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

[BluebirdHomestead]

When I woke up this morning the last two chicks had hatched overnight! So that gives me a 91% hatch rate overall!
Now that they're all dry, I think there are 6 Blue, 2 Splash, and 2 Black! I will update with fuzzy pictures later today!

A recap of the Undesirable egg experiment if you weren't already following along on the thread:

- Hatch 3/12/20: 91% (started with 12, 1 infertile, 1 quitter, 10 live chicks)

- Used Version 2 Nurture Right incubator, 99.5°F, 40-50% (usually 45%) humidity for the first 18 days, increased to 65% for hatch.

- A total of 7 of the original 12 eggs were "undesirable" and 5 hatched!
- 2 Oblong Eggs - Both Hatched!
- 2 Porous Eggs - Both Hatched!
- 1 Sticky Eggs (thought to be egg white leakage) - Hatched!
- 1 Calcium Build Up Egg - Clear/Infertile
- 1 Cracked Egg (repaired with wax) - Quitter on approximately day 15-17 due to bacteria or from the amount of wax needed to cover large crack preventing proper gas exchange.

This is amazing!!!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

This is amazing!!!

I'm pretty surprised myself! I can't deny I was bummed about the cracked egg because it lasted so long but it I certainly had a better hatch rate than I ever could have predicted considering the condition of the eggs!

 

[Mysticalsys]

What day do y’all usually take the egg rotator out for geese eggs

 

[CluckNDoodle]

What day do y’all usually take the egg rotator out for geese eggs

What breed of goose? I asked for average days to hatch for the breed to put them on lockdown but a lot of people wait until draw down of the air cell. Geese on average hatch somewhere between 28-35 days.

 

[Ememasb2010]

Just set 4 americana and 8 brown eggs from different breeds hoping I get some to hatch last year my incubator didnt do so good but I think I got it figured out

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Just set 4 americana and 8 brown eggs from different breeds hoping I get some to hatch last year my incubator didnt do so good but I think I got it figured out

Good luck on your hatch!

 

[FortCluck]

I just accidentally killed a duckling in one of those eggs. I went through a vein and it kept bleeding

 

[FortCluck]

One of them is still alive the other two were DIS. I don't know what to do about the alive one. It's not absorbing the yolk and it's still veiny.

How do I help it or is it beyond help?

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

I have 14 shipped eggs on day 4 today. I let them rest for 3 days before putting them in the incubator. I candled a handful of them today, they’re developing but look like they have “jiggly” air cells. Are they doomed? ☹

For me shifty aircells are a mixed bag. I've had them mostly on shipped eggs but also local eggs that I got free and brought home in the bed of my truck!

My hatch rates on these eggs all across the board. But I think I have the best rates when my weight loss/humidity was perfect and I incubate/hatch upright in cartons. I currently have a setting of shipped silkie/showgirls eggs. 9/12 have great development on day 8. 2 of those have super wonky/loose aircell, 2 look perfectly normal, the rest are in the middle with moderately saddled aircells.

I'm incubating them upright in cartons. I hand turn 1/4 turn when I think about it. They're in my kitchen so it happens regularly.

Here's a pic from Day 6.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I just accidentally killed a duckling in one of those eggs. I went through a vein and it kept bleeding

Oh no! I'm so so sorry!!! I would have looked into helping duckies that were that late as well.