South Carolina

[Southern Bee Lady]

Amy Phillips is the hatching expert. She has probably hatched more eggs than anyone else in SC.
This is just my 2 cents worth. I use the dry hatch method. It works best for me. In the winter I have to add water day 1-18 because our heat keeps the humidity at 16%. If it is between 20% and 45% I don't worry about it. I candle anytime from 4 days to 18 days. I always candle at 18 days when I put them in lockdown. I raise the humidity to 65-70%. If I have to, I lay a thick wash cloth folded in the incubator and wet it with warm water to get the humidity high enough. I don't like sponges. I always add warm water when I add water from day 18 on. I also leave the eggs until day 25. I don't worry to much about candling after day 21 until I am ready to toss the eggs because I can not always see movement. Past experience...I have cracked eggs that I did not see movement in and the chick was alive and pipped thru air cell.

I think the reason the dry hatch method works for us here is because most of the year our humidity is high enough for the first 18 days. It probably will also depend on where the incubator is set up. So many things affect incubation. In the summer, my DH will run the AC temp. so low that my incubator will not hold temp. I have to remind him when I am running the incubators.

 

[HBruemmer]

OK, so I'm glad Heidi's hatch inspired this discussion. I have a Hovabator classroom incubator that I got from 4H to hatch my eggs as part of a curriculum for my kids who are homeschooled. The 4H lady told me to keep the temperature at 100 and keep the smallest reservoir of water filled for the entire incubation, then add water to the second, larger reservoir on Day 18 to raise the humidity. The unit doesn't come with a hygrometer, but I happened to remember that I had one in a weather unit we did last year. according to the hygrometer, the humidity in my house is about 45 and inside my incubator (which I have had set up and running with the water in it to get ready to set my eggs) is running 62. If I am reading these posts right, I should get rid of the water and run the incubator with no water until day 18, then bring it up to 65-70?

This is our first hatch and it is very important to me that my eggs do well. It seems like this humidity is an important issue, so please let me know if I am understanding everyone correctly! Thanks!

 

[RedBugPoultry]

OK, so I'm glad Heidi's hatch inspired this discussion. I have a Hovabator classroom incubator that I got from 4H to hatch my eggs as part of a curriculum for my kids who are homeschooled. The 4H lady told me to keep the temperature at 100 and keep the smallest reservoir of water filled for the entire incubation, then add water to the second, larger reservoir on Day 18 to raise the humidity. The unit doesn't come with a hygrometer, but I happened to remember that I had one in a weather unit we did last year. according to the hygrometer, the humidity in my house is about 45 and inside my incubator (which I have had set up and running with the water in it to get ready to set my eggs) is running 62. If I am reading these posts right, I should get rid of the water and run the incubator with no water until day 18, then bring it up to 65-70?

This is our first hatch and it is very important to me that my eggs do well. It seems like this humidity is an important issue, so please let me know if I am understanding everyone correctly! Thanks!

Heather, I would never bring chicken eggs up over 65% on humidity and actually to me 63% is pushing it, but I hatch in a cabinet incubator so maybe that is different. I find when I get over 60% I am on the edge of sticky chicks. If your hygrometer is correct 62 is too high for your first 18 days of incubation as you will not get any dehydration in your cells. I do not like to go below 40% during incubation but then that depends on what my egg's cells are doing. The bottom line is you need a good airspace on those Marans eggs and they are hard to candle and tell anything. If you have a good scale you can weigh them and follow them that way but you do need to get the humidity down I would think.

And Mary is right, Amy is our expert on here when it comes to hatching. I believe she has hatched in about every incubator out there and if she does not own it she hatches for people in theirs. PM her if you do not see her on here.

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Heather-- did Aimee come home? I forgot to ask earlier....

 

[HBruemmer]

Nope. She roosted in a tree overnight. We have been trying to lure her out with treats, but no go. We are all (me and my older girls) so cut up from thorns and brambles that we gave up for now. I have a net and put another pumpkin out with birdseed in it. I am hoping to get her to some out of thorns and then net her.

 

[riversedgefarm]

Thank you all of you for all the helpfull info I do the dry hatch for the first 18days and my humidity stays around 50 I will try the warm water wash cloth that sounds like a great idea. I use my hova bator in my closet so no light gets in there and such. Id love to try again with using all of yalls ideas. I guess ill be hatching some of my eggs. Does it matter if I put in a couple or do I need to fill up the incubator??? Cuz my bantys don't lay a whole lot.

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Thank you all of you for all the helpfull info I do the dry hatch for the first 18days and my humidity stays around 50 I will try the warm water wash cloth that sounds like a great idea. I use my hova bator in my closet so no light gets in there and such. Id love to try again with using all of yalls ideas. I guess ill be hatching some of my eggs. Does it matter if I put in a couple or do I need to fill up the incubator??? Cuz my bantys don't lay a whole lot.

I would try to put in as many as I could collect in about 10 to 12 days(10 days is recommended). If nothing else it is nice to hatch more than one and I feel I have better hatches if I put in a group. Make sure you turn them at least once a day while collecting them. I have collected eggs longer than 12 days but I would not recommend it. DH was asking me last night how I came up with so many Marans eggs to hatch this time of year when they really have not been laying lately(since their molt) and I told him it was magic--truth is I had been saving them longer than I should have--humm, maybe that is why I had a few slow one out in the Marans and a few that did not hatch.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Ok thx id love to try it again I love hatching even if I do suck when I do get a chick to hatch it so cool.
Ok now that I no don't touch after 18 day anyone got some eggs????? Maybe I won't kill the next batch

I'll trade eggs for a puppy!!!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I reckon it's time to speak up and stop lurking. Been watching the antics on this thread for a few weeks and already feel as if I know some of you.
'Bout me: until just a few months ago there wasn't a feather on the place other than what the songbirds drop. A friend had some Pekin drakes that needed a new home so they ended up here, and got names right away. Nana won't allow a critter without a name to stay. Welcome Amos and Andy. Not being fully prepared for folks that need protection, we didn't have a fence to keep predators out, we lost poor Amos to a marauding dog within a few days. A fence, then a quick search on Craigslist for a companion for Andy. Couldn't find any Pekins locally, but did find some Muscovy's, so off to Inman to pick up a pair. While there Nana saw a couple of Brown Chinese geese, we strongly suspect both are ganders, but they came home with us, too. Welcome Fred and Ethel, and Clyde and Walter. Aunt Jo, just up the road, had a brainstorm about raising some chickens a while back. Once my yard was full of web footed folks her chickens decided they like the atmosphere down here and started hanging around. A LOT! Wasn't long til dear Aunt Jo offered her entire flock to me, since they like it so much down here. My Introduction to Chicken Math 101. Welcome to Lucy, Buffy, The Pointer Sisters ( Anita, Ruth, June, and Bonnie), Ricky, and The Colonel.
I appreciate the eggs, and being a gardener, the fertilizer is welcome, too.
So far all these feathered folks seem to be healthy, and it seems that if the need for some advice to keep them that way arises, this is the place.

What a great introduction! Love it!
And best of all

and this terrific SC thread!

 

[riversedgefarm]

I'll trade eggs for a puppy!!!

Lol I can trade ya for the one who looks dead. He out scratch his belly and his foot kicks and never wakes up lol