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

I've just finished my 2nd hatch ever (I'm doing my project breed of chickens), and my results this time were worse than my 1st hatch.

1st Hatch set 41 in a Hovabator 1588 with fan and turning tray. Candling didn't work well (was trying to use a flashlight with too few lumens) and I did not know about weight loss vs. humidity. Followed the instructions in the bator box, kept humidity ~50% till Day 18 then increased it to 75%. I was very hands on after Day 18, removing shells, and chicks, as they were ready (dry). I got 19/41...no idea really how many were infertile but I suspect it was 8 or so.

2nd Hatch set 41 again, candled (with Ova Scope HI) and weighed Day 3, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, and 18. Removed 7 infertile by Day 10, the rest I thought were viable. 14 hatch on Day 20, and 8 more by the morning of Day 21. I candle a couple of the eggs, and while no movement, they didn't appear dead. So I left everything in the bator and took Sally Sunshine's advice, left them be. Nothing happened Day 22, but on the morning of Day 23 (this morning) I find 11 dead chicks in the bator. 2 more die within 10 minutes of being placed in the brooder. So 9/41 this time. Temps appeared appropriate ~100F, maybe a little high) and humidity was 53% this morning.

Clearly I am crushed at this massive failure...but I thought they would be ok in the bator for 3 days. This makes me want to go back to my previously Amy-ish behavior.

Set 41 more this morning with the plan of not touching anything (adding no water, it runs around 25-30% humidity) until Day 10, then again on Day 16, and 18. Candling and Weighing on each of those days, and adjusting humidity as required. Also, will drop the temperature on each day after Day 18 by 0.5F each day. This time I will take out the dry chicks and shells when they are available. I will also have a 2nd bator by the time this set goes into lockdown (a Brinsea Octogon 40 ADV EX), and plan to put eggs which have not achieved enough weight loss into it on lockdown day so they can be handled separate from the rest.

Any post numbers you can point me to that you think I should read?
Honestly, it would be easier for Amy to just pick up on your post from here than trying to find it earlier in the thread. She just had a 100% hatch in styrofoam, and she will be a big help to you. When you get the Brinsea, I can point you in the right direction. The Brinsea is going to seem sent from heaven after a few tough hatches in styrofoam.
Just to let you know, I kind of pick at people in this thread, so if you read something from here on out that makes you think I'm mean, I'm really not
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Honestly, it would be easier for Amy to just pick up on your post from here than trying to find it earlier in the thread. She just had a 100% hatch in styrofoam, and she will be a big help to you. When you get the Brinsea, I can point you in the right direction. The Brinsea is going to seem sent from heaven after a few tough hatches in styrofoam.
Just to let you know, I kind of pick at people in this thread, so if you read something from here on out that makes you think I'm mean, I'm really not
lau.gif

Lolz, I did say I read the first 3 pages...;-] So all good. I can get testy at times, so you're more likely to think me mean than me you...

What do you think of the idea of taking eggs that haven't lost enough weight and putting them in the Brinsea for the lockdown?
 
Lolz, I did say I read the first 3 pages...;-] So all good. I can get testy at times, so you're more likely to think me mean than me you...

What do you think of the idea of taking eggs that haven't lost enough weight and putting them in the Brinsea for the lockdown?
post # 3031 Amy gives a very detailed synopsis of her incubation.
By lockdown, I don't think there's much that the Brinsea could do to help weight loss, but it would be an extremely stable environment for hatching. If you are having fully developed, live chicks that are then dying during lockdown, I would give it a shot. When you start incubating in the Brinsea, you can weigh eggs if you want, but it's just something to pass the time. Set your pump for 40% humidity the first 18 days, bump it up to 65% at lockdown, then take out all the healthy, fluffy chicks on day 22
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I know you can be testy. I got testy right back in the HAL. Who do you think recommended this thread?
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My early morning pipper is now at about 12 hours. Ugh! Good news is, I just saw it move a piece of shell, so its still alive.

And my sweet darling wonderful hubby brought home some lemonade (Mike's black cherry
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) so I'm good for a long evening! Polish has widened its pip a little, and the floor pipper is hanging in there too.
 
My early morning pipper is now at about 12 hours. Ugh! Good news is, I just saw it move a piece of shell, so its still alive.

And my sweet darling wonderful hubby brought home some lemonade (Mike's black cherry
1f609.png
) so I'm good for a long evening! Polish has widened its pip a little, and the floor pipper is hanging in there too.
Floor pipper? Wasn't that a Beatles song?
In my experience, all H*** breaks loose at 14 hrs
gig.gif
 
Lolz, I did say I read the first 3 pages...;-] So all good. I can get testy at times, so you're more likely to think me mean than me you...

What do you think of the idea of taking eggs that haven't lost enough weight and putting them in the Brinsea for the lockdown?


