We are locked down!

[A roo or two]

LOLOL sorry yall. I guess you can tell I'm new around here. I can't keep up with who's talking to who.

lol, it can get confusing. Hope everything is progressing nicely

 

[A roo or two]

17 out of 30 are hatched (one died). 6 of the 14 remaining are pipped.

Yay!! That's great. Sorry to hear about the one that passed.

 

[troeseler]

Not really when you consider the lower humidity is when the eggs are first set, and I am dry hatching. As the chicks have developed the humidity has slowly naturally gone up on its own and also been affected by the humidity in the house. On an average day it only fluctuated 2, maybe 3%. The 26-35 is just the range it has fluctuated in 18 days. Living in Florida and having high humidity pretty much all the time (in Feb we have already had 100% humidity days) I let it ride out the fluctuations as it would if a broody was sitting on them outside.

Yeah sounds like yours works a little better than mine. Mine was fluctuating more like 10 to 15%. If I didn't add water it would drop waaaay down. So I'd add water, then it would shoot waaay up. So the next time around I'd add less water than before etc. but I'd have to constantly watch it because no matter what I did it would rise and fall. Open the vents, close the vents, open the vents a tiny bit, open them more and so on. Mine isn't a 4200 though. I think it's like a 2200 or something. It was the only thing available locally when I got it to hatch guinea fowl last year. I am so paranoid about these BCM's I have tried to keep it where the person I got them from suggested.

 

[A roo or two]

Yeah sounds like yours works a little better than mine. Mine was fluctuating more like 10 to 15%. If I didn't add water it would drop waaaay down. So I'd add water, then it would shoot waaay up. So the next time around I'd add less water than before etc. but I'd have to constantly watch it because no matter what I did it would rise and fall. Open the vents, close the vents, open the vents a tiny bit, open them more and so on. Mine isn't a 4200 though. I think it's like a 2200 or something. It was the only thing available locally when I got it to hatch guinea fowl last year. I am so paranoid about these BCM's I have tried to keep it where the person I got them from suggested.

reading this post https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-incubate-hatch-eggs-using-the-dry-incubation-method set my mind at ease A LOT!

I know different breeds require adjustments at times but you might want to take a look at it and see if it helps you some too. Good luck with all your babies.

 

[troeseler]

reading this post https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-incubate-hatch-eggs-using-the-dry-incubation-method set my mind at ease A LOT!

I know different breeds require adjustments at times but you might want to take a look at it and see if it helps you some too. Good luck with all your babies.

Thank you.

 

[Lacrystol]

Not really when you consider the lower humidity is when the eggs are first set, and I am dry hatching. As the chicks have developed the humidity has slowly naturally gone up on its own and also been affected by the humidity in the house. On an average day it only fluctuated 2, maybe 3%. The 26-35 is just the range it has fluctuated in 18 days. Living in Florida and having high humidity pretty much all the time (in Feb we have already had 100% humidity days) I let it ride out the fluctuations as it would if a broody was sitting on them outside.

OK 3% Jump isn't that bad but 9% jump? I disagree I think that's a big jump..

 

[troeseler]

Currently only 4 have hatched. Two are making good progress. One other has a small pip. They were shipped eggs. I did let them sit 12 hours before setting them. I would have let them sit for 24 but I was worried about the already spent shipping time. They just started pipping at 8pm central time last night. 10pm would have been the full 21 days. I am really hoping I at least get 10. I am mainly posting to vent some of the regular anxiety and stress the hatching process takes on all of us chicken lovers. I hate my incubator. It's too much fuss and too much stress. I currently only have hens and no roosters so I either had to buy more chicks or buy eggs. The few places I looked at didn't have any BCM chicks available when I ordered so I purchased eggs to hatch. I will be keeping a couple roosters so I can just let them do their thing naturally in the future. Maybe play with a few in the incubator just to see if I can get better at it but if I could afford it I'd just get a good one and take the hassle out. Thanks everyone for your comments.

 

[A roo or two]

OK 3% Jump isn't that bad but 9% jump? I disagree I think that's a big jump..

I agree a 9% jump all at once is high. But mine didn't fluctuate like that, just overall from setting to lock down had a 9% difference. Once the humidity regulated it was usually around 30/32 but there were a couple spikes at 35 due to 97/100% humidity outside and rain. Didn't last long, as soon as I caught it I kicked the heat on in the house to circulate the air and it came back down.

 

[A roo or two]

Currently only 4 have hatched. Two are making good progress. One other has a small pip. They were shipped eggs. I did let them sit 12 hours before setting them. I would have let them sit for 24 but I was worried about the already spent shipping time. They just started pipping at 8pm central time last night. 10pm would have been the full 21 days. I am really hoping I at least get 10. I am mainly posting to vent some of the regular anxiety and stress the hatching process takes on all of us chicken lovers. I hate my incubator. It's too much fuss and too much stress. I currently only have hens and no roosters so I either had to buy more chicks or buy eggs. The few places I looked at didn't have any BCM chicks available when I ordered so I purchased eggs to hatch. I will be keeping a couple roosters so I can just let them do their thing naturally in the future. Maybe play with a few in the incubator just to see if I can get better at it but if I could afford it I'd just get a good one and take the hassle out. Thanks everyone for your comments.

haha!! I am right along with you on the stress part. Of course I haven't had the added bator stress but just in general. I think I worry over these eggs as much as I worry about my children. I catch myself looking in the window about every hour while I am awake and once during the night

Glad to hear some of them are hatched or working on it. That's a great sign. Fingers crossed the rest get busy pipping and zipping.

 

[Lacrystol]

Currently only 4 have hatched. Two are making good progress. One other has a small pip. They were shipped eggs. I did let them sit 12 hours before setting them. I would have let them sit for 24 but I was worried about the already spent shipping time. They just started pipping at 8pm central time last night. 10pm would have been the full 21 days. I am really hoping I at least get 10. I am mainly posting to vent some of the regular anxiety and stress the hatching process takes on all of us chicken lovers. I hate my incubator. It's too much fuss and too much stress. I currently only have hens and no roosters so I either had to buy more chicks or buy eggs. The few places I looked at didn't have any BCM chicks available when I ordered so I purchased eggs to hatch. I will be keeping a couple roosters so I can just let them do their thing naturally in the future. Maybe play with a few in the incubator just to see if I can get better at it but if I could afford it I'd just get a good one and take the hassle out. Thanks everyone for your comments.

NICE, I only let mine set 8 hours, the sooner the better is what I always say.

OK, the Time does NOT matter, chickens do not go by a clock, only days. So doesn't matter what time they went in the Days is what matters. LOL

I'm sure you'll get some roosters NOW... LOL