We're all hatchin'! Congrats, everyone!

[quiltnchik]

Quote:
If it's still-air, the temp can be 102 and won't hurt them. Did you fill the wells and either use a couple sponges or maxi-pads? That might help your humidity

 

[cjeanean]

I have a homemade bator, and the air temps fluctuate by like 10 degrees, it's the water wiggler I keep a close eye on. I don't like the wiggler going above 97, I keep it between 93 and 95. I'd rather it be a TINY bit low than a tiny bit high, I've read too many horror stories of people cooking their chicks on hatch day....I have three water wells...the lid to a spice container (the 50cent ones from walmart), a small 6x6 dish, and a little 3inch round glass dish sitting in the 6x6. I know the humidity goes by surface area, so I put the round dish in the 6x6 so that if I needed the whole 6x6 area all I would have to do it fill the round dish, too....I have all three filled....

I'll check back in a few, gotta go stare at my eggs!

 

[drmeyes236]

I just candled again...yeah I know shouldn't be. All 5 out of 6 left are still moving

4/5 days to go.

 

[cjeanean]

Well I have given up on using paper towels under the hatching tray. I know that's why the humidity won't go up, so I removed them. Having them in there was also affecting my temps, I have a mercury thermostat and it won't click on or off unless there's good air flow throughout the bator. My hatching tray pretty much cuts the bator in half horizontally, with six inches below and six above...and with the paper towels it just wasn't working. I just hope it doesn't get too messy!!! I've got 2 duck eggs in there and one more chicken egg that I thought was amassive double yolker but ended up just being a triple extra large single yolk. Seriously, this egg made my duck eggs look small!!!

I'll post again in a few.....

drmeyes, HANDS OFF!!!!

 

[cjeanean]

Ack, mine is slowly starting to get there....it seems like I get the temps to stay below 100 and they automatically start being 98.8 and 99.3....which is driving me nuts!!! The humidity problem is slowly being solved, I think I've got the right amount of water in there now....I really need to lock it down, but I can't until it's all right!

Do you think my chicks will be okay???

Now, for all of you....WHERE'S YOUR TEMP/HUMIDITY STAYING AT??? And are you all keeping your hands OFF those eggs and out of the bator??? Cause I'm failing miserably....

 

[Schultz]

Better keep those hands off those eggs!

I keep my humidity at 55-65% and temps at 99.5. Everyone has something that works for them. My temps did drop once during one of my hatches and it caused the eggs to hatch a few days late. I agree, I would rather be a little low than high.

 

[cjeanean]

Okay, I'm officially going to bed, I swear!!! My humidity is at 67%, temps are stabilized, and I have it set up so that I don't have to open the bator to add water or adjust the temp....since it's a mercury thermostat, all I gotta do to raise the temp is raise one corner of the bator, and to lower I gotta raise the opposite corner of the bator....don't know why I didn't think of it before! Humidity is easy....I got a straw

Hubby forgot to lock the chickens up tonight, so they didn't go in when they were supposed to. I had to go out there and try rounding them up, and to my complete amazement my barred rock rooster spurred me!!! I was so totally NOT expecting that, so now I'm worried about getting some sort of chicken spur disease....I was also in the coop kicking his freakin butt AWAY from me, which stirred up a lot of dust and now I'm worried about chicken dust disease....Am I gonna get sick????

I'll see everyone tomorrow when I wake up....which will probably be afternoon

Good luck everyone!!!!

 

[Schultz]

Goon night...night owl!

 

[MariposaMama]

Good morning fellow hopeful hatchers.

Here's my morning update.

After putting the bator on lockdown last night, I was having trouble getting the temp back up. I bumped the temp knob on the bator, but it's a still air LG, so I was afraid to bump it too hard and have it spike while I was sleeping. I finally decided to take the cloth out that I'd put under the eggs and reclose the second air vent to see if that had any effect. This morning it is still too cool (only about 96), so I bumped the knob again. It is now about 98. Humidity is good at 67% and seems steady. The eggs are not as active yet this morning as they were yesterday, but there is some movement in some of them so I know I haven't managed to kill them all. I just bumped the temp knob again and will check it in an hour or so just before I leave for work. I will also reopen the second air vent since I know we are expecting temps around 90 today and the bator will warm as the house does. So far no pips or peeping sounds, but I really shouldn't expect those until tomorrow anyway.

How's everyone else doing?

 

[HenMamma]

Oh happy day!!!

I had one blue hatch last night before bed last night. I woke up this morning and had 4 more!!!

I checked on them before I went to work and there were 9!!!

Lots more were starting to pip!!!

In addition to these are Sally's eggs that I brought in from the coop, I had to toss one last night, it had a crack and had bacterial growth, so of the 7 left 5 have hatched.