Setting eggs on FEB 10

[bugglesmommy]

I'm up to 9 chicks. All but 2 eggs have pipped. I'm pretty sure one of those 2 gave up a few days ago. Its never even rocked.

 

[CowgirlHC]

I'll be doing eggtopsy's for sure. I know the 2 others were on track til at least day 12-14 :-( But the other 2 I was so happy with. And, on top of that, my baby girl won 6 hatching eggs in a facebook kids Easter hatch along contest, and now I'm scared to death to set these birds being higher end breeds! AGH!

 

[bugglesmommy]

I'll be doing eggtopsy's for sure. I know the 2 others were on track til at least day 12-14 :-( But the other 2 I was so happy with. And, on top of that, my baby girl won 6 hatching eggs in a facebook kids Easter hatch along contest, and now I'm scared to death to set these birds being higher end breeds! AGH!

I'm so sorry. Don't give up! My first hatch I started with 18 eggs, only had 6 fertile, and only got 3 alive... one so deformed it had to be put down. None were even on time. This time I already have 10 live, even a hard to incubate serama! You just have to figure out what wentt wrong and learn from it.

 

[my sunwolf]

I'm so sorry. Don't give up! My first hatch I started with 18 eggs, only had 6 fertile, and only got 3 alive... one so deformed it had to be put down. None were even on time. This time I already have 10 live, even a hard to incubate serama! You just have to figure out what wentt wrong and learn from it.

This is the hard part, finding out what went wrong! I'm blaming low fertility, but maybe there's something else to it. I've got to get some better thermometers, a hygrometer... and maybe set up my own breeding pen instead of relying on other peoples' eggs. It is definitely encouraging to hear that a lot of first hatches don't go very well!!

Cowgirl, I agree, don't give up!!

 

[CowgirlHC]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I'm 99% positive all of them were fertile and all were developing perfectly up until day 14 or so. I didn't candle them again til right before lock down and 2 all we could see was the clear big end where the air sack is on 2 of them (very dark), but 2 didn't seem to change since day 14ish. I did accidentally bump the 'bator a little to make them rock a bit, but it wasn't like they fell or anything, just a wiggle. Ugh I have 6 coming for my little girls Easter hatch a long contest and now I'm scared! I been hand turning them, should I invest in an auto turner to keep from opening the 'bator at all except for water refills? I know people hand turned them for years and years w/ success though, so that shouldn't be the entirety of it. so sad :-(

 

[bugglesmommy]

I hand turned my eggs, and a slight wiggle bump shouldn't have hurt them. Did you calibrate your thermometer and hydrometer?

 

[ajneal30]

I hand turned my eggs, and a slight wiggle bump shouldn't have hurt them. Did you calibrate your thermometer and hydrometer?

I am reading all of the hatching posts getting excited for my next hatch at the beginning of April. I had issues with my thermometer last year. How do you calibrate your thermometer and hydrometer?

 

[CowgirlHC]

Yes we tested/calibrated our thermostat and everything. All was going great, everyone developed fine to day 14 or so, then 2 seemed to stop but the others continued on perfectly. That was the day of lock down we were confident in 2/4. Now here we are, day 21 and not even a pip. Should I turn them 180 degrees to see if anything has happened underneath and leave them the rest of the day?

 

[bugglesmommy]

Yes we tested/calibrated our thermostat and everything. All was going great, everyone developed fine to day 14 or so, then 2 seemed to stop but the others continued on perfectly. That was the day of lock down we were confident in 2/4. Now here we are, day 21 and not even a pip. Should I turn them 180 degrees to see if anything has happened underneath and leave them the rest of the day?

I would leave them be for now. Wait until they are past due to mess with them. I don't know how your humidity is or how badly it could hurt them from opening it.

I have 17 chicks! Including both of the wrong end pippers I saved. Only 2 eggs left to go. I checked the two I thought were dead and they were. Ones air sack went nuts after day 14 when I marked the air cell last. It was over 2/3 of the egg! It was also shaped weird.

 

[bugglesmommy]

My little pride and joy serama