The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[TMNfarm]

This hatch doesn't look good. I lost most in 1 bator & several more quit when I moved them to that bator for lockdown. Guess it's time for that bator to go bye-bye. I think I have 2-3 duck eggs left out of both batches (mine & JJ's), 1 chicken & maybe a couple quail. Temps were running low in at least 1 bator, because 1 duck that I thought was a quitter long ago was still alive when I eggtopsied & I didn't realize until it was too late. I hurried up & put the other back just in case. I don't have a single pip yet. Mine were a day behind everyone else's though, but still should have been hatching today. I REALLY need to get a cabinet bator. My bators SUCK!!!

Bummer...

 

[txrobnla]

3rd chickie just hatched and we have another pip. My parents were here for my birthday that was last weekend and my Dad has been hovering over the incubator all afternoon. I think everyone has really enjoyed the hatch. Though the assisted hatch on #2 had us all a wreck, but that one seems to be doing well.

 

[TMNfarm]

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! (and hatch!)
It has been a very busy weekend here therefore I really fell behind on posts and I just couldn't seem to have enough time to sit down and catch up.

My hatch is over and was so-so. Like Kim, I am happy when something hatches. Lately I have been doing better with shipped eggs than local. Hows that for ironic?
I set 32 eggs
14 day candle, removed 12 clears
Lockdown - removed 3 more, locked down 17
9 hatched
7 Olive eggers
2 Cochin

Oh and that beautiful purple egg I had???? It hatched and she (

) is pictured below (kim...Im thinking she could be a great influence to your purple layers flock)
What color do you think she will feather out as? Could I be so lucky for her to be lavender? Lavender purple egg layers...who wouldn't want them?

Oooohhhh!!!! Me, Me, MEEEE!!!!!! I want lavendar purple egg layers!!!!!!!!!

 

[SilkieSensation]

Look at the Brinsea I have the eco 20 and turn by hand and love it.

Too small. If I'm going to sink a bunch of money into a bator it has to be a big one. All 3 of my styros are stuffed full & I have eggs waiting for room.

 

[soldier]

Awesome pic! Is that in your bator? How did they get all fluffy and attentive? And how did you manage to get such a great photo! Very cool.

I have a Dickie incubator with three incubating tray and the last tray is for just hatching. You can pull that tray out of the incubator. So I took the tray out of the incubator and took this photo. The tray has a top for it when it is in the incubator. This is only my second hatch so they say to leave chicks in for a bit so that is what I was doing. Those chicks may have hatched a few hours back so they were dried off and fluffy. They are all out of the incubator now except for a couple that need to dry off and gain speed.

 

[noahsmom]

Too small. If I'm going to sink a bunch of money into a bator it has to be a big one. All 3 of my styros are stuffed full & I have eggs waiting for room.

That's how I felt About the brinsea too, they seem great but I want the option of more. Not that I'm a continuous hatchet nor plan to be but just like the option of being able to put in more eggs. I have the hovabator genesis 1588 and even though the digital reading isn't great I still feel it held its temp and humidity well, aslong as you don't open the lid. I definitely agree if you hatch a lot and frequent then something better and more expensive will be worth it! It sort of saves money if the eggs you purchase have a better chance at hatching so worth it to sink money into a cabinet bator.

Good luck finding a better and bigger bator!

 

[CayuseRanch]

I have a Dickie incubator with three incubating tray and the last tray is for just hatching. You can pull that tray out of the incubator. So I took the tray out of the incubator and took this photo. The tray has a top for it when it is in the incubator. This is only my second hatch so they say to leave chicks in for a bit so that is what I was doing. Those chicks may have hatched a few hours back so they were dried off and fluffy. They are all out of the incubator now except for a couple that need to dry off and gain speed

speaking of bigger bator...How big is the Dickie? What model is it? Do you have a link for it? How are your hatches going so far? How does it hold temp/humidity etc.

 

[wolftracks]

Still trying to catch up but figured since I had multiples I'd post.

Not one pip yet that I can see. The Sportsman in a 2 tray deep bator, so I don't want to go way back and check. I did run the mag over several. Looks like most of my bantam eggs stopped before they were due. I have a few eggs that I took time to run it over that I see either internal pips or now, I can see clears much better. Funny how you can't candle some eggs due to color but at the end it's obvious. I have one LG that I let some moisture out of. Usually I'm pumping up humidity and this one had lots of water dripping from the windows. I candled and almost every single egg is completely full, but no pips. So I had just calabrated another hydrometer and it was still at 75 after leaving it gapped. That one is full of AMs and Marans eggs.The other I can see aircels, but I see no movement, but I also wasn't going to keep it open for long. So I know I still have some clears and I have lots of quiters, but I'm not giving up. 3 different bators??? Something is going to hatch darn it! Even my quail aren't hatching. I'm telling you, except for the high humidity in the one, it's all be running fine. Not major issues, just a nice calm hatch. It's the big holiday hatches that I have problems with. I do other big hatches, but why is it that it's always the group hatches. This is the reason I hadn't joined in a while. But this is just making me want to have a really good hatch during them, so I thin I'll even make a couple of extra bators and see if I can dig out the ones my husband and I had made. Seems like I had awesome hatches inthose things.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE. 8 HATCHED . 2 MORE PIPPED and 20 STILL DECIDING WHAT TO DO.
I want to get a dozen of these eggs for my next hatch.

scary storm for us silly Californians, plus had peepers trying to hatch.
these marans eggs are hard to tell top and bottom, I just might try hatching laying them on their side all the way through the hatch next time. just helped 2 out they where upside down. Have 25 more chicks give or take one. I think it is about over. 2 more pipping I'll watch them help them if need be. Have to go take a bath and feed my animals.. be back soon...

That was so load, it rattled my house. Old house, but still. I've had the same problem a couple of times with Marans egg. They are supposed to be shaped that way, but dang! You have to have sensitive finger ti[s to feel the difference at each end.


OK Back to trying to catch up.

 

[soldier]

Okay, so out of 111 set all hatched but the two that were crushed by the cat and 6 others. That is an incredible hatch rate, 103 babies total! This was after a variety of heart stopping mishaps including fluctuation in temps, the cat incident, and a power outage. Wow! Durable little boogers!

WOW, I think you have the best hatch rate of anyone. What kind of incubator do you have?

 

[acemario]

Just a quick update... Five have hatched, and four more have peeped out of the 20 I put in the bator. I'm still waiting on action from 2 FBCMs (1 was questionable), 3 Wheaten Ameracaunas, 3 Olive Eggers (1 was questionable), and 1 more barnyard mix chick (questionable).