard Chicken owner who lives enough outside of the city limits to have a small flock. SOMEDAY I will move to a little farm.

But with my new boots, at least I'll "look" like a farm girl the next time I go to the feed store-hehe!

around here the girls just go bare foot....tho that may be because they don't know what shoes are..

Don't we just love our sweet husbands. I told my dearest FIRST thing this morning while he was still sleepy. I said I have good news for you honey (now keep in mind during this story he wants another baby really bad, we just haven't had luck.....I think we're a wee bit too old) so he says you're fertile? I'm like, yeah, I am. I have eggs......and if I'm really lucky they are going to hatch little chicks. I think he was way too tired to care what I had been up to!!!! So right before we walk into church this morning, I was like, yeah, I have about three dozen eggs coming this week. He just kind of looked at me. I was like well, I bought two dozen last night. It was just too perfect to pass up. You can't kill another human being right in the church parking lot......that would be SOOOOO wrong!!!!!! He's so sweet. He's on the phone to TSC asking about incubators right now.
I keep weighing the eggs in the bator and the banty eggs look good. The Rhode Island Red eggs seem to be a little behind in losing weight so maybe it's not a good idea to do both kinds at once? I'm not sure. It is a little difficult because the first batch I weighed in ounces and it only weighed to the nearest .05 and then I realized I should have weighed in grams to get an exact measure. I have changed that now.
I am off to search on here about LG incubators.
Happy Sunday, everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and my husband has NO time to build houses for the chickens. He has so many urgent projects before that. Don't worry, we have a garage, LOL. I am definitely totally winging this.

LG incubators are junk....when your ready for a good incubator let me know.

 

[meshellrose]

love the little duckies and all the great info. I'm on my 3rd incubation now..the first was no good, second all the babies that went into lockdown hatched

 

[Long Last Farm]

Hi! I have not checked in lately, been crazy- busy!

Anyway, I candeled my 22 eggs ( 12 frizzle Cochins and 10 Black Copper Marans), and most of them were not developing

.

I think I am down to about 6-7 cochins eggs developing, although I did save a few questionable Black Marans, hoping they might surprise me!

They were all shipped eggs, and I know that is always a gamble..... Luckily, I have hatched a bunch of my EE's and some "mutts" to keep me happy...

I am looking at a sat- sunday ( March 24-25th) hatch date.....
I hoep all is going well with my fellow-hatchers!
Pat

 

[CALI CHICK]

Here's hoping for a good hatch for you too, onawhim!

I have (had) 24 welsummer's set on 3/7. Had to take 5 out as clears on 3/17. Then I set 18 AM/EE 5 BLRW and 1 RIRX on 3/17. They are all for the easter hatch along... so I'm praying for a good hatch!! Plus I really really really need some laying hens!!

 

[wholewheatchicken]

you can get a good one from Cutler supply


you vent sex them ...i could teach you if you were closer



if they are under a hen, let the hen decide

around here the girls just go bare foot....tho that may be because they don't know what shoes are..

LG incubators are junk....when your ready for a good incubator let me know.

I can send you some nice silkie chicks for your Sunday dinner in trade for some incubator parts. That way I can find a home for the ones I can't keep.

I am going over to Cutler and see what they have. My husband got on there to look at the heating element you suggested, but I need to check it out. They might have more that I need than I realzed.

How about a Youtube video on sexing chicks? You might be able to get enough hits that Youtube starts paying you!

How do you think the hen knows if the chick is alive or dead inside the shell? I was just talking to someone about this the other day. Do you think it's the heat produced or do you think when

they get big enough they make a noise the hen hears? I'm thinking for my broody the chicks died before she left the nest. She spilt her water and I think that was the root of the problem. I took it as a lesson for me to learn. I shouldn't have put the water inside the box right where I did. I am figuring out a new water system.
I have been thinking of a plan and I'm curious what you think. I have two hens without eggs now. I have eggs set to be hatched next Monday. The one hen won't move off a toolbox so I was thinking of puting her inside a crate and if she will sit there put some of the eggs from the incubator under her to hatch so she can have chicks. The other girl is the one that just lost her chicks and she's sitting in a great spot so I was just going to slip eggs under her. I know everything depends on so many other factors as to whether it will work or not, but do you think it can be done with hope of much success? I know the one broody won't care about eggs under her. My other girl has been sitting about five weeks and does not appear to be giving it up. She even turns her imaginary eggs often during the day.

I know the LGs are not the easiest. That's why I'm going to JulieNKC's house for a seminar this summer. I think it's probably not too far off course to just swing by your place and pick up my new incubator!

Meshellrose, what did you do different between the first hatch and second hatch that first caused the low hatch rate and second caused a successful hatch rate?

Long Last Farm, were they all shipped? I'm nervous because I'm getting shipped eggs this week. I feel like they are going to be much, much harder to work with than eggs from the backyard.

Does anyone have advice on what to do with the shipped eggs when they arrive and how best to incubate them?

I have read many threads on it, but like everything else around here there is the same amount of opinions as there are people giving them.

 

[wholewheatchicken]

Here's hoping for a good hatch for you too, onawhim!

There are a few people that have eggs set to hatch later than some others. Would anyone be interested in keeping this thread going and stick with those who are hatching later and then those of us who are doing the Easter Hatchalong post here in addition too about our Easter eggs? That way we wouldn't get so lost all the time on the main thread and can still touch base on how things are going? Although, I'm not trying to steal their thread over there, just an idea to keep in touch a little easier on how the chicks are developing.