Spitzhaubens

[homeschoolin momma]

Update on my hatch. 11 fuzzies have successfully hatched. I moved most of them to the brooder and switched the rest of the eggs to the big inky and converted the little one to a chick dryer since they seem to fluff up better. Two chicks zipped, but died.one really huge one zipped at the bottom and likely drowned. It was a HUGE chick from one of my older hens. I just removed another one that was halfway zipped when i noticed it wasnt moving. It was like someone has poured gorilla glue in the egg. It was so sticky. Its wing was stuck to the egg shell. The humidity was up pretty good and ive been a good girl not opening it up, so not sure what happened there. Since i did a quick move, i grabbed the unpipped ones. 5 seem to have perished as there is no movement. So that makes 8 that are gone. 5 more are pipped and currently zipping. Pictures once everyone is out.

 

[SueT]

I have had my incubator running all week to test temp and humidity but hadn't added eggs yet. It's a Janoel 12 which has a fan and auto-turns the eggs. I looked at the forecast, with freezing temps and highs in lower 40's next 2 days. Since we heat w wood, and the ambient room temp in the house can/will get into the upper 50's and low 60's at night I decided to wait, unplugged the incubator and will start on Wed. Even tho its temp was holding steady thru many room temp variations, I didn't want to stress the motor. Maybe it doesn't matter, but I'm getting more eggs each day, and it feels better to wait.
Questions about incubating---if I open it occasionally to candle 10 eggs, it's going to completely cool off. Is it better to just set it, forget it, and wait to candle just before lockdown?

 

[homeschoolin momma]

Questions about incubating---if I open it occasionally to candle 10 eggs, it's going to completely cool off. Is it better to just set it, forget it, and wait to candle just before lockdown?

My personal thoughts on opening the incubator:
Think about what a hen does. She sits on those eggs and turns them herself. But she does get up everyday to eat, drink and POOP the stinkiest poops on earth! She's off the nest for up to 30 min. She doesn't have a back up inky to keep the eggs warm while she goes unless she has a"friend" who is also broody and wants to "share" So candling eggs really in the long term isn't going to hurt them. I take my flashlight and hold it over the eggs and do a quick check. I'm usually in and out in under a min. I check around the 5-7 day mark and then weekly thereafter. Any that are clear, I pull. When I try NOT to open theinky if after I see any pipping. I was a good girl yesterday only slightly opening the inky after hatching started twice to tug on the temperature gauge that the newly hatched chicks kept using as ther personal bed. Today has been a little different as I needed to remove some of the fluffies as there were getting to be too many. Still have about 5 more thatI think will successfully hatch. The rest I'll eggtospy tomorrow to try to see what happened.

 

[SueT]

My personal thoughts on opening the incubator:
Think about what a hen does. She sits on those eggs and turns them herself. But she does get up everyday to eat, drink and POOP the stinkiest poops on earth! She's off the nest for up to 30 min. She doesn't have a back up inky to keep the eggs warm while she goes unless she has a"friend" who is also broody and wants to "share" So candling eggs really in the long term isn't going to hurt them. I take my flashlight and hold it over the eggs and do a quick check. I'm usually in and out in under a min. I check around the 5-7 day mark and then weekly thereafter. Any that are clear, I pull. When I try NOT to open theinky if after I see any pipping. I was a good girl yesterday only slightly opening the inky after hatching started twice to tug on the temperature gauge that the newly hatched chicks kept using as ther personal bed. Today has been a little different as I needed to remove some of the fluffies as there were getting to be too many. Still have about 5 more thatI think will successfully hatch. The rest I'll eggtospy tomorrow to try to see what happened.

thanks! Yes, I see...and our mama hen last year even got off pipped eggs to go out briefly.

 

[Alaskan]

There was a scientific study... no idea where I put the link...

About an hour "cool down" period per day actually increases hatch success.

I know some incubators you can tell them to do an hour cool down per day.

So.... candling, even every day is fine... until you get to the hatching time.

At that point it is important to keep the humidity just right, and usually a broody will sit tighter and only get up for very brief periods once the chicks start to get ready to hatch.

 

[SueT]

Okay here they are in the incubator, 5 Spitzhauben, and 7 Sebright-Spitz cross! Started yesterday morning. #'s on eggs are the date laid. Now I am saving eggs for potential broody.

 

[Faraday40]

Okay here they are in the incubator, 5 Spitzhauben, and 7 Sebright-Spitz cross! Started yesterday morning. #'s on eggs are the date laid. Now I am saving eggs for potential broody.
View attachment 2090508

Good for you!

I had a great year summer 2019. It seemed whenever I set eggs, I always had a hen go broody before the hatch date. The closest was Cookie who only had 4-5 days of sitting before the eggs hatched. I gave her golf balls for a day but she's usually very determined. The next day I removed 2-3 incubator eggs and slipped them under her. That way they all hatched at the same time.

"If you set them, they will come."
they= broodies

 

[SueT]

Good for you!

I had a great year summer 2019. It seemed whenever I set eggs, I always had a hen go broody before the hatch date. The closest was Cookie who only had 4-5 days of sitting before the eggs hatched. I gave her golf balls for a day but she's usually very determined. The next day I removed 2-3 incubator eggs and slipped them under her. That way they all hatched at the same time.

"If you set them, they will come."
they= broodies

If they have a drastically shortened sitting time, is there a chance the hen won't be ready for the early hatch?

 

[Faraday40]

If they have a drastically shortened sitting time, is there a chance the hen won't be ready for the early hatch?

Usually a week or more of sitting is fine. Less than 5 days of sitting on eggs is risky.

 

[Alaskan]

Okay here they are in the incubator, 5 Spitzhauben, and 7 Sebright-Spitz cross! Started yesterday morning. #'s on eggs are the date laid. Now I am saving eggs for potential broody.
View attachment 2090508

In that photo the white eggs look blue... funny