Setting eggs in incubator May 3rd...Anyone with me?

[melina90]

Hrmph...I give up on candling to check air cells, lol. I candled the polish just fine (one was badly cracked, not sure how I missed that, so I'm down to 5 Polish eggs) but the Barnie eggs are just too dark! I can't see a THING through those shells at this point. Oh well, I'll just treat them the same as the Polish eggs and see how they all do. Two of the Polish eggs had great air cells, two had very severe saddle shaped air cells, and one had a rolling air cell. I'll set them in the morning and not turn them for a few days to help those with unstable air cells.

Welcome SarahJaneB! I just love Australorps...they are some of the best layers I know of! I am SO hoping to be setting eggs from my own chickens next year!!!

My temp is at 100.5 (still air 'bator) and my humidity is at 35%. That's just what I want when I put the eggs in so everything is ready for tomorrow morning!

DD

Haha! I guess you'll just have to treat them equally, yeah. All of my shipped eggs had rolling air cells, so I think you can just treat them as if they have.

Welcome schmockl and sarahjaneb! The silkie/showgirl mix sounds fun, looking forward to see how those turn out!

Also, crossing fingers that your roo did the job Sarah! I've had some issues on fertilityrate for my orpingtons, I'm suspecting it has to do with their tremendous fluffy butts - he simply can't get it in.... Because the other chickens eggs are 100% fertile, from the same rooster

 

[allsummedup]

I set some BLRW eggs on the 27th and some turkey eggs on the 30th so I'm kinda close
Hope you eggs arrive safely and on time

 

[DiamondDust]

Set all my eggs in at 7 this AM. The temp is slowly rising back up. I have to be gone all day so I'll check it when I get home tonight and hopefully it will be close to where it needs to be.

Melina90, I've heard from other Orp breeders that they have to trim up the rears to get higher fertility rates. Makes sense! All those fluffy feathers can sure get in his way!

allsummedup...welcome! Happy hatching to you up in Alaska!

DD

 

[SarahJaneB]

Haha! I guess you'll just have to treat them equally, yeah. All of my shipped eggs had rolling air cells, so I think you can just treat them as if they have.

Welcome schmockl and sarahjaneb! The silkie/showgirl mix sounds fun, looking forward to see how those turn out!

Also, crossing fingers that your roo did the job Sarah! I've had some issues on fertilityrate for my orpingtons, I'm suspecting it has to do with their tremendous fluffy butts - he simply can't get it in.... Because the other chickens eggs are 100% fertile, from the same rooster

He looks to be reaching them. He was a bit awkward about it at first but he improved his skill with time. He's a gorgeous boy, I'll have to get a picture of him in the next few days when it stops raining. I don't really have a good one of him I don't think, though getting him to stop trying to attack me when I snap a picture might pose a challenge. He's a bit agressive. Do ya'll trim claws? I really am tired of him taking out some feathers when he does it.

 

[SarahJaneB]

Here's my boy, I did have a couple of good pics of him on here.

 

[melina90]

Here's my boy, I did have a couple of good pics of him on here.

Oh, he's absolutely beautiful! I have never had an aggressive rooster, but then all the roosters of mine hav been buff orps. I'm not having issues with the claws yet either, all my hens look fine even though I have three roosters covering three hens atm - they seem to be doing good all together, no problems with overmating or aggression. I'm planning on slaughtering two of the roo's, but I'm waiting till the weather gets a little warmer.

Melina90, I've heard from other Orp breeders that they have to trim up the rears to get higher fertility rates. Makes sense! All those fluffy feathers can sure get in his way!

Hmm, that seems to make sence! I've been told not to trim their hind-feathers but I think I'm going to ask my mom for help and go ahead with it., as they're not very good at keeping their personal hygiene on top always either, haha.

 

[TheDownyChick]

I set my eggs last evening. This is my very first hatch. All are shipped eggs. Half came from Kentucky and half from California. Half are Silver Laced Wyandottes and the other half include three Black Copper Marans, some Lavendar Orpingtons, Olive Eggers, and two Basques.

 

[xiamenmom]

I'm setting my broody cochin today to hatch some eggs from our other hens. Should be a mix of Easter Eggers and Black Comets, with an Ameracauna rooster. Not sure how many eggs until I see what was laid this morning.

 

[Cotton42]

I'll join! I set 16 eggs yesterday at noon. I'm trying out my homemade bator, seeing if it works with eggs from the backyard before I order the eggs I want. I also have 3 eggs under a broody that are due to hatch in 2 weeks. My husband thinks I'm crazy and he's probably right.

 

[DiamondDust]

I'll join! I set 16 eggs yesterday at noon. I'm trying out my homemade bator, seeing if it works with eggs from the backyard before I order the eggs I want. I also have 3 eggs under a broody that are due to hatch in 2 weeks. My husband thinks I'm crazy and he's probably right.

I'm crazy right along with you, lol!

I have been checking my temps often and my LG seems to be holding steady. The thermometer read 98 for quite a few hours but I moved it to a different part of the 'bator and it was right at 100.5
That is on top of the turner so right at egg level. Humidity was at 35% before the eggs went in but it hasn't gone below 40% since they went in.