St. Patty's Day Green Egg Hatchalong, Set 2/25

[mtnviewfarms]

Hope it's ok for me to jump in here a few days late! I set 42 eggs from my flock of Welsummers, Black Australorps, Barred Rocks and Easter Eggers with Day One being February 25th..

I have 8 laying pullets of each breed and Rooster of each breed as well so I can't wait until they hatch to see the great combinations they have made for me!

Whatever crosses I get from this hatch I do know they will be great layers of colored eggs and that they will lay through the Winter without any added light to their coop as all of the pullets of these breeds didn't even 'slow down' this Winter'!

Hatch day is St. Patricks Day! The countdown has begun. This hatching thing just NEVER DOES GET OLD DOES IT?

 

[Peterh005]

A pic of my incubator with 6 khaki campbell eggs and 1 indian runner (the green egg)

 

[what did I do]

I've got a temperature question

I've got 2 digital thermometers of the same kind sitting on top of my incubator and 2 different thermometers inside the incubator and they all have different temperatures on them. Of the two on top one reads the highest, 102.5 and the other the lowest, 98. They are both on wires run through the vent holes with the low one on top and the high one on the bottom. The two on the inside read similar with one reading 100.2 and the other reading @ 100. Which one would you use?

 

[fduncan]

I don't know what size incubator you're using, if you've mentioned before, I apologize. If your eggs only fill a small portion of the bator, it's a good idea to provide 'sinkers' to keep temps consistent throughout.

Nope I never mentioned my incubator I've got a hova bator with a 42 egg turner . I've actually got some staggered hatches going on so it's pretty full . I've got some going in the hatcher on Saturday and then my duck eggs will be going in so it should stay pretty full Thanks for the tip though I'll have to remember it if I can ever keep myself from filling up the whole incubator

 

[2seth2]

Mine is 4 grumpy hens haha

 

[what did I do]

Thursday will be a week for me but I candled tonight to see if anything is going on. It looks like I have a lot of green blanks. It looks like there is some activity in my other eggs. I don't think I did a very good job with the eggs after collecting them. I'll wait until day 10 to toss any.

 

[farmerChef]

I set 83 eggs, would have been 12+ more if my Black Am eggs had showedup, hopefully they will be here tomorrow, they where mailed Sat.

Green/Olive/Blue Eggs:
20 EE/OEs
18 Bantam Lav Ameraucana
7 Silkied Splash Am

Tan/Brown Eggs:
3 Black Sexlink
3 Black Bantam Frizzle Cochin
4 Red Pyle Malay
1 Araucana/Silkied DorkingX
3 Silkied DorkingX/LF Cochin

White/OffWhite:
4 Mottled Ancona/White Leghorn
2 Malay/Buttercup
18 Ayem Cermani crosses

 

[farmerChef]

Some of the chicks I know will hatch white/yellow I am going to dye green, maybe an orange one or two.

 

[redriver]

I've got a temperature question

I've got 2 digital thermometers of the same kind sitting on top of my incubator and 2 different thermometers inside the incubator and they all have different temperatures on them. Of the two on top one reads the highest, 102.5 and the other the lowest, 98. They are both on wires run through the vent holes with the low one on top and the high one on the bottom. The two on the inside read similar with one reading 100.2 and the other reading @ 100. Which one would you use?

Ugh. I have something similar. Digital Incubator Warehouse that reads about 99.something. Kitchen probe thermometer (ice water calibrated - unsuccessfully?) that reads about 95. Fluke Multimeter reads about 102. Incubator has been used over and over successfully at the current temperature setting, so I am just deciding to not worry about it. The only one I have in there now is the Fluke. I only occasionally check it to make sure the temp hasn't spiked or dropped. We'll see what my hatch rate is in a few weeks to find out if I did the right thing.

 

[redriver]

Nope I never mentioned my incubator I've got a hova bator with a 42 egg turner . I've actually got some staggered hatches going on so it's pretty full . I've got some going in the hatcher on Saturday and then my duck eggs will be going in so it should stay pretty full Thanks for the tip though I'll have to remember it if I can ever keep myself from filling up the whole incubator

Oooh! Someone (tls_ranch) just posted on the Northern California thread about how they use the clear plastic grape or strawberry containers to separate staggered hatches, or different breeding lines. She lines the bottom with a shelf liner and puts the hatching eggs in. When they have all hatched, she just picks up the whole container and the incubator is ready for the next hatch. No mess to clean up! The big grape containers from Costco hold 12 eggs, with room for a few more. I have a 2# strawberry container that I think I'll use to put my BCM eggs that aren't very high quality. Keep them away from my good ones so I know which is which.