She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[WVduckchick]

WalnutHill, all I have read is 13-14% at day 21, so there's a known ideal at Day 18.

I target 13% at day 18, in my spreadsheets. Because I read several places that specified "incubation" time as being separate from hatching time, and other places didn't specify. I believe the one place that I saw 16% said "weight loss by hatch time", so 13-14% sounded more logical to me by day 18. As you said, weighing after day 18 is rare.

 

[NTBugtraq]

I target 13% at day 18, in my spreadsheets. Because I read several places that specified "incubation" time as being separate from hatching time, and other places didn't specify. I believe the one place that I saw 16% said "weight loss by hatch time", so 13-14% sounded more logical to me by day 18. As you said, weighing after day 18 is rare.

Well, that is the point of this tread, isn't it...;-]

 

[WVduckchick]

And lets be honest, making adjustments during lockdown is hard. That's why I said earlier that having 2 bators at lockdown might be a good idea. Those that are on target go into one, those that are under, another thing. Keeping eggs that haven't lost enough weight at low humidity, assuming no pips, makes sense. Putting all other pips into another bator with high humidity, makes sense.

My first two that hatched in my current hatch had lost 16.4% and 10.0% respectively. Another one that lost 19.8% has also hatched! The ones that have not hatched are between 15-18% loss. All this was loss at day 18.
Visually, most of the air cells seemed too large, as my numbers support. So I believe I will go by my gut on air cells next time, instead of worrying myself. I'm very technical and love my spreadsheets. But in hatching, I have come to find it over-worrisome...to me. It did teach me what the air cells "should" look like though, before I was comfortable judging from a picture!!

 

[WVduckchick]

Well, that is the point of this tread, isn't it...;-]

Exact-a-mundo!!

 

[NTBugtraq]

ON Day 18 of my last totally screwed up hatch, ideal weight loss was 11.1% (assuming 13% on day 21). I had viable eggs at 16.7%, and 7.9%. The lowest that hatched was 9.8% weight loss. I totally failed in taking viable hatches out of the bator, but the fact remains I had viable chicks in those ranges based on Day 18 ideals. I am not convinced about weighing chicks in eggs, that sounds way more hands on than Amy does. Projecting weight at hatch from Day 18 weighing seems enough to me.

Essie, I know my last hatch was totally useless, but what I did before Day 21 was purely data driven...

 

[NTBugtraq]

I love it that despite we might be from so many different areas, we all leave the forums around the same time/

 

[RubyNala97]

My first two that hatched in my current hatch had lost 16.4% and 10.0% respectively. Another one that lost 19.8% has also hatched! The ones that have not hatched are between 15-18% loss. All this was loss at day 18.
Visually, most of the air cells seemed too large, as my numbers support. So I believe I will go by my gut on air cells next time, instead of worrying myself. I'm very technical and love my spreadsheets. But in hatching, I have come to find it over-worrisome...to me. It did teach me what the air cells "should" look like though, before I was comfortable judging from a picture!!

I totally said this exact same thing, though not as eloquently, on another post today! What's up with blobby?? How many left to hatch?

 

[RubyNala97]

Here's the link to the thread with the air cell in the pointy end of the eggs. I'm not sure what day it is for those eggs. I was wrong when I quoted 11days. Please give this person a hand if you can. They are shipped eggs. Thanks
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/946207/silkie-hatch-a-long-2015/240#post_15425685

 

[FridayYet]

I have never had a problem with my chicks finding the food themselves and going to town.

Many people don't. I was just offering a suggestion since NTBugtraq's chicks weren't eating the wet soaked food. I think the decision was already made to let them starve if they couldn't find the food, so my suggestion was probably irrelevant.

 

[AmyPaperlady]

I love it that despite we might be from so many different areas, we all leave the forums around the same time/

That'd be 'cause so many of you guys are in the same timezone! (There are outliers--Yorkshire (and other Brits) and myself being the farthest... Well, actually, Alaskan's farther west than I am, so I guess I'm not the "westest"* any more...)







* Yes I'm fully aware that's not a word