Setting eggs 1st day of spring..who's with me?

[just2rosey]

Good luck with them, I hope they hatch out alright for you.

Sounds like early lock down is a good idea if your last couple batches have been early. Yours were early, mine have been in the nick of time, and hatching late on day 21. I think my temps are off a degree the other direction. I am trying to ooch mine up a degree. I have gone the opposite direction and have lowered my humidity to 35% until lockdown. I am afraid a couple of my late chicks drowned in the shell last time, the ones that pipped and didn't hatch, so I am trying a dry hatch this time. I am afraid my air cells aren't developed enough, and mine had a few days of higher humidity while the previous eggs were on lockdown. A staggered hatch in one bator probably isn't the best plan... but I am trying to make it work.

Happy hatching, keep us updated!

 

[midget_farms]

Thanks Rosey - I'll keep everyone up to date.

I have at least 1 more batch after these - maybe 2 depending on when all the eggs arrive. In any case - I'm going to seal up the holes in my incubator so the air isn't turned over quite so often.

I think that will help.

For your wet hatch - try using egg cartons. They hold the egg with the air cell up & keep the extra water down at the bottom of the egg during the hatch. The chicks don't seem to mind - at least mine don't - & this is my 3rd hatch this year.

 

[KZ]

I couldn't resist looking tonight, so I candled a couple of my Cochin eggs that are day 16 now. I kept wondering if the humidity was correct and if the air cell was big enough. Well, they looked great! I can see the little feathers, and they are moving around a bit. Best of all, one of the eggs had a question mark (?) on it because when I candled at day 6 or 8 it looked like a clear to me! I can clearly see, now, it is a very nicely developing chick.
One of the many things I have learned from this forum is don't be tossing your eggs out too early. If in doubt, leave it alone!

I really don't know how many I have left - around 42 from 54 to start - but I will count them Wednesday when I go into lockdown and put them into the hatching tray. I hatched in an egg carton before, but I think I am just going to lay them on their side this time. Very exciting!

 

[shellz131]

just popping in to see how everyones hatching is doing.I am down to 17 eggs now,tossed one with a blood ring.
was going to ask you guys if you have any experience with staggered hatches,just put 14 more in the incubator today and the ones in there are due on the 10th..any info is appreciated

 

[just2rosey]

Hi Sheltz, glad to hear from you!

I am in the middle of my second staggered hatch (only my 3rd hatch ever). I just wait a day later to up my humidity, and up it to 65-70%, then drop it back down again as soon as I can after hatching the first eggs. Most people have 2 incubators one to incubate and the other to hatch, but I only have one.

Sounds like your hatch is going well so far if you have only tossed one egg!

I have tossed 2 duds, and 2 w/ blood rings.

This weather is going to kill me, and my eggs!

It got so warm here yesterday, my house was 15 degrees warmer than usual, and my bator kept getting a tad to warm ( 102-103) I would catch it, and open the bator then fan it a bit and put the lid back on (repeat many times). I woke up during the night and did it again, then a few minutes later the power went out for a couple of hours. My temp went down to 92 degrees.

I just candled and they all appear to be wiggling around still, so I didn't lose any yet. That's my third or 4th power outage since I started this staggered hatch. I'm gonna pull all my hair out before the weekend!

Midge, I did hatch in cartons last time (last week)

I had 2 pip internally then die without making it out. When I opened the shells up I saw a bit of moisture/water come out, so I assumed. I could be wrong, who knows. Any pips for you yet? You went into lockdown last night, any sign of movement?

 

[midget_farms]

Nothing yet. If they go like last time I expect a pip tomorrow. Friday is day 21 so technically I locked down 1 full day early. Lets hope!

 

[TBJumper0514]

Well, I put mine in lockdown today. I candled first and threw out most of my Ancona eggs...they were filthy when I got them and I had to wash them, so between that and the shipping, I wasn't expecting much. I also threw out 1 clear Ameraucana. So I've got 9 Ameraucanas, 3 Ancona and 5 mutt eggs(my Game-type rooster x on Barred Rock and Buff Orps) left in the incubator. Hope I will have some babies this weekend!

 

[just2rosey]

Good Luck TBjumper!

I hope they all hatch for you! It won't be long now.

How are yours doing Midget? Any peeping or pipping?

I will lock down tomorrow some time. I didn't start mine till 530pm on the 20th. I will candle them before I lock down. I am excited I will get my next batch of eggs the end of next week (hopefully the last shipped eggs for this year). I contacted the breeder and traded rare breed eggs I had pre-ordered for his W/BW Ameraucana eggs! This means I will need one less breeding pen going into fall.

That will keep me from upsetting the hubby to much (he's not a chicken fan yet).

 

[KZ]

Lockdown!

I lined the hatch tray with cheesecloth and put the eggs on their sides. Now I am wondering if the chicks will get all tangled up in the cheesecloth? It seemed like a great idea when someone posted about it on here.

Geez, it's always something, huh?

 

[latebloomer]

i locked down my shipped twenty-one bbs orpingtons today too

planning to wake up in the middle of the night to check on the humidity

just added a little warm water through the vent hole via a baby medicine syringe, saw a couple of drops of water slashed on one of the eggs, that doesn't hurt anything, does it?