The 5th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[ronott1]

Anybody up? I'm freaking out right now. I set my eggs tonight. After my incubator held a steady 99.5 all day, I put the eggs in and it dropped to 90. Stupid me I put them in at 9:45pm, and I've been trying to get the temp up after it only got up to 93 in two hours. How long does it take for the temp to adjust after putting eggs in?? I'm scared to go to bed and have the temp spike high while I'm sleeping.

It can take 24 hours for the incubator to get back to normal temps after the eggs are added--

If it was at 99.5 and you did not change settings, then leave it alone until the morning.

Go to bed and sleep!

 

[mossyhollow]

I have used a still air incubator for many years and have had good results. I'm no expert but I usually get good results. I place a thermometer in the center of my incubator ( on the wire rack) that I can see without opening it. I keep the water tray filled all the time, and once the incubator comes up to 99.5 and it stays there for 24 hours I put my eggs in. I only open to turn the eggs and to add water. The day before hatching is suppose to start I put a towel under the eggs and keep it damp with a spray bottle. I have found that the wire screen often contributes to straddle leg (especially in ducks). Having the towel has eliminated this problem.

 

[mossyhollow]

If you haven't changed the temp manually, you should be ok. It will stabilize on it's own. It is better that the temp is lower than higher. If the incubator is a little lower it will take an extra day or two on the end time.

 

[hockeydad6791]

I have used a still air incubator for many years and have had good results. I'm no expert but I usually get good results.  I place a thermometer in the center of my incubator ( on the wire rack) that I can see without opening it.  I keep the water tray filled all the time, and once the incubator comes up to 99.5 and it stays there for 24 hours I put my eggs in. I only open to turn the eggs and to add water.  The day before hatching is suppose to start I put a towel under the eggs and keep it damp with a spray bottle.  I have found that the wire screen often contributes to straddle leg (especially in ducks). Having the towel has eliminated this problem. 

Ok I'll get the temp to 100 but if I keep the water channels full it stays around 60 some %

 

[SoManyHats]

I never really paid attention to how long it takes to stabilize, but I don't think it normally takes more than a few hours. How many eggs did you set and were they at room temp when they were put in? If they were cold and you set a lot of them, it will take longer for them to reach the right temperature. 

I set 30 eggs and they were room temperature.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I'm back! Haven't been around here much. It's been about a year since I last hatched, and I'm so excited for an Easter hatch. "Itchy hatchy" as I call it... Eggs will be from my paint silkie flock. I'll be setting 24+ eggs - final number will be determined when the eggs go in the incubator. =)

Welcome back!

For once I am joining the Hatch-a-long and not just lurking.

In the "little" incubator already: Embden Goose eggs
Dutch Hookbill Ducks

Ready to go: Birchen cochin bantam
BLR Wyandotte bantam
Blue Sizzles
Blue Ameraucana LF

All I need now is for my cabinet incubator to finally temperature stabilize and for my power to stay on

Cool assortment! Glad you came out of lurking!

My eggs are confusing me!!!

I had a lot of plans for getting them all set at the right times for the Easter hatch, but nothing goes as planned so I have staggered hatches all over the place! I will have to sit down tomorrow with my calendar and figure out just what was set or will be set at the right times. I have duck eggs that I got too late and Serama eggs that I got too early... Would it count if I put the Seramas in tomorrow? How about if I think they can wait till Saturday? These were shipped and need to settle their air cells a bit more.

We'll have some of our own Seramas to set on the 31st. Not sure that they're fertile though....

I know I have some duck eggs, some pheasant and a few chicken eggs that will count.
Oh, and the cockatoos and African Greys...I can count those right? Or is this just for poultry?

My Guineas just started laying today.

BTW...2 and possibly three of the call duck eggs that had the very messed up air cells have life starting.

They are setting upright in the incubator and I'm scared to death to turn them at all. They have been in there 4 days.

I had another dozen call eggs shipped from just a few hours away if that makes any difference...doesn't really seem to. They all have messed up air cells as well but most are not as bad as the others from NC. I'm getting some from FL tomorrow, we'll see how they are. must...keep.....trying.....

All of your feathered birds eggs count.

I want to join

Welcome!

I'm hatching our first duck eggs this year! Yay! Our mallards, Cheese & Quackers, decided to start brooding right on time.

I was hoping to make Cheese a better home before she went broody. Oh well, can't control motherhood!
I'm also going to try and use an incubator this year. Never used one before but this used incubator was a gift from a friend. Hopefully all well go well!

Oh my gosh, I love the names Cheese and Quackers!

So do I count the experimental Turkey's I set on Monday? I went ahead and completely filled the bator instead of waiting until the following Monday on my chickens so now I've had to borrow an extra for hatching in... gonna be hard not to fill it too

Anyway, chickens to hatch the Monday before Easter and Turkeys to hatch the Monday after.

Also set almost 60 eggs tonight. Had to send 18 over to a friends house. And me with that empty bator...

So I called another friend who said he has one that will hold 90 and I should use it.

Wish I would have known that earlier.

Setting more eggs tomorrow - in that uber large incubator

Yes, those turkey eggs count too.

Think I'm gonna join in. Just got done with my first hatch ever. 14 went into lock down only 7 hatched. Was going to set more Friday to try again but I'll wait cuz this seems like it's a blast. Hope I can bring up my hatch rate. I'll be incubating from my own mix. New Hampshire and red sexlink hens with a barred rock roo.

Welcome!

