Utah!

[Iluvmysilkies]

Those aircells are awfully big....most look more like full term air cells, so be sure to keep some humidity going for them so they do not dry out too much more. The chicks won't have enough room to turn around at the end. The vessels and chick look good! That is awesome they are developing. When you get ready for lockdown, candle and draw a line on the egg where the air cell is. Set the egg so that the side with the most air cell is facing up. They usually will pip right there on the top where the air cell meets the membrane, make sure you quit turning them early enough for them to get turned the right way, I usually stop turning my silkies 12-24 hours earlier than regular eggs (instead of 3 days before hatch 3 1/2). They have the skulls that can get stuck when turning once they get too big. They grow a lot those last few days. IF the air cell is really wonky and covering the side of the egg you can turn it to the side just a little. (so that is not completely air on the whole top of the egg. )

Oh shoot I was worried about that. Ok, so I should up the humidity a little bit more? The air cells look pretty big like this, even on the one with alot more liquid inside. So should I up it to like 35-40 to get more liquid in there? How high up is the liquid in there suppose to be? And should I prop them up in a carton (cutting the sides down low) and then slant them in it so that the widest side of the air cell is facing up like you said? Do you think they'd have an easier time hatching that way? I figure because these are so small compared to regular eggs that it might be fine in an egg carton to hatch, if you think it might make it easier for them to hatch, and less likely to get sick or drown. I am afraid to give them to dixie with these odd shaped air cells.

So instead of lockdown at 18 days, i should start lockdown at 17 days?

 

[RedIII]

you are welcome. i hear people can make good money on hatching eggs/ chicks. and articles like this will just make more of a demand for them.

You are very sweet I'm hoping to get my flock up to snuff next year. It's improving, but still not to where I want quality-wise.

Are you giving your girls pumpkin yet? I picked up a little one yesterday for our house and thought about how nice it is to know that my pumpkins all go to good use after the holidays are done. I love it when my girls get pumpkin faces

Iluv, I hope your hatch turns out well. Good luck!

So.......moulting. My poor turkey hen looks like she's half rags, half pincushion. I got a great picture of her the other day giving me the stink eye, too.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Oh shoot I was worried about that. Ok, so I should up the humidity a little bit more? The air cells look pretty big like this, even on the one with alot more liquid inside. So should I up it to like 35-40 to get more liquid in there? How high up is the liquid in there suppose to be? And should I prop them up in a carton (cutting the sides down low) and then slant them in it so that the widest side of the air cell is facing up like you said? Do you think they'd have an easier time hatching that way? I figure because these are so small compared to regular eggs that it might be fine in an egg carton to hatch, if you think it might make it easier for them to hatch, and less likely to get sick or drown. I am afraid to give them to dixie with these odd shaped air cells. 

So instead of lockdown at 18 days, i should start lockdown at 17 days? 

Hmmmm...well if it were me....I would not put them in cartons at lockdown. That is too much air facing up. They may pip internally and not make it to the shell. And if they pip on the wrong end, which these often do, you will lose them for sure. I would go naturally....on the side, with the most air cell side facing up. I would definitely stop turning on day 17, as little room as they are going to have. Humidity at least 35, but no more than 40...mostly just make sure no big fluctuations if you are raising it do it steadily. Here is a guide of the right air cell sizes for future ref! Remember this is all my opinion, everybody has their own, check in with Cynthia too to find out what she would do, she has lots of experience with shipped eggs, she is the one who taught me

edit--here is another one that is a little bigger. So the side on the left would be facing up

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

Hmmmm...well if it were me....I would not put them in cartons at lockdown. That is too much air facing up. They may pip internally and not make it to the shell. And if they pip on the wrong end, which these often do, you will lose them for sure. I would go naturally....on the side, with the most air cell side facing up. I would definitely stop turning on day 17, as little room as they are going to have. Humidity at least 35, but no more than 40...mostly just make sure no big fluctuations if you are raising it do it steadily. Here is a guide of the right air cell sizes for future ref! Remember this is all my opinion, everybody has their own, check in with Cynthia too to find out what she would do, she has lots of experience with shipped eggs, she is the one who taught me

edit--here is another one that is a little bigger. So the side on the left would be facing up

It seems like the actual size of the air cell on these ones are like day 18 but saddle shaped on all of them. Is this detached membrane the same thing as the air cell size? Is it the size of the cell thats important or the amount of liquid thats making the air cell its size? Cause I can move it around from side to side and the shape changes because the cells go down a ways. And makes the liquid move around. Makes me wonder if the liquid is just going to flow into the air cell on both sides and make it easier to drown if they are on their sides. Im so confused what to do, and which position these ones need to be in to hatch. Any input Cynthia?

 

[Cynthia12]

Iluv, that is great that they are developing. Now you know, now let them be. Lisa has given you some great tips. And, I one I never tried. The stopping the turning earlier..makes sense.
When I had big ol air sacs like that, I would lay them in between the two..make sense? They are so close together when they are that big, they could pip on either side. Just a thought. No pips by the end of day 20? This is where I do things that some folks do, and others won't admit to.

 

[Cynthia12]

Count down in days now! 18 more days before Austin gets home.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Iluv---just wondering if you have been dry hatching these so far ? I dry hatch marans, but the silkie eggs in with my Marans last week all died, they got way too dried out. Liz hatched some too and had the same problem, be sure you have enough water in there I have definitely decided the smaller the egg, the more it needs that humidity.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Count down in days now!   18 more days before Austin gets home.   

YaaaaaaYYYY! I wish I could be there to see that reunion, you are gonna cry, I just know it! Hehe, your face will be a sight to behold. So excited for you!

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

Iluv---just wondering if you have been dry hatching these so far ? I dry hatch marans, but the silkie eggs in with my Marans last week all died, they got way too dried out. Liz hatched some too and had the same problem, be sure you have enough water in there

I have definitely decided the smaller the egg, the more it needs that humidity.

Yes ive been dry hatching as cynthia told me to staying pretty much 20-30%. Sometimes it would drop at night and I wouldnt notice it till the morning. Should I just keep it around 35 and see if it fills with more liquid? How high is the liquid suppose to go. I mean, the air cells are obviously huge and that wont change, you can see where its attached to the shell when moving it around so it's going to just fill with water when I up the humidity so does tht mean that the water should go up to the line in the pic you showed, even though the air cells are much bigger? If I am not suppose to candle anymore then how will I know if ive upped the humidity enough, before its too late?

 

[the-bird-man]

have not given my girls pumpkin yet this year but they will be getting some for sure. they are getting lots of other stuff tho. very few things go to waste around here and that is a great feeling