I do the weight thing too, because I wasn't comfortable judging air cells. Now that I've done a few hatches, I still weighed my current ones for fun. Bad news is the weight loss was high, but I didn't adjust for it, and they lost alot. I should know in another day or so if its a fatal mistake.
 
I've just finished my 2nd hatch ever (I'm doing my project breed of chickens), and my results this time were worse than my 1st hatch.

1st Hatch set 41 in a Hovabator 1588 with fan and turning tray. Candling didn't work well (was trying to use a flashlight with too few lumens) and I did not know about weight loss vs. humidity. Followed the instructions in the bator box, kept humidity ~50% till Day 18 then increased it to 75%. I was very hands on after Day 18, removing shells, and chicks, as they were ready (dry). I got 19/41...no idea really how many were infertile but I suspect it was 8 or so.

2nd Hatch set 41 again, candled (with Ova Scope HI) and weighed Day 3, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, and 18. Removed 7 infertile by Day 10, the rest I thought were viable. 14 hatch on Day 20, and 8 more by the morning of Day 21. I candle a couple of the eggs, and while no movement, they didn't appear dead. So I left everything in the bator and took Sally Sunshine's advice, left them be. Nothing happened Day 22, but on the morning of Day 23 (this morning) I find 11 dead chicks in the bator. 2 more die within 10 minutes of being placed in the brooder. So 9/41 this time. Temps appeared appropriate ~100F, maybe a little high) and humidity was 53% this morning.

Clearly I am crushed at this massive failure...but I thought they would be ok in the bator for 3 days. This makes me want to go back to my previously Amy-ish behavior.

Set 41 more this morning with the plan of not touching anything (adding no water, it runs around 25-30% humidity) until Day 10, then again on Day 16, and 18. Candling and Weighing on each of those days, and adjusting humidity as required. Also, will drop the temperature on each day after Day 18 by 0.5F each day. This time I will take out the dry chicks and shells when they are available. I will also have a 2nd bator by the time this set goes into lockdown (a Brinsea Octogon 40 ADV EX), and plan to put eggs which have not achieved enough weight loss into it on lockdown day so they can be handled separate from the rest.

Any post numbers you can point me to that you think I should read?
What is your altitude? Are the eggs shipped or local? I leave chicks in the incubator and then pull them when they fluff up at about 24hrs. I keep lockdown humidity closer to 75% so that I can grab chicks out quickly and not kill the humidity.

Inside for 3-5 days in a tub brooder, then outside to one of 3 large brooders that will house them until they make the move to the grow out pen
Where's Amy?
Down by the creek, walkin' on water
lau.gif


I will give you my very limited experience opinion, and it is based only on what I have read on the Black Copper Marans Discussion thread. He is a beautiful rooster, and looks almost exactly like mine at that age. Eye color is good, crest looks good, just watch and make sure he doesn't develop any extra points at the rear base. Mine did, and that's what a carnation comb is. That's a DQ if you are showing. I don't know enough to comment on body type, but he also looks like he may be a little "mossy". That's when you get copper bleeding into the areas that should be totally black, like the breast. The ear muffs are copper, and that's good. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the soles of his feet are still slate colored like the shanks aren't they? One of my first roos had yellow feet, and that's another automatic DQ. From all I have read, this is an extremely difficult breed to breed to SOP, with only 10% or so surviving the cut. If you want brutally honest opinions, and have a thick skin, post on the other thread. You will learn a ton about the breed, but they don't suffer fools lightly. There are some serious breeders on that thread, and they will point out every single fault in your birds. They told me to eat mine
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I wuill never be showing birds, so I will probably breed them as close to SOP as I can, but in the end will advertise them as "pet quality". 95% of the people looking for BCM just want the darkest eggs, anyway.
I think yours is gorgeous, and honestly looks exactly like my keeper at that age

Here he is at 5 months. See the extra points at the rear base? That's a DQ for showing. It was bred into Marans by people crossing them with penedesencas trying to get a darker egg, but the pens have a different comb and it has carried down. See the copper flecking in his chest? That's not desireable either, but he is an awesome bird with a great personality, so I'm going to see what I can get from him. He and the hens came from eggs that were solid 7-8 on the Marans scale
He is a **** handsome rooster SC.

Thank you for the feedback. I will post him up on the "French" Marans thread if he keeps his comb and his next set of feathers look right. The bottoms of the feet on my Marans are white not slate like the legs. Like, white white. That's good to know about the ear muffs I didn't even know to look. His comb right now has a little wave to it, it's not perfectly strait. I don't think it's a DQ but will probably get nasty looks from the "French" crowd.

How old when you guy got the extra points?

Lolz, I did say I read the first 3 pages...;-] So all good. I can get testy at times, so you're more likely to think me mean than me you...

What do you think of the idea of taking eggs that haven't lost enough weight and putting them in the Brinsea for the lockdown?

What is the fun of hatching in a Brinsea?
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