Setting eggs on Jan 18. Anyone else?

[weirdmuse]

Ok, This morning I set 10 cuckoo marans, 7 black copper marans, and 13 ameraucanas. WOOHOO! My first bator load ever! Temps on top of eggs running at between 99.5 and 100.5 and temps at bottom screen at 98.5 to 99. Humidity at 35 %... ....after reading the whole dry hatch thread, this makes a lot of sense to me.

Anyone else set eggs today?

 

[Eggcellent]

I actually set mine at 3:30am on the 19th, so I will call that the 18th. I put in 16 black copper marans and filled the bator with misc eggs I collected from my own flocks (RIR, EEers and one lonely bantam bull brahma)

I will take some photos later of the new bator I built (I didn't get it done until 3am so that's why i was a bit delayed on starting on the 18th.)

 

[Knight Hawk Ranch]

I have some coming out to go into the hatcher and some going in to refill my incubator.

I have bc and blue copper marans eggs going into the hatcher, some more going in (all from my birds)
I also have rir from my flock and a couple white leghorn eggs from a friends flock.

 

[weirdmuse]

Auughhh! How does anyone get through their first hatch? I've got the eggs in and this is only day 3. I've got good stable temps and humidity. I am being very good about not messing with anything but I must check the fool thing about every hour! I suppose it doesn't help that I also have a pygmy goat doe starting in the first stage of labor so I'm out checking her about every hour / half hour. Spring is coming early here on the farm.

 

[Eggcellent]

The first hatch was so stressful for me. I had 4 kids watching with anticipation, so the pressure was really on. It all worked out well, except for the fact that they all turned out to be roosters!

How did your pygmy goat do?

 

[weirdmuse]

All roos? Wow! what are the chances of that? I wonder if external conditions such as temp / humidity/ age of eggs/ etc. affect the sex of the chicks being hatched.

The pygmy goat labor didn't turn out well. She was young and premature and wound up aborting. She is residing in the house right now and being comforted and cared for. Sad stuff. We were really looking forward to a new kid.

 

[Chic Chick]

I just set 41 silkie eggs and 10 marans eggs in my new homemade incubator on the 19th and hoping for a decent hatch with it. I couldn't resist the urge so I hope I can find some buyers for the silkies.....

 

[weirdmuse]

Sounds great! How about some photos of the homemade incubator?

 

[weirdmuse]

Just did my 8th day candling and All but about 6 look good at this point, and those 6 are 'maybe's! Woohoo!

 

[Chic Chick]

I candled yesterday and removed 20 out of the 41 silkies because they were clears. My red girls better give their rooster a chance to do his job!

I can't see into the marans eggs too well so with them it's just

But.... my blue silkie hen has been sitting on 5 eggs and 1 hatched so far this afternoon