Some questions

[Paz]

So I put 8 eggs in my small brooder and I have a few questions:
1) I washed three of them, before reading it’s a bad thing, is there any chance it will be ok?
2) how am I supposed to maintain humidity of 55%?
3) if my chicks hatched at two distinct different colours, can I assume they’re sex links?
4) is it ok if I placed eggs which weigh differently together?

It’s my second time hatching eggs, so thanks for your answers!

 

[Gigachad poultry]

1) OK now washing them is bad. It takes off the layer around the egg protecting it from bacteria so they might hatch sickly or not develop all the way sadly.

2) to maintain humidity you can use a sponge it will hold the water and it will let the water last longer therefor giving better humidity for a longer time by a few hours just slowly add water till you get what you need.

3) it depends on what breed your hatching like for example red stars are sex links because males hatch white and hens hatch red or orange.

4) Bantam breeds hatch on day 18 to 20 other non bantam breeds are 21 days when they hatch and that can be a problem for lock down if they are mixed and if they are different weights or sizes as long as the two eggs are from say bantams for example they will be fine to hatch. The yolks all start and larger yolk means it starts a bigger size but at the same stage of development than say a small yolk. The egg grows to the size of the egg and it works it's self out.

Hope that helped

 

[Paz]

1) OK now washing them is bad. It takes off the layer around the egg protecting it from bacteria so they might hatch sickly or not develop all the way sadly.


Hope that helped

Thanks. Now I have a following question, is it better to take the washed eggs out? Or just leave them? Can they infect the other chicks if they hatched?

 

[Bertram]

The eggs you washed should be okay as long as you didn't wash them with soap. A gentle wash with just water should be fine. You could take them out when you candle if they aren't developing.

 

[Paz]

The eggs you washed should be okay as long as you didn't wash them with soap. A gentle wash with just water should be fine. You could take them out when you candle if they aren't developing.

thanks

 

[JacinLarkwell]

So I put 8 eggs in my small brooder and I have a few questions:
1) I washed three of them, before reading it’s a bad thing, is there any chance it will be ok?

Maybe yes, maybe no. Were they dirty/are the other 5 dirty?

2) how am I supposed to maintain humidity of 55%?

Add water when the humidity shows nits getting lower than 55%

3) if my chicks hatched at two distinct different colours, can I assume they’re sex links?

Only if the parents will produce sexlinks. If I've got a pair of white leghorns and a mlack australorp, I'd expect white chicks and black chicks, but they wouldn't be sexlinked

4) is it ok if I placed eggs which weigh differently together?

I do it all the time with bantams and standards. I don't weigh my eggs

It’s my second time hatching eggs, so thanks for your answers!

 

[Ridgerunner]

1) I washed three of them, before reading it’s a bad thing, is there any chance it will be ok?

There is certainly a chance they will be OK. Washing removes the bloom. The bloom is that liquid that the hen puts on the egg just as she lays it so it comes out wet, but it quickly dries. Bloom makes it a lot harder for bacteria to get inside the egg so it is best to not wash them or use sandpaper or such to remove dirt. If bacteria gets inside the egg they find the perfect food (egg) and are at the perfect temperature to grow rapidly.

If bacteria gets inside the egg it will kill any embryo that is developing. The egg will soon stink. The bacteria builds up pressure in the egg so it usually leaks a dangerous liquid that can infect other eggs. BUT, the bacteria has to be present before it can get inside. So keep your hands clean when handling the eggs and keep things clean in general. It doesn't matter if you wash the eggs with soap or not but wash your hands with soap to remove the oils. Just try to keep everything clean.

I'd leave them in but sniff the eggs daily until lockdown. If you smell the rotten egg smell get rid of that egg. Plenty of people have had successful hatches after washing the eggs.

2) how am I supposed to maintain humidity of 55%?

It depends on which incubator you are using. There are so many different makes and models that work differently and I don't have a clue what is available where you are. If you are using the type that has reservoirs so water can evaporate you control the humidity by wet surface area. If you want to reduce the humidity either dry out a reservoir or maybe cover part of a reservoir with metal foil so you have less surface area. If you want to increase humidity add water to another reservoir or add a container of water. Or you can put in a sponge or a small rag that absorbs water to wick water out of a reservoir so you have more wet surface area.

It's not easy to be really precise with this type. The conditions outside of the incubator, temperature or moisture in the air, can affect humidity inside some. What you are looking for is a balance. If you are over for a few days, try getting under for a few days.

3) if my chicks hatched at two distinct different colours, can I assume they’re sex links?

No. To produce sex links the parent's genetics have to be aligned a specific way and the parents need to be pure for those genes, which means they are not crosses or hybrids. The way genetics work you can get a multitude of different colors and patterns from the same parents. It's also very possible to get two distinct colors or patterns in the chicks without them being sex links.

4) is it ok if I placed eggs which weigh differently together?

Yes. People do it all of the time, including me. It is possible smaller eggs will hatch early but not a given. I've tested that in my incubator, the size of the egg made no difference in hatch time. If I remember right you are not talking about bantam eggs versus full sized fowl eggs anyway, just the differences in the size of regular eggs.

Try it yourself. Eight eggs is not a large sample size but I doubt you will see any correlation between size and hatch time for your eggs.

 

[Paz]

No. To produce sex links the parent's genetics have to be aligned a specific way and the parents need to be pure for those genes, which means they are not crosses or hybrids. The way genetics work you can get a multitude of different colors and patterns from the same parents. It's also very possible to get two distinct colors or patterns in the chicks without them being sex links.

I have a Rhode Island Red rooster and pearl white leghorns.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The RIR rooster is good but the White Leghorns are highly unlikely to work.

 

[Paz]

The RIR rooster is good but the White Leghorns are highly unlikely to work.

Then, will I have lots of different colored chicks? Or will they all look the same? Or do I just have to wait and see?