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

[AmyLynn2374]

That's an excellent point. What do you think about me trying to stay more towards 40% humidity (I'm going to try hatching in cartons anyway) since the air cells are all funky shapes? I'm just worried if they grow to big the chicks will malposition and fail to pip again.

I think it's a starting point. I'd go for it and definitely incubate/hatch in cartons and wait to turn. But, I'm not a shipped egg hatcher either.

 

[Ravynscroft]

It's still morning to time zones east of me, so ...

I think you're on the right track on those BCM's though... hope you get that worked out...

 

[lazy gardener]

I lost a huge multi-quote, so just doing these after all that lost typing!
Maybe the ones on the outside were delayed a couple days then? How long did you leave the incubator on for after the last chick hatched?
I love the "like a respectable pullet" line!!! Classic!!
Ok: these are the best eggs I ever had shipped. From GA to NY. Only half had loose air cells. The other half had no damage. Hatch rate was about 60%.


These are the Worst air cells I've ever had, all extra loose, half detached totally. 0% hatch rate. From Northern (Jacksonville) FL to NY. Both 4 day priority trip and a 20 hr express trip. Don't know % on current batch.


Inside the egg carton, each egg is wrapped in a THIN layer of bubble wrap.

Ruby, that packing is horrid. Thanks for posting the comparison. I'm really looking forward to doing a shipathon next spring! It'll be a good experience for all involved, me thinks.

Thank you! I really hope that someday we find away to ship eggs without damaging them. It's really only been in the last 5 years or so that shipping eggs has gotten popular. I hope in another 5 years there's a better way. I was on a website yesterday where this man is trying to get legislation passed that shipping eggs must be treated the same as live animals. Hopefully we will get there!

Ozexpat uses foam blocks with egg sized holes drilled in the foam, I think with bubble wrap above and below the eggs. Has very good results with that. Expensive though. But... the cost for shipped eggs of a breed that you otherwise can't obtain would be well worth it.

The cartons were loose in the box like that? That's horrible...
I let my incubator run until early day 23 with no more pips. When they haven't pipped by then, I don't want them to hatch. I'm pretty sure those were the perimeter eggs, because all my hatches came from one side of the tray. That's what reminded me to rotate the tray. It's a simple thing to do, I just forgot about it because I wasn't adding water. I'm rotating every other day this time.
I'm also getting the after hatch deaths again...

I had a few looking puny on Monday. I gave them water, but they just got more and more lethargic. Lost one Monday, one Tuesday, and one this morning. They were all healthy and active on Saturday, so I don't know why they drop off after the hatch. All I can figure is they aren't eating and drinking. I get them to drink when I'm there, but don't know if they do on their own. I've tried to look for any similarities in the ones that died, and all I have noticed this time is they are the blackest chicks. Maybe they aren't bred well, or maybe there is another issue with those pullets. After 6 weeks of hatching and 48 eggs set, I only have 15 chicks to show for it. With my luck, the ones dying are pullets...
I'm trying to be a little more hands on this time by turning the egg tray, but I'm still not candling until lockdown. I'm watching sidewings chicks with keen interest. If his do well, and he hatches better than me in the spring, I may be getting chicks from where he got his

ETA: I also added sav-a-chick to the water, so

SC: I am a huge advocate of NutriDrench. IMO, before your next set of BCM eggs, you should put your laying flock on ND for a couple of weeks. It would be a bit too late to do it this season, unless you want cold weather chicks, but it just may be your missing factor. I also use ND with my hatched chicks. I give them ND one day, and plain water the next, alternating for a week or so. Didn't loose a single chick this season.

That's an excellent point. What do you think about me trying to stay more towards 40% humidity (I'm going to try hatching in cartons anyway) since the air cells are all funky shapes? I'm just worried if they grow to big the chicks will malposition and fail to pip again.

Malposition is IMO most likely related to chick getting too big in the shell, which is IMO related to egg being too wet. Hatching in cartons should help the wet chick situation by keeping the aircell at the top of the egg, so if the chick pips into the aircell, there won't be any liquid there. Malposition will happen, regardless of hatching position (IMO).

 

[sideWing]

Face it, Amy... we all KNOW SC is more narcissistic than you...

Why does crowing and clucking bother everyone? I much prefer hearing my 50... oh 100... well, 150... hens and roos carrying on than downtown city life...

My roosters start between 6 and 6:30. They don't bother us, and I'm not sure about the neighbors. My hens are not very loud at all.

I have a closet full of history that even my family and husband don't have access to. But like you, I dealt with my situation, and over time got stronger. Then I kind of went overboard for a while when financial stuff got really hard to deal with, we lost all our savings and retirement money and almost our house. But after weathering that by taking on all kinds of work, like cabinet making, construction, and car restoration, we got along until I got back into IT.

Just letting you know there is a happy ending, but you have to write it.

Love it!

