Tis Time for a March 2020 Hatch-a-long!

[aliciaplus3]

Usually when I do dry where I live it's at 30-40% I did add a little bit of distilled water to the incubator just a little bit like 20 ml of water nothing big. Just to get it started up. But I will let that water evaporate and I won't put anymore unless it gets too low.

My last chicken hatch I had it at 18% the entire time and I had a 90% hatch rate.

sounds like you actually have humidity where you live. I think you will do fine with the duck eggs running like you have been your chicken eggs, it sounds like the biggest thing that will affect them now will be either breeder nutrition or fertility rates, those 2 things are out of your control when you do not tend to the flock where the eggs came from.
I love incubating duck eggs because they are SO much fun to candle! that was one of the biggest reasons that we donated duck eggs to the school project, so that the kids could SEE what was going on in there.

 

[FortCluck]

sounds like you actually have humidity where you live. I think you will do fine with the duck eggs running like you have been your chicken eggs, it sounds like the biggest thing that will affect them now will be either breeder nutrition or fertility rates, those 2 things are out of your control when you do not tend to the flock where the eggs came from.
I love incubating duck eggs because they are SO much fun to candle! that was one of the biggest reasons that we donated duck eggs to the school project, so that the kids could SEE what was going on in there.

We have been finding small white eggs in our other coop and I'm almost thinking that it is my Polish So I'm going to put two of those eggs in just to see what comes out or if they're even fertile. Then I am putting some of my duck eggs in, I'm not sure if they are Muscovy Pekin cross or if they're just pekin.

I can't wait to see what this guy has for ducks because I really want a couple more, but I would rather introduce another bloodline in instead of just putting some offspring from mine in.

 

[FortCluck]

sounds like you actually have humidity where you live. I think you will do fine with the duck eggs running like you have been your chicken eggs, it sounds like the biggest thing that will affect them now will be either breeder nutrition or fertility rates, those 2 things are out of your control when you do not tend to the flock where the eggs came from.
I love incubating duck eggs because they are SO much fun to candle! that was one of the biggest reasons that we donated duck eggs to the school project, so that the kids could SEE what was going on in there.

I get in my head a little bit too much with incubating because I read what everyone else writes and my first hatch I guess I might have taken the wrong advice because where I live there's humidity. So that hatch completely went wrong So I reached out to someone who is a pro at hatching and I haven't really seen them have a bad hatch rate... they told me to dry hatch and ever since then I've been doing it and I've always had a 90% hatchery besides my last hatch where they weren't my eggs. I believe that that was completely out of my control.

The person who I'm doing the ducklings for is going to take some of the chicks too when I give him the ducklings so that will be nice because I won't have so many chicks and I can hatch some more.

He actually told me when I drop the ducklings off he is going to give me more free eggs so that I can introduce more bloodlines into my flock.

It has really worked out knowing this person and I feel very blessed that we crossed paths at tractor supply one day.

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

I probably should have just collected eggs from my own flock before attempting the more expensive breeds but I just couldn't resist! Just 'cause it's my first hatch so I feel like I'm probably gonna screw it up at least a little bit we shall see!

I will be getting cream legbar and partridge cochin eggs later this year, too!

I ordered expensive shipped eggs for my first hatch and it wasn’t a total disaster! So you’re not alone in wanting to just give t a shot haha.

 

[FortCluck]

So he has green and white duck eggs. I want green duck eggs! They're like a pastel mint green color. Seafoam green... They're so pretty. All the duck eggs are in the incubator plus 3 random eggs from our flock and 3 duck eggs from our flock.

 

[Spudsnsalsa]

Just going to say that each time someone posted on hatch day in past HAL I would think "Wow, already! That went fast." Now here I am with my first ever incubation and on day 3 I am already soooooo freakin' impatient !
Luckily I am blessed with a patient and supportive husband .

So far temps and humidity are behaving so no stressors there.

 

[ShannonsChimkens]

So... there is a slight issue... empty nest issue

I have a brooder box full to the brim with chicks. Love feeding them broccoli and other veggies by hand to gain their trust and such. Then there are 17 pullets/cockerels that are going to be placed in the main coop this weekend. In two weeks the brooder box bunch of 34 will be going into the smaller coop to grow out in for the next couple months. Emus are over a month and a half out from their hatch dates, and Narragansett eggs are nowhere to be found.

Should I buy more hatching eggs from Foxfire?! They have Pavlovskayas and more Isbars...

 

[aliciaplus3]

So... there is a slight issue... empty nest issue

I have a brooder box full to the brim with chicks. Love feeding them broccoli and other veggies by hand. Then there are 17 pullets/cockerels that are going to be placed in the main coop this weekend. In two weeks the brooder box bunch of 34 will be going into the smaller coop to grow out in for the next couple months. Emus are over a month and a half out from their hatch dates, and Narragansett eggs are nowhere to be found.

Should I buy more hatching eggs from Foxfire?! They have Pavlovskayas and more Isbars...

Go for it!
We candled tonight and pulled 4 non starters, for the number of eggs in incubation here that's not bad
We will set lockdown for the eggs due the 17th tomorrow evening and of course refill empty slots with a new batch! Mostly necked necks and brahma mix babies going in this time. Oh and s hand full of duck and turkey

 

[dougieee]

Usually when I do dry where I live it's at 30-40% I did add a little bit of distilled water to the incubator just a little bit like 20 ml of water nothing big. Just to get it started up. But I will let that water evaporate and I won't put anymore unless it gets too low.

My last chicken hatch I had it at 18% the entire time and I had a 90% hatch rate.

I find this very interesting because i remember i had a little brinsea when i was a kid, i knew nothing of humidity or even what a hygrometer was and only knew correct temp and i used to have very successful hatches with next to no knowledge.
I seem to have had less luck ass an adult fretting over keeping the humidity level up when i can get over 30% humidity on a dry hatch.
One of my assumptions is that back then we didnt have central heating which is a very dry heat, we only had gas fires. This time of year the central heating is on a lot because its cold so its actually much harder in winter to keep the humidity level up.

 

[FortCluck]

I find this very interesting because i remember i had a little brinsea when i was a kid, i knew nothing of humidity or even what a hygrometer was and only knew correct temp and i used to have very successful hatches with next to no knowledge.
I seem to have had less luck ass an adult fretting over keeping the humidity level up when i can get over 30% humidity on a dry hatch.
One of my assumptions is that back then we didnt have central heating which is a very dry heat, we only had gas fires. This time of year the central heating is on a lot because its cold so its actually much harder in winter to keep the humidity level up.

I have central air heating. I stopped worrying about my humidity and it seems my hatch rates are way better. Today the humidity was 28% and I didn't add water or anything.

I honestly think that we stress out too much about humidity. I think a lot of this stems from what we've read that makes a perfect hatch when in reality it's just what worked for that one person.

I know what I do works but I don't recommend anyone else to do it. It could be my location, incubator, or a number of things that give me successful hatches.