Setting eggs on Thurs. Nov. 10th - Any buddies? Hatch due Dec. 1st

[Jobele]

I try to keep my humidity down for the 1st 18 days....then I put my humidity up right before lockdown to about 80% so the membrane stays soft and the chicks can move around in there......if not the membrane will sorta shrink wrap the chick....LOL

 

[Jobele]

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Hey Carol J.....how many of the Chocolates are still hanging on? I hope you can get a few!!!!! Let me know okay?

 

[ChobeeChickenMommy]

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I'm glad that your 5 definite troopers are still doing good. I'm sorry about your cracked one. My cracked one is still living as is my other 11 of 12, most with detached air sacs.

The following statements are my opinion. I am no expert. But, I think your air sac looks pretty small for Day 12. If it were me, I would run dry until Day 18 or at least lower the humidity to somewhere around 30%. I would do some searching about this or ask the expert's opinions. You only have 5 days to affect the air sacs. It is important that you have enough evaporation at Day 18, so that the air sac is large enough to provide breathing air for the chick and to prevent drowning. Here's a diagram that you can go by. I hope you have a successful hatch.

On my first hatch, I had small air sacs at Day 14. It was suggested that I run dry from then until Day 18. I did that and hatched 6 out of 7 that went into lock down. The one that didn't make it still had a small air sac. I don't think it had enough evaporation due to a dense shell.

http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k500/stardesigner/Incubating/p1150-5.gif

Thank you for the advice! I have had my humidity around 35% give or take, another member had suggested a dry hatch to me in the beginning so I tried to adjust it. Thank you for diagram, I had no clue about the air sacs before. I'm going to candle again tonight to see if I can measure the chicks air sacs compared to the diagram & see what I get. Again, thank you so much.

 

[Phantom_Rooster]

ChobeeChickenMommy, I hope your 5 babies are make it ok. My 12 are still doing well so far and I hope they all make it also. I've been dry hatching for most of my hatch. Mine has been at 40% for the most part, while running dry, due to high outdoor relative humidity. For the last couple of days by bator humidity has dropped to around 30%. Mine now on Day 15 look like they should at maybe Day 17. This is based on my assessment of the average size of air cells. I started out doing the weight loss method for watching the humidity. I think that is a good way of measuring the evaporation. But, the eggs evaporate at such different rates due to shell and membrane density, that you still have to take an average. I've decided to raise my humidity to around 55% to slow the evaporation. We're suppose to get a pour down rain here today. I am not too worried about that. That's probably a good thing for me. At Day 18, I'm going to do like Jobele said and go to 80% for lock down. Many say that if the humidity is too high at lock down, the chicks will drown. I don't believe that. I think that if the air cell is too small at lock down, they will drown. These are my beliefs based on many different views from the many here at BYC. I hope that your next video is showing 5 new fluffies. Good luck to you and everyone on this thread.

Always seek more opinions. There are many out there.

 

[CarolJ]

Quote:
Hey Carol J.....how many of the Chocolates are still hanging on? I hope you can get a few!!!!! Let me know okay?

Jobele - I'm not home right now but when I get home later this evening, I'll check and let you know - just hope the bator has been doing okay while I've been out of town. I can't recall exactly how many of the chocolate orp project eggs were still going strong - but I DO remember that I have at least some. I'll update this evening.

 

[CarolJ]

Got back home, checked the bator and realized immediately that there was a bad egg in there somewhere. I just finished candling - it's day 16, and I discarded 6 more eggs - did eggtopsies, and none were viable. The one that had started smelling bad - when I opened it up, the yolk looked like it had been cooked. Yuk! Glad I got it out of the bator before it exploded! Out of 41 eggs set, I have 28 left.

Araucanas - set 10 - still have 8
Chocolate Orpington Project - set 8 - still have 5
Buff/Dun Orpington - set 1 - never developed
Lemon Cuckoo Orpington - set 10 - still have 6
Swedish Flower Hen - set 5 - still have 4
Easter Eggers - set 7 - still have 5

It doesn't look like I'll have the high rate of success that I had last time - but it also looks like I'll get at least a few of each breed/type that I started out with. I'll find out this coming Thursday/Friday.

Anybody else candled lately?

 

[Phantom_Rooster]

It's Day 17 for me. I candled and all 12 are still living. Tomorrow is lock down. I am hoping for a perfect hatch. This set of shipped eggs with one cracked and, oh yes, one tiny, sure looked doubtful. I forgot to mention the tiny egg. It weighed 40 grams. I'm especially concerned about that one. My largest egg was 54 grams. That's a big difference. The box was dented and had been banded and the air cells were mostly all detached. I am not counting my eggs before they hatch. But, I am hoping. I'm sure the rest of you are as anxious as I am. Good luck to you all.

 

[cmom]

I put some eggs I set on Nov.8th into lockdown yesterday and have some that I set on Nov.10 that go into lockdown tomorrow.

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

Went into lockdown today with 25 out of 40. Keeping fingers crossed for babies on Wed the 30th.

 

[ChobeeChickenMommy]

SO EGGCITED FOR LOCKDOWN TOMORROW!!

I am going to candle one last time tonight & take out my definite quitters/clears. Fingers crossed for a good hatch!!

Good luck to you all & I can't wait to see your babies!!