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

[latebloomer]

one chick and three pips this morning

but the humidity was in the mid-fifties, it's back up now and i'm concerned, but hopeful

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Locked down earlier this morn. Candled and kept 9 of the 15. This far along it was easy to tell some just stopped growing. Well, here's to a nervous 3 days.

 

[latebloomer]

Quote:
good luck to you

 

[TBJumper0514]

Good luck everyone! I've got 3 chicks so far, one working on zipping and 2 more pips currently!

 

[midget_farms]

Issues!

I have 2 chicks & no additional pips. I learned late in this hatch that I had too much air flow. I knew I had too much during lock down last time - but didn't realize that too much through the entire incubation would dry the eggs out.

So - I went to bed last night with my second chick pulling out of the shell. When I got up this am he was still laying down with the large part of the shell totally stuck to his head! Talk about shrink wrap! The humidity was 70%!

Anyway - I pulled him & the other one out - put the first in the brooder & took the 2nd to the sink & washed him under warm water until the egg let go. There was a bunch of other gunk there too. I think I got him pretty clean - I then put him back in the incubator to dry.

I decided to check the other eggs - I candled a couple & saw no movement -

I popped one open - the chick was alive - VERY dry and breathing shallow. Long story short - it didn't make it. I popped open 2 more & the chicks were already gone.

There are 4 eggs still in there - I'm going to leave them alone until maybe Sunday - But as I've said before each time I incubate I learn something new.

I am planning another set around the 21st or 22nd depending on when eggs arrive. This time - I will have the vent holes in my home made plugged the entire incubation period. There is enough air drafting in through the seams of the boards to do them just fine.

Live & learn!

Good luck everyone! Hey at least i have 2! With my Wellies I ended up with 1.

 

[latebloomer]

Quote:
it's so hard when you lose them. i had three pips this morning and one chick but humidity in the mid-fifties and wrung my hands about what to do. decided to leave them and will be home in half an hours to see if there is progress.

the learning is so hard when someone doesn't make it

 

[midget_farms]

I know - & I'm learning on expensive eggs! I have 2 though! If I'm super lucky that will be enough to start with. I may get some others to ensure the genetics etc. But thats next spring.

My next batch will contain frizzle polish / easter egg crosses ! Ha - cant wait to see them. Plus as many buff orpington eggs as i can find.

If things go well with that hatch -it will be my last one for the year (maybe!).

My chicken math -
I had 15 or so hens until Mr Fox came around - Mr Fox has been relocated to live 6 ft under ground (legally).

So I'm down to 6 hens - 2 buff orps (who are pets that play fetch with the kids) 3 aracauna's & 1 red sex link.

I hatched 11 black australorps - 5 are hens - 6 are not. I plan to keep 1 roo & all the hens.

1 wellsummer survived. I think its a male - which is OK - because mixing that with my aracauna's gives dark green speckled eggs (I hope).

A nice lady gave me 6 "pullet types" and two "banny types" she bought for pictures but didn't want to keep. They are plymouth rocks and 1 buff silkie & I have not yet figured out the other banty.

so - my first 6 plus these 6 plus the 5 = 17 layers + 2 male.

But I just hatched 2 black copper marans - probably both male : ( and the two banties.

My daughter wants a brown frizzle - so getting 12 eggs shipped out next monday & the wife wants more buff orps because they are so friendly. I'd like to set 24 or 36 of those. Since only half will hatch (I wish) and half of them are male - so that should be in the number of 6 to 9 hens.

Now - If all of that works out & I get 1 of each sex - I can start to produce my own hatching eggs & stop paying for shipping.

So by June - I should have 25 - 30 layers of all types & 4 or 5 roosters.

Wow - interesting spring. I think I need a bigger coop.

 

[just2rosey]

I'm so jealous all you folks are pipping and hatching, and I'm just waiting ... I hope everyone continues to have a good hatch. Sorry you had a bit of trouble Midget. I would be interested to hear how everyone's shipped eggs are doing vs local eggs?

I am only at day 19, and 20 hrs. I hope to wake up to pips tomorrow. Mine aren't even pipping yet.

I really want a good hatch.

All I can think of right now is every temperature fluctuation and the possible harm it has caused and the sad results to show for it.

I will have one more planned hatch this spring. I will be hatching some PQ Silkies of my own, some Millie Fluer- my neighbor just gave me the eggs

, and more Wheaton Ameraucana's, the eggs will ship the first of next week. I will set them some time in the next week. My silkie hen is showing signs of going broody again. I may let her set the Ameraucana eggs, it will depend on how bad off the air cells are.

Post pics everyone, I need baby pics!

 

[midget_farms]

We're all nervous as a bunch of hens!

I'm OK on my hatch - I got 2 (so far) and I learned an important lesson on my home made incubator!

I'm sure your eggs are just fine rosie - remember you said yours take an extra day right? They will do fine.

I've not had the best of luck with any of my hatches so far - but I think I've got the kinks worked out.

My temps stay constant - no spikes

I can control the humidity almost to the %

I just learned about too much airflow despite good humidity drying out the eggs - so next time I'll do even better!

Plus - Its day 21 for me now (until 9pm) so there's still lots of time.

 

[just2rosey]

Interesting on the air flow issue Midget, how large are your air pockets? Do they look to large?

How about everyone else? How many chick do you have now? Sheltz, TBjumper, KZ???

Well, I couldn't stand the suspense so I candled right after my last post,

I don't have any pips yet so it shouldn't hurt. All my black am eggs look great! they should pip any time now. All the w/bw eggs but one have quit.

I had this happen in my hatch 4 wks ago also, all the chicks from one source quit, and the chicks from the other 2 sources had a good hatch rate. Ok, so mine haven't hatched yet, so I'm not counting, but....

it is just so frustrating! I would blame myself totally, but another BYC'er bought eggs from the same person, they had 4 out of 6 make it into lockdown, and only one hatched this week. That can't be a coincidence.

I will quit now before I get tempted to use bad words.