Yesterday was hectic... I am not very outgoing on these threads because, well, I am just a recluse. I am going to break that pattern tonight.
I knew my turkey poults were coming in sometime in the AM yesterday. I was expecting a 6am call. I didn't get it. The night before my mother called to tell me my great grandfather wasn't doing well on Tuesday. He couldn't stand up without getting dizzy and weak. I was at his place at 8am to help him get his breakfast and pills. I stuck around and visited until almost 10:30. My great grandfather is going to be 95 in July. My great grandmother died almost 10 years ago. This man has had a stroke, heart attack two open heart surgeries, has diabetes, broke his ankle at 91 doing something with the tractor he wasn't supposed to and just finished radiation for prostate cancer. He lives alone and when he was able (up until last year) he tended a 1 acre garden, canned/froze the veges off it for himself, his youngest daughter and her daughter, he has always had at least 30 laying hens he sold eggs from, he cut, split, hauled and carried his own firewood and in his free time, he loves to bake. I mean, banana cream pie, cookies, cherry cheese cakes... really good stuff. Point is, his health is going down hill now and he hasn't been himself lately.

My mom called me to let me know my OH was calling her telling her my poults were in. I finally got out of great grandpap's (he talks your ear off) and got home to my husband telling me that the mail carrier had my poults and was delivering them. I freaked out. Um... Window down for three hours?! Who wasn't using their brains? I said I would be over for them. I told the PO the day before. I told the OH to tell them I was on my way... Well, they were all live when the mail guy picked them up. One was dead when they got here and 3 not far behind it. I lost four poults. They were so cold. I put them in the pen and tried dunking their beaks but everyone was more worried about the heat lamp - rightfully so. I think if I could have gotten 2 of the 4 to drink they would have made it. I went out an hour later and they still would not drink. Another two hours after that I finally got them to get drinks! It was a crazy poult marathon! They would run back and forth from me to the water and back!







Photo Bomb!


Another Photo Bomb!


That 'bomb' was my daughter's hand.



On top of the disappointing turkey losses (Meyer refunded me, though), I got a disappointing egg package today. I had to run to the bank and PO for boxes - then to pap's to check on him. When I got back, mail ran already. I opened the new Garmin (we are behind the times - this is our first GPS), I got myself a digital scale to weigh my egg shipments now and the quail eggs. I got these off eBay. I picked the box up and heard them rattling around. My heart sank. I unpacked the box to find the eggs flopping around freely in quail egg cartons (the plastic ones). I found 7 visibly broke and wrote her about my displeasure.

This is her reply back:
Quote:

I told her I would candle to see how many more were cracked that I could visibly see. I have a grand total of 15 damaged eggs and she is STILL insisting her packing methods are fine. Instead of rethinking her packing, she is going to get denser foam to wrap the plastic cartons in! -headdesk-


Otherwise, my day has been pretty boring. How are all of you doing?

Wow, I need a drink just reading all of that! I'm sorry your great grandfather is not doing so well. He sounds like a remarkable man with all he has been through. He's clearly very strong! Also sorry about your lost poults. You are doing everything you can for the rest of them.

I got my first pheasant egg! Just in time for the hatch-a-long! I'm hoping she lays another one tomorrow so I can set two. This is from a Lady Amherst female crossed with a Red Golden male. They take about 22 days to hatch so I will be setting it tomorrow a day prior to my chicken eggs.

Beautiful egg! And how nice that she decided to lay at this wonderful time!

Only me. Only me, I swear. This could ONLY happen to me.

Linda, you do not live a boring life!

Your stories are very entertaining! Good luck with the turkey egg.

Quote: I'd lower temperature a hair, like 1 degree. Humidity the last 3 days would be better between 60-65%.

Anybody up? I'm freaking out right now. I set my eggs tonight. After my incubator held a steady 99.5 all day, I put the eggs in and it dropped to 90. Stupid me I put them in at 9:45pm, and I've been trying to get the temp up after it only got up to 93 in two hours. How long does it take for the temp to adjust after putting eggs in?? I'm scared to go to bed and have the temp spike high while I'm sleeping.

It will take quite a while for it to stabilize. Don't mess with the thermostat, just wait for it to settle. It will be okay.

Count us in. We will be putting 8 Easter Eggers, and 35 Australorp, Jersey Giant, Wyandottes,Polish, Hamburg, crosses. My Daughters are excited for our second hatching.

Welcome!

 

[Cynthia12]

I want to join

 

[Cynthia12]

There really was only one egg completely broken, another crushed in but the membrane intact. However, I bought a dozen and a dozen arrived intact, so I'll take it. Some mild to moderate air cell damage, but all in all they look reasonably good for the apparent journey they took.


Hope I get a few chicks out of these!

That's my first thought when I saw the photos..but you are right, you may actually have a decent hatch if there were only a couple broken. I need to ask ron again...how do we set those eggs in the bator upright to get the air cells right again..or at least back to the best they can be?
ron..do you just have them set in there upright with the temp where you would want it during the whole incubation..which is around 100 for me with my still air. ??

 

[Cynthia12]

Think I'm gonna join in. Just got done with my first hatch ever. 14 went into lock down only 7 hatched. Was going to set more Friday to try again but I'll wait cuz this seems like it's a blast. Hope I can bring up my hatch rate. I'll be incubating from my own mix. New Hampshire and red sexlink hens with a barred rock roo.

Now that's the kind of mix I'm talking about! Nice layers ahead!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

geese and pekin are set,,, excited to meet the dates!! Posting way to late, busy as usual