Valentine's Day 1st Annual Hatch Along

[misfitmorgan]

So it isnt looking good guys.

Out of 74 eggs set 51 look clear

That means at best i can only get a 31% hatch rate. (Contest wise we dont count clears but its still sucky.)

I'm also not in the Best Hatch Rate Contest.....because i dont want to give myself my own prize lol.

Not for VDay HAL:
Out of my 14 duck eggs that were to go into lockdown last night....11 made it in there. The other 3 were late stage quitters.

 

[misfitmorgan]

Today is the

LAST DAY to enter the

Best/Worst Hatch Rate contests!!!

PM your pictures of your eggs before 12pm EST 1/30/2015 if you want to join the contest.

Prizes Donated:
6 Month Golden Feather Membership (will extend your current Gold feather if you have one already)
6 Araucana Bantam Hatching Eggs Donated by @RavynFallen

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Careful, I might have an extra to get rid of soon...

I'm in the market for a hatcher or a wine cooler with a clear door for turning into a hatcher. Just in case you have either of those sitting around.

I ended up sitting the eggs a bit late so I'm not candling till Monday. Even then I won't toss eggs unless I'm sure they are clear.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

So it isnt looking good guys.

Out of 74 eggs set 51 look clear

That means at best i can only get a 31% hatch rate. (Contest wise we dont count clears but its still sucky.)

I'm also not in the Best Hatch Rate Contest.....because i dont want to give myself my own prize lol.

Not for VDay HAL:
Out of my 14 duck eggs that were to go into lockdown last night....11 made it in there. The other 3 were late stage quitters.

I really don't like it when that happens. It happened to me 3 weeks back so the chicks that were to be hatching today. I had tested the eggs, they were fertile but them temps dropped drastically. The change to very cold decreased not only the fertility but the number of eggs I got to set. In all I had been hoping for 4 dozen chicks but so far I have gotten 8. For me that is close to the worst ever for my own chicken's eggs.

 

[emvickrey]

I am not worried it is clear...

I am worried it will be two mostly formed chicks that then die at hatch

I hate that.

I put pullet eggs in the bator. I normally toss them because they don't usually even develop but I took the chance and they all are developing. There is the chance they quit or die early if they do hatch. They where with a different roo. Actually 4 cockerels in the juvie pen. I didn't think they would even be fertile since the cockerels are the same age as the pullets and didn't think they had the job description clear. lol Those young boys dn't know which end is up when they are starting out. maybe the splash roo in the pen next to them gave them some pointers. lol

 

[emvickrey]

I really don't like it when that happens. It happened to me 3 weeks back so the chicks that were to be hatching today. I had tested the eggs, they were fertile but them temps dropped drastically. The change to very cold decreased not only the fertility but the number of eggs I got to set. In all I had been hoping for 4 dozen chicks but so far I have gotten 8. For me that is close to the worst ever for my own chicken's eggs.

The temp in my top bator keeps dropping down to 98 at night them up to 102 in the day time. It's a still air and 36 of the 39 eggs in it are all developing so far.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote:
my bator is constant but the temps in the chicken coop got down to almost 0F and the roosters just had no motivation to do their part. Even the hens slowed way down on the eggs.

 

[ochochicas]

Last night I snuck in and candled a few eggs. Looks like a lot of clears in there. I will candle again this weekend and pull them out if they look bad.

The single Marans eggs and the olives were too dark to see veining. A lot of the eggs from my neighbor seem to be clear. She only has one small silkie rooster and said he's too small to cover the larger hens. All my redstar eggs were clear. My trusty Ameraucana eggs were growing! Some of my legbars look OK, but others have weird dark yolks just like last time. Time to sell some hens...

I only candled about 15% of the eggs, so I'm still hopeful.

 

[StephensonC]

Mine are almost all on the smaller side, too, I would say. I have read some posts about hatching pullet eggs with no problem though so as far as that I'm not real concerned. (I have no experience personally yet though, so we shall see)

I was reading about humidity and weight this morning, I read the same info as what ochochicas posted here. I was thinking to weigh them to better set humidity. I'll post pics and weights tomorrow.

Mine had some dirt too. I have read that the dirt is okay, and I have also read it's really bad. IDK. Leaning towards leaving mine as is to keep the bloom.

Being my first hatch I'm going to keep my fx and do everything I can for a great hatch and see what happens. I'm excited, I am sure I will learn a lot and hopefully I'll get a bunch of fuzzy butts around 3 weeks from now

jennianne how are your lavenders doing? I only have 3 out of 7 left. 2 were clears (I think) and 2 have blood rings (I think). Gonna give them a few more days to make sure since they are blue shells. Most of my other various eggs are still going strong.

 

[HerbGir1972]

First candling
our eggs 20/20 developing
Traded eggs 0/6 developing
Purchased eggs 0/16 developing
(awaiting refund) guess the little banty cochin might not be big enough for her big girls.
Oh well our hatch will be fun should see big EE beards and muffs, and son polish cresting.