The 9th Annual BYC Easter Hatchalong!

[maddysmamaw]

Yeah. I know, those duck eggs are dirty. I brushed them off as much as I could.

 

[ronott1]

I wonder if I might ask a couple questions since so many hatchers are huddled together. I am doing my first incubation. I am on day 2 but googling for info. I read that ...

1 If the temp is on the low side in incubator you will have a better hatch rate for Pullets, if it is on the high side you have a better hatch rate for Cockerels.

2. I read that it is not uncommon for Bantams to hatch a little earlier than expected. My Rooster is a Bantam Cochin and the Hens are Not. would they (I mean other than Mutts) be expected to be Bantam or LF?

Thank you for any assistance. If I can get this right this time I may have to join the fun next year! Good Hatches to all!

No, do not mess with the temps hoping to get more pullets. That is a type of magical thinking by those that do not understand the odds of head or tails.

Messing with the temperature is bad for both male and female embryos. It might be true that male embryos will die more then female embryos but the point is that both genders will die if you mess up temperature.

Pay attention: Chickens are opposite of humans. The female determines gender not the male. She is born with about 3000 embryos that are already male or female. The gender is set before the sperm fertilizes the egg. Nothing changes that. NOTHING!

 

[maddysmamaw]

I didn’t want to let them cool off too much while taking out the turner, candling, etc., so I set my electric blanket on high and set the turner and eggs on it and covered them with the duvet. Then I added warm water to help bring the temp up faster. I just checked and the humidity was at 76 so I took out one of the plugs. Is one enough? My room is kinda chilly, though it’s warming up now that I have the wood stove going.

 

[MontainBourbons]

Just going into lockdown.
Does anyone have a good idea of what humidity to run the incubator at? I never seem to get it right.

 

[Cynthia12]

No, do not mess with the temps hoping to get more pullets. That is a type of magical thinking by those that do not understand the odds of head or tails.

Messing with the temperature is bad for both male and female embryos. It might be true that male embryos will die more then female embryos but the point is that both genders will die if you mess up temperature.

Pay attention: Chickens are opposite of humans. The female determines gender not the male. She is born with about 3000 embryos that are already male or female. The gender is set before the sperm fertilizes the egg. Nothing changes that. NOTHING!

I learn something new every year. No wonder you have your BYC Education Badge. Thanks for the info!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I didn’t want to let them cool off too much while taking out the turner, candling, etc., so I set my electric blanket on high and set the turner and eggs on it and covered them with the duvet. Then I added warm water to help bring the temp up faster. I just checked and the humidity was at 76 so I took out one of the plugs. Is one enough? My room is kinda chilly, though it’s warming up now that I have the wood stove going.

Personally, I never use any of the plugs because it limits the amount of oxygen. If the humidity drops too low, I just add another contrainer of water to bring it up

Just going into lockdown.
Does anyone have a good idea of what humidity to run the incubator at? I never seem to get it right.

60-65% works well for me. Occasionally it can drop as low as 55% without any issues but I don't like letting it get that low.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

32 eggs just went in to lockdown! Turkeys due Friday and chicks due Saturday

 

[Pensmaster]

I didn’t want to let them cool off too much while taking out the turner, candling, etc., so I set my electric blanket on high and set the turner and eggs on it and covered them with the duvet. Then I added warm water to help bring the temp up faster. I just checked and the humidity was at 76 so I took out one of the plugs. Is one enough? My room is kinda chilly, though it’s warming up now that I have the wood stove going.

The wood stove will do more for lowering the moisture than anything else. As far as plugs go I’ve never used them.

 

[ronott1]

I didn’t want to let them cool off too much while taking out the turner, candling, etc., so I set my electric blanket on high and set the turner and eggs on it and covered them with the duvet. Then I added warm water to help bring the temp up faster. I just checked and the humidity was at 76 so I took out one of the plugs. Is one enough? My room is kinda chilly, though it’s warming up now that I have the wood stove going.

You can let them cool down to room temperate for an hour a day. The cool down cycle if good for them.

 

[ronott1]

I learn something new every year. No wonder you have your BYC Education Badge. Thanks for the info!

Thanks!

How is sex determined in chickens and what does it mean?

A:
If you want to know how to tell the difference between males and females in chickens, please see our related questions, below. This question addresses how sex is determined in chickens genetically.

In birds, the sex of the embryo is determined by the egg, not the sperm (as it is in humans). Avian sex differentiation is not determined by XY chromosomes like it is in humans and most mammals (or even the XO system used by some insects). In those systems the sex is determined by the sperm, by what the male contributes to the offspring. By contrast, birds have a ZW system of sex determination (shared with butterflies, moths, fish and reptiles). In that system, sex is determined by the female within her ova, and the sex of offspring is not affected at all by the sperm which the male contributes.