~*Third Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatch-Athon*~ all poultry welcome!

[lsmith]

This years incubation has been depressing.

I knew people said that incubating shipped eggs could be depressing..........


The last iffy looking chick finally died yesterday. Looking him over, besides a dark area around his 'navel' and still slightly squishy belly, I noticed that his bottom was pasted shut.

Just want to tear my hair out, I wonder if he would have pulled through, and if he actually died because I didn't check his rear.

Like really?

This is NOT the first time I have had chicks!

But, I feel like if it can go wrong it has.

One of my other chicks was hatched with only one eye. From what I have read, it is from bad incubation, not genetic.

Wow.

My level of incompetency boggles the mind.


Next problem is that I set a staggered hatch, originally thinking that I would transfer eggs to a hatcher when needed so no problems. My hatcher would never behave, so I couldn't use it. The last set of eggs that hatched, hatched over SUCH a long time period that the humidity was much too high for much too long.

I am worried that my next set of eggs will be "flooded" or whatever. The air cells are much too small.

I feel you! Hugs!! I set 30 eggs and only 1 hatched. I can't even blame them being shipped because only 17 were. The last duck egg I had I there was supposed to hatch yesterday. I looked today and the egg had turned a funny color around the air cell. I turned the egg over and there was an external pip. poor baby never had a chance. The turkey eggs don't look like they are developing but it's only day 7 and I can't see into then very well. I don't see an air cell in one. It has to be my incubating.

 

[JennaLynn122]

I feel you! Hugs!! I set 30 eggs and only 1 hatched. I can't even blame them being shipped because only 17 were. The last duck egg I had I there was supposed to hatch yesterday. I looked today and the egg had turned a funny color around the air cell. I turned the egg over and there was an external pip. poor baby never had a chance. The turkey eggs don't look like they are developing but it's only day 7 and I can't see into then very well. I don't see an air cell in one. It has to be my incubating.

my HAL hatch was bad but the ones hatching today are doing awesome 56 set 9 out so far and countless pips. 1 loss so far

 

[chicken pickin]

My poults are done hatching.

9 eggs went into lockdown and 8 poults hatched. The 9th egg was a late quitter.

I have 9 chicken eggs hatching under a broody Cochin, they have started hatching last night. I can hear the peeps but don't have a count yet.

I also in another incubator have 30+ eggs in lockdown and hatching has started, 2 have hatched, I have about 10 pips, and hatch day wasn't until tomorrow.

 

[Arielle]

This years incubation has been depressing.

I knew people said that incubating shipped eggs could be depressing..........


The last iffy looking chick finally died yesterday. Looking him over, besides a dark area around his 'navel' and still slightly squishy belly, I noticed that his bottom was pasted shut.

Just want to tear my hair out, I wonder if he would have pulled through, and if he actually died because I didn't check his rear.

Like really?

This is NOT the first time I have had chicks!

But, I feel like if it can go wrong it has.

One of my other chicks was hatched with only one eye. From what I have read, it is from bad incubation, not genetic.

Wow.

My level of incompetency boggles the mind.


Next problem is that I set a staggered hatch, originally thinking that I would transfer eggs to a hatcher when needed so no problems. My hatcher would never behave, so I couldn't use it. The last set of eggs that hatched, hatched over SUCH a long time period that the humidity was much too high for much too long.

I am worried that my next set of eggs will be "flooded" or whatever. The air cells are much too small.

YOu speak for many people's experience thru this hatch. Even I had only a few poults be scscessful-- and despite dry hatching and keeping to a RH very low , below 20%, I still had eggs too filled with moisture.

If we can learn from our experiences and find solutions to the issues, then we can try again.

Whether it is to open up the vents more, candle more often, or have a second hatcher . . . try again and change those factors and see how it affects the hatching rate.

Hopefully as hard as this has been to lose chicks and poults, we can learn to be better at hatching.

BIG HUG to EVERYONE.

 

[Alaskan]

Thanks.....

The hugs were desperately needed.

 

[ronott1]

YOu speak for many people's experience thru this hatch. Even I had only a few poults be scscessful-- and despite dry hatching and keeping to a RH very low , below 20%, I still had eggs too filled with moisture.

