The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

Quote: Do they tend to quit after day 18? I was told that 50% hatch rate was average after day 18..I hope that is not true.

 

[Elliemae 77]

Lol....I'm posting off of my "smart" stupid phone and it likes to fill in the blanks for me.....mutt.....not Murray

 

[Elliemae 77]

I'm using a Genesis 1588.....temp. is 99.5 and I've been keeping my humidity right around 50%. I was going to try the dry hatch method, but with the furnace running up here in the winter best I could do even with a RelativeAirHumidity of 56% was 16% in the bator. So I've been adding a little water and checking both temp. And humidity with a independent temp and hydormeter(sp?) Daily and only adding water when it starts to drop below 20 % again. Last season I had some terrible hatches so I've been researching to see what went wrong. All signs pointed to high humidity for the first eighteen days. which makes sense. I was filling the tray as full as I could get it not realizing that it overflowed and filled the whole underside with water took. The result was humidity between 60- 70 % and chicks dying before they hatched

 

[Mumsy]

Do they tend to quit after day 18? I was told that 50% hatch rate was average after day 18..I hope that is not true.

I honestly don't know. I put eleven viable Silkie eggs in lock-down. Five hatched. I put one down day three with severe wry neck. I did eggtopsies on six. Four dead in shell with unabsorbed large yolk. Two dead that looked younger/smaller. I blamed my faulty incubating with bad hygrometer reading. My humidity was over the moon high. It must have been 90% for three days of lockdown. I felt lucky to get four good live Silkie chicks from that hatch. Three males one female as far as I can tell.
That is why I'm going all dry hatch this time and will be carefully keeping the humidity to 66% humidity for lock down. No Silkies in this batch but I'm practicing for my Catdance eggs next month.

 

[Elliemae 77]

This is also my test hatch before I spend the $ on English Orps

 

[Arkansas81]

I fed my first batch of ff today-HUGE HIT!! So I will be a religous follower from now on! I have just about finished the fixing of the top to the "playpen". I took my daughter's old swimming pool-the one's with the metal framing. I strung chicken wire around the outside of it, then put the pool cover over the top of it.


Well with this last nasty storm we got the "top" was tore all to pieces. So what I am trying to do now is take the pool lining and make a top for it-again. I can only hope that this one will last better.


So all in all a nice day-for once! I looked for the predicted outcome for the weather of Febuary is that it is supposed to be warmer-nicer than normal. So I might have to get my happy chicken dance moves on if it's true.


My curiosity is perked...how do you find out what your humitidy is in the normal setting of your house? I am looking for a bator..I would like to start hatching as soon as I find one, or if I make one. Thanks!

 

[aoxa]

Aoxa,
I am so glad you are joining for the Easter hatch.

I do have a question about that since you and Mumsy have hatched silkies. The silkies should be off the turner on Tuesday, but, my other eggs are not due to come off till Wednesday. Do you think it would be OK to take the silkies off on Wednesday? Or better for me to do everyone on Tuesday? My temps and humidity have been holding well. I am 99.8 and 40% humidity. Are silkies prone to have hatching problems? I have heard they will quit on day 18. Right now I have no idea, I have not candled since day 10. I will candle before I put them in lock down. I have 10 silkie eggs. It would be wonderful to get 10 in to lock down. I rarely loose a chick if it gets into lock down. I could turn off the turner on Tuesday, and up my humidity on Wednesday or even Thursday. My air cells are perfect and are not calling for more humidity. They are not small, so I do not have large chicks and they will not have problems turning. The shells on the silkies are very thin so they should not have a problem getting out...What do you think?

My current temp is 100 degrees and 33% humidity with dry. Temp just climbed that tiny bit today. We have sunshine and warmer temps outside. No moisture added at all. Sometimes it dips to 99 degrees but pretty steady for fifteen days.


My experience with hatching Silkies is they are more fragile. I had a die off at eighteenth day this last hatch. They were not my own eggs. I have no idea how the breeders were raised or fed or how the eggs were collected or stored. They weren't shipped eggs. It was the worse Silkie hatch I've ever had. On the other hand, when I incubated my own silkie eggs I had a better live hatch rate. The shells do seem thinner on Silkie eggs over all. I find incubating Silkie eggs the most challenging to incubate and yet the most satisfying when it works well.

I've hatched over 100 this year. They are more prone to shrink wrapping if you put them in lockdown late. I put everyone in a day early rather than on time. I get a better hatch rate that way. Last hatches I've done I had 100% with silkie eggs.

I would NOT put them in late. Definitely put them in the day before. The other eggs will be fine. I've done many staggered hatches with eggs not due for another week in during the high humidity during hatch, and they were fine. The chicks roll them around enough for turning

Silkies are known to hatch before standard birds. For the most part that has proven true, but not much sooner than the others.. maybe a few hours.. Just lock them down on the morning of day 18, or the night of day 17. Really the high humidity and lack of turning will not hurt the others. That's all I'm saying.

I haven't found my silkies any less likely to hatch. I have found them more fragile after hatch though.

 

[Elliemae 77]

Walmart has one that shows temperature and humidity. Should be where they keep the round outdoor thermometers. I think its around $8. So far it seems pretty accurate. Much more accurate then the built in temp. And hydrometer on the bator. Just make sure you set in a central location in your home(no outside walls)

 

[aoxa]

Walmart has one that shows temperature and humidity. Should be where they keep the round outdoor thermometers. I think its around $8. So far it seems pretty accurate. Much more accurate then the built in temp. And hydrometer on the bator. Just make sure you set in a central location in your home(no outside walls)

I bought mine from Walmart as well. It's a Natural Geographic one.

 

[Mumsy]

I've hatched over 100 this year.


I haven't found my silkies any less likely to hatch. I have found them more fragile after hatch though.

Wow! 100 Silkie chicks hatched out of your cabinet incubator? I'm thinking your great hatch rates has something to do with your Silkie flock on FF and with your great flock master skills. I'm so much looking forward to hatching Silkie eggs from my own birds again!