 

[chicapee]

I didn't even want to talk about it yesterday but I got the new eggs! I ever so gently unwrapped them and gave them a quick candle as I put them into an egg carton to rest. When I saw the air cells, I literally saw myself flushing $$$ down the toilet and I was

I'm realizing that I've been very fortunate with the past shipments I've had. And always hatched out over 50%. But the air cells were always intact. I'm wondering if it's the way she packs the eggs compared to the other breeders. I think I like the way the other people pack the eggs much better. Maybe FL to NY is just a bit to far. Even though I've hatched from Southern GA. I just

2 eggs were cracked but she did send 18 eggs. I guess I have no other choice but to set them and hope for the best. I hate tying up the incubator on eggs this bad but if just 2 hatch, I will be thrilled!! I'm open to any suggestions.

That is really crappy luck. Hopefully you can get them to reattach. One of my last batch was detached and it reattached turned into a saddle cell and hatched unassisted. Can you describe how they were packed. If you had cracked eggs I think you can claim on the insurance.

The red side isn't hatching BCM, but it's not about percentages, it's about sanity. What will candling do to improve the hatch? It's not like you can sprinkle fix-a-hatch on the eggs that aren't developing to make them develop. You can fret and worry over every egg that doesn't look right at every candling, or you can look at it like a Christmas where you get to peek under the paper on Dec. 22

I hatched bcm, 3 out of 4 last time shipped and 10 out of 12 local Marans but 2 out of 3 were bcm, I am pretty red. I think because I went dry on the first week last time and saw that my air cells were getting too large to quickly I added a small amount of water once a week for the last 2 weeks to bring it up to 42% and just let it dry down to 25% then added water again. If I hadn't have candled I wouldn't have known how the air cells were coping.

Oh yeah! I forgot my girl had a 20 too

We never really got to talk about setup. When I got the spot check, I found that mine was usually 1-1.5 degrees lower on the wall side, so every few days I take out the entire tray and rotate it 180 degrees. I forgot to do that on the last batch, since I was running dry, so maybe that had something to do with the low hatch rate. I usually rotate it when I add water. It's really not that hard, I just set the lid on the table, lift out the entire tray, and rotate it 180 degrees and set it back down.
The only other thing I have heard you say that concerns me is how tight your eggs are in the rails. Are they touching? Did you squeeze them down between the rails? I think that's why NT was getting cracked eggs. If mine are touching, I move the rails to the next slot. They rock a little more when turning, but I've never had one crack

I turn my trays every 2 days too. I found different temps around the bator too. I also move rails too the next slot so that there is a little play and try to put like sized eggs together on the same row.

I will share since i have a Brinsea now too, i can see from the side and i left em in the tray. Tray in the bator just removed the lid, only took like 10 minutes to get all my info written down. i Need the info, i HAVE to see the math. Just manipulated the light around them but then i have Super clear easy to candle white duck eggs and that make a huge difference... I love looking in em cuz theyre SO clear

I candle in the tray too, But last time i took them all out and rotated them into different positions to help with heat pockets.

The cartons were loose in the box like that? That's horrible...
I let my incubator run until early day 23 with no more pips. When they haven't pipped by then, I don't want them to hatch. I'm pretty sure those were the perimeter eggs, because all my hatches came from one side of the tray. That's what reminded me to rotate the tray. It's a simple thing to do, I just forgot about it because I wasn't adding water. I'm rotating every other day this time.
I'm also getting the after hatch deaths again...

I had a few looking puny on Monday. I gave them water, but they just got more and more lethargic. Lost one Monday, one Tuesday, and one this morning. They were all healthy and active on Saturday, so I don't know why they drop off after the hatch. All I can figure is they aren't eating and drinking. I get them to drink when I'm there, but don't know if they do on their own. I've tried to look for any similarities in the ones that died, and all I have noticed this time is they are the blackest chicks. Maybe they aren't bred well, or maybe there is another issue with those pullets. After 6 weeks of hatching and 48 eggs set, I only have 15 chicks to show for it. With my luck, the ones dying are pullets...
I'm trying to be a little more hands on this time by turning the egg tray, but I'm still not candling until lockdown. I'm watching sidewings chicks with keen interest. If his do well, and he hatches better than me in the spring, I may be getting chicks from where he got his

ETA: I also added sav-a-chick to the water, so

Oh thats sucky too. I keep mine in intensive care in my bathroom for the first week after hatch so I can deal with any issues rapidly, I haven't had any die that I have hatched. I have a couple of
special needs. Miracle is normal. Just have Tempest that is being worked on, but she manages to eat and drink without assistance. They all went outside to the grow out pen this morning with the mama heating pad set to level 3. I will add the lav orps later on when the tinies have got their bearings. I use the rooster boost in the water from day one and all through the summer as it is so hot. I think if you can intervene during incubation by adding water of not to improve the hatch rate is a good thing. I also think being flexible with hatching methods also helps. Which is why I like to think that I am purple. But know that I am mostly red. I will change methods if something doesnt work. Always looking for the scientific angle combined with the art. Hoping for the best for your hatch.

That's an excellent point. What do you think about me trying to stay more towards 40% humidity (I'm going to try hatching in cartons anyway) since the air cells are all funky shapes? I'm just worried if they grow to big the chicks will malposition and fail to pip again.

I did read that tying to dry the aircells helped them to reattach. But you must do what you feel is the best. You can always check the cells and adjust accordingly. I did go dry the first week last time and added water once the 2nd and 3rd weeks and gradually increased it over lock down, day 18 45% day 19 55% day 20 65% and 75% after first pip. For what it is worth.

 

[scflock]

I did for my very first hatch and hatched 3 out of 6. So 50% my very first time.

That's an excellent point. What do you think about me trying to stay more towards 40% humidity (I'm going to try hatching in cartons anyway) since the air cells are all funky shapes? I'm just worried if they grow to big the chicks will malposition and fail to pip again.

Until the BCM, all of my best hatches were at 40%

I think you're on the right track on those BCM's though... hope you get that worked out...

I'm really starting to think it's the first straight run batch. Tate has his issues, so I'm sure the hens do, too, just not as obvious. I really, really wish I had been patient and spent the money on better stock. Someone posted pics of their GFF BCM growing out, and they are gorgeous. If I have to scrap this flock, I've wasted an entire year.

SC: I am a huge advocate of NutriDrench. IMO, before your next set of BCM eggs, you should put your laying flock on ND for a couple of weeks. It would be a bit too late to do it this season, unless you want cold weather chicks, but it just may be your missing factor. I also use ND with my hatched chicks. I give them ND one day, and plain water the next, alternating for a week or so. Didn't loose a single chick this season.

I have heard so much about that on here, I ordered some last night

 

[lazy gardener]

I agree, it seems that dryer would help with aircell stability... but then.... what do I know. I've never tried to hatch a shipped egg. You might contact Sally Sunshine, or Ozexpat about this issue. As a matter of fact, how bout inviting both of them over to this thread for a conversation? I'd suggest that if we do, keep the "humor" to a minimum.

 

[scflock]

That is really crappy luck. Hopefully you can get them to reattach. One of my last batch was detached and it reattached turned into a saddle cell and hatched unassisted. Can you describe how they were packed. If you had cracked eggs I think you can claim on the insurance.

I hatched bcm, 3 out of 4 last time shipped and 10 out of 12 local Marans but 2 out of 3 were bcm, I am pretty red. I think because I went dry on the first week last time and saw that my air cells were getting too large to quickly I added a small amount of water once a week for the last 2 weeks to bring it up to 42% and just let it dry down to 25% then added water again. If I hadn't have candled I wouldn't have known how the air cells were coping.

I turn my trays every 2 days too. I found different temps around the bator too. I also move rails too the next slot so that there is a little play and try to put like sized eggs together on the same row.

I candle in the tray too, But last time i took them all out and rotated them into different positions to help with heat pockets.

Oh thats sucky too. I keep mine in intensive care in my bathroom for the first week after hatch so I can deal with any issues rapidly, I haven't had any die that I have hatched. I have a couple of
special needs. Miracle is normal. Just have Tempest that is being worked on, but she manages to eat and drink without assistance. They all went outside to the grow out pen this morning with the mama heating pad set to level 3. I will add the lav orps later on when the tinies have got their bearings. I use the rooster boost in the water from day one and all through the summer as it is so hot. I think if you can intervene during incubation by adding water of not to improve the hatch rate is a good thing. I also think being flexible with hatching methods also helps. Which is why I like to think that I am purple. But know that I am mostly red. I will change methods if something doesnt work. Always looking for the scientific angle combined with the art. Hoping for the best for your hatch.
I did read that tying to dry the aircells helped them to reattach. But you must do what you feel is the best. You can always check the cells and adjust accordingly. I did go dry the first week last time and added water once the 2nd and 3rd weeks and gradually increased it over lock down, day 18 45% day 19 55% day 20 65% and 75% after first pip. For what it is worth.

I think I will keep them in IC for a few more days. I've been moving them out at 2-4 days, but it's never been an issue before. What's getting me is these chicks hatch healthy. No crooked toes, no splayed legs, they are up and running with the rest. The only reason I can figure for them dropping off after a few days is water, or layer health. I can fix the water, but if I have a flock issue I'm going to have to start over. I have always had healthy birds, high hatch rates, and healthy chicks. I'm not opposed to being flexible in my incubation methods. Read my posts from March. I would

anyone that suggested I run dry. I ran dry last time, running dry now. If this one doesn't work, I may do a 180 and try the 54% from the link Ruby posted. It's just very frustrating

 

[scflock]

I agree, it seems that dryer would help with aircell stability... but then.... what do I know. I've never tried to hatch a shipped egg. You might contact Sally Sunshine, or Ozexpat about this issue. As a matter of fact, how bout inviting both of them over to this thread for a conversation? I'd suggest that if we do, keep the "humor" to a minimum.

I have read their posts, and they are both phenomenal people, but I'm not censoring myself

 

[lazy gardener]

So, invite them on. Perhaps set up a specific time so we all can have a heads up and be here to participate.