Who is with me?

[riqui1]

Kismet: I was informed that it was seeing the air sac down the side of the egg that told me that mine was shrink wrapped. Unfortunately, I didn't mark those two eggs, so I didn't set them aside, so I knew which was which when it came to hatch day. That is one lesson that I have learned and will do differently with the next one.

I must say that I am entirely impressed by what they look like when they come out and how just 12 hours later they can be so mouthy and mobile. I guess that it really is no different than any other animal's birth, in the long run. I just don't sit around and hold my breath with any other animal - all of mine are fixed!!

Wait...I didn't sit around; I couldn't take it. I went to the horse races, that's right!

Good luck with your hatch!!

Let us know how it goes. I may not quite know what I am doing yet, but these guys have been a HUGE help to me!!

 

[Kismet]

Thanks Riqui1,

I won't know which eggs, because I didn't mark them either, although several I know were Ameracaunas. So, if I have a lot of blue shrinkwrapped eggs ..... Next time, I'll write on them (and here I thought I was taking such great notes with my daily chart, keeping track of the temp and the humidity, who and what was culled, whether the turner was turning, etc. ..... there's always more to learn, that's for sure.

The next three days are the hardest - waiting

!

 

[chickie_mama]

Hey guys! Just checking in.

When I did the calibration thing on my hygrometer, I found I was way off. I have not taken it out of the bag yet. So I will check again when I get home. But when I checked this morning, my hygrometer said the humidity was 56%.....according to my instructions, it should read 75%. I'm almost 20% off..... Soooo when I'm trying to raise the humidity, i'm actually drowning the poor little guys!!!!! AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!!!

 

[riqui1]

Wow! How do you calibrate a hygrometer?

 

[starryeyes]

Sorry for your loss due to coons. We to were hit very hard over the past 3 weeks. They tore chicken wire that was around page wire of ducks cage and yanked the babies out only cuting off feet beaks and heads. Then they climbed threw vent hole in silkie pen killed my show quality hen and a bantam roo just cut the head off did not eat them. So we now lock all up in big barn and even the big ducks sit at barn door waiting to get in and sleep in chicken coop. I even found my rouen in a nesting box laying a egg LOL. I uderstand wild animals need food but to kill just to kill and not eat them I draw the line. After loosing $1200.00 in ducks and birds its now war. Nite before last one was sitting on coop roof climed up a tree with the bow he was relocated to the otherside. A coon also opend the big steel dog crate and ate tore apart all but one muscovey. And then just last week some how we have no idea how barn is locked up tight all we can figure is it dug under neith it killed a plymouth rock. The laying hens are so stressed that production has been cut in half. My warning to you is once they taste your chickens and know you have them they will always be bk. If you are not into killing them get a live trap. Good luck my heart goes out to you.

Starry

 

[Kismet]

Quote:
Yeah, good question. Mine is digital that I got from Radio Shack. It has a base station that gives the temp and humidity of the room, and a sensor that I put in the incubator that tells me temp and humidity inside the bator. I would have no idea how to go about calibrating it!

If it's off, then I am drowning my chicks, too!

 

[chickie_mama]

I posted instructions yesterday. I googled and this is what I found at about.com

To calibrate a hygrometer you will need:
1/2 cup table salt
approximately 1/4 cup water
coffee cup
hygrometer
large re-sealable freezer bag

1. Place 1/2 cup of salt in the coffee cup, and add the water. Stir for a bit to totally saturate the salt (the salt won't dissolve, it will be more like really wet sand).

2. Place the salt/water mix in a re-sealable plastic bag, along with the hygrometer, and seal the bag. Note: make sure none of the salt/water mix comes in direct contact with the hygrometer.

3. Let this bag aside at room temperature for 8-12 hours, in a location where the temperature is fairly constant.

4. After 8-12 hours, check the reading of the hygrometer. It is best to read it while still in the bag.

The relative humidity in the sealed bag with the salt/water mix should be 75 percent.

5. For adjustable hygrometers, adjust to read 75 percent. You will have to do this very quickly, or remember how much you need to adjust the setting

 

[riqui1]

That is interesting that you ask that, in connection with my question. I just realized that all of this time, my husband had one of those contraptions hanging on the wall in "his room" to tell the temp and the humidity outside. I never even considered it for my incubator...until I just went online to see about buying a new one from a reptile supply dealer. I just don't know how to tell if his is accurate or not. I just put it in the incubator, to see how it was reading and will be putting my cheap-o walmart one back in too, just to see how they compare.

I am in the process of doing a search on this, so I will let you know what I find.

 

[Kismet]

Quote:
Oh, Starryeyes, I am so sorry.

Are you sure it's not a weasel? They will just take the head and leave the rest. And they are able to squeeze through the most unlikely places.

 

[riqui1]

I was just reading that myself. I can't believe that I missed that post; I tried to stay up on everything, even when I was away from home. I will have to check both of mine now. Thank you!