Setting eggs the week of May 7th (Here's to wishing the best this time)!!!!!!!!!

[kannna]

Broody Betty has nixxed two. I leave it up to her and have chosen not to touch them this time. So we are at 10 eggs left out of a dozen. I peeked today when she went for her daily constitution.

 

[Nikkipar]

Im taking a poll.... what is everyone keeping their humidity at?

 

[chickee]

I am keeping my humidity at 48% in my Octagon 20 advance ex. I had it at 45% last hatch and the chicks seemed just a bit dry but had no problems hatching. They were from my own chickens and this time I am incubating shipped eggs and they dry out more so I decided to up it a little.

I am down to 3 out of the 10 shipped BLRW eggs (The air cells were too badly damaged during shipping) and 2/2 of my own BLRWs in the incubator. I put 5 more of my BLRW eggs under a broody hen (this is a first for me and makes me very nervous!) and 3 for sure are still growing. I am hoping that the broody will take all of the BLRW chicks I hatch in the incubator with the ones she is setting. I added 4 eggs to the incubator for a staggered hatch (I hatch in my Genesis 1588 incubator) from my Polish bantams plus 10 bantam buff Brahma and one bantam Mille Fleur Cochin from a friend who shipped them to me from Michigan. They are only 3 days along but I did see veining in one of my Polish eggs when I candled earlier today. I am waiting for it to get dark so I can get a better look at them.

It took me about 5 hatches before I felt confident to throw out eggs. I used to wait until they were 10 days along and could see a moving chick before tossing any, but now I can tell by day 5. Having a good candler is very helpful.

 

[jandrusrn]

As for the humidity poll.... I'm not looking. But just for the poll.... I looked.

and we're just about 30-35%...... We ditched some eggs the other day and I'm having a heck of a time convincing the hubby to let go. Blood rings obvious and all, he just hates to ditch the little guys.

We have had the best results so far with this dry incubation.... just have mixed thoughts on how to raise things when we lock down in 3 days.

sponges? dish o water? just trenches? paper towels in trenches? all of the above? maxi pad? Just what I need.. something about which to obsess.....

 

[Sprinkles212]

I'm using the Brinsea ovascope...the higher one. I see two with blood rings but cannot bring myself to toss them just yet. Two are very porous. Of the two porous, one looks clear and the other I cannot tell. It has a dark shadow at the pointy end. I cannot see the air cell and although it is porous it is very dark. Two have perfect babies and air cells. That leaves one that's so dark I cannot make out anything. I refuse to count my losses or chicks until hatch day! If something smells, then I'll remove it. Otherwise they all stay. Tomorrow is day 10.

 

[Sprinkles212]

On a side note, we have BO and RIR chicks in the brooder right now. They are a week old and one of my RIR is so incredibly friendly! He/she will run over to me and loves to take a nap in my lap. He/ she also seems to like to watch tv. I need to name this one! My son is really hoping its a rooster. I would love to have a cuddly rooster.

 

[Sprinkles212]

Im taking a poll.... what is everyone keeping their humidity at?

We are doing a dry hatch and our RH in the incubator is 48.

 

[Aschenfire]

>.> Must admit, I am not measuring humidity, but rather going by the hovabator instructions to fill trough 1 till lockdown, then fill trough 2. So far air cells look good, and babies in the two good eggs I ended up with are moving and growing. I am hoping that my less anal method of incubation and hatching will pay off I'm overly fussy with a lot of other things, so this time I figured I'd be a little more relaxed. Now when lockdown comes, things might change and I might go into "panichyper" mode

 

[Nsampsel]

I'm down to 85 eggs now. 1 of my own had an obvious blood ring & the 1 that had cracked during shipment that I tried to seal with wax was starting to leak. I candled a few from each batch & saw definite wigglers in several of the older ones. But 87 eggs is way too many to candle at once, so I don't try.

 

[Sprinkles212]

I'm down to 85 eggs now. 1 of my own had an obvious blood ring & the 1 that had cracked during shipment that I tried to seal with wax was starting to leak. I candled a few from each batch & saw definite wigglers in several of the older ones. But 87 eggs is way too many to candle at once, so I don't try.

Down to only 85?. Bahahahahahahahaha! Love it!