Wheaton Ameraucana Lockdown - To Hatch or Not to Hatch?

[Offshoreorca]

Today is Day 17 of my Wheaton Ameraucana hatch. I'm using a Brinsea Mini II Advance which worked wonders for my last hatch in April (100% hatch rate from my own flock). Like many of you, I have been fascinated by the idea of adding a few blue egg layers to the coop and decided on Wheaton Ameraucanas as the colour and breed of choice. I ordered eggs from a local breeder across the province and drove halfway to meet her so the eggs didn't have to be shipped - overall the journey would have been around 6 hours from point A to point B. Her birds look lovely (and up to standard) and egg colouration is beautiful (they look better in person than in the photo). However, they did come a little dirty. I have a habit of only hatching clean eggs of mine. I candled on Day 7 and Day 14, with what looked like two early quitters out of my seven eggs - ironically the two cleanest and lightest coloured eggs. So I'm down to five for lockdown. More recently, I have learned that their incubator hatch rates on the farm have been dismal this season. This concerns me as they mention that many of the eggs looked good going into lockdown and then failed to hatch. I hope it is an incubator issue they're having and not related to the condition of their breeding stock. Anyways, I thought I would share my lockdown story here and ask questions along the way. Not sure how this hatch will turn out, but I'm hoping for a few little fluffy chicks.

Any others out there with Ameraucana eggs in the bator?

 

[MGG]

Day 20 is tomorrow and I have committed a cardinal sin! I opened the incubator (relatively quickly) to try and fit 5 cochin eggs from our coop in the incubator. The silkie brooding them has been kicked off her nest 4+ times a day and one egg was cracked. I had been thinking only 4 of the 5 were viable, but when I candled I could see movement in all of them. She's on Day 17 or 18, so I know the eggs will be fine on lockdown for these last few days.

However, I'm only using a Brinsea Mini II Advance. Though technically rated for 10 chicken eggs when the turner is out, this one definitely didn't fit all of them. I tried, but after a few minutes of strategizing I realized that it just wasn't going to work without having them all crammed so well that they might struggle to hatch. So, I have 9 eggs relatively snuggly fit in there now (not touching the walls) and the fifth is under the broody hen with 3 brand new eggs as she refused to just sit on the one. Fingers crossed that all goes well with this hatch Now the incubator is locked down for good.

I did candle one of the Ameraucana eggs, and while there was no internal pip, I did see the air cell drawing down nicely!

Sounds good! I open the incubator a ton during lockdown honestly... even more often then during the 18 days. I have never had a problem with it personally.

 

[Erin80]

Good luck!
We have two Ameraucanas in the incubator right now.....along with some silkie/polish and a few other bantams. Very exciting!

 

[Offshoreorca]

Final Ameraucana Hatching Update: All five chicks made it (albeit some with a little help) and are doing well in the brooder now.

The first of my Cochin eggs from my own flock has pipped and is peeping - let's hope the other four follow. Addicted me is off to pick up some Black Copper Maran eggs tomorrow, which will be the last planned batch of the year aside from another hatch or two from our own flock.

 

[MGG]

Today is Day 17 of my Wheaton Ameraucana hatch. I'm using a Brinsea Mini II Advance which worked wonders for my last hatch in April (100% hatch rate from my own flock). Like many of you, I have been fascinated by the idea of adding a few blue egg layers to the coop and decided on Wheaton Ameraucanas as the colour and breed of choice. I ordered eggs from a local breeder across the province and drove halfway to meet her so the eggs didn't have to be shipped - overall the journey would have been around 6 hours from point A to point B. Her birds look lovely (and up to standard) and egg colouration is beautiful (they look better in person than in the photo). However, they did come a little dirty. I have a habit of only hatched clean eggs of mine. I candled on Day 7 and Day 14, with what looked like two early quitters out of my seven eggs - ironically the two cleanest and lightest coloured eggs. So I'm down to five for lockdown. More recently, I have learned that their incubator hatch rates on the farm have been dismal this season. This concerns me as they mention that many of the eggs looked good going into lockdown and then failed to hatch. I hope it is an incubator issue they're having and not related to the condition of their breeding stock. Anyways, I thought I would share my lockdown story here and ask questions along the way. Not sure how this hatch will turn out, but I'm hoping for a few little fluffy chicks.

Any others out there with Ameraucana eggs in the bator?

Good luck! It is probably an incubator issue. I don't have any Ameracaunas in, but I'm following and wishing you the best!

 

[Offshoreorca]

Good luck! It is probably an incubator issue. I don't have any Ameracaunas in, but I'm following and wishing you the best!

Thanks @MGG
I love following lockdown/hatching posts - so much to learn! I dearly hope it's an incubator issue of theirs as well.

 

[MGG]

Thanks @MGG
I love following lockdown/hatching posts - so much to learn! I dearly hope it's an incubator issue of theirs as well.

You're welcome! Me too! They always turn out so long so most of the time is me catching up! Lol. I really think it is. As long as your incubator has been running well I think you'll get some babies. Ameracaunas are the best!

 

[Offshoreorca]

Good luck!
We have two Ameraucanas in the incubator right now.....along with some silkie/polish and a few other bantams. Very exciting!

Thanks! So exciting - it’s always fun hatching different breeds!

 

[Offshoreorca]

The five viable eggs have been taken off the turner now at the end of Day 17 - I broke open the other two and they look like they died about the same time around Day 6 (just before my first candle as I already noticed that something was off with them then). They are both the exact same shade of blue, so possibly from the same hen.

All the rest have veins visible and seem to be developing well. I have seen movement from 4 out of 5 today as they wiggled around in the turner. Air cells have grown a little, but not as much as I expected - ambient humidity has been high the past week. Though small, they aren’t any smaller than the air cells from my last hatch at this point so I’m not concerned as that gave 100% hatch rate. Will have to get a scale to measure weight loss in the future.

First Egg (Early Quitter)

Second Egg (Early Quitter)

Neat the see the early quitters as the hatch from my own hens had 100% success. As long as I get a few chicks from this batch (hopefully a couple hens in there), I’ll be happy as the eggs were purchased and not my own.

I’ll post an update if and when I notice the first external pips in a few days. Until then I’ll wait with bated breath. Let the hatching begin!

 

[Offshoreorca]

Day 20 is tomorrow and I have committed a cardinal sin! I opened the incubator (relatively quickly) to try and fit 5 cochin eggs from our coop in the incubator. The silkie brooding them has been kicked off her nest 4+ times a day and one egg was cracked. I had been thinking only 4 of the 5 were viable, but when I candled I could see movement in all of them. She's on Day 17 or 18, so I know the eggs will be fine on lockdown for these last few days.

However, I'm only using a Brinsea Mini II Advance. Though technically rated for 10 chicken eggs when the turner is out, this one definitely didn't fit all of them. I tried, but after a few minutes of strategizing I realized that it just wasn't going to work without having them all crammed so well that they might struggle to hatch. So, I have 9 eggs relatively snuggly fit in there now (not touching the walls) and the fifth is under the broody hen with 3 brand new eggs as she refused to just sit on the one. Fingers crossed that all goes well with this hatch Now the incubator is locked down for good.

I did candle one of the Ameraucana eggs, and while there was no internal pip, I did see the air cell drawing down nicely!