Simulated Natural Nest Incubation~Experiment #1 So it begins....

[Cowpoke]

Please do marandazmail!!!! I see where you are using a LG incubator. Have you started yet? What day are you on? temp and humidity? number of eggs, candling details?

 

[LindaB220]

Beekissed,
I will definitely keep some records and report from time to time what's going on with our batch to hatch. truthfully I'm scared to death to do a dry hatch but with several people stating that they have success with it, i feel it's worth a try. Of course, i can tweak it if i find there is something i can improve for the hatch % sake. yup, in hindsight, i think there might have been too much water in your last two attempts. it's hard not to feel like there is something you should be doing while waiting, though!! i guess that's the doers in us.

My hubby is going to be up to his ears in baby chicks and the funny thing is, he's terrified of chickens...he HATES gathering eggs for me if i'm out of town for some reason!! bahahaha!! he's afraid they are going to hurt him...

...that's what i get for marrying a city boy. But he sure does love fresh eggs fried up with some bacon and toast...go figure.

I live with my DD, SIL and Gson. DD and Gson loved my brand new babies yesterday. Finally got my SIL to go with me to look at them. Totally underwhelmed at his reaction. "You don't like chickens?" He said his grandpaw raised them forever and it was his job to feed and get eggs. Hated it. So I feel a little more understanding about his attitude. Don't like it but understand.

 

[TexasLisa]

I live with my DD, SIL and Gson. DD and Gson loved my brand new babies yesterday. Finally got my SIL to go with me to look at them. Totally underwhelmed at his reaction. "You don't like chickens?" He said his grandpaw raised them forever and it was his job to feed and get eggs. Hated it. So I feel a little more understanding about his attitude. Don't like it but understand.

Reel him in slowly.

Lisa

 

[aussie pete]

hi Bee ,notice earlier u said u were turning eggs 4 x a day now thinking 2 x.

from what i have read the membrane as well as supplying nutrients etc to embryo,it also acts to do gas exchange + remove waste etc from the egg.

turning causes embryonic fluid to be washed across the membrane to achieve this, thus the recommendations r to turn eggs a odd number of times a day . either 3x or 5x a day so the egg

doesn't end up in the same position after each turning resulting in embryonic fluid only moving a sml amount.

I've had problems in the past from auto turners not achieving sufficient angle (less than 45 degrees) resulting DIS chics due to insufficient fluid movement.

i thought yr initial idea of shuffling eggs, sounded great ,but concerned that if u just turn 2x, rolling from side to side may not cause fluid to be moved sufficiently.

even though chickens have a smaller brain than us,& all our scientific study etc, they seem to be able to do all these elements to achieve a successful hatch pretty easily

making a sml change in the number times eggs r turned doesn't make things too complicated,as i know u would like this as simple as possible

cheers Pete

 

[Beekissed]

hi Bee ,notice earlier u said u were turning eggs 4 x a day now thinking 2 x.

from what i have read the membrane as well as supplying nutrients etc to embryo,it also acts to do gas exchange + remove waste etc from the egg.

turning causes embryonic fluid to be washed across the membrane to achieve this, thus the recommendations r to turn eggs a odd number of times a day . either 3x or 5x a day so the egg

doesn't end up in the same position after each turning resulting in embryonic fluid only moving a sml amount.

I've had problems in the past from auto turners not achieving sufficient angle (less than 45 degrees) resulting DIS chics due to insufficient fluid movement.

i thought yr initial idea of shuffling eggs, sounded great ,but concerned that if u just turn 2x, rolling from side to side may not cause fluid to be moved sufficiently.

even though chickens have a smaller brain than us,& all our scientific study etc, they seem to be able to do all these elements to achieve a successful hatch pretty easily

making a sml change in the number times eggs r turned doesn't make things too complicated,as i know u would like this as simple as possible

cheers Pete

Pete, I've been turning the eggs completely around for each turn, so I figure I'm putting the fluid back in the same place each time?....so three times instead of 2 or 4 will prevent this from happening? I can do that!

I'm also still shuffling some outside eggs towards the middle of the clutch, which sometimes also causes a flip in the direction of the egg. Eventually all eggs will have been shuffled about every 3 days or so. This is a pretty large clutch this time, so that may be a little more random than it was previously.

I'm thinking the way the nests are and from what I've seen of the chickens, they don't do a full turn on the eggs when they turn...it's just nudges here and there, so maybe they achieve more from those slight and more frequent changes than we do with our more dramatic and systematic turnings?

 

[aart]

I'm thinking the way the nests are and from what I've seen of the chickens, they don't do a full turn on the eggs when they turn...it's just nudges here and there, so maybe they achieve more from those slight and more frequent changes than we do with our more dramatic and systematic turnings?

I would guess so.....why I think the humans have developed a more systematic approach...
180 degree turn an odd number of times a day so the over night position varies from night to night.
We can simulate a 'natural' nest, but not all the broodies behaviors.

And a turning schedule doesn't cost anything ;-) but time and little attention...but not as much attention as a broody pays.

 

[Beekissed]

With the flatter nest I seem to be getting more even heating all the way across the clutch than I did with a more concave nest, which seemed to have hotter eggs in the center and pea warm eggs at the periphery. I'll still do a random shuffle of eggs on the periphery of the clutch with the eggs in the very middle but the eggs on the second row from the middle will likely just be turned.

The feather pad was removed from the nest this morning and the temps have held steady all day at 99.5-99.7*. The first day is about down for the count and I'm very excited about the potential of these eggs and this nest.

 

[pogmobum]

With the flatter nest I seem to be getting more even heating all the way across the clutch than I did with a more concave nest, which seemed to have hotter eggs in the center and pea warm eggs at the periphery.  I'll still do a random shuffle of eggs on the periphery of the clutch with the eggs in the very middle but the eggs on the second row from the middle will likely just be turned.

The feather pad was removed from the nest this morning and the temps have held steady all day at 99.5-99.7*.  The first day is about down for the count and I'm very excited about the potential of these eggs and this nest. 

Cant wait to see how this one goes with all the new info you have gotten lessons learned e.t.c. Nobody here would be hatching eggs right now if the first people hadn't been brave enough to attempt something different. Good luck!

 

[Beekissed]

Thank you! That's what I keep thinking too...when I start feeling bad about wasting all these eggs or about the death of those two chicks, I just remind myself that there are thousands of people on these forums doing the same thing, but with more established methods of incubation, and they don't miss a beat about it.

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

Thank you!  That's what I keep thinking too...when I start feeling bad about wasting all these eggs or about the death of those two chicks, I just remind myself that there are thousands of people on these forums doing the same thing, but with more established methods of incubation, and they don't miss a beat about it. 

You are blazing a trail that can be followed. I proved that with my one fully formed embryo. I had no idea if my eggs were hatching quality or anything and made the mistake of leaving a drunk in charge of my nest and her upping the temp without watching it.