Thread formerly known as Hatch day is today

[Marty1876]

Marty, if you go to the sticky section, there is a waterfowl hatching guide with great pictures. However, I am an oddball in that I do not candle to verify internal pipping. I use a steth on my bator viewing window and listen for clicking sounds of breathing.

Great Idea, I have a great nursing stethoscope!! You just put it on the viewer, not egg to egg?

 

[country_girl011]

Marty, if you go to the sticky section, there is a waterfowl hatching guide with great pictures. However, I am an oddball in that I do not candle to verify internal pipping. I use a steth on my bator viewing window and listen for clicking sounds of breathing.

i'm going to try this later in the week
to see if i can hear them

 

[Iain Utah]

Great Idea, I have a great nursing stethoscope!! You just put it on the viewer, not egg to egg?

Yes. I have an LG still air with two plastic windows on top. I place it there. Best to get used to learning the difference between pipping by listening to the eggs well before they start, because the slightest movement creates sound in the steth. Pipping will sound sort of like popcorn in the microwave in the distance. FYI, I am hearing the beginning of pipping right now in my bator!

 

[Marty1876]

II have an incubator with a fan and egg turners, so its not exactly quiet. I will experiement a bit maybe

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

What kind of incubator are you using? Fan or no fan? What temp/humidity are you maintaining? Did you test your thermometer/hygrometer for accuracy?

I've got a Hovabator 1588. Temp between 99.5-100. Humidity between 40-55%. I've got two themometer/hygrometers and a regular thermometer in there right now and I just average them. The bator is supposed to be pre-set, so I'm trusting that it's performing as expected.

I know that I shouldn't just trust the bator, but I want to run a hatch as-is and then adjust my practices from there. It's a learning experience... and it's a little early in the season for ideal fertility even though I've seen the ducks at the farm doing their thing.

 

[JulieNKC]

I use a lg too, and once they've internally pipped I can see them with my bigger flashlight just by shining it through the windows at them.

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

Want to throw away everything that I have. I don't want to ever do this again

Uh-oh. So sorry you're feeling discouraged.

I have a coworker who had a goose egg explode in her bator and has never tried hatching again. I guess she lost the entire hatch because of the one bad egg.

I'm still trying to prepare myself for all the things that could go wrong. I can process a meat chicken with little emotion (other than gratitude for the food), but the idea of babies dying in the eggs or in process of hatching makes my heart sink.

If you really think you're done with it, clean up your gear and pack it away for a while. Set a time limit for yourself and if you haven't wanted to try again in that time frame, go ahead and sell your gear. Don't act prematurely, if you do, you may regret having to re-buy everything.

*hugs* Give yourself some time. I haven't been where you're at yet, but I might be at some point and I expect everyone to hold me to my own advice at that time!

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

They were going to die even if I didn't help them because they were pretty well shrunk wrapped in there. I just lost another one. The one left is free from its shell but has a huge umbelical cord fullof yolk. Its going to die too. I give up

SM, my heart hurts for you right now. Please stick around the thread even if you decide to take a break from hatching.

 

[70%cocoa]

I'm so terribly sorry, SM. Going Quackerrs gives great advice though - defer the decision to give up or not.

I wonder if shrink wrapping is sometimes just a symptom. If a baby doesn't have what it takes to get out and the whole process is delayed then probably shrink wrapping is just going to happen. I'm not sure. I am sure that you did all you could though. It's still crap and I really wish it was different. Big hugs.

In other news, my rib BBQ was a winner last night. Will post pics later. We are driving to the beach for the day at the moment.

 

[Marty1876]

Wow, a beach.

Here Kansas, mid USA, only the lakes have beaches, and we have to give them sand every year. (and its cool and windy today)

Enjoy the beach!