The 6th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[Cynthia12]

I'm in, too! It's been quite awhile since I've hatched eggs but brought out the incubator and started collecting eggs from the groups with a Marans roos. Should be interesting to see some of the results from the other breed hens!

 

[Cynthia12]

Oh boy, what fun! Everyone's talking bees and getting memberships and incubators and diapers and power back on and and....... So exciting!

If I set my Icelandic chicken eggs today, is it too early to actually be counted toward the HAL numbers? Some of them are over a week old and I'd rather not wait and waste the viability.

Red, they should be fine if you wait a couple more days. They should be fine.

 

[Cynthia12]

oh boy mom just let me know she is going to hatch out of one of my coolerbators.....so you can count birdmansmom is....lol...this ought to be interesting...lol

go mom....

Yaay for mom! Is she on here at BYC? If not, then either she joins, or you let us know how it goes!

 

[Cynthia12]

I want to enter! Anyone know where I can get hatching eggs in South Jersey?

Someone? Help her find some eggs!

 

[SoManyHats]

Okay, I need advice. What would you do?...

My test hatch in my new Brinsea is due Friday and Saturday. But I want to set with everyone on Saturday. So here are my options. I can move my test batch to my homemade incubator -which is a little less consistent with temps, but has given me good results in the past - for hatching. Or, I can start my HAL eggs in my homemade bator and move them to the Brinsea once my test hatch is finished and I've cleaned up.

 

[Mama Bay]

Thanks!

 

[JekkaLynn]

Okay, I need advice. What would you do?...

My test hatch in my new Brinsea is due Friday and Saturday. But I want to set with everyone on Saturday. So here are my options. I can move my test batch to my homemade incubator -which is a little less consistent with temps, but has given me good results in the past - for hatching. Or, I can start my HAL eggs in my homemade bator and move them to the Brinsea once my test hatch is finished and I've cleaned up.

Everything I have read in the past two days while trying to fix the temperature in my friends homemade incubator is that temperature spikes or drops are a lot more hazardous to eggs during the first week of incubation then they are during the last.
I would use the homemade for hatching.

 

[ronott1]

Okay, I need advice. What would you do?...

My test hatch in my new Brinsea is due Friday and Saturday. But I want to set with everyone on Saturday. So here are my options. I can move my test batch to my homemade incubator -which is a little less consistent with temps, but has given me good results in the past - for hatching. Or, I can start my HAL eggs in my homemade bator and move them to the Brinsea once my test hatch is finished and I've cleaned up.

See the answer below!

Everything I have read in the past two days while trying to fix the temperature in my friends homemade incubator is that temperature spikes or drops are a lot more hazardous to eggs during the first week of incubation then they are during the last.
I would use the homemade for hatching.

Yes, this is very true. You should move the eggs to the home mad incubator.

 

[campingshaws]

Did we ever hear back from the member with the washed eggs experiment on the method they used? I tried all the "dry" options with no luck. I'm going to TSC today for the egg wash.

Day 20 for me right now! No rocking or rolling yet. This is the WORST. I had a few temp spikes and I'm so afraid they're all dead now.

 

[SoManyHats]

Did we ever hear back from the member with the washed eggs experiment on the method they used? I tried all the "dry" options with no luck. I'm going to TSC today for the egg wash.

Day 20 for me right now! No rocking or rolling yet. This is the WORST. I had a few temp spikes and I'm so afraid they're all dead now.

Don't give up on them. I have only ever seen one egg move before pipping. And 21 days is just an average! Also, I have never washed eggs - I'd say most here haven't. If you're having consistently bad outcomes for your hatches, it's not likely to be because you haven't washed your eggs.