Setting Today (03-02-2012)

[Coop de Grille]

Mine are due to hatch on Wednesday too. I have to work 8-4:30 on Wed and then 1:30-10pm on Thursday. I am hoping they hatch while I am home. My 16 yr old daughter will be here to keep an eye on the humidity. I will be very upset if I miss them hatch! All the ones that I can see through when I candle are developing right on schedule. I have several that I can't see through at all, so I am hoping they will hatch too.

 

[1sttimechick]

Hello Everyone! I cannot tell you how helpful you all have been through this first experience with this! That being said, i need a little more help. Let me preface it with this, I have never done anything like this before!

I borrowed an incubator, brinsea 40 dx, from a friend. I want to know how i am going to know if i added enough water to bring the humidity up and exactly where should my humidity be at lockdown.

Any input is greatly appreciated! I dont go into lock down until tuesday night.

 

[RachaelS]

A trick I learned was to heat up one cup of water and pour that in right before lockdown. If you make it hot the incu does not have to work as hard and it jumps the humidity pretty quick hope that helps some

 

[chkinut]

Hello Everyone! I cannot tell you how helpful you all have been through this first experience with this! That being said, i need a little more help. Let me preface it with this, I have never done anything like this before!

I borrowed an incubator, brinsea 40 dx, from a friend. I want to know how i am going to know if i added enough water to bring the humidity up and exactly where should my humidity be at lockdown.

Any input is greatly appreciated! I dont go into lock down until tuesday night.

do you have a hygrometer? if so, it will tell you the percentage of your humidity. i've been having pretty good success with 38-40% humidity on days 1-18 and then bumping it up to 58-60%ish during lockdown. of course i have a different incubator than you do. but the percentages should be about the same. other people do less humidity all the way through, but there's loads of threads on humidity....i suppose one could talk on and on about it, lol!

 

[chkinut]

I know, the ratio sometimes is bad. Sometimes you lose more then you want and wished you put more in... But if you put more in and they all hatch...then you have a slight problem...But you can either sell them or give them away...

I set mine 03.02.2012 @ 8:30pm and so excited for Tuesday. I don't know if I should get my hopes up or not because 10 out of 12 seem to have viable chickens (i saw a foot or a beak). But the two that aren't viable (as in my own opinion), seem to have a blood vein around the middle of the egg, the egg doesn't weigh as much as the good eggs and the embryo's don't move. In fact one looked like it got scrabbled a little. I don't know what to do with the 2 that aren't viable. Will they explode and cause the rest to go bad? or are they okay to be left in?

Also, i have a small egg that the chicken is growing in, does the size of the egg itself matter to hatch time?

have the 2 "bad eggs" looked exactly the same every time you candled them? and how long have they looked this way? is it something you just now noticed? or have you seen the eggs like this for quite some time. if so, they're probably quitters. but if they don't stink, they shouldn't explode. so you can always leave them in just to be sure. if it were me though, and these eggs looked no different for quite some time.....and i was positive there was no movement and that there was a blood ring...i would probably remove them. but i would have to be pretty positive.

 

[1sttimechick]

SO I have candled my eggs for the last time until lockdown, which will be tuesday night before i go to bed. I had to toss one that i had a ? on from monday night. It definately did not make it past day 8 but we have 37 kicking babies! We even got on video a foot kicking the side of the egg! (Which i am going to try and post here)

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10150664877569214

Lets see if this works! It happens in the first 2 seconds of the video so you may have to watch it several times to see it but it is a very clear 3 toed foot!

This is as exciting as watching the ultrasounds i had when i was pregnant with my children 14 & 18 years ago!


Chkinut....I do have a hydrometer! And i have been between 30 and 40% up until now, I hope i can get my humidity up to 60% on tuesday night! I bought a humidifier for the room they are in also so i am not fighting with it too much! I am getting so egggggsited!

Tuesday is day 18 at 830 am so i am putting them into lockdown on tuesday night around 830 i know it is about 12 hours early but i want to make sure i can regulate it and i have all day wednesday off and 75% of my eggs are bantams, which i heard can hatch on day 19 and i dont want to open the bator and risk shrink wrapping the others.

Edited for stupidity! Lol

 

[chkinut]

well, i'm putting mine into lockdown on day 18 too....which will be sunday night! wow! this time kinda flew huh?

i should honestly wait till monday though, simply cuz i have ONE egg in there that's a day behind all the others. but i think what i'll do is just go into lockdown on sunday anyway and maybe turn the spare egg for one more day. what do you guys think?

 

[mohillbilly]

if it is only a day behind just put it in lockdown you wont need to turn it

 

[skunknchatter]

if its mostly dark that most likely means that there's growth. sometimes they don't move a lot (sleeping maybe?) but i wouldn't throw it away. you could keep checking it every day and if you don't see movement then maybe it died. anyone else have any thoughts here? well, if this egg doesnt make it, will you set more? i'm going to be setting a bunch of eggs after these ones hatch. we could start another hatch-along together if you're gonna hatch more? i'll be hatching silkies, EE, OE, and FBCM.
and thanks stonefamily3 for that link! can't wait to check that out later today!!

I saw a little movement! Not throwing it out unless it smells yucky. I'm going to hatch more but maybe not until may because I'm taking vacation in April. I want to incubate some of my EExBO eggs.

 

[Barbedwirecat]

I tossed 2 eggs today before lockdown myself. I DROPPED ONE

by the garbage can on accident, thankfully it wasn't too bad, but it did have a blood ring. No one moving, but I have mine upright in halfed egg cartons. Judging by previous hatches---we should see pipping tomorrow!