Silkie thread!

[midwestchickenwrangler]

Quote:
Yes I have heard of this.But what I have heard abut it is that if they hatch early means your temp is to high and late hatches means temp is to low.Mine has always been on time..

With my LG incubator, it has been a a very steady 99.1. I have tried to turn it up just a hair to 99.5, but it jumps up to 102 or so. I decided to leave it at 99.1.

 

[Floridachicken1958]

Quote:
Yes I have heard of this.But what I have heard abut it is that if they hatch early means your temp is to high and late hatches means temp is to low.Mine has always been on time..

With my LG incubator, it has been a a very steady 99.1. I have tried to turn it up just a hair to 99.5, but it jumps up to 102 or so. I decided to leave it at 99.1.

Forced air or Still air? Cause that is low for both.

 

[midwestchickenwrangler]

Its a still air.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
When chicks hatch I look at # of toes and correct combs. If I hatch a buff that is very dark/lots of brown/black down at hatch, those get culled (sold as pets). I hang several more weeks and if they feather out with a bunch of smut, I will cull them out. Then I just try to hang on to them as long as I can/have room before I make my final picks of keepers.

 

[vpeterson]

Quote:
When chicks hatch I look at # of toes and correct combs. If I hatch a buff that is very dark/lots of brown/black down at hatch, those get culled (sold as pets). I hang several more weeks and if they feather out with a bunch of smut, I will cull them out. Then I just try to hang on to them as long as I can/have room before I make my final picks of keepers.

I have had toe nail twisted up as well. I was wondering if that would be a mark down in the show ring.

 

[Floridachicken1958]

Quote:
The incubation temperature requirements for most hatching eggs is surprisingly uniform. The eggs of almost all domestic bird species (and many wild species) can be incubated at the same incubation temperature. Therefore, eggs of several different bird species can be incubated at the same time within the same incubator.

The incubation temperature of naturally (nest) incubated eggs is controlled by the hen. The recommended temperature within an artificial incubator depends upon the type of incubator being used. If the incubator used has a fan for air circulation, the temperature must be adjusted to 99-100o F.

An incubator without an air circulation system requires a higher temperature. The temperature in this "still-air" incubator is measured using a thermometer with the bulb positioned at the same level as the top of the incubating eggs. The recommended temperature in this type incubator is 102o F.

The reason for different temperatures is that circulating air warms all points around the egg shell while still air temperatures are warmer at the top of the egg than at the bottom. Therefore, increasing the temperature at the top of the egg will compensate for the egg's cooler parts. The same average egg temperature of 100o F can be maintained (for the entire egg) if the higher temperature of 102o F exists at the egg's uppermost point.

Do not allow temperatures to exceed these recommendations, even for only a short period of time. Although it is not recommended, slightly lower temperatures will not kill the chick embryos, but can increase incubation times and produce weakened chicks. Temperatures only a degree or two above the recommended temperatures can kill chicks within 15-30 minutes, depending on how high the temperature is and the stage of development of the chick embryo.

 

[TeePants]

Ah, c'est la vie. Well I suppose I knew I wasn't getting show quality stock from the lady I got them from, the buff is so smutty it's not even funny. It's upsetting because she has some really beautiful/light adult ones. Maybe she crossed it with one of her blacks or her blues. I guess I should have gotten some of those blues to go with the splash, but I really want to keep buffs, not Splash/Blue/Black. We mostly got the splash to keep him company since they're the only ones we've got.

Here's to hoping when they grow up, one of them is a pullet, and decides to go broody so I can get some good quality hatching eggs and start with those. I am ok with these two just being pets I suppose. I guess I can just house them separately when I've got better stock to work with.

vpeterson, I was wondering the same thing, but I imagine it would be.

 

[NewToFarming]

Quote:
Yes I have heard of this.But what I have heard abut it is that if they hatch early means your temp is to high and late hatches means temp is to low.Mine has always been on time..

With my LG incubator, it has been a a very steady 99.1. I have tried to turn it up just a hair to 99.5, but it jumps up to 102 or so. I decided to leave it at 99.1.

Are you measuring the temp on the top of the eggs, the wire where the eggs sit or underneath on the floor of the bator. It does make a difference where you have the thermometor placed. The middle area of the egg should be the 99.5 and the top of the egg should be around 101. I had found a nice diagram on here when I first started to hatch using a still air.

Look at post #2.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=457187

Hope this helps!

 

[Wen00]

I have a Silkie question...My Silkies refuse, absolutely refuse to lay their eggs in a nesting box! I have tried 3 styles of boxes as well as 5 gallon jugs! They either rolls the eggs out or abandon the nest. My other non-silkies hens are doing the same! PLEASE HELP!

 

[robin416]

Quote:
That's a Silkie. They either want a nest or they don't. Not much you can do about it but drive yourself nuts trying to convince them you want them to use one. Most of mine do not have nests, they make a hollow in the bedding in one corner or another, some behind the feeder, lay & brood their eggs there.