The 8th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!!!!

[Razadia]

Quote: I ended up changing my mind.

It seems I opened my mouth too soon.

ETA: These are just some eggs from my old girls and a FBCM egg that's around a month old. It really is a test.

 

[ronott1]

Below is a clip of the informal study I read the other day regarding the roundness of a chicken egg correlated to the sex of a chicken:

There is a thread on here about this that is anecdotal too. On that thread, they are still in the 60/40 and 40/60 range for predicting gender by egg shape.

It might be a bit fun to think you can do this, but it would be very shady to sell eggs as being female to people based on the roundness or pointy-ness of the egg.

I can go into the chicken reproductive reasons why this does not work too if you want me to. The basic point though is that there is no mechanism for an embryo to change the shape of an egg.

It is wishful thinking to think otherwise.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Quote: Oh my...the only ones I can really give advice on is any exterior thermometers because I made my incubator and it doesn't have one on it and I've not familiar with the ones with the probe. I have a variety, but the ones I use the most are the regular exterior thermometers and aquarium thermometers so after disinfecting them, I use the ice water method in a clean bucket to calibrate. I write on each thermometer how much it's out an go by that. Below are several methods for calibration for temps and hygrometers from the learning center "hatching 101." I do have a digital one now and I believe that you can put them in a ziplock bag and immerse that in water to calibrate it. I haven't done it before.
THERMOMETERS, HYGROMETERS & CALIBRATION

Celsius to Fahrenheit (ºC to ºF) conversion calculator click HERE
Thermo/hygro suggestions post #13998

Brinsea Incubator Thermometers click HERE
Strombergs Thermometers click HERE Hygrometers click HERE Digital Thermo/Hygros click Here
Hova-Bator GQF Incubator Thermometer / Hygrometer (Wet Bulb) 3018 post #32892
HEAT SINKS/ Stones/Pebbles ADD THEM TO STYRO! post #43903
Calibration is a MUST: HOW TO CALIBRATE post #9068

Quote: Honestly I'm still learning as well...and I like to push the envelope on a few things just to see what happens, like setting old eggs. It's the way I started incubating (old eggs) with my situation and I've been fascinated ever since. I've never done controlled hatching with old eggs with specific variables. That may be this year. Maybe it'll be my third thread...

I'm a bit nervous starting threads...I don't know why....lol! We'll see how things go.

I don't think trying to hatch older eggs will be popular for most people because it involves an amount of die-off of the embryos. It's pretty hard on the heart. I am about the survival of the fittest of whatever I'm breeding/raising and I'm starting with the embryo. Getting females may just have been a fluke in my case. But I'm seeing certain trends in the what I'm getting.

That's interesting information! I also remember being taught that in humans that the female semen is supposed to live longer but the male swim faster. Cool...lol!

 

[Wickedchicken6]

im having incubator issues. set my eggs in my little giant 9300 still incubator,on the 3 of February and hatch day was supposed to be the 24th, i took automatic turner out 3 days b4 hatch day just like the directions said, my temp stayed at 98 an my humidity wouldn't stay past 60. I'm using a still air, and it has holes in the bottom but do i need to plug them up? all my water runs out when i add water, i left the eggs till today cause they were stinking. so i opened them an one was rotten, and the other two had chicks in them but i think they had died on the 21st day. should i plug the holes? should i place a hand held little fan inside? please some one help me

@ronott1 or someone with a real incubator can probably help you more than me. I'm not certain about the holes on the bottom...but you do need some holes to be open for oxygen.

I run mine at 60%-65% humidity for the lockdown period. I think that's about right for most for chicken eggs.

 

[ronott1]

Oh my...the only ones I can really give advice on is any exterior thermometers because I made my incubator and it doesn't have one on it and I've not familiar with the ones with the probe. I have a variety, but the ones I use the most are the regular exterior thermometers and aquarium thermometers so after disinfecting them, I use the ice water method in a clean bucket to calibrate. I write on each thermometer how much it's out an go by that. Below are several methods for calibration for temps and hygrometers from the learning center "hatching 101." I do have a digital one now and I believe that you can put them in a ziplock bag and immerse that in water to calibrate it. I haven't done it before.
THERMOMETERS, HYGROMETERS & CALIBRATION

Celsius to Fahrenheit (ºC to ºF) conversion calculator click HERE
Thermo/hygro suggestions post #13998

Brinsea Incubator Thermometers click HERE
Strombergs Thermometers click HERE Hygrometers click HERE Digital Thermo/Hygros click Here
Hova-Bator GQF Incubator Thermometer / Hygrometer (Wet Bulb) 3018 post #32892
HEAT SINKS/ Stones/Pebbles ADD THEM TO STYRO! post #43903
Calibration is a MUST: HOW TO CALIBRATE post #9068


Honestly I'm still learning as well...and I like to push the envelope on a few things just to see what happens, like setting old eggs. It's the way I started incubating (old eggs) with my situation and I've been fascinated ever since. I've never done controlled hatching with old eggs with specific variables. That may be this year. Maybe it'll be my third thread...

I'm a bit nervous starting threads...I don't know why....lol! We'll see how things go.

I don't think trying to hatch older eggs will be popular for most people because it involves an amount of die-off of the embryos. It's pretty hard on the heart. I am about the survival of the fittest of whatever I'm breeding/raising and I'm starting with the embryo. Getting females may just have been a fluke in my case. But I'm seeing certain trends in the what I'm getting.

That's interesting information! I also remember being taught that in humans that the female semen is supposed to live longer but the male swim faster. Cool...lol!

Thanks so much for the calibration link!

A hen is born with all the eggs she will ever lay just like human females are. Each of those eggs are already either male of female since the hen's egg determines gender which is opposite of humans. Leutenizing hormone is released and a random egg ripens and comes down through the reproductive process. The Embryo is fertilized and yolk is added with albumin, then membrane and finally to the shell gland that seals it all up. Just like flipping a coin, sometimes you can get a streak of male and then a streak of female embryos.

The shell gland gives the egg it's shape. Hens will usually have the same shaped egg all the time because of the shape of the shell gland regardless of the gender of the embryo. The Shell gland is what determines if an egg is round or pointy.

 

[ronott1]

im having incubator issues. set my eggs in my little giant 9300 still incubator,on the 3 of February and hatch day was supposed to be the 24th, i took automatic turner out 3 days b4 hatch day just like the directions said, my temp stayed at 98 an my humidity wouldn't stay past 60. I'm using a still air, and it has holes in the bottom but do i need to plug them up? all my water runs out when i add water, i left the eggs till today cause they were stinking. so i opened them an one was rotten, and the other two had chicks in them but i think they had died on the 21st day. should i plug the holes? should i place a hand held little fan inside? please some one help me

Do not plug the holes.

Your incubator should have a plastic tray for water to regulate humidity. The more of the channels you fill the higher the humidity will go. If you over fill them the water will leak out.

This is the tray:

You can buy one here:

http://www.eggcartons.com/Plastic-Incubator-Liner-for-Little-Giant-Incubator-p/lgl.htm

If you do not have one, then you can use sponges in a bowl or etc.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Quote: I ended up changing my mind.

It seems I opened my mouth too soon.

ETA: These are just some eggs from my old girls and a FBCM egg that's around a month old. It really is a test.
Lol...that cool! In my case I have no choice. But I am having enjoying egg surveillance on the girls. I'm getting a few surprises I didn't expect that has me scratching my head. Those with more knowledge than I have should be able to explain it though.

 

[Ryoohkey]

SO EXCITED!!!!!! I need to get my incubators calibrated and hopefully my 18 hens start laying more consistinly so I can hatch a lot can't wait currently habe 18 hens and 5 roosters most of my breed are Cochin and Easter egger hens all roosters are Cochins and I have very beautiful black/blue (mostly blue) Cochin rooster eeeee I can't wait

 

[ronott1]

SO EXCITED!!!!!! I need to get my incubators calibrated and hopefully my 18 hens start laying more consistinly so I can hatch a lot can't wait currently habe 18 hens and 5 roosters most of my breed are Cochin and Easter egger hens all roosters are Cochins and I have very beautiful black/blue (mostly blue) Cochin rooster eeeee I can't wait

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I have 12 turkey eggs in lockdown now. I just looked and I have 2 pips so far! They're due Friday but I'm guessing they may be early.