Setting eggs today 4/1/12 Anyone else?

[AinaWGSD]

About 4:50 I ran in to check on the eggs before going to pick up my husband from work...and we have our first chick!

It must have literally just hatched, it was still very wet (still is now, actually) but had had enough time to crawl all the way across the incubator. I'm a little worried because it was flat out (but clearly still breathing and peeping) when we got back home and has some muconium stuck to it's butt, but at this point there's nothing I can do so I'll just keep an eye on it and hope for the best. I have a broody hen we'll be moving to a broody pen tonight who's just waiting to be a new momma.

Gwendalynn, I set my eggs a little sooner, we actually set the morning of 3/31, so mine are just barely a day early. My first hatch was nearly two days early, all of them had hatched out by mid-morning on day 21. I run a still air incubator and based on recommendations I read here I aim for a higher temp. of 102 (at the top of the eggs). So I'm sure my early hatches are probably because of a slightly higher incubation temperature.

 

[jodiea60]

I am locked down!!!!! I have a feeling like I am abandoning them in some way??!!! This is my first hatch....I have a LG still air and have both plugs out....Humidity is up to 75% but temp is down some is this normal or do you need to up the heat alittle during this time??? I candled and had movement in all 11 eggs don't know whatelse I am really looking for or at but I like to see them move!!! Once they hatch how long do you leave them in the bator and it you take the out how do you do it so you don't disrupt the whole bunch???
Good Luck everyone

 

[Reyvaughn]

My first 10 (Blue/Splash Wheaten/Wheaten Ameraucanas)!
I have another Ameraucana in the incubator and a bantam Cochin.
I have 5 more pipped Ameraucanas and 2 more bantam Cochins.
That leaves 2 Ameraucana eggs to pip.

Missy, I'm sorry you had a bad hatch. Make sure your thermometers are calibrated. Do a Google or Bing search and it will tell you how. I know until this hatch, I was only getting 14-25% hatches. I discovered my thermometers were running 2 degrees higher than they said. Since the new aquarium thermometers and the calibration, here I am with over 61% hatch (Ameraucanas only) with 4 more pipped. It's heartbreaking, but check your thermometers. Just double check everything. It's amazing what one little thing can do to effect your hatch.​

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

7 pips! 1 hatched!

And the Broodies!

Millie, Mildred and Bridgette. Bridgette's eggs are due to hatch tomorrow.


My Silkies... These buggers... First, the picture was taken while we were cleaning the coop. My son was in the run (have to crawl through the pen to get there) to keep the other girls out. My husband scraped the pen out and the nest box is right beside the door where he was scraping at. Then I crawled in to lay the fresh shavings down and put the feed/water back in. Then my son had to crawl back through with a 2x3 piece of plywood. They never once moved. They are also stealing the eggs from the nest box beside them. Seriously - going over, picking them up and carrying them to their box.

Reyvaughn, My Broody Mama is not steeling eggs, the other hens just sit on her & lay their eggs.

When she started out on April 2nd, she had 6 eggs, a week later my hubby spotted 9, the beginning of this week, I counted 14 & tonight when we moved her to the newly build Broody House, my hubby collected 19 eggs.

She is on lock-down till Tues. when the first eggs are due to hatch. She has fresh food & water, so I will not check her till tomorrow night, and refill her food & water. It is right by the door, so I can quick open & snatch before she is the wiser.

I cleaned out Broody Mama #1 Broody House yesterday, while she & the chicks were exploring their run area. Took out the nest box, she was not using it since the chicks hatched.



I just hope another hen goes broody in the next couple of days, so I can move some of the eggs from Broody Mama #2 to a new Broody Mama.

How does a little Silkie move an egg to her nest without cracking it? Wish you could video that.

 

[Reyvaughn]

I thought I was insane, honestly. I wasn't getting eggs, or just one or two in the other nest box. I checked them the other day and she actually had one tucked under her wing yet and I almost knocked it out and broke it! So, I almost caught her in the act. If I had been about 30-40 minutes soon, I may have eye witnessed it. She and her co-conspirator had 9 Silkie eggs they were not supposed to have and at least 4 extra Ameraucana eggs. I set Ameraucana eggs under them, so I need to candle before I remove their stolen goodies.

 

[emtdiv]

Day 20 and as of 7am this morning we have our first pip! Now the waiting and worrying begins.

emtdiv, I wouldn't worry too much about the one egg. You were probably just able to see the little watery bit because of how the chick was positioned in the shell.

Thanks!

 

[Missymac]

I am just checking in, I hope everyone is having a wonderful day! Congrats to those who already have chicks!

 

[gwendalynn28]

Congratulations on all the new chicks everyone! I'm still waiting but mine aren't due until Monday! I set them on the morning of 4/1/12! I am pretty happy this morning. I was having ALOT of trouble with getting the humidity up for lockdown. I finally decided to tape over a few of the ventilation holes (I have alot of them ALL over the incubator, its homemade). That helped a little bit but the humidity was still only about 62%. So I finally soak a clean sponge in hot water and laid that in there and also poured a little more warm water in the incubator and went to bed. I got up this morning and the humidity is 75%!!! So know I'm hoping my chicks will have an easy time hatching! My last hatch got shrink wrapped so the humidity this time has been a huge worry for me! Got my fingers crossed!!!

 

[emtdiv]

I am still trying to get my humidity up past 65%, I think I will get a sponge this morning and put it in there.

Congrats to all the new babies out there, I am very excited to hear about them and see them. I still have to wait until Monday for mine.

 

[leirob007]

Ok have a question....I set my eggs at 8pm on April 2....I have read that you don't start counting days until they have been in the bator for 24 hours....any thoughts??? My plan is to lockdown on the 21st... I have a Little Giant still air.....During lockdown I plan to put a container of water and a sponge in the bator....Do I pull a plug out to add water if needed or I had seen that someone else used a smaller indention/hole to add water....what is the thought with this...

well try it like this if you ever get confused. 504 hours give or take 2 then adding one for every day the egg is over 5 days old.
take off time if your incubator runs over 101 which will cause 20 day hatches. if your incubator drops below 98 add a day for 22 days..