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

[sbarab]

Forgot to add that my egg collecting daughter just told me yesterday that there is a broody hen in the coop that has been sitting on eggs for the last 2 weeks or so. We may end up with more Easter chicks than the ones currently in the bator. That being said, I have never had a broody hen actually stay on one nest long enough to hatch anything.

 

[SoManyHats]

Locked down my eggs this morning. Pulled another 8 clears for a total of 14 that had not developed at all. Total of 28 on lock down.

Is it wrong that I am already planning to load up the incubator again?

I've been collecting eggs to put in my incubator the moment the EHAL eggs go into the hatcher, so…

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Some of these have medication in it..pretty strong smell... some don't..the hand warmers can work, but putting a blanket over the bator has worked best for me. If I have room in there, and nice warm bottle will work too.

The one that I had gotten my mother had no medication, it was strictly a heat patch. According to the company they are: ThermaCare® technology combines iron, oxygen, water and salt in single-use HeatWraps to produce real heat and stimulate healing right where you need it. The patented technology in Thermacare® HeatWraps works by allowing real heat to penetrate damaged tissue, increasing blood flow to the source of pain to accelerate healing and relieve pain. It works differently than other patches and creams, which mask pain instead of healing.
Hand warmers are only sold in winter and are hard to find then at least in our little town. My problem is everything we have runs on electricity so even the water, once the hot water tank is drawn will be no more hot water. I think if I ever have an outtage while incubating I'll have to try them.

 

[Cynthia12]

Locked down my eggs this morning. Pulled another 8 clears for a total of 14 that had not developed at all. Total of 28 on lock down.

Is it wrong that I am already planning to load up the incubator again?

Nope, not at all..go for it. Do it. Plan ahead. Just go for it!
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> I am. Since my Marans didn't do well, I only have two in lock down, I have someone bringing me some on the 8th. When this hatch will be done for sure, and I have those little ones settled. I'm not an enabler!

 

[SoManyHats]

Okay… I checked the temps in my homemade bator with my brand spankin new Spot Check. The temp on the "floor" was 96.4 while the "ceiling" temp was 103.6. This is forced air! So, I adjusted the direction of my fan to point more upward, and the temps have stabilized and are the same floor to ceiling.

But that temp is 101.6.

That's too high, right? Right now, there are no eggs and the humidity is only 50%. What will happen to the temp overall when I add eggs and more humidity? Should I do that and then fiddle with the temp to bring it down a couple of degrees?

 

[Cynthia12]

The one that I had gotten my mother had no medication, it was strictly a heat patch. According to the company they are: ThermaCare® technology combines iron, oxygen, water and salt in single-use HeatWraps to produce real heat and stimulate healing right where you need it. The patented technology in Thermacare® HeatWraps works by allowing real heat to penetrate damaged tissue, increasing blood flow to the source of pain to accelerate healing and relieve pain. It works differently than other patches and creams, which mask pain instead of healing.
Hand warmers are only sold in winter and are hard to find then at least in our little town. My problem is everything we have runs on electricity so even the water, once the hot water tank is drawn will be no more hot water. I think if I ever have an outtage while incubating I'll have to try them.

Yes, go for it, then if..let's just say if..and hope it doesn't happen, because it's so scary when you have those little ones so close, if..it happens to you, let us know how you used them. Sounds like a plan.
Looked at the photo again, hey! I've actually used these ones before..they don't have meds in them. But, the cheap dollar stores do. Yuck. I buy a lot of hand warmers .. lol..keep them on hand for when folks come to buy chicks. I put one in a box for them to stay warm on the trip home.

 

[kandkjbm]

We

What cross did you use to make your meat birds?

Tractor Supply has a batch of meat birds in and I have been tempted to pick them up but we so aren't ready for them yet the weather is still too cold and snow is covering the ground. I prefer to raise the CX in the late Summer starting in late July early August. 

We have a welsummer roo, and a bunch of dual purpose hens. This is the first time we have done meat birds with our own eggs. We have no idea how this will go.

 

[Junibutt]

My Day 18 (19th day) starts in a few hours so I have stopped the turners and will be locking down after candling around midnight. Could not sleep last night and had dreams about some weird chicks. They popped out of a hole in the ground and kept coming until I had to block the hole. Turns out they were not chicken chicks and were some sort of dino-monster chicks disguised as chicken chicks. Thats when my wife woke me up.

 

[swampducks]

I had my temperature low my first hatch, in a homemade incubator, they hatched 2 almost 3 days late, but I put them in lock down like normal because I didn't know I shouldn't lol. My duckies hatched great, just a few days late

When you say, low do you mean 98? 99? My temp pretty much settled at 99 and only now and then did I catch in at 100. So I'm dithering on whether I should lock down a little later as well.

 

[Cynthia12]

Okay… I checked the temps in my homemade bator with my brand spankin new Spot Check. The temp on the "floor" was 96.4 while the "ceiling" temp was 103.6. This is forced air! So, I adjusted the direction of my fan to point more upward, and the temps have stabilized and are the same floor to ceiling.

But that temp is 101.6.

That's too high, right? Right now, there are no eggs and the humidity is only 50%. What will happen to the temp overall when I add eggs and more humidity? Should I do that and then fiddle with the temp to bring it down a couple of degrees?

I personally get mine down a bit, even in my still air. I go 99 in mine. Go a bit higher with your humidity. 55 at least.