Tomorrow (11/11/11) is Lockdown!!!! Anyone else?

[Shayna]

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Oh that's so sad about your silkies! How many eggs are you incubating? I hope you have a great hatch! I am so afraid of something happening to mine, I hover over them when I let them out of the run. I do have guineas that range with them, and I always hope the loud-mouth guineas will keep predators away, but I'm never sure enough to leave the silkies out.
Any pips today?
Nothing for me yet, but I'm still hoping and waiting.

Anyone else have hatches today?

 

[momma of a chicken lover]

Hah! This is why I read everything that comes up on BYC! My utter lack of knowledge does create strange images and thoughts when I encounter phrases that are raising chicken based. I envisioned "lockdown" on 11/11/11 to be locking the chickens into their coop extra carefully due to a fear of what may happen that day. Sigh - learning, learning, learning... sometimes prior knowledge doesn't work at all!

 

[teamsunbelt]

I have 7 that went in on 11-10. My Humidity is holding great at 70%+or-. Using a LG with no fan, so lowering the eggs off the turner and getting the temps right is the hardest part.

I did add a few big rocks this hatch to see how that would help out with temp swings.

 

[Shayna]

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Hilarious! That's not what I had in mind, but I have family and friends that look at me a little strange when I say I just put the eggs on lockdown. It always requires explanation. 6 months ago, I couldn't have told you what lockdown was either! I'm still learning every day.

 

[Shayna]

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Every time I go to add water to up the humidity, my temp really swings up, then down, and takes forever to stabilize. When through that today since I added more water, my humidity dropped below 60%. I think I have it stable again.

Adding rocks is a great idea! I'm only incubating 2 eggs. I really would have done that too had I thought of it.

 

[brijay2]

First Silkie hatching from this batch!!!!

video to come later of actual moment of getting out of the egg!!!!

 

[Hatch me if you can]

Well I had a "hatch" but it was a lack luster one. Out of 6 eggs that went into lock down two piped and only on hatched, I keep telling myself that this happens but what a lousy feeling it is when it just doesn't come together. The one that piped and didn't make it was a Lavender Ameraucana banty (DANG IT ANYWAY) but the one that did hatch I got a beautiful B/B/S Ameraucana Banty. Super strong and super healthy! At least we have that going for us...

 

[teamsunbelt]

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Every time I go to add water to up the humidity, my temp really swings up, then down, and takes forever to stabilize. When through that today since I added more water, my humidity dropped below 60%. I think I have it stable again.

Adding rocks is a great idea! I'm only incubating 2 eggs. I really would have done that too had I thought of it.

Picked up the rock idea on here somewhere, or a bottle of water. The idea is to add something to act as a heat sink. It compensates for excess heat or lack there of. This is all just others ideas, being this is my second hatch.

I also use cartons. My first run saw 24 eggs in lock down, only 7 hatched, all from cartons.

I have a fan to go in my LG after this hatch, but I am looking at a new incubator for Christmas. I have mine in the garage, so there is some natural temp flucuations. The LG seems to handle that as well. I have limited my messing with the thing all day long this time, let it get stable and left it alone. Everything that went into lockdown was alive and moving. I wet a few sponges and fill the resevoir with water and papertowels. I kept the rocks inside during lockdown as well.

 

[Shayna]

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That's great!! I'd love to see a pic of the babies!

 

[Shayna]

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Sorry your hatch didn't go better! Do make sure that you've given all the eggs plenty of time before you give up on them. I know what you're going through though, my first attempt at hatching 24 eggs I bought ended with 1 pip that died before hatching. No babies. I was so sad. I did hatch 4 of 11 the second time around, and this is my third time incubating (second hatch HOPEFULLY) and both eggs are still moving today.

Feel free to show off a pic of your new little guy! Congrats!!