Valentine's Day 1st Annual Hatch Along

Well, I think it is time. I am going to candle them and then if I get nothing as far as signs of life, I will go ahead and start a small opening in the air cells to see what I can figure out from there.
 
Well, I think it is time. I am going to candle them and then if I get nothing as far as signs of life, I will go ahead and start a small opening in the air cells to see what I can figure out from there.
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Here are my results for this HAL:

17 eggs set
2 removed--1 clear and 1 ring
15 in Lockdown
11 made it to the brooder (Yay for fuzzle butts!)

Not sure what that makes for my percentage?

Of the 4 remaining, all were from one of the two lots of eggs I set
one was a partial hatch that failed to progress and died--abdomen open and internals not fully absorbed
three were left until end of day 23/beginning of day 24 and eggtopsy/attempt to assist initiated
one was almost all the way but turned away from the air cell, a lot of water in there
one was like the chick that died half hatched with internals out of the abdomen but also yolk remaining and watery
the third looked like a late quit, maybe day 17, 18.

Lessons learned:

OK, I love LOVE hatching chickens! Seriously. I got it bad.
I am way more confident about my ability to stomach the hard stuff, wait it out if need be, and conquer unknown things like hatching chicks
It is really sad when they don't hatch :( and even more sad when they die after you listened to them cheep and cheered them on!

Also, as for the failed eggs, I learned a lot from them. I had two shipped lots of eggs: one BY mix and one set of pure bred hatching eggs. The eggs came from different parts of the country and were different sizes. One set avg weight was in the high 40's and the other mid 60's. The weights and geographical locs could have been factors--maybe the humidity was just right for the successfully hatched group and too high for the smaller egg group. Also, maybe one box was x-rayed or dropped or left outside on a loading dock for a few hours and that affected their viability. The three chicks I did wind up with from that set are small and struggled the first day but today they look alert and healthy. So I am really going to have to think long and hard before I mix eggs from different sources into one incubator again, just in case the humidity was my problem. I hate to think that, but it was either humidity or the box handling by the USPS in my view, all I can do is learn from it if it was my humidity.

Already plotting and planning my next adventure. I'm thinking some farm eggs sold at my butcher that I had seen bullseyes in last fall when I was still buying eggs. My son, though, is pushing for quail. Decisions, decisions!
 
Quote:

Thats what I do. I soak it in the bath tub. Except for the top that has the electronics on it. The turner trays you can wipe off and put in the dishwasher on the top rack.
 
my first chick of the hatch is out. It is a black sumatra with just a bit of white down. I was hoping for blue but at least one is out so far. It ends the question of did I do something and kill of the eggs after lockdown thoughts. The day before all of the chicks are due I always have at least one thought of was there something I did incorrect or could have done better.
 
Last one just hatched. Here are my stats.

20/24 hatched.
2 blood rings.
1 failed around day 12.
1 failed after lock down.

100% hatch rate on my F1 olive eggers.
64% hatch rate on my Black Copper Marans.

Total hatch rate is 83%.
 

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