Setting eggs today 5-3-12...anyone with me?

[Bonnienonnie]

Hi all!

I just found these posts - we are new to incubating - have 8 Anacona chicken eggs which we started on May 8th (PM).

The instructions say to stop turning them 3 days before hatch day - so would that be this Saturday?


I have read conflicting opinions about putting water in the incubator - what do you think?

Thanks so much!

Bonnie

 

[mbleily]

I took my dog out for a while to see my other chicks in the chick house and when I came back I have a pip! It is a pretty big one. I couldn't help myself and I picked it up to listen and I can hear a little snap, snap. The bad thing is it is on the small end of the egg. This are all shipped eggs. But I thought I saw air sacks on the top of all of them. I had two that did the same thing last time. One totally zipped before I saw it because I had them sitting up in an egg crate that I bought just for hatching. It is yellow plastic and has lots of air passage ways in it. I can't fit that into my HM bater so they are all laying.


Those white eggs really have a touch of blue in them. I wasn't expecting anything until tomorrow or later. But they always seem to come when unexpected. LOL

 

[ellecee]

Hi Bonnie, I would lockdown Saturday. I'm not sure what you mean about putting water in the incubator. Do you mean how much? I kept my humidity around 40-45% during the first 18 days and have been keeping it around 65% during lockdown. All of my healthy air cells looked great with those percentages!

 

[ellecee]

I took my dog out for a while to see my other chicks in the chick house and when I came back I have a pip! It is a pretty big one. I couldn't help myself and I picked it up to listen and I can hear a little snap, snap. The bad thing is it is on the small end of the egg. This are all shipped eggs. But I thought I saw air sacks on the top of all of them. I had two that did the same thing last time. One totally zipped before I saw it because I had them sitting up in an egg crate that I bought just for hatching. It is yellow plastic and has lots of air passage ways in it. I can't fit that into my HM bater so they are all laying.


Those white eggs really have a touch of blue in them. I wasn't expecting anything until tomorrow or later. But they always seem to come when unexpected. LOL

Oh wow! Good luck! Keep us posted!

 

[Bonnienonnie]

Thanks! That's what I thought. Our incubator has instructions to increase the humidity at the end by putting water inside. We put a glass in there with about 3 oz water in it.

 

[mbleily]

Hi all!

I just found these posts - we are new to incubating - have 8 Anacona chicken eggs which we started on May 8th (PM).

The instructions say to stop turning them 3 days before hatch day - so would that be this Saturday?


I have read conflicting opinions about putting water in the incubator - what do you think?

Thanks so much!

Bonnie

You are supposed to start counting day 1 24 hrs after setting them. So if you set them in the PM May 8th the first day is May 8 in the PM. Confusing at first but it works. The water thing has already been told so I wont go into that. Happy hatching!

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

I took my dog out for a while to see my other chicks in the chick house and when I came back I have a pip! It is a pretty big one. I couldn't help myself and I picked it up to listen and I can hear a little snap, snap. The bad thing is it is on the small end of the egg. This are all shipped eggs. But I thought I saw air sacks on the top of all of them. I had two that did the same thing last time. One totally zipped before I saw it because I had them sitting up in an egg crate that I bought just for hatching. It is yellow plastic and has lots of air passage ways in it. I can't fit that into my HM bater so they are all laying.


Those white eggs really have a touch of blue in them. I wasn't expecting anything until tomorrow or later. But they always seem to come when unexpected. LOL

That is sooo exciting. I still only have that one tiny little pip and from what I can tell it doesn't look like it is through like yours, it just looks like a crack from the inside out, I can't see any membrane or anything. I did see another egg move like crazy though...it was really rocking back and forth.

 

[GreenGirlGrammy]

Well, today is day 21 for me and all is quiet in the homemade incubator. When I candled eggs, I had so many with broken air cells. The mailman had dropped my clearly marked FRAGILE box on my front porch when he delivered it. Out of my 24 silkie eggs, 8 had bubbles to indicate a broken air cell, 5 were not fertile, 5 had questionable air cells that were misshapen but developing chicks, 2 had the red ring, and 4 were good looking chicks with decent air cells.

I kept the questionable air cells vertical in egg cartons - I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but with no pipping and almost 24 hours since my first chick, I'm starting to get very discouraged.

Aw ellecee, what a bad start for your clutch. So sorry, really. But at least you are giving them a shot. Hang in there with them. You never know.
Right at 3PM my first Buff Orpington popped out. He has be making his rounds looking for Mom now for almost an hour. So wet, but cute...and noisey! I can't imagine a bator full of peepers as loud as this guy. I has to be a rooster!

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

ellcee...did you get your shipped eggs from here or another source? I have some eggs coming from here and ebay, to go in the incubator when this group is done. I have never attempted shipped egg, but so far dealing with the folks on BYC has been a dream compared to the gal on ebay. I know so much is out of our hands with the shipping and what not. Sometimes I think marking a box with the word fragile is an invitation to abuse the box. LOL My seller on ebay forgot to put my number on the box, so I guess I will have to watch the tracking and hound our post master.

As for this current hatch...I still only have just the two pips, but I can hear some chirping in there.

How is everyone else doing today????

 

[Nickel]

Another 2 chicks, all yellow? and went and checked my broodies and felt horrible when I lifted up Meanee to find another chicked hatched she had a fit and Im hoping didnt trample it. Should have left her alone.....hoping to give her the chicks i have in the house, The other broody nothing but one egg is chirping in the shell so we will see.