Staggered hatch: **UPDATE** All finished. Final results on page 5

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
For my first lockdown, I jacked my humidity up way higher than I normally would. Reason being I was having to open the bator several times a day to hand turn the second batch of eggs and I didn't want to risk the anyone getting shrink wrapped. So I kept humidity above 80% and it worked great for the hatchers. I'm not sure yet about the effect on the other eggs; guess I won't know till this weekend and they either hatch out or they don't! They had 80% humidity between days 3 and 10, so for days 11-18 I compensated by removing the water trays altogether. By the time they got to lockdown, the size of the air sacs looked ideal.

I'm interested in humidity levels for hatching, and how consistent they have to be. Ideal moisture loss from start to lockdown is 11-14% by weight, but I'm not sure whether it's super important that the loss be very consistent, or if it's just arriving at the correct end result that matters. I'm planning a few hatching experiments this year to try and figure it out.

Pop back in to this thread over the weekend and see how the next stage of my hatch goes.
My results might give you a few ideas of what would be best to do with your own eggs.

One other thing, you mentioned taking the lockdown eggs off the turning rails and leaving the other ones on them. Well, that was what I originally planned to do till I realised that any chicks that hatched out would get tumbled around and maybe trapped and injured in the rails as they turned the other eggs. If your bator is set up differently from mine that might not be a problem but I'm just mentioning it in case you hadn't thought of it either...

 

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
Thanks. Aren't ALL chicks cute though?

LOL! Doesn't matter what breed. But these ones are Marsh Daisys.

 

[Gypsy07]

Red&Yellow :

Oh so cool! I'll be watching

I resisted the urge to pop another egg in after day 3...maybe I shouldn't've?

LOL! That was how I got started. One more at the end of day 1, one more on day 3, another on day 5.
Then six more on day 16, then ten more on those six's day 12. It all just got a bit out of hand really!

Just realised I obviously have a bad case of batch hatch fever!

 

[wooch]

Chicks are so cute. I am new to the egg carton hatching, are they put in the carton when lockdown starts? Thanks so much for your help.

 

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
Well, I've only ever done one egg carton hatch, but yes, that's what I did. Turn the eggs for the first 18 days, then put them pointy end down in cartons. I used the cardboard cartons and cut the bottom out of each cup bit, for maximum air and moisture circulation. I also cut them down about 3/4" all round the edge so that the eggs were sticking up a good way out of the cartons. I didn't want anyone pipping at a bit where the carton would obstruct the chick. It worked fine, and I hatched 5/6. The other one died without pipping.

Good luck with your hatch!

 

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
Yikes, that would be a bad result for sure! I'll post another pic soon so you can see how they're all feathering out pretty much the same. I was reading a post about sexing chicks the other day and there was a lot of discussion about how 'chipmunk' coloured chicks can be sexed by how clearly their stripes are delineated. Really clear arrow marking on head and lots of 'eyeliner' = pullet. Fuzzy arrow and fainter 'eyeliner' = roo. It was a really interesting thread. Wish I'd bookmarked it, cause I can't find it now...

Edited to add: I've just had a really close look at the first four. They're all two weeks old tomorrow, and they're just getting the beginnings of shoulder and tail feathers. So far, I think the mostly yellow chick is a roo and the one I've put a yellow leg band on is a pullet. That's based on behaviour, not feathering btw. They're all feathering up at the same rate so far. The one with the yellow leg band is a docile little sweetie. When I pick her up she just nestles down in my hand and sits there quietly. The rest of them all struggle and fight like demented weasels on crack.

 

[Gypsy07]

Woohoo! Day 20 for the four in lockdown right now and I just heard cheeping from the bator!
Looks like I better get a second brooder set up for them...

On the down side, I found two bashed bits and a MASSIVE crack right round one of my day 8 eggs. No idea how it happened. Total mystery. Can't believe I knocked it myself and didn't even notice I'd done it at the time. D'oh! So I've sealed the cracks and bashes with candle wax and I guess I'll see how it turns out in a couple of weeks.

 

[stampntam]

Quote:
For my first lockdown, I jacked my humidity up way higher than I normally would. Reason being I was having to open the bator several times a day to hand turn the second batch of eggs and I didn't want to risk the anyone getting shrink wrapped. So I kept humidity above 80% and it worked great for the hatchers. I'm not sure yet about the effect on the other eggs; guess I won't know till this weekend and they either hatch out or they don't! They had 80% humidity between days 3 and 10, so for days 11-18 I compensated by removing the water trays altogether. By the time they got to lockdown, the size of the air sacs looked ideal.

I'm interested in humidity levels for hatching, and how consistent they have to be. Ideal moisture loss from start to lockdown is 11-14% by weight, but I'm not sure whether it's super important that the loss be very consistent, or if it's just arriving at the correct end result that matters. I'm planning a few hatching experiments this year to try and figure it out.

Pop back in to this thread over the weekend and see how the next stage of my hatch goes.
My results might give you a few ideas of what would be best to do with your own eggs.

One other thing, you mentioned taking the lockdown eggs off the turning rails and leaving the other ones on them. Well, that was what I originally planned to do till I realised that any chicks that hatched out would get tumbled around and maybe trapped and injured in the rails as they turned the other eggs. If your bator is set up differently from mine that might not be a problem but I'm just mentioning it in case you hadn't thought of it either...

thank you I will check back, I didn't think about the chicks getting trapped, my turner moves really slowly, Hovabator 1602 is the model.
I was worried that putting the humidity up really high would drawn the others not ready for lockdown I just don't know what stage they would drown at. I am new to all this.
thanks again and I look forward to your hatch.

 

[Gold Griffin Chicken Mom]

"Demented weasels on crack" will be my saying for the weekend. I'm still snickering. Thanks for the laugh, especially since that explains my Christmas Babies' behavior exactly. Four of the five, unfortunately, are acting like cockerals. The last hatched is definitely a pullet. The other four nut cases...

 

[goatsoap]

After reading this thread, 'ignorance is bliss'!! I got a Little Giant 48 egg incubator and egg turner for Christmas. Immediately started putting 2-3 Polish eggs in every day. I realized that hatching was going to be a problem. We figured out how to take the motor off the turner and take two of the racks out. I put mesh under the turner. So, about 1/3 of the space is used for hatchlings. I take the eggs off the turner 3 days before hatch date and lay on the mesh. I've been keeping water in the bottom at all times. I have about 30 Polish hatchlings in a brooder box right now. I find them sitting on top of eggs or sitting in an empty cup, but have not had any get stuck.

Would have been easier to fill it up once, but we all hurry to get to the incubator to see if there are any new ones every day!

Good luck.