Who is setting eggs today - 4/14?

[SIMZ]

I Hope i don't mess things up right at the end.
I've never done this before I haven't been keeping a close eye on the humidity . do you start lock down 72 hours before they are due to hatch? I tghink I will candle one more time to see if there are any I can remove so there is more room in the incubator when they hatch,

Yes, 3 days before hatch.

 

[cloaking-chickens]

This is my second hatch, my pervious hatch I netted 14 out 20, so I’m tryingto do a little better this hatch. Lessons learned from last hatch: My Hovabator holds steady at 47% humidity, instead of adding water daily like last time; I waited to every third day, and added water once it hit 27% humidity. Last time on day 19 I took the eggs out of the tuner and placed them on the screen on the bottom of the incubator. This time I placed a small hand towel on top of the screen. Hopefully it will keep the eggs from rolling around once the hatched chicks start bobbing around the bottom of the incubator. I formed little mounds with the towel to keep the large part of the shell higher than the smaller part, it’s a slight angle, just enough to keep the air gap facing up. Using the towel will also give me peace of mind, I was so worried the chicks beaks were going to get stuck in the screen or they would drown in the water. I also live in AZ and getting the humidity to reach 65% is hard, but the damp towel got me to 68% this morning. I don’t know if any of this is going to work or make for a better hatch, I’m just trying to save as many as I can. Best of luck to all of you, hope we have a great Friday!!

 

[Chickenhugger2]

This is my second hatch, my pervious hatch I netted 14 out 20, so I’m tryingto do a little better this hatch. Lessons learned from last hatch: My Hovabator holds steady at 47% humidity, instead of adding water daily like last time; I waited to every third day, and added water once it hit 27% humidity. Last time on day 19 I took the eggs out of the tuner and placed them on the screen on the bottom of the incubator. This time I placed a small hand towel on top of the screen. Hopefully it will keep the eggs from rolling around once the hatched chicks start bobbing around the bottom of the incubator. I formed little mounds with the towel to keep the large part of the shell higher than the smaller part, it’s a slight angle, just enough to keep the air gap facing up. Using the towel will also give me peace of mind, I was so worried the chicks beaks were going to get stuck in the screen or they would drown in the water. I also live in AZ and getting the humidity to reach 65% is hard, but the damp towel got me to 68% this morning. I don’t know if any of this is going to work or make for a better hatch, I’m just trying to save as many as I can. Best of luck to all of you, hope we have a great Friday!!

I like the towel idea. I think i will borrow it. I wasn't sure what people meant about chicks drowning. I thought they meant the humidity was too high, but now I think they may have been talking about the water in the incubator trough. Does your incubator have a built in hydrometer? I can't find one small enough to fit inside ... or big enough to see through the window. Don't want to keep opening the incubator,,,

 

[cloaking-chickens]

Chickenhugger2, Please don't listen to me...I have no clue. I was talking about drowning from the incubator; most people are talking about the humidity in the incubator and the chicks drowing in the egg. I'm new to chickens and would feel so bad if anyone followed or listened to me and I messed up someones hatch. The towel idea is not the same, so please don't listen to me. Yes, I do have a built in hydrometer...I have one for my cigars also, which is 1 to 2 % away from my incubator hydrometer reading. They are small and they may work. Once again I'm so sorry that I got you off track.

 

[Chickenhugger2]

cloaking .... not getting me off track... not on a track to begin with! Just sounded like a good idea.

.

 

[timbuck2mom]

I've got my first ever pip! So exciting... and I can hear some chirps!

 

[gwendalynn28]

Lockdown begins tomorrow! I have 6 eggs due to hatch! I fired up my second incubator last night to get it warmed up and ready! Glad I did because the fan wiring came undone and it was 106 degrees this morning when I woke up!! The incubator I hatch in is a hand built one so I have a vtech adapter hooked into a computer fan for a forced air incubator. I hope the temperature stables out before tomorrow because I gotta get my little eggs over there!

 

[SIMZ]

Yeah for pips!!

Keep us posted!

gwendalynn - I hope that temperature stabilizes for you!

 

[Chickenhugger2]

I've got my first ever pip! So exciting... and I can hear some chirps!

Wow ! hopefully I am right behind you!

 

[Neecolaah]

Lockdown begins tomorrow! I have 6 eggs due to hatch! I fired up my second incubator last night to get it warmed up and ready! Glad I did because the fan wiring came undone and it was 106 degrees this morning when I woke up!! The incubator I hatch in is a hand built one so I have a vtech adapter hooked into a computer fan for a forced air incubator. I hope the temperature stables out before tomorrow because I gotta get my little eggs over there!

Omg...I was in the same boat yesterday!

I have a home built hatching chamber too, but my temp issues are nearly resolved and I'll be so excited to transfer them over today.....they've already started to wiggle!!!!!

I used a new design on the inside, meant to keep the eggs separated in their own compartments so they dont jump around on the eggs that are still hatching! Last month I lost one that had already externally pipped, cause it got knocked around by rambunctious brothers and sisters...rolled over on the pipped hole and the poor baby drowned on the combination of gravity and fluid. (The little beak was still slightly out of the shell too...broke my heart)

Here's to avoiding anything like that this time around!

Much is at stake, as one of the eggs is from my pet chicken, Falcon, a gorgeous, fierce looking Ameraucana who is getting older and doesnt give me many of those beautiful blue eggs anymore. It will be my first baby from her and I'm just giddy with excitement....cant WAIT to see what it looks like.