If we can learn from our experiences and find solutions to the issues, then we can try again.

Whether it is to open up the vents more, candle more often, or have a second hatcher . . . try again and change those factors and see how it affects the hatching rate.

Hopefully as hard as this has been to lose chicks and poults, we can learn to be better at hatching.

BIG HUG to EVERYONE.

It is sad when things like this happen to so many!

A While back I posted about the dangers of too low humidity. I have read studies, where controlled experimentation was used, and the result was that incubating below 25% resulted in lower hatch rates. Incubating above 55% or so was bad too.

Wet and sticky chicks are usually a problem caused by not absorbing the yolk. This results in stuck chicks and less vigorous babies that die. The number one cause that we can control is incubation temperature.

Two ways to increase vigor and yolk absorption are:

1. a two hour per day cool down cycle from day 8 to 18
2. Misting the eggs during the cool down cycle. One person takes the top off of the incubator, mists the eggs and goes to do chicken chores. After the chores, the lid is put back down. It is not always two hours but does help the chicks to develop.

Next time, go with a humidity above 25% and try the cool down and misting cycle.

 

[K Epp]

This years incubation has been depressing.

I knew people said that incubating shipped eggs could be depressing..........


The last iffy looking chick finally died yesterday. Looking him over, besides a dark area around his 'navel' and still slightly squishy belly, I noticed that his bottom was pasted shut.

Just want to tear my hair out, I wonder if he would have pulled through, and if he actually died because I didn't check his rear.

Like really?

This is NOT the first time I have had chicks!

But, I feel like if it can go wrong it has.

One of my other chicks was hatched with only one eye. From what I have read, it is from bad incubation, not genetic.

Wow.

My level of incompetency boggles the mind.


Next problem is that I set a staggered hatch, originally thinking that I would transfer eggs to a hatcher when needed so no problems. My hatcher would never behave, so I couldn't use it. The last set of eggs that hatched, hatched over SUCH a long time period that the humidity was much too high for much too long.

I am worried that my next set of eggs will be "flooded" or whatever. The air cells are much too small.

I had 45 chicken eggs in my incubator. Zero hatched. These were eggs from my flock. I put 6 duck and 6 turkey u deer my goose who went broody. She hatched 6 duck and 2 turkeys. The others are in the incubator, but I doubt they will do any thing. She's got a much better rate than I do. She even had a duck decide to blood with her and it kept steal eggs. I guess they will coparent.

I traded for 2 doz duck eggs earlier. Had one of those hatch. Now that is one spoiled duck. It thinks I'm its Mama and wants to sit in my lap with its head under my arm. Lol

 

[Arielle]

Here's more!!!!!

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

I have 10 external pips!!! 6 more have internal pips! And the others are still kicking. I would did if all 23 hatched.

 

[HEChicken]

Alaskan. I think you have it more challenging than most. I was just talking with a friend about transportation of eggs. It came up because on my own turkey eggs both last year and this year, I've had 100% develop and hatch. A couple of weeks ago I sold 18 to someone who lives about 5 hours from here. She came to pick them up and drove them home, and reported a few days ago that 11 out of 18 are developing. She was pleased but to me that is a low rate compared with what I am used to. Of course, I know nothing about her incubation techniques, which may be a factor in some of the 7 that did not develop but still…..I know it is not the fertility rate of my eggs since 100% hatch when I either incubate them or put them under my broodies.

The friend to whom I was speaking, talked of driving 3 hours to pick up eggs one time, thinking that would be better than trusting them to the USPS. She had a very low hatch rate on them.

So we got to wondering if ANY transportation - even if they are not boxed and trusted to a shipping company - might affect development. Even when they are not shipped, they are subjected to several hours of jouncing along in a vehicle, and in the new location may be at a different temp/humidity than where they were laid.

All of that is a reflective way of saying that if development rate is affected by being driven 3-5 hours, how much more so would it be affected by being transported from the lower 48 to Alaska - a huge distance to travel as well as a huge climate change.

The best I can say is that if you can get a few to develop and hatch, you have a starter flock so that next year you can incubate your own eggs instead of relying on having them shipped to you.