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

[CluckNDoodle]

Speaking of the emus... just weighed everybody and they were all over the place with weight. So no way to tell if humidity should be added or if I should run a dehumidifier. Within 2 to 3 grams more or less of their goal weight. Dry hatching at about 25% to 30%. Don’t really want to risk moving some to the still air incubator.

Might as well stick with the plan... “set em and forget em” if they hatch, great.

 

[TriskeleFarm]

Why do people buy eggs to hatch instead of just buying chicks? I always figured people hatched their own eggs from their own flock. It wasn’t until last year that I found out people buy eggs from hatcheries to hatch them themselves.

because not all breeders ship chicks. If you're looking for above hatchery quality chickens, you go to breeders, and some will ship chicks and some won't. so, if there are no local breeders and you can't find one who will ship live chicks...you buy eggs and run the risk of shipping and losing some.

 

[hysop]

because not all breeders ship chicks. If you're looking for above hatchery quality chickens, you go to breeders, and some will ship chicks and some won't. so, if there are no local breeders and you can't find one who will ship live chicks...you buy eggs and run the risk of shipping and losing some.

Thank you! I guess I’m not that far into my chicken addiction to go after rare breeds just yet.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Why do people buy eggs to hatch instead of just buying chicks? I always figured people hatched their own eggs from their own flock. It wasn’t until last year that I found out people buy eggs from hatcheries to hatch them themselves.

My actual reason for buying hatching eggs is multifaceted. I can't keep roosters and I keep a mixed flock so they would all be barnyard mixes. I started hearing so many horror stories about people introducing chickens or chicks into their flock that I decided I wanted to remove the middle man entirely. I know where I'm getting my eggs, what the parent stock looks like, how they're cared for, and once I've hatched the chicks I have better control over what they're exposed to. I go to great lengths to keep my flock as healthy as I can (within my control) but most of all I just LOVE hatching chicks!

 

[gmjarvi]

Out of the carton and into the 'bator! I weighed each egg so I can monitor weight loss at each candling. I also did a quick candle just to make sure there weren't any teeny tiny fractures in the eggshells that I couldn't otherwise see...not sure if that was necessary, but I did it anyway

Running two incubators, the Brinsea Mini II and a Magicfly Janoel 12. I opted to take the turner out of the jn12 because the lady I bought my eggs from gave me extras, so I needed more space! So I will be hand turning those eggs three times a day.

I noticed too late that my Brinsea came with the small egg plate rather than the standard plate...hoping the small plate will work for now while I wait for the standard plate to come in.


I noticed that one of my Ameraucana eggs has kind of a thick band around part of the shell, like the shell is thicker in that spot. Hopefully if that egg makes it to hatch day the chick inside won't have any trouble!

 

[gmjarvi]

Thank you! I guess I’m not that far into my chicken addiction to go after rare breeds just yet.

It'll happen, just give it time

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Out of the carton and into the 'bator! I weighed each egg so I can monitor weight loss at each candling. I also did a quick candle just to make sure there weren't any teeny tiny fractures in the eggshells that I couldn't otherwise see...not sure if that was necessary, but I did it anyway

Running two incubators, the Brinsea Mini II and a Magicfly Janoel 12. I opted to take the turner out of the jn12 because the lady I bought my eggs from gave me extras, so I needed more space! So I will be hand turning those eggs three times a day.

I noticed too late that my Brinsea came with the small egg plate rather than the standard plate...hoping the small plate will work for now while I wait for the standard plate to come in.
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I noticed that one of my Ameraucana eggs has kind of a thick band around part of the shell, like the shell is thicker in that spot. Hopefully if that egg makes it to hatch day the chick inside won't have any trouble!

Did you have to buy the standard plate separately? I'm just curious because I just received a Brinsea Mini that I purchased used on eBay but it has both.

Good luck on your hatch!

 

[gmjarvi]

Did you have to buy the standard plate separately? I'm just curious because I just received a Brinsea Mini that I purchased used on eBay but it has both.

Good luck on your hatch!

I think it was supposed to come with just the standard plate and not the small plate. I'm not sure if I was me or Amazon that messed up, but I will have to order a standard plate seperately. I know they also sell Mini II's that come with both plates, but they're much more expensive, at least on Amazon. A replacement plate is like 15 bucks from Brinsea's website. I'll be glad to have both because I kind of want to try hatching quail once I get good at hatching chickens.

 

[hysop]

It'll happen, just give it time

I don’t mind a future chicken addiction, but I will have to go on long egg diets so they don’t go to waste!

 

[FortCluck]

I don’t mind a future chicken addiction, but I will have to go on long egg diets so they don’t go to waste!

We feed extra eggs to the dogs our ducks just started laying and chickens are starting to lay again. Yesterday we got 6 eggs. We will be getting around a dozen a